rynoattack posted:roothog66 posted:2019Dad posted:It doesn't surprise me, Root.
I believe that it is entirely rationale to discount good HS stats -- who knows the level of competition -- but that bad high school stats can be a red flag. So the hitter who is batting .500, well, it might mean nothing. But the batter who is striking out in 45% of his plate appearances is a bad sign, even if he is playing at the highest level of high school competition.
Yeah, I think they can rarely help you, but can easily hurt you. We have a stud 2019 on our team who committed to an SEC program last summer with a pretty good #. He just ended his high school season. .229 batting average. I wonder if his future school looks at that are ignores it. He is a guy with all the physical tools, though.
It wouldn't surprise me if it bothered them some, but I doubt it would be the only factor they would look at. It may cause them to want to see him in person again, but honestly, the high school season is such a small sample size for a hitter, I don't think his stats would matter much.
I don't think HS Stats matter a ton, but I would never totally discount them either. A walk an inning, and 7 HBP's in 19 innings would make a coach cautious. I am not nearly the stats guy that some are, but I can definitely tell you that I pay attention to walks. When my son is throwing good, he minimizes his walks, and his HBP's. Walks will absolutely kill you!
Not as much as hits, though. Guys who otherwise don't let the bat hit the ball can get way with more walks, like a young Randy Johnson, but, yeah, walks definitely hurt. I think the more concerned parties about the HBP's would be the next team we play. He's got a reputation. He throws hard, concentrates on pitching inside and comes high sometimes. The thing that makes me cringe is that 4 of those 7 HBP's have been head shots. Having seen that this year, I've really got to give a shout out to today's batting helmet manufacturers. Most of those guys took 88-89mph upside the head and trotted on down to first without even needing time to walk it off.