@PABaseball posted:What I'm going to say next isn't a knock on your son or his abilities, just pointing out a few areas.
Height is not on his side, especially for a catcher. That being said, you can't control that so I wouldn't stress about it too much, he's also only 16, things can change. His 60 is fine, don't let anybody tell you otherwise. He's fast, but he doesn't fly. He's a catcher and doesn't need to, he needs to be a plus defender who can hit.
Pop needs to get down. 2.1 in a showcase means 2.5 in a game. That's too slow for the D1 level. Same for the arm velo. It can be sub 80, but you have to be lighting behind the plate to make up for it.
Exit velo is tough to measure off BP. Should be done off a tee as the pitched ball will add more velocity, but IMO this is one of the most useless metrics out there.
You said he's a high level defensive player. That means it comes down to his bat. To play D1, you have to show you can hit 85+ with ease and prove that you can have quality at bats against the elite 90+ arms with three pitches. That is really what separates D1 guys from non D1 guys. You can take two good hitters and watch them smoke the ball all HS season and half the travel season, but if one doesn't show up against the kids throwing 87 and the other is making hard contact and loud outs, he is the superior hitter regardless of exit velo, size, etc.
This is part of the reason it is so hard to recruit position players that aren't playing on the national travel circuit, the odds of going to one of their games and seeing them face a halfway decent pitcher are very slim. Kid goes 4-4 with 4XBH, it is because he's an elite hitter or because the pitcher is throwing 81 with no curve? Parents see their kids do well and wonder why nothing is happening. Playing quality competition is just as important as playing well against the average Joes.
I would say he's not somebody coaches are going to or need to jump on right now (unless he crushes high 80s pitching) and would probably be better served working on things and getting ready for next summer, which is when the majority of kids are recruited. Not to rain on the parade, but coaches recruit one catcher every year or two. The juco market is going to be saturated with catchers for the next few years. I would target schools at all levels and see who is interested. Where is travel coach in all this?
Thanks PA. Facing velo is not an issue. He's faced kids in the upper 80s and low 90s at times and not been over matched.
His travel coach is new to us this year. He's excellent and well networked. That's why he's playing for him now. His coach thinks he can go mid level D1 based on his recieving and blocking skills alone. But the travel coach also says not to discount D2 or a strong D3 as well.
At the end of the day, knowing my son, it's going to be a school that he likes, first and foremost, and then one with a good baseball program, second, when targeting schools - regardless of Division. Training facility will be a factor too. He loves to lift and will want somewhere that's going to have a good weight program and facility.