CurryNC posted:My son is a junior, class of 2018. He has been the starting varsity catcher for the last two years, starting catcher for our local American Legion Team and Fall High School team. His POP time is 1.88 and fielding percentage is .997. He caught all 29 games this past 2017 spring varsity season. He is wanting to go to the next level and play in college. I have included a video. My question is, what is considered a good POP time for catchers and could I get some feedback on this video? Thank you in advance.
-His mother
Love the kid - definitely looks athletic and looks like a gamer. As you see by others' comments, POP time can be a bit controversial. Yes, 1.88 is really good but who measured and was it live, showcase or informal? If you are going to post that time on his recruiting video, you should probably state the verifiable neutral source where it was measured. Watching the video, I, like others, am left questioning the time... too much arc on the throw for that time. I think the optimal video is a combination of live game clips and drill work. There are definitely some clips you can pull out (like the one where he backs up 1st base and some of the repeats on framing basic pitches).
He looks good and certainly shows potential to play at the next level. Although, with his size and current skill set along with his current age/year, he is realistically looking at a level other than D1. He has limited flexibility in his upper body that, I think, restricts his throwing extension and swing extension. He has some other mechanics that can be cleaned up a bit. With some work in these areas (and the resulting improvements in arm strength and hitting), he can be not just a college player but a contributor. Since he is a wrestler, you may have a challenge with the idea of maybe toning things down a bit on lifting to work toward that flexibility.