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Tagged With "Pitcher"

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Re: Partially Torn UCL right before senior year

RedFishFool ·
Based upon orthopedic advice, my son sat out 6 weeks at the end of his senior HS season. He then rehabbed from approx. May 20 thru July 10. Got to college, nothing hurt, per se but his velocity was down 3-4 MPH and then slowly dropped further until he called and said elbow was hurting again. Had to have TJ surgery. Was told PRP would make it feel better but that in the Ortho's opinion (Kremchek), it was a short term fix and son would be right back in 5-6 month needing TJ surgery. He elected...
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Re: Partially Torn UCL right before senior year

lionhurler ·
Thanks for sharing your experience! That's exactly what I don't want to happen and it adds on to the similar stories I've heard. Obviously I wont make any final decisions until I see my doctor again and discuss with him but I'm leaning towards surgery because with grad school as an option it seems to give me the best chance to play my 4th year.
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Re: pitcher in a nerd's body

threeunassisted ·
My son is 16 and has some introvert tendencies. he made Varsity this year as a sophomore, and is struggling with the social aspect of it. None of the upperclassmen have gone out of their way to include him outside of practice/games (like a big group of them go out to eat a lot after practice) and he isnt one to include himself. I know it weighs heavily on him, but its just his personality. His biggest fear in life is being in a crowd of people where he doesnt know anyone. He literally used...
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Re: pitcher in a nerd's body

cluelessDad2019 ·
Y'all need to have one of our type kids to see the hilarity of the restaurant ordering description. We had to do the same, and even when he would get it out it was always so quietly that he ended up needing to repeat it 2 or 3 times. lmao When you see the team huddled together around coach, you can always count on mine being on the outskirts... part of it all, but NOT in the middle. I didn't mention it in the OP, but another reason for not changing teams often was the paralyzing fear of...
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Re: pitcher in a nerd's body

MomLW ·
Take a look at this. Absolutely nothing wrong with being introverted - help them to be comfortable with it. Also, I think everyone feels socially awkward at some time or another. Just make sure they don't feel alone in it. http://www.ted.com/talks/susan..._power_of_introverts
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Re: pitcher in a nerd's body

fenwaysouth ·
Kids come in all kinds of packages. When my oldest son discovered (at a young age) he could throw a baseball very fast, and the game involved a lot of math and stats.... he was hooked. He was intrigued by it at at a very young age. Don't get me wrong he worked very hard to improve his skills at every level, but it was the initial appeal that won his love for the game. If you are a good pitcher with "stuff", and you understand baseball situations and probabilities....you can go a long way in...
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Re: pitcher in a nerd's body

birdman14 ·
Wow fenway, I think Goose Gossage might have something to say about that one! My son (HS 2010, college 2014) also liked the thinking part of the game as a pitcher and later learned to apply it as a hitter too. Outsmarting the hitter was what made pitching his favorite part of the game. Having what you describe as a "nerd" son can be an advantage as a baseball player. Working opposite of what the hitter may be looking for can be very successful.
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Re: pitcher in a nerd's body

RoyalRooter ·
My son is also an introvert. He comes from a long line of them... While my son has been described as "quietly confident" and has always been relatively comfortable in his own skin, I did have him read the sister book to the above Ted talk, Quiet by Susan Cain , in 8th grade. He would not be headed to his base high school, with the kids he had been with for the past nine years, but instead be off to a bigger pond where he would know very few. I wanted him to have a deeper understanding of his...
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Re: pitcher in a nerd's body

TPM ·
Khailil Greene from Clemson, considered an introvert, was never really the perfect teammate. They chalked it up to just being Khalil. He was the ACC player of the year, and drafted first round. Turned out that he had severe social anxiety, has left the game and in hiding somewhere. The Padres never recognized his behavior as troublesome, but after going to the Cardinals, he was seen hurting himself in the dugout and teammates spoke up. He received help but has left the game since. Such a...
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Re: pitcher in a nerd's body

jp24 ·
Does he have a killer instinct on the mound? Just curious, because I know a young man who sounds like your son. He has fairly good stuff but lacks that competitive fire, and it bites him.
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Re: pitcher in a nerd's body

RJM ·
One of my best friends had good velocity and great stuff. What he lacked was confidence. When the count was 2-1 he would think, "Another ball and it's 3-1. Then I'm close to walking him." This led to too many grooved pitches that left the park. He was still lightly recruited into a good program. Post freshman year we were both in the same summer league on different teams. When he took the mound it was painful to hear a teammate yell to us, "That's pure meat on the mound. It's fatten the...
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Re: pitcher in a nerd's body

cluelessDad2019 ·
----- As others mentioned above, I also continue to be amazed at how he would dread having to stand on a stage in a theater but is completely unfazed and unflappable on the "stage" of the pitcher's mound...(or batter's box, or anywhere else between the white lines). ------ me too! This is so true of my son. I appreciate all your thoughts and the sharing of experiences. - MOMLW... I had seen that TED talk before, but had forgotten about it... I'll get him to watch it. Thnx - JP24... an astute...
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Re: pitcher in a nerd's body

soulslam55 ·
I think your last sentence says it all. I also have a 2019 and the one thing I've prepared him for is dad is not there in the dugout anymore to help him, he needs to recognize where to make his adjustments and then make them. I'm always around to talk about things after the games. But he has to do the heavy lifting now. Enjoy it. My 2016 has become a man in HS, which makes me proud and kind of sad at the same time. A good kind of sad I guess.
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

RJM ·
Make the best academic choice for school. Make the best baseball choice for summer.
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

chefmike7777 ·
I agree with RJM. For my son's development it was about off speed pitches. His junior and especially his senior year, he could just throw his fastball by most hitters. For the better hitters, he utilized his CB and slider as well (pitching coach called pitches). He probably threw 90% fastballs. What he never developed in HS was a change up. He worked on it some but never was called in HS because coach felt that a hitter who could not catch up with his fastball, the change up might be within...
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

Lost Dad ·
Thanks - my son's change up is probably his best pitch actually. His coaches love it. His curve is pretty strong but he continues to work at it.
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

CaCO3Girl ·
Around GA the general consensus is Summer Baseball is where you will find the FAR better competition. As a side note, older members on the board....if this player does switch schools how does he have a health talk with a coach before he plays for the guy? We have all heard the horror stories of a talented pitcher being overused on a team, especially on a weaker team than he typically plays on.
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

baseballmom ·
Just to throw another log on the fire...consider how you are prepping him for the "social" aspects of college...It is vastly different than the cocoon of home schooling or even private schools. Academics is priority 1. I tend to agree, initially, with the select team coach...and...I also understand the value of a school team. Challenging decision.
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

ironhorse ·
In 10 years he may or may not be using his pitching skills. In 10 years he will definitely be using his academic and social skills. There's a cart and there's a horse. You decide the order.
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

Lost Dad ·
FYI he is going to get a top quality academic environment regardless. He has been in a strong co-op and has excellent PSAT scores. His co-op is disbanding is the main issue of why we are looking at a university model private school.
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

cabbagedad ·
If he plays summer and fall travel, that should satisfy the "face good hitters" aspect. The HS team experience will be a good opportunity for him to be a good teammate and leader under sometimes-less-than-ideal circumstances. If he finds himself in spots where he and/or his team is dominating, he can work on locating various pitches with a guy in the box, being less concerned with the outcome. This said, if the level of play is ridiculously poor, then other baseball options may be worth...
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

Goosegg ·
FWIW, we faced the decision of where to go to HS: large public with good baseball, exposure, many social opportunities but limited ability to sculpt a good academic path or a small private with awful baseball and insular social life, but small advanced classes and an administration which would develop academic curriculum on essentially an individual basis. S is a LHP and he chose (much to our relief) the private school option. I believe the lesser baseball competition did effect his...
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

IEBSBL ·
I have had 4 D1 pitchers come through my program in the last Decade. Education should be the driving factor.
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

Scotty83 ·
Jmho for position players competition is very important. For pitcher? Well hitting a spot with as much velocity as you can muster is the same no matter who's in the box. The only thing that helps is learning what to pitch to better hitters but hey don't coaches call all the pitches now a days anyway.
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

2017LHPscrewball ·
Following up on the last post by SCOTT83 - Does anyone have some insight into the pros and cons of coaches calling pitches? I am interested in the various levels starting in high school or age equivalent (assuming that is when you truly start having multiple options). I have always heard that in MLB there is often a split between pitchers and catchers as to who "calls" the shots - not an ego thing but rather which player generally does a better job scouting the hitters while understanding...
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Re: Pitcher Development in High School - Importance of Facing Good Hitting

Shoveit4Ks ·
Iron sharpens Iron - That being said, i suspect "most" kids who are seeking D1 scholarships or access to playing on D1 college teams are in it for the baseball first. One, as the dream and continuing to chase it to the Milb or MLB and secondarily the challenge/competitiveness to succeed and impact your character, i would suspect less are taking critically difficult majors with post-graduate-baseball income as the primary focus. If yours is...kudos to you. I would be curious to understand the...
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

FoxDad ·
Generally, by HS it's rare for a player to catch and pitch and do both effectively. Catcher's usually have a short throw for the pick off throw to 2nd (Ie, they don't bring their arm all the way back - usually throw from the ear). Catching is tough on the knees/legs due to squatting much of the time. Even if he doesn't pitch the same day as catching, the effect can still be felt. If your son wants to catch, that's fine. He just needs to realize he may have to give up pitching. It's one of...
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

FFXfireman ·
My boy was a RHP/C right up until high school when his travel coach (a well accomplished RHP) told him he needed to choose. His biggest issue was, not only the different mechanics, but the wear on the arm. No position on the field throws the ball more than the pitcher and catcher by far. That repetition is a recipie for overuse and injury. Since entering HS (he's a 2018), he has been a RHP/OF and that's done quite well for him. Good luck!
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

playball2011 ·
Catching to be a better P makes no sense. My son caught and P until age 13 when we saw that catching was a contact position at times so we had him stop because his P abilities were better and didn't want to worry about injuries, which he had a few minor ones. son also moved from SS/3B to outfield when not P which he loved. He got in the long toss he needed. With 5 catchers in program how much playing time would son get? The fact that he can play Inf positions will get him more time.
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

lionbaseball ·
Be careful for what you wish. We are in a small school (400 HS kids) so the talent depth is shallow. My son catches and pitches and to be honest I don't see his catching form interfering with this pitching form. My biggest concern is that in tournaments or playoffs he will pitch one game and catch the next. Not only arm fatigue but the squatting takes a toll on your legs which are instrumental in pitching. During the season it's not a big deal because we play 2 games per week. So the 1st...
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

CaCO3Girl ·
My son is also a 2020 8th grader, who pitches and catches. He says that being a catcher has allowed him to be a better hitter. When you call for a specific pitch and you see it over and over again, how it moves, what the pitchers arm looked like, the spin...etc...well he swears it allows him better pitch recognition and he does have the lowest strike out percentage on the team...so he may have a point. I will say that getting into catching in 8th grade is going to be difficult. Catchers have...
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

2019Dad ·
I'm going to have to disagree with CaCO3Girl on this one. There are so many examples of catchers who took it up in college or after turning pro (Buster Posey, Carlos Ruiz, Mike Piazza, etc.), that I don't think 8th grade is in any way "late." Just by way of example, one of the two catchers getting playing time at UCLA this year is a true freshman who was a high school infielder that UCLA converted to catcher this year -- and he's gotten 16 starts at catcher. So if he wants to become a...
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

B-MoreBeast ·
I catch and pitch and only started catching regularly in the Spring/Summer of 2015. If he's committed to getting better and actually wants to play the position I'd say it's worth it to give him a shot. I saw some of the above comments regarding how catching skills take years and years behind the dish to develop, but if your son has a high baseball IQ and a natural feel for the game he'll catch on quickly. I've found that it is very much a reactionary position as much as it is an anticipatory...
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

Backstop22 ·
We went through almost the same thing with my 2017 when he was an incoming Freshman. He was an OF/P with a strong arm and then the Varsity coach saw his Freshman team with two poor catching options and suggested to my son he would have a better chance of playing more as a C (he had caught some in Pony but it had been two years). So what I did was make a deal with him that we would buy some basic used catcher's gear for his Freshman season, and if he still wanted to catch and the coach wanted...
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

RJM ·
As someone noted there are name catchers who didn't catch until college. Bob Boone was an All American third baseman at Stanford. The Phillies made him a catcher in the minors. Blake Swihart was drafted for his athleticism and moved to catcher in the minors. I've seen a few middle infielders and centerfielders moved to catcher in high school. They have the hands and the arm. Pitching and catching? Not a good idea for the arm or the legs.
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

playball2011 ·
You will not see a P/C in college. Possey was a SS I believe in HS. This kids HS team already has 5 catchers, unless he's amazing he won't be a catcher there. To the dad whose son is in HS and a starting P on Fri then catching the Sat game. WHY r u allowing that? The coach is only thinking of winning a game, not what's best for your sons arm. If this kid is a good P I would not let him start catching too. You'll have to deal w coaches like this one that will abuse arm.
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

CaCO3Girl ·
RJM, the OP said there were 5 catchers and his kid was on the small side. You and the other posters are talking about turning a highly athletic player into a catcher....I think that's a bit different than picking up the gear in 8th grade and beating out 5 guys for the job while trying to pitch.
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

RJM ·
Posey was the shortstop at FSU. Rod Delmonico was fired as head coach at Tennessee. He was buddies with Marrtin. He became an assist. His son was an all SEC shortstop at Tennesee. He transferred to FSU with his dad. The FSU catcher graduated. Posey was moved to catcher.
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

Former Member ·
Re: Pitcher wanting to catch
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Re: Pitcher wanting to catch

Former Member ·
Sorry, should have specified...the five catchers are as of right now, not counting 1 graduating and 1 expected to transfer, leaving 3...1 varsity, 2 JV. Thanks for the That's good advice, his travel ball coach and HS know each other... I agree, all the catchers I see now are athletes. He is one of the more athletic kids on his travel team and even though he is almost the youngest on his HS team, he has nearly the fastest 40 times with great range and a wicked arm. Thanks for the advice
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Re: PG Pitcher/Catcher IA showcase

2017LHPscrewball ·
Probably depends on how your current exposure (via club team) matches up with target schools - and whether the PG event will in fact help with similar matching of schools. Any specifics on what the target list looks like and whether he has been able to get in front on many of these? Or, are you looking to cast a wide net?
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Re: PG Pitcher/Catcher IA showcase

wsoxfanatic ·
They don't actually provide a target list. It would probably be a similar match with a few exceptions to what he's been in front of. Primarily from the Midwestern pool.
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Re: PG Pitcher/Catcher IA showcase

Gov ·
There could be more economic options at this stage of his recruiting... It would helpful to know what class is your son 2017, 2018?
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Re: PG Pitcher/Catcher IA showcase

wsoxfanatic ·
Thanks. He is a 2017 grad
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Re: PG Pitcher/Catcher IA showcase

2017LHPscrewball ·
Do you and/or your 2017 have a target list - based on whatever baseball evals you may have received AND 2017's academic profiles? I would assume that if you club team has sufficient contacts to get several D1's to attend their clinics/camps, then they should probably know which coaches generally attend the Cedar Rapids event. Probably worth it if your target schools are expected to be there, probably not worth it if simply casting a wide net.
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Re: PG Pitcher/Catcher IA showcase

Gov ·
I don't have experience with this event, but from experience I can tell you PG runs very organized events. What is your motivation to go? The rating? Does he have measurable's that will get attention? How big is he? How hard does he throw? How good of a student is he? What are his target schools? I'd be thinking about events where some of those colleges are attending. Also, it could make more sense to hold off for a PG Sunshine or Academic showcase in May or early June. He could get ranked...
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Re: PG Pitcher/Catcher IA showcase

PGStaff ·
Sometimes people tend to think a player just shows up and colleges start recruiting them. Here is how it works... There could be 100 colleges watching your player perform and there might be very little interest, if any. There could be no colleges in attendance and your player is outstanding. There will be many colleges that show serious intertest. We have seen this happen over and over every year. The door is open! You see, we really publicize the kids that can play and college coaches trust...
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Re: PG Pitcher/Catcher IA showcase

2019Lefty21 ·
Along those lines I have a question. My son played 14u last year. We played 4 PG tournaments and saw very little of PG staff anywhere. I understand not a showcase. In one of the events they picked an all tourney team and my son didn't even throw because they were saving him as Sunday pitcher and we got eliminated Saturday afternoon ( not happy with coach that day for sure). On another occasion he was throwing in a semifinal and actually had some one from PG staff visit him in dugout during...
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Re: PG Pitcher/Catcher IA showcase

Iowamom23 ·
So how do you know if your son has the talent to make it worth while? My son is a 2018 and at the end of the summer his FB was clocked at 85. He also catches and plays 3rd. Not sure how you get invited to a PG event, and how you decide if it's worthwhile for your son? We are just starting to think that baseball beyond high school might be an option for him, and trying to learn a lot, so any insight helps.
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Re: PG Pitcher/Catcher IA showcase

PGStaff ·
2019lefty, If those tournaments were run by Perfect Game I assure you there was PG staff at every game. There are certain qualifiers that are run by people other than PG. IowaMom, If your son is a 2018 throwing 85 last summer and he lives in Iowa, you should email staff@perfectgame.org right away. Of course there are other things to consider, but 85 at his age will definitely create interest. BTW, over the past 20 years all but one player that has gone on to play DI college baseball or that...
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