PGStaff posted:Kyle,
I very much enjoyed reading the link you provided.
For the record, I have much respect for what you, Cressy and Woolforth do. I know arm care has to be at the forefront of any good velocity or pitching program. If it isn't we have a problem.
At the same time everyone knows that those with the most velocity will always be at risk. The flip side is they also tend to be among the most successful.
I will admit that I don't agree with every word in that blog. But I sure understand why someone would. Over all, I would guess we both think alike in many ways. From a scientific or strength and conditioning viewpoint I would be at the infant stage compared to people like you. However I'm old and have been working with pitchers for a long time. Yes, concentrating a lot on velocity! In all those years I have had one pitcher require surgery. That was because his HS coach treated him like a pitching machine. Actually my son also had TJSurgery, but anyone that knows what happened ain't blaming me for that one.
While I agree that no pitcher should be pitching competitively year around. I don't agree that all pitchers are working on the same time line. Also it bothers me greatly when the youngest age groups are mentioned along with Perfect Game. For 20 years we did practically nothing with players below HS age. So, there really can't be any documentation of those type injuries pertaining to us. We are starting to get more and more involved in youth baseball. We want to use it as a platform to educate young kids and their parents. We think we can actually help, but some want to claim we have evil motives.
I am surprised when I see that people name Perfect Game so often. I read things like "The Perfect Game Generation" and don't understand. Don't people realize there are far less kids playing in PG events than MANY other organizations. And maybe the biggest difference is, for the most part, we actually know how many pitches and how many innings and how hard every pitch has been thrown at our events. Of course, mistakes are made once in awhile.
You know I have done so much research about TJ surgeries and Perfect Game connections it makes my head swim. Yet, not one person has ever asked for any of that. In fact, almost anyone could do the same research, it would just take a lot longer because they wouldn't have the same access to our database.
Once again, thanks for that link and your opinions. I think you really care and that is the most important thing there is. All the best!
TPM,
You would be surprised how many small college coaches attend some of the events. It even surprised me when I saw the number of DIII coaches that subscribe to CrossChecker. It is a fairly economical way to find players when you don't have much of a recruiting budget. Then the number of kids we see that end up playing small college baseball is kind of amazing. I know most think we just care about Pro Prospects and DI players when they see the results. But there's probably more that we see that end up in small colleges all over the country. We really don't see very many players that simply can't play at the next level. I don't think many of those type players want to go to our events.
You know that I am glad that you addressed that because I have read quite often that if a player wanted to attend a D3 program a D1 major event or showcase was not for them. Thats not to say that the academic showcases are not a good fit. I think we dont do enough here to help our members whose players fall into that category.
You and I know that D3 coaches do not attend many D1 events. I have gotten lots of pms asking where would be the best showcase to attend for a D3 player. So I tell them that if a player is interested in attending a D3 program, its best to attend events that would be better suited for them and their folks pocketbook, along with a referral to our parents of D3 players. Showcases are costly and so is the travel associated so its best to choose wisely. Thank you to all those that jump in when a question is asked, because I admit I still have very little knowledge about D3 recruiting.
While we are on the subject, I would like to hear more about those college guys who displayed professional skills and could have been drafted out of HS, but went to college. These are the real stories that people should know about, because in all reality, for most players, college should always be the focus even for players that arent college material, there are plenty of MLB guys who came out of JUCO programs. I am rooting for all of the college boys who will be the next first rounders, not necessarily the few HS guys who still have years ahead of them in milb. The good thing is that their money will make life a whole lot better for them to grow up in.
Can you tell I am 100% for a player to head to college first? You bet!!!
We have to remember who our audience is and where they are headed, for most its often not even D1 let alone professional ball and never will be.
JMO