Francis7 posted:Just getting back to this now. Thanks to ALL for the great feedback, etc. Sorry for the delay. I haven't been in front of a computer much with the holiday break and I don't type well on the phone. To the questions:
Your son is an incoming freshman in HS, right? YES.
The instructors where your son trains... what level of college ball do they see him at or project him at? I DON'T KNOW. I THINK THEY EXPECT THAT HE IS TRENDING TOWARDS COLLEGE BALL. BUT, IT'S TOO EARLY FOR ANY DISCUSSION ON IT.
Where do you think he will project? A LOT DEPENDS ON HOW HE DOES IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS. AS OF NOW, I THINK HE HAS A CHANCE TO AT LEAST PLAY JUCO OR D3. STRESS CHANCE. HE WOULD NEED TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE, BE DEDICATED, ETC. THERE'S SO MUCH THAT CAN HAPPEN IN THE NEXT 3 YEARS. HE COULD INCREASE OR DECREASE HIS CHANCES.
Does he fit the group you describe at the end of your post (if you're far better than average in your class, wouldn't it make sense to showcase and get yourself on the radar out there? BASED ON WHAT I SEE AND WHAT OTHERS TELL ME, YES. FOR HIS AGE, AND STRESS THE RELATIVE CONTEXT, HE HAS SKILLS AND THE DESIRE AND THE COMMITMENT - FOR NOW.
What are your son's measurables? What are his stregths and weaknesses?
I ONLY KNOW WHAT I HAVE SEEN AND WHAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD. I DON'T TAKE THE MEASUREMENTS MYSELF.EXIT VELO OFF THE HACK ATTACK IS 91 MPH. (I HAVE VIDEO ON THIS.) THROWING FROM CATCHER WAS TIMED AT 76 MPH THIS SUMMER BY THE HS COACH. POP TIME IS 2.02, ACCORDING TO HIM, TIMED AT HIS FACILITY. 60 TIME IS 8 SECONDS FLAT. AGAIN, KEEP IN MIND THAT HE IS 14 YEARS OLD. BIGGEST WEAKNESS? HE'S 14 YEARS OLD AND A HS FRESHMEN. HE NEEDS TO PROVE MORE AT HIGHER LEVELS. HAVE HIM PLAY WITH A BUNCH OF 14 YEARS OLDS, AND HE'S ONE OF THE BETTER ONES IN HIS AGE GROUP, RELATIVE TO WHERE WE LIVE. BUT, IT'S STILL 14U BASEBALL.
What are his goals with regard to baseball?
IMMEDIATE GOAL - PLAY HS VARSITY BASEBALL. LONG TERM GOAL - HE WANTS TO PLAY COLLEGE BASEBALL. LIFE GOAL: HE WANTS TO BE A TEACHER AND A COACH. HE WANTS TO BE LIKE THE GUYS WHO TRAIN HIM NOW. THEY ARE MOSTLY TEACHERS DURING THE DAY AND THEY DO THE BASEBALL TRAINING AFTER SCHOOL AND ON THE WEEKENDS.
Cool, so I think the biggest takeaway is that, because he is like most 14 y.o.'s and not an early bloomer to the extent that he needs to jump on the early D1 recruiting cycle, you can put less focus and attention on the recruiting efforts (at least for a couple years or until he shows big leaps). Aside from D1 P5's, most active recruiting from the schools doesn't take place until at least some time after sophomore HS season is played, usually after junior season or later. So, take full advantage of that and relax a bit in that regard. This also allows you to pay less attention to things like college/conference comparisons, Measurables of top players, program player comparisons, etc., at least until your son has come closer to reaching the point developmentally of showing what his potential will likely be and what pond he will likely be fishing in. Yes, you could still argue some relevance to these things now but you are really just asking for unnecessary headache.
Continue to support and encourage his efforts to be the best player he can be and continue to help put him in a position where he can play the highest level of competition he can while still really enjoying the game and getting ample playing time. But don't worry yet about who is watching (from a performance standpoint) as he isn't near the player he will become when his body and skill set matures and he is truly recruitable.
Great to see the awareness that there is so much that can happen in the coming years, on and off the field. Also great to see that his immediate goal is being an impact player at the HS level. I always add... it is so important that he enjoys the full HS experience and that you identify with him as the whole person he is outside of baseball. Balance is huge, IMO. Some day, there won't be baseball. Whether sooner or later (and for whatever reason/s), you will want him to feel like he is a complete person when playing baseball is removed.
More unsolicited advice... as a parent, be the guy who fully supports the team (regardless of level) and ALL the other players just as much as you do your son. It will make the HS days so much more enjoyable for you and your son.
Bringing this back to your original question in this thread... based on his current set of circumstances, metrics of top players aren't relative because he hasn't matured to the point to where most of those are attainable, even with 1000% effort. Metrics that are the average of a class aren't relative because average players generally don't make it to the next level. The only metrics that matter are his current metrics and some that represent some reasonable short term goals for himself.