@JucoDad posted:I'm going to admit that I found this original post a bit agitating - primarily for the reason that the post lists 14/15 year olds. At this age (if they can play - sound mechanics, good coordination / contact skills and are athletic) a lot of it's about projection...
Having speed, high contact rate and well below average exit velocity in HS can translate to being a huge contributor. Having great fielding skills and a below average arm can also be invaluable. A pitcher that competes with below average stuff is always coming up big on the HS field. Lastly, (shout out to Bob) a kid with an exceptional baseball IQ, that does exactly what needs to be done, at the exact moment it's required can trump a lot of physical gifts.
It's HS ball, it's about putting the best kids on the field, but it's also about heart and growth. My kid played HS 4 years with a bullpen catcher that only saw 1 HS at bat (the 1 AB is another story - forever batting 1.000 in HS). I'm sure his metrics sucked, but his attitude and selflessness brought the entire team up!
It's HS, it's about winning, but I believe the intangibles that can't be measured are incredibly important - maybe more important metrics.
I respect this outlook and to be honest I completely share it. I'm not looking to use metrics as a replacement to coaching. I want to use it as a motivation to individually get better or as better as they can with their athletic ceiling. I want to use it to take the kid with lesser talent / metrics and get them better using the intangibles they already have.
We are going to work out to get better - either as a team or individually - what's wrong with quantifying progression? There will still be a place for that kid who is a team guy who gets the one at bat in HS. But why not use numbers to try and make them better and hopefully get more than 1 AB in high school?
I've had a lot of success as a coach not using these numbers specifically but using my eyes / experience to basically assess these things. That's not going to change except by using these metrics to better explain why in certain situations - lack of playing time, getting cut, to get recruited, etc........
Hope this explains my intentions better