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My son plays at a 3A Colorado high school way out on the eastern plains. It's a small community of under 8,000. Our #1, a 2015 RHP, makes me wonder how many other players like him are out there. He's 5' 10" / 175. I clock him with my Stalker Sport as cruising 87-88mph and topping out three or four times per outing at 90 mph. Great control. Sports a 0.54 era while striking out 81 and walking only 7 (the numbers were 70/4 until his last outing when he pitched with a strained calf muscle). He had similar numbers last year as a junior. However, he's always played his summer ball for a local team that doesn't go anywhere that offers exposure. Neither he or his parents have done any recruiting work. He did sign with the in-town JC. This despite the fact that he's a 4.0 gps student who will graduate through a dual degree program with his A.A. already earned through this very school. His exposure is due primariuly to the fact that our #2 pitcher's father is the HC of that particular JC. It's a top D1 JC program, so he'll get a chance to be seen and transfer out. Even as a 3A school, if we were in a metro area, he wouldn't have escaped exposure. This just makes me wonder how many quality kids are out there that no one ever finds out about.

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Originally Posted by Everyday Dad:

Can't imagine there are many if they're going to the right showcases or camps.

Or the flipside if they are not part of a good summer team or going to these events there could be many.

That is sort of my point. How many quality players are out there who just don't know enough to be where they need to be? As a further example, our #2 pitcher who is a good 4-5 mph lower in velocity with good, but not as good control, is the #21 ranked 2015 in Colorado by PBR, while the #1 doesn't make the the list (118 long) at all.

 

edit: Of course, the #2 is 6' 5" which doesn't hurt.

Last edited by roothog66

My data point is 4 yrs old now, but my son played in SoCal against from pretty competitive teams, not the elite generally but very good HS teams, and I did not see a lot of pitchers throwing 87-88 touching 90. Most who did not move on to some sort of college. The "typical" HS pitcher was 82-85.

 

I am kind of curious if the higher elevation has the same effect on a pitcher as it does on golf where the balls travels about 10% further. I wonder what he would throw in coastal SoCal where the air is heavier. (not that this really has an impact on your son's situation) 

 

Does a tree make a sound if it falls in the woods with no one around? 

I can think of one right away.  He was a stud and in a major metro area and in a tremendous program.  He didn't play in the summer at all.  His family was poor so he worked in a lumber yard every summer.  Most scouts thought that he was going to play another sport in college and so, no interest was shown in him at all.  He went to a JC and then was drafted.  He played a few years in MLB.  Not bad for someone who never played in the summer. 

Originally Posted by CaCO3Girl:

Makes me wonder WHY no recruiting research was done.....maybe he just isn't that into baseball?  My kid has been talking my ear off since he was 6 about how he was going to make baseball his job when he grew up.  Maybe this kid doesn't love it like that?


It's the strange baseball culture here. Baseball is king here. However, as far back as I have researched the kids coming out of here tend to play Babe Ruth in the area during the summers. The kid I'm talking about isn't necessarily poor and he is, indeed, very much into baseball. I also expect that he'll spend a year at JC and move on. Strangely, despit all of this, the small school I'm talking about has had two first round draft picks and put four players into the majors. Two of which, Scott Elarton and Doug Brocail, had long careers

Originally Posted by BOF:

My data point is 4 yrs old now, but my son played in SoCal against from pretty competitive teams, not the elite generally but very good HS teams, and I did not see a lot of pitchers throwing 87-88 touching 90. Most who did not move on to some sort of college. The "typical" HS pitcher was 82-85.

 

I am kind of curious if the higher elevation has the same effect on a pitcher as it does on golf where the balls travels about 10% further. I wonder what he would throw in coastal SoCal where the air is heavier. (not that this really has an impact on your son's situation) 

 

Does a tree make a sound if it falls in the woods with no one around? 


For our particular area, we're not that high, elevation-wise. We're basically on the Colorado/Kansas and Colorado/Oklahoma panhandle lines. I coached for years out of the Denver area and used to notice that when we played in Arizona or California our outfielders would have a tough time judging flys. They always thought they would travel farther than they did.

Maybe there's something in the water out here, but there's lots of guys hitting 90 (PG data base).  Just off the top of my head I know of 7 schools in the top 10 in the county that have at least one kid hitting 90, and several have 2 or more (including a few sophomores). Several are also ranked in the top 10 nationally in their class.

Originally Posted by Smitty28:

Maybe there's something in the water out here, but there's lots of guys hitting 90 (PG data base).  Just off the top of my head I know of 7 schools in the top 10 in the county that have at least one kid hitting 90, and several have 2 or more (including a few sophomores). Several are also ranked in the top 10 nationally in their class.


Must be. In the entire state of Colorado there probably aren't much more than a dozen, if that. At least not documented (which I guess is what the thread is really asking).

Originally Posted by BOF:

My data point is 4 yrs old now, but my son played in SoCal against from pretty competitive teams, not the elite generally but very good HS teams, and I did not see a lot of pitchers throwing 87-88 touching 90. Most who did not move on to some sort of college. The "typical" HS pitcher was 82-85.

 

I am kind of curious if the higher elevation has the same effect on a pitcher as it does on golf where the balls travels about 10% further. I wonder what he would throw in coastal SoCal where the air is heavier. (not that this really has an impact on your son's situation) 

 

Does a tree make a sound if it falls in the woods with no one around? 

I've stated this before but typical HS Varsity pitchers in our area throw about 76 mph.  If you are consistently throwing 84 mph you are one of the elites, as far as velocity is concerned. . 

Here's my .02 on the subject.

 

I have recently looked at several JUCO rosters, and have seen some good sized pitchers that made me go back and do a PG search only find out they had similar velo numbers as you described in the OP...why then are they on a JUCO and not a D1 school?  My "hunch" is that "many" college coaches have become very accustomed to establishing relationships with pseudo "feeder" club programs, that help do the old school scouting for them.  My personal opinion, especially as it relates to pitchers, is that marketing is as big of a function of where the kid winds up, as is the importance of straight up measurable factors.  Let's face it, college coaches can travel the summer circuit, or have established relationships that they rely on heavily for "who's who". 

 

I have seen very talented kids that are similar in grades, size, "stuff", velo etc., one goes to a top 25 program, whereas the other is overlooked. 

 

In addition, I believe that the love affair with the velo pendulum we are in currently, will eventually swing back towards the middle....pitchability, command, "stuff", and mental toughness will become as important.  Velo will always be king, however I have seen two things:  pitchers who throw hard, with marginal pitchability get hammered, and big arms with big contracts not able to deliver due to injuries.

 

JMO -- marketing is just as important as anything....if the HS coach or club coach is marketing the kid you described, I can't imagine he wouldn't land at a four year school. 

Blake (or whoever you are), I'll share with you what I shared with your partner on the other thread...

 

OK, Scott, you've posted a grand total of twice on this site and have mentioned the organization you are promoting five times.  Stop.  If you wish to pedal your goods, do it the right way and contact the proper channels here and advertise properly.  This is not your typical public message board where nobody cares about the occasional spammer trying to bump views to their own site.  This will have the reverse affect you desire and there are many of your potential customers here who will dislike you instead of build trust with you.  Could it just be ironic that you and another poster both joined today and blasted the site with your organization mentions?   Rhetorical question.  We pay attention here.  Start over and do the right thing.  

 

For others, he and his partner posted on same day as new posters to promote the site listed.  You know what to do.

Very unfortunate.  If he is who he says he is, with his background, he could contribute here in a positive manner and still plug the other site once in a while but instead, came in without doing proper research and blindly spammed.

Last edited by cabbagedad

My son is a 2015 RHP (D1 commit).  We are from a small school here in Ohio.  If he would have stayed local and pitched only on his local teams, I'm fairly certain he would be looking at D3, JUCO or NAIA instead of D1.  He was up to 87 last summer...and 91 this spring...and had a total of 5 college coaches see him play in the past 2 seasons of  HS ball.  He got ALL of his looks from travel....several D1's...and really no D2's, D3's or otherwise because I don't think they thought they would get him.  We had a local kid a year older than my son....top level CF...hit .500+ his senior year...and ended up at a lower level JUCO.  This kid could have played D1...and easily D2...but never left our local fields.  Obviously recruiting varies among schools....but unless you're an absolute stud at your position. you're not going to be "found" on your HS field

Originally Posted by cabbagedad:

Blake (or whoever you are), I'll share with you what I shared with your partner on the other thread...

 

OK, Scott, you've posted a grand total of twice on this site and have mentioned the organization you are promoting five times.  Stop.  If you wish to pedal your goods, do it the right way and contact the proper channels here and advertise properly.  This is not your typical public message board where nobody cares about the occasional spammer trying to bump views to their own site.  This will have the reverse affect you desire and there are many of your potential customers here who will dislike you instead of build trust with you.  Could it just be ironic that you and another poster both joined today and blasted the site with your organization mentions?   Rhetorical question.  We pay attention here.  Start over and do the right thing.  

 

For others, he and his partner posted on same day as new posters to promote the site listed.  You know what to do.

Very unfortunate.  If he is who he says he is, with his background, he could contribute here in a positive manner and still plug the other site once in a while but instead, came in without doing proper research and blindly spammed.

OK, this probably isn't making much sense now that Blake Fassler has deleted his original spam post (or moderator did). See RJM's new post about unethical recruiting service for details. 

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