How does my catcher stack up?

I would say forget about where he ranks for his age and just keep working on his game. Sounds like he is doing well and enjoys what he us doing.

If your wondering if he is college material then the majority of the stats you throw out don't mafter. The college guys don't care what his BA is or how many kids he's thrown out. They are going to want to know his pop time. His 60 yd time and his home to first time.  After that they are going to want to see him play to make an evaluation on his skills behind the plate. 

Well I guess my questions simply are: at his current pace, would he be considered average, above average etc, and yes is he college player material. I just want to encourage him to be his best, but I also need to understand where he stands.

College is a totally different situation, I was just looking for an opinion for this moment in time and the rest of his high school years.

It sounds like your son is outstanding for his age.  He needs to e seen by decision makers.  Is the 2.1 pop time in games or workouts?  If he keeps workiNg hard he will play in college.  His development over the next couple years will determine the level he plays at.  Right now he could go from being an average player to one of the best.

The proof is always determined by eye sight, but not the eye sight it takes to read about his accomplishments.  They need to see him play or hear about him from a source they trust. If they do, they will make it a point to see him first hand.  Then you will be able to stop wondering where he fits in. 

BTW, 2.1 in game pop times would be somewhere around the top catchers at his age.  Hitting stats mean very little until the decision makers see him hit against high level pitching.

Best of luck and stick around this site.  It might end up helping you

 more than you and your son could ever imagine.

Sounds pretty good to me.  

I went to a college (19U) summer league team tryout a couple of months ago and the 4 guys there were 2.0-2.3.  Two high school seniors and two guys who were going to be college Sophomores.  

Catcher is such an important and valued position.  Like a center in football, undervalued by fans but not coaches.  Finding a good catcher is always a bonus for a coach I would think.  

I don't work with catchers at all, but, having a catcher that can work with pitchers (catchers get flak for runners stealing but the first half of that equation is on the pitchers) to control the running game, can keep balls in front of him and frame well ect. would be a great value to any team.  If he can hit, that is a bonus.  

One thing I have seen is when kids start trying to really focus on throwing guys out/pop time ect. they start changing their technique.  If they know a guy is going they tend to reach out or lunge for the ball and get off balance, this effecting their throw.  Or they over throw and the ball sails on them.  Just lots of practice and reps and technique work on the very good foundation he already has and I am sure he will have no issue getting some attention.  

mmbb,

I can sure empathize with your wanting to have some kind of measurement for your child. Heck, anyone who says they don’t do the same thing either doesn’t really support the child or is a liar.

I have to be honest and say that after I read your post, the 1^st thing I wondered was “Why is this kid on the Fr team and not at least the JV team if not a backup on the V. the only answers I can think of right off the top of my head are; 1) that school has some real beasts catching in the program; 2) his numbers aren’t valid because either the scorer or the coaches doing the timing aren’t doing what they should be doing very well; or 3) you’re seeing him and his accomplishments through a father’s eye.

In any case it really doesn’t matter what anyone thinks except the coaches he plays for who fill out the lineup cards every game, and maybe the VHC who has the power to put him where he feels he needs to be for whatever reasons he has. In short, it’s certainly ok and expected that a dad wants some measuring stick for his children, whether it’s in the classroom or on a sports field, but believe me when I say that the measuring stick will mean a lot more to you than it means to anyone else.

FWIW, if he was attending our school, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind he’d be the starting catcher on the V as we speak, even if what you say is only 25% true. But on the other hand, with those numbers if he was in the program where I was the previous 8 years, he might have been the bullpen catcher for the V one of those seasons, and maybe been the backup catcher on the JV in most of the others. What I’m saying is, it’s all relative.

You said It seems like he blocks extremely well. That sounds as though you aren‘t sure, and if it is true, don’t let it bother you! Blocking for catchers is a difficult thing to understand for most people, and even more difficult because there are very few stats done on it.

I hope you won’t be offended if I explain what a block is. A block takes place only when a catcher needs ordinary effort to keep it from allowing either a runner to move up or a batter to get on base. A lot of people think a block happens anytime there’s a bad pitch and the catcher stops it from getting past him, and I suppose that’s true to some degree, but if there’s no possible consequence, all it really is is a ball of the batter doesn’t swing or a strike if he does.

Take a look at the catcher metrics I do for our team. Mebbe they’ll give you an idea about something you can do during games for fun and to get a really good idea about how the catchers are performing.

Good luck to the and you as well.

SK

Hi Stats,

Thanks for your input, it is valuable and is appreciated. I agree, every parent is looking for something that confirms that their kid has something special. I try not to be naive for sure, and instead of a dad posting, I'm his mommy . I don't know much which is why I turned to this site for some info. I can tell you coaches have been complimentary, but I am not sure if they are looking for the ever so expensive private lesson or some other training session that requires a boat load of cash. I'm not sure if they feed me a bunch of baloney either. My husband never played sports so he is learning as well. 

The reason why he didn't play varsity or at least make their team is because there is a beast of a catcher who already has commits to a major baseball college. I do know at the tryouts for Freshman they told my son they like him and are looking at him to replace this particular catcher when he graduates. 

I know my son is so passionate about the game, and practices day in and day out and works out on off days. Where he winds up is anyones guess, but I just wanted some info if he has any talent or not. 

it seems like from everyones post is that he may be above average, so I guess I will continue to encourage him with education being the primary focus and baseball secondary. I tell him go one year at a time and see how it goes. 

Thanks for your info, and if you have anything else to add its appreciated.

mmbb

This is a very good plan on your part. My son is also a catcher and had very good POP times after his freshman year but our focus has always been education.

Your concerns never even crossed my mind and I can't figure out why you would raise them.  My son played freshmen team, JV, then varsity for his final two years in high school.  All you can control is what you can control.  You can't control the coach's decisions.  At my son's school, over 100 kids tried out for the freshmen team.  It was achievement to even make that team let alone play on it.  In this case, better players were ahead of the OP's son.  That doesn't mean a few years from now that this player won't become the best player. 

People worry about things that they don't need worry about.  All you can control is your attitude and effort.  Control those things and let everything else take care of itself. 

Welcome MMBB!  Your son sounds a lot like my son was last year (mine's a 2017).  While you'll probably never get much out of him, haha, you've found the right place to ask questions and it looks like a lot of people have given good feedback.  If you can afford it, I suggest taking him to a local showcase.  I believe there are quite a few in NJ (I just looked on PBR and there are a few upcoming events for $210).  This will give you numbers.  I took son last year after high school season just to see how he stacked up against other kids in the state (we already had an idea of how he was against the local competition but we're in a small, not terribly challenging conference) and get accurate numbers.  

I've always emphasized schooling first and son gets good grades, but he has only thought of the baseball aspect.  Mom can bug him as much as she wants to check out different programs but he needs the internal motivation to do this.  He went on his first visit last week, and he is only now thinking about the academic side, what will be a good fit,  Reality is starting to set in.  

I agree.  In my area it is highly unlikely that even the studliest freshman will make the Varsity team.  In those cases that they do, it is more a reflection on the depth of the program than the player's superior skills (not that they aren't really good players, they are). 

Same at our HS.  As a general rule they don't move kids up.  I can count on one hand how many kids they have moved up over the last 10 years.  We had two kids up on varsity this year.  1 was moved up because they did not have anyone who could play the position well.  The other was a LHP commit to a major baseball powerhouse, throwing 88+ as a soph.  There was a lot of debate amongst the coaches as to bringing this kid up early.  

Well mmbb, there’s no reason a mom can’t be or isn’t every bit as baseball savvy as a dad! In fact, most moms who spend the same amount of time on baseball as dads, end up being more savvy.

I think you’d be wise to keep anyone looking for $$$$ in any way, at arm’s length.

No matter what you may hear, if your boy’s numbers are at all valid, he is definitely above average when it comes to HS catcher. And considering he’s only a Fr, I’ll predict he’s in for a great ride the next 3 years.

I wish him and you well. Enjoy the ride!

Welcome to the site mmbb, from another Mom. There aren't that many of us, so it's always good when a new one joins. I hope you stick around a while. There is definitely a lot to learn and some great people to get to know.

My son is also a 2018. He played Frosh baseball, but also got the opportunity to swing to Varsity a little bit. In our area, there is a real lack of talent, which is the main reason my son got his chance at V. In most areas, playing Frosh and then JV is the normal and probably desirable path.

I highlighted the sentence above because that is what stuck out for me. As incoming Sophomores, I think the important thing is to work hard and continue to develop. Your son sounds a lot like mine in that regard. You also touched on grades, which are so important as well. At a showcase a couple weeks ago, the organizer talked to the kids a lot about grades and how it's much easier for a kid with a 3.5 gpa to find a place to play in college than a kid with a 2.8 gpa.

Good luck!

The analysis everyone disagrees with was provided by a scorekeeper who has never coached. The way he phrased his comments you would have thought he's a coach. I agree with everyone else. Freshman are very rarely varsity players except in small high schools. Making varsity soph year depends on team needs and the quality of the program. All a player can do is work hard and be the best player and teammate he can be. If a player is unsure what work hard means, don't let any player in the team outwork you.

Originally Posted by ClevelandDad:

Your concerns never even crossed my mind and I can't figure out why you would raise them.  My son played freshmen team, JV, then varsity for his final two years in high school.  All you can control is what you can control.  You can't control the coach's decisions.  At my son's school, over 100 kids tried out for the freshmen team.  It was achievement to even make that team let alone play on it.  In this case, better players were ahead of the OP's son.  That doesn't mean a few years from now that this player won't become the best player. 

People worry about things that they don't need worry about.  All you can control is your attitude and effort.  Control those things and let everything else take care of itself. 

They weren’t “concerns” at all, but rather just questions based on years and years of seeing varying combinations of this very thing and certainly not trying to “control” anything other than to keep a clear head. Unlike you, I didn’t make any assumptions about what the skillsets of the other players were because she didn’t offer any information about it. What I did was give my opinion as to why he was where he was based on the information I had. And I never once thought or meant to imply he didn’t have the chance to become no only the best player in his program, but perhaps the best player in the county! Wouldn’t you rather have people operating from a position of knowledge and understanding than just going on what they hear for people who know nothing about the situation?