What makes a D1 recruit?

Velocity

There is no doubt that you do not have to have great velocity to be a great pitcher. I dont think anyone here is saying that if they are I happen to disagree. The ability to locate and change speeds and being mentally tough is what makes a kid capable of getting good hitters out. What I will say is that there is a threshold to velocity as far as recruiting is concerned. For example lets say a lhp has a ridiculous era and wins everytime out in HS. Lets say that he tears up the showcase circuit and dominates the competition. But lets say he tops out at 74 mph on his fastball. How many top level D-1 programs are going to be knocking down his door? Now lets say the same kid throws 88-90. Is fairly sucessfull at the showcase circuit against quality competiton. Lets say his numbers in HS are not as good as the first scenario. Do you believe that he will garner more interest than the first scenario. YES HE WILL. Velocity gets you noticed and it gets people interested in you. College coaches at the higher levels are looking for a certain ceiling in velocity. Less from a LHP and less from a kid with great physical make up. Its no different than a 6'5 210 kid throwing 85 will get more looks than a kid 5'9 160 throwing 89. Is it fair , is it right , is it smart baseball? The bottom line is there are kids that can get people out and there are kids that have the potential to get kids out. If the potential outweighs the risk of taking a kid that might not get any better or has maxed out at his make up then there you go. I dont have the answers and I dont claim to have them. Personally I would take a Mac anyday at that level because I have seen him dominate D-1 recruits with his stuff. But Im not in that posistion. To say that velocity does not matter if the pitcher can locate and change speeds and knows how to pitch is a fact at the HS level. But it is not a fact in the college coaches eyes when they have the ability to choose from a large pool of talent and potential talent. Maybe the 6'5 kid that throws 85-87 with proper instruction and a couple of years of hard work will throw 90+ and learn how to pitch? Maybe the 5'9 kid that gets everyone out at the HS level throwing 81 has maxed out and better hitters at the college level will t off on him. There have been a ton of kids in football and basketball that have been passed on because they were an inch too short or a tenth of a second too slow. And they go on to play at another school and show that those schools were wrong for not taking the kid. The same thing happens in baseball all the time. A kid is a mif and runs a 7.3 so he is passed on by big name schools. And later the kid is drafted out of college while the kids that were taken by the other schools never start or play at the big name schools. There are alot of factors outside of the obvious numbers that make a ball player. The things that can not be measured are the usually the most important in the long run. Heart , work ethic , desire , instincts etc. The same can be said for pitching. I see both sides of this issue but personally I would rather take my chances with guys that have all ready proven that they are winners instead of trying to develop potentially good players into winners. JMHO. I know this is a long post but there are alot of great baseball players that are passed over because they dont fit the (mold) so to speak. Then there are the guys that fit the mold but are not great ball players. The successfull programs have the ability to make these wise choices on a regular basis. The others toil in mediocrity while others ask how in the world are they not winning they have (all those studs).

 

I know this is your opinion but you are way off base in your conclusion. The facts are the kid has pitched at every conceivable level of talent that any pitcher in the state of NC could play in. He has been unbelievable in his performance and results. He's been successful at the 4A level and played on a prestigious showcase team only allowing 1 earned run all summer and fall. He's pitched in pressure packed playoff games and well attended, highly talented showcase tournaments. The scouts know who he is and none of them have expressed any concern over his mental toughness....and don't know why this was even brought up.

The fact is the young man does not dazzle you with his size (projectionable), nor with a blazing FB. There are thousands of players across the country that fits this young man's profile (certainly not all lefties), but what makes this young man different than most is his heart, competitiveness and mental toughness.. The kid is an assassin. The only real concern is that he may or may not pitch at the college of his choice....but he will be able to go to any school he chooses. It's understandable that he would like to do both.

But as mentioned earlier, it's way too early to be concerned about who has not contacted you.

 

BaseballMan....

I didn't read back on this thread and maybe this has been answered previously....but, have you ever sat down with your son's coach and had him give you his assesment of what level he sees your son playing? Have you also asked him what the College Recruiters/Scouts have said as to what they see as the strengths/weaknesses for your son?

I know with my sons showcase team we sat down with the coaching staff at the end of the season and went over where my son stood and what we needed to work on to attract certain schools.

At least the would let you know the areas your son needs to concentrate on to get where he wants to go.

 

If my son was in this position, I would scout d-1 programs that already had pitchers that matched my sons profile. If a college coach has already had a good experience with crafty, low velocity pitchers, then he would appreciate what your son brings to the game. Once you have compiled your list, take the initiative to contact these coaches. They all will give him a look, and if he is as good as he sounds then you will have plenty of choices in no time. Trying to bring a real plan to your problem since it seems this thread is burning out. I will say this, my son is a fair hitter and 90 mph leftys dont bother him at all, 75 mph leftys with crooked pitches and 65 mph change ups give him a fit!

 

I was never saying that baseballman's son was not good enough or tough enough. I was saying that could be a possibilty, but by what you are saying he sounds like a hell of a player to me. The best advice I could tell you is your son will find a place to play with the talent he has. The school he ends up with might not be on his top 3 list, but he will find a good school, no doubt. Also, there is a player at Clemson University right now by the name of DJ Mitchell. Last school year in late may, Coach O'Sullivan for Clemson went to watch a player and they saw DJ. DJ had never been recruited before, within a week, DJ was signed to play at Clemson. The same thing could easily happen for your son. Clemson also has been known for taken pitchers that throw 82-84 mph and making them tear up batters. Also, e-mail coaches, call coaches, and just be reasonable with everything. This kid will find a good place to play, dont worry.

 

This thread is starting to focus negatively on a single player.. saying that... the player CAN pitch at any college level; there are atleast 3 people in this forum that can attest to that. However it is not in any of our hands to control where the player will end up. Maybe a couple people concerns, but their concerns should not single a player out on a INTERNET FORUM.

 

if you need help to bury it, i will dig the hole.

 

maybe not bury it, just refocus to the original topic - What makes a D1 recruit?

It's the getting noticed part that seems to be so hard - especially when your kid might not even be on one of the "top traveling teams" or involved w/Impact or whatever - some people just can't go that route - so what's next? College camps? if so, what kind are best?

 

First off, baseball man123 you seemed pretty upset with all the posters and their opinions when they are just trying to sort out for themselves what us coaches are thinking about their sons. Don't talk down to people who this is real life for them, and they are seriously concerned about the future of their kids.

Second, I don't know what schools and pro teams you were a pitching scout for but the Major div 1 I played for and the professional organization I played in were very interested in velocity. It was the end-all, be-all of a pitchers existence.

but on the other hand I was a lefty who topped out ot 83-85 and was named first team all-american and drafted in the 14th round. Every team I ever played on after high school I was by far the lowest velocity guy. Eventually in A-ball there was no more room for a guy like me.

 

On the best type of camps, Perfect Game hosts really great camps. There are great camps/showcases all throughout winter and summer and the best advice i could give you on those would be, find out where your son would like to play, and if those schools are hosting camps or showcases, send him to those and make sure you introduce yourself to the coach. Coaches really appreciate guys that can come out of their way and talk to them.