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Reply to "2022 Advice Requested"

StrainedOblique posted:

Great advice here. My 2 cents:

One thing I noticed looking through this thread and reading all the good advice is that while the calendar scheduling / 2022 recruiting timeline was covered quite well. I'm going to ask the OP a simple question:

Can your son HIT? Because that and his pop time is what is going to drive this kids recruitment. Can he HIT? Does he hit the ball HARD? He's a catcher and yes it's a very specialized defensive position and as far as the measurables for position players go,Catchers will get a pass on their 60 time. But they gotta hit the ball. For position players including catchers the HIT tool drives the recruitment. NCAA D1 recruiters want position players that flat out mash. There is no OBP or plate discipline being evaluated at a tourney. It's about hard hit balls.

I vividly remember a phone call my son made to me during fall ball of his freshman year in College. He was a D1 LHP and at the time and was hurt, but they had him playing in a scrimmage as a DH ( He had been recruited as a hitter by other schools )

son " Dad, I got a couple AB's today in a scrimmage "

me " Wow, cool.....How's that D1 pitching look"

son " Rough......I mean, I stepped in and dude threw a slider I was sure was outside the zone and it got called a strike. Then he threw the me the same pitch and I swung and missed. It was dirty. I stepped out and thought.....'Man, I'm already 0-2 I'm finished ' Then sure enough dude threw a FB probably 92-93 and I swung right threw it. It was right down the middle too"

That being said, with a 2022 I suggest that the Hit tool be a huge priority w/ time and training, focus. If he has a hitting coach now and he's not hitting balls off the wall or over it, You'll need a new hitting coach. Preferably one who stresses 'approach' . Most HS hitters have a defensive picky/ sort of patient approach at the plate. That doesn't fly at the NCAA D1 recruiting level. They want guys that are aggressive / attack guys that step in ready to swing first pitch. Because the reality is at the D1 level you're only likely to see one good pitch to hit in an AB.

Lastly, Keep in mind Recruiting for catchers is a different animal. Many NCAA programs view it as an apprenticeship, So, you have to really do your homework analyzing current rosters of each individual school you're targeting , looking at existing underclassman catchers while also tracking incoming PG recruiting / Commitments. For a 2022 parent this exercise isn't critical yet. But it will be quite soon.

 

Great question, and great thoughts.

Hitting has been his main focus this fall, for the reasons you outline above. He's been doing 60-90 min of hitting 5 days/week after school since school started, and will continue until the mythical Jan 13. 

He used to be exceptionally patient at the plate, seeing more pitches than anyone on his teams. That changed last spring, and he ended up the complete opposite all year. If he saw more than 3 pitches, he was pretty much getting a walk. 

As to whether he mashes.....I'm not sure yet, is the most honest answer I can give. He says he's been really advancing this fall after changing a lot of his approach. He was always a contact hitter, but has over the spring/summer developed more LD power. The few times I've seen him hitting at practice this fall, they've been deeper and harder than in the past. So it looks like he's trending there, if not there yet.

They start seeing live pitching next week, so we'll see how that goes. But I (and he) definitely agree that the bat has to be his focus year-round, whether he's actively playing or not.

Thanks!

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