For the high school coaches on this site, and those that are in the know

OA5II,

I am assuming that you are asking with respect to baseball.

Who gives a rip about the academic side, right?

Here is the summarized version.

If your son can outhit the best nine in high school, he can play on the varsity.

Otherwise, the freshman team is a very good place to start.

And, by the way, they do have a no pass no play rule.

You can't get a scholarship to college if you don't make good grades in high school.

That process starts, about the 7th grade, just in time for your son.

However, if your son is a pitcher, with good developing velocity, all of the above rules do not apply.

the no pass no play rules doesn't apply with our son. it is a no 90, no play rule in our house.

This are great questions!!!

What should he know?

I know I will leave somethings out, so fellow coaches please add on.

Baserunning - lead offs, secondary lead, when to advance on a ground ball at 2nd base, how to read a RHP, LHP, make proper turns, picking up 3rd base coach when going from 1st to 3rd.

Hitting - how to sac bunt, knowing when to show a squeeze, knowledge of the strike zone, good approach when there is less than 2 strikes, to change his approach when there is 2 strikes, to not trust the umpire when he has 2 strikes, to understand that I can have the best hitting coach/mechanics in the metroplex but if I don't get a good pitch to hit I am getting myself out and giving away at bats. Then you'll be giving away either a spot on the team or a spot in the line up.

Fielding - how to play his position(s).

Pitching - know that velocity is not everything...location is, that the knuckleball is a gimmick pitch for old guys that can't throw hard anymore and they need to learn the change up, to understand that when they throw a change up you WANT the hitter to swing, that pitchers need to take care of their bodies especially legs and arms.

Finally, to always hustle!!! You can't always control the final outcome of an at bat or a game. But you can control whether you hustle everytime you step between the lines.


What they need to be able to do?

Pitchers - Have command of their fastball, a breaking pitch and a change up, To work ahead in the count, to throw the ball agressively thru the catcher's mitt (that is a Coach Traubism), trust their fielders behind them and not get on them when/if the make an error.

Hitters - To give the ball force, to give the ball the direction (don't fight the angle, if the ball is away hit it away, if it is down the middle hit it up the middle, if it is inside get your hands thru and pull it), to give the ball line drive elevation.

Infielders - To make the routine play

Outfielders - To take good angles and hit the cut off man.

Catchers - Have good footwork, quick release, don't frame the ball PRESENT the ball to the umpire, and be accurate (throw to the 1B side of 2B).

All this is off the top of my head. I'm sure I will chime in with more!

FO,

You beat me to the academics...

Especially at the Division 1 level, grades matter! There are few if any admissions exemptions for baseball players...those go to the football and basketball players because those are the revenue generating sports.

That only 5% of HS baseball players get scholarships.

If a coach has to constantly "deal" with academic/behavior issues, the kid will most likely be gone.

There are no short cuts in baseball. You have to put in the time to master your crafts.

You know, I didn't read the question.

It asked for high school coaches and those in the know.

I'm neither.

Thanks, FD.

You may not be a HS coach, but you still have experience and wisdom that I do not have as a parent. Your input is welcome.

I'll agree with FD on his stance if what to know. I would also add - be Coachable. Understand that you don't know everything(yet) and if you work hard at what the coaches are emphasizing you will succeed in the long run.

FD - I agree - effort is a huge key. GO game speed all the time. There are plenty of down times for you to rest. You get thousands of reps in practice for the 2-3 attempts on a game. If you have taught your muscles to o a certain speed thats what they will do in a game.

I'll think of more but these plus FD's are a great start!!

FD, I have a 12yr old and printed this out for him to use as a check list to make sure he is on track, but I have a question.

Can you describe the difference between Framing and Presenting? He is new to catching and we aren't sure of the difference.


Thanks! Great Post!!

It is something that I would have to show you. One of the best I think in the last 20 years or so was former Brewer catcher Charlie O'Brien. Now Charlie was not known for his hitting, but man was he good behind the plate. He is the guy that I got the term "presenting" from. He went from being the back up catcher there to the main catcher because of what he did for those pitchers. If good old "Uncle Bud" would have spent some money to keep their pitchers around, the Brew Crew could have been a contender.

My catchers (all 3 of them) last night did a great job of "presenting" in our scrimmage. Any pitch that was close, they got it for our pitchers. I have it on film since we film all our games from behind home plate.

quote:

Any pitch that was close, they got it for our pitchers.

Fun little game within the game, ain't it?