Tagged With "8th"
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how hard do I have to throw to go D1
hi. I'm in 8th grade, averaging around 81 MPH, and maxing out at 83-84. I'm 6'1, 160 pounds. I was wondering how hard I need to throw to go division 1 from this point. Also, how soon should I begin to look at colleges? I'm still young, in 8th grade.
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Here you go: http://community.hsbaseballweb...r-at-certain-schools Good luck!
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
RHP or lefty? My son is at a mid-major D1.....there are plenty of guys throwing 85-86 on the teams he's played against over the past two years. 90+ will get you noticed by some bigger schools....especially if you're a lefty. Keep in mind velo isn't the only thing.....college umpires seem to be tighter with their strike zone than HS, so being able to control the velo is probably just as (if not more) important than just throwing hard. If you're at 83-84 as an 8th grader and have reasonable...
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Harder than you are throwing now. 8th grade doesn't matter. How hard will you throw as a senior in High School? Will you work hard to gain velocity? Will you stay healthy? Will you still play? Can you pitch? Do you have a "plus" curveball, changeup, slider? Can you handle game pressure? How do you handle setbacks? Can you make grades? Are you a hard worker? Time will tell. What can you do to set yourself apart from all the other hard throwers? Keep working at it.
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There are several questions rolled into one. First, velo at D1. D1 has roughly 300 baseball programs, ranging from the SEC down to a few teams which are unaffiliated. At the tippy top, roughly sitting 90+ gets notice. At the lower end, a RH starter may sit 85 - 88. LHP can throw a few miles slower. Unique pitchers (e.g., sidearm) are considered separately. Second, what do YOU want to do? You are way ahead here (being in 8th grade), but it's never too early to think, learn, and develop a...
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Size & Velo sound really good for an 8th grader. Keep working hard, but just as importantly, work on your GPA & ACT. They will factor in BIG TIME! You seem like you are well on your way. Keep up the good work, and keep us posted on your progress!
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I agree with your control assertion. Biggest difference this year for my son, was his control improvement.
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Gavin, are you on a good travel team? When I say good I mean are they playing in high profile tournaments? Do they have a good history with connecting players to colleges? Are you with people of similar skill? My son is 14u, he played in a PG event this past weekend that had one starting pitcher in the high 50's and another in the low 90's! There is a huge difference in this age. Make sure you are on a team that is going to get you ready for high school. Then when you get there you can talk...
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Good advice here to which I will add: TAKE CARE OF YOUR ARM!
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
The summer going into highschool, my son's team had 4 pitchers who could throw 80. Three of them are going to be pitching D1 next year, and the other will be at a solid D2. So, I would say your velocity is on track. As seniors they sit around 90. As has been said you need to keep working hard and improving. It's a big jump from 80 to 90, especially if you are already close to physically mature. Most importantly - grades. Every one of those pitchers is a good student, and one is going to an...
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Great position to be in with current velo. BUT , because of that velo at your age, your Coaches will be looking to pitch you as much as they can get away with... Get your pitching instructor to help you define appropriate pitch count limits per game per week etc. Get your parents on the same page of those pitching limits so that they can help manage the health of your arm. Then talk about the limits with your club coach in a way that he's a partner in taking care of your arm. (He also wants...
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
As detailed in the thread I linked to, assuming you are a RHP, in the next 3 and 1/2 years, you need to add about 5 mph for mid-major -- sitting 86, touching 88-89 would match most of the kids. Probably about 8 mph for the very top Power 5 schools -- sitting 89, touching 91-92.
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Your velocity is great for your age. How tall are your mother and father? Given where you are now if it's affordable your parents and you should look into the New England Ruffnecks.
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Pretty cool to have a 14 year old asking these questions on his own behalf. I would imagine that you'll get some very good information from people here. I will add: pitching becomes a 7 day a week proposition, it has to be approached as a job. There is something within your program to do every day and when you have an "off" day it is to be OFF. Rest and recovery are as important, if not more important than chasing velocity. Learn how to locate, learn to command the changeup. Devote time to...
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Gavin, hope you've read this far. Don't let the questions scare you! You have time, and you have a nice start. Impressed that you shared here, and I hope you can find a smart coach who will help bring you along.
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Watched Maryland vs Illinois on BTN the other day both pitchers in the low to mid 80s
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Ditto on control. Gaining control doesn't mean pitch slower, though. We have just in the past couple of days had RC's express concern over his high school stats (and they always told me schools don't care about the high school stats) - 19 BB's in 19 IP. Not to mention the 7 HBP's. It's definitely been far worse than normal due to his early season injury and struggling with both arm slot and arm action changes, but it was a red flag for them.
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Did the RC's see him pitch and express concern using the stats as justification? Or did they not see him pitch and just cited the stats? The latter would be pretty weak...
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It doesn't surprise me, Root. I believe that it is entirely rationale to discount good HS stats -- who knows the level of competition -- but that bad high school stats can be a red flag. So the hitter who is batting .500, well, it might mean nothing. But the batter who is striking out in 45% of his plate appearances is a bad sign, even if he is playing at the highest level of high school competition.
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They had seen him in the past, but this year has been rife with speculation. He didn't pitch early because of the back pain and, while he didn't avoid anyone who asked what was wrong, he also didn't go out of his way to explain. So, at one point, I was warned by someone we know that many schools were speculating that he had an arm injury. With that also cam a lot of speculation concerning his somewhat unconventional mechanics, etc. Now that he is healthy and on the mound, they look at stats...
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Yeah, I think they can rarely help you, but can easily hurt you. We have a stud 2019 on our team who committed to an SEC program last summer with a pretty good #. He just ended his high school season. .229 batting average. I wonder if his future school looks at that are ignores it. He is a guy with all the physical tools, though.
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
It wouldn't surprise me if it bothered them some, but I doubt it would be the only factor they would look at. It may cause them to want to see him in person again, but honestly, the high school season is such a small sample size for a hitter, I don't think his stats would matter much. I don't think HS Stats matter a ton, but I would never totally discount them either. A walk an inning, and 7 HBP's in 19 innings would make a coach cautious. I am not nearly the stats guy that some are, but I...
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Not as much as hits, though. Guys who otherwise don't let the bat hit the ball can get way with more walks, like a young Randy Johnson, but, yeah, walks definitely hurt. I think the more concerned parties about the HBP's would be the next team we play. He's got a reputation. He throws hard, concentrates on pitching inside and comes high sometimes. The thing that makes me cringe is that 4 of those 7 HBP's have been head shots. Having seen that this year, I've really got to give a shout out to...
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
My parents are not tall at all, 5'11 and 5'6, but I get my height from my moms 4 brothers, who are all 6'3+. One at 6'6. So I don't expect to get too much bigger, hoping to get one or two more inches. And I am very familiar with the Ruffnecks, they have an amazing program, but my age group's team is better. For some reason 14u Ruffnecks aren't as great as the others, although they are still a great team.
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Yes my travel team is pretty good. We enter many tournaments and we are going to Nashville this June.
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
My arm health and stability is my #1 baseball concern. I won't throw at all if my arm doesn't feel right. Thankfully, my coaches are extremely attentive to my arm health, and they do a great job of managing it.
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Unfortunately I am a righty. I have wanted to be a left my whole life lol. My control is not perfect but it certainly isn't bad at all. I usually walk 1 or 2 if I throw a complete game. However, I tend to fall behind in counts sometimes and I am forced to come back. This rises my pitch count, but I normally get away with 90-95 pitches in a complete game. It's a little much, so I am working to get that down.
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Gavin, how many innings do you think you throw in a calendar year, like January-December?
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Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm certainly looking into all of them!
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
88-90 on the right side 85-87 on the left. Also, you want to differentiate between. 'Sitting' 88 and ' Topping ' 90 A good scout or RC is looking at where a guy 'sits' as much or more than where he 'tops' Keep in mind you do need the numbers on the gun to get looks from D1 schools but once you get there it's different . D1 coaches want guys that get 'outs'. That's it. I've seen 75 mph in D1 and 91 at D3. But ultimately , the radar gun numbers get you in the door. Getting outs regardless of...
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Gavin, I highly suggest you open up another thread asking about what things are important in a travel team. I just looked at the Ruffnecks website and they have an extensive list of Alumni as well as a pretty impressive program setup. Im not sure if all these folks were brought up through the program or just played there for one year and left. There is a world of difference between a good travel team and a program that is built to get kids in front of college recruiters. Over the years my...
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Gavin - I am not a pitcher's parent but what you've posted here seems mightily impressive. Here is a different way of evaluating things. Start attending college games at all levels and sit near or behind home plate. Most/many programs have someone charting pitches and they usually have a radar gun. Peak over their shoulder and see how fast guys are pitching. See how they locate their fast balls. Do they take a little off and add a little on to their fastball to keep hitters constantly off...
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Attending D1 games is good advice. Keep in mind a Rhode Island game (A10) will look different from a Boston College game (ACC). A mid week game with a #4 or #5 starter will look different than a Friday game with a #1.
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If you found the Ruffnecks alumni list then it should list the years they played in the program. Both my sons are alums of that program. Unlike some other area teams, they only field one team per age group and the kids play the entire season. Some clubs have lengthier alum lists but they count kids that may have only played a single weekend or very few games, and/or they run several teams per age. I wouldn't say which approach is better, just pointing out they can be very different.
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I'm not familiar with the Ruffnecks, but one thing I can tell you is with top flight Travel Programs, oftentimes their 14U and younger teams are only pretty good, mostly because families don't want to pay top dollar for travel ball prior to 15U. Then at 15U the best talent comes out of the woodwork to try out The best Travel Program in the Wisconsin/Illinois border area is Hitters. They had two 1st Round MLB picks and one 2nd Round pick from just their 2017 class alone, along with a bunch of...
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
It's not just the talent comes out of the woodwork. The programs chase the talent. They've been tracking players at the lower levels when they were the competition. i got to know a dad whose son played for one of the top 17u teams in the country. Our son's started playing against each other at 13u. Only four players from the 13u team made the 17u team.
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Very familiar with the Hitters program. My comments earlier about the best program for recruiting not necessarily being the best travel program were in relation to the team my son played on. They are a "companion" program to the Hitters down here in the western suburbs of Chicago. We played the Hitters a lot. Spent a good portion of my summer and fall weekends up at Nash park for the better part of a couple of years. My son's program and the Hitters are very similar, in fact those kids that...
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I was looking into the RuffNecks this past summer. Believe me, I read everything about their alumni, and teams this year. I wanted to play for them badly, unfortunately, their facilities are much too far, I did not want to ask for too much. I 100% know how much of an advantage it would be, but my travel team is also very good, and has a good recruitment reputation.
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I know I threw 45 for travel, not sure for middle school. I probably threw a total of 75-80 innings. Arm health is my #1 concern.
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Good luck Gavin. Please do your research or even post another question about innings pitched, pitches thrown, and general arm care. Lots of conflicting advice out there, but please form a plan on paper. Those are a lot easier to follow. Are your parents, or perhaps an older sibling, helping you? Lots of information to sift through...I can't even imagine my 14 year old coming on here and asking anything, he's still trying to figure out which shirt best matches his work out shorts and how best...
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
He's still trying to figure out which shirt best matches his work out shorts and how best to wear his glasses on his hat, lol! This stuff matters. My son didn't get nicknamed "Hollywood" in high school without an effort. He nailed quiet, confident cool with a 10.
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Hi Gavin! Thanks for posting. That's a lot of innings, but sometimes it is more important how the innings are spaced. I think you know what I mean. If you throw 2 innings on Friday, and then 4 more on Saturday, not the best. Look up the pitch smart guidelines. They are pretty good. What I do for my son is write down the date, # of innings and # of pitches. It helps to keep track. Good luck and take care of that arm!
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
Hi Gavin. It sounds to me like your on the right track. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll be a stud!!!!!
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I am watching the SEC tournament, Texas A&M pitcher is pretty consistent at 87-88 on the fastball...watch Miami vs. Georgia Tech earlier, pretty much the same. All this talk about 90+ in recruiting sure doesn't seem to translate on the field. As I speak Mizzou's Houck threw a 91 MPH FB and these announcers have really been talking him up.
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Heard this in the stands at a recent game: Scout1 "How'd he get this guy throwing 91?" Scout2 "Recruited him when he threw 93." (Don't forget to consider the huge difference in workload, pressure, and academics in college. Lots more innings the work horses throw when compared to HS; this time of year exhaustion sets in - think The Belmont's last 1/8 mile.)
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90+ in recruiting is more of the reality all the time. More HS guys are throwing harder. And it translates on the field. But I'll agree with Goosegg, way more innings thrown by many college guys than in high school. A schedule with 50+ games at D1...more than double what many high school schedules have. Add in the conditioning and weight training multiple times per week, academics and now finals, interstate travel, etc. My oldest is absolutely gassed right now.
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I have to agree, as a challenge I want everyone to watch the CWS. ESPN has been doing a good job of broadcasting the early round gams. . My experience the last few years is that you won't see the 90+ guys until the final 8. You will see a few, but in the later rounds (final 8) is where the really show up.
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Re: how hard do I have to throw to go D1
From what I have been seeing across most levels is about a 4mph drop for cruising game velocity from max effort velocity. My guess would be college kids cruising at 88mph more than likely can touch 92mph. So kid who can pump it up every now and than to 90mph in a BP will sit 86ish in a game.
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That is true and makes a lot of sense. With my son being a pitcher I never pass on a chance to watch a pitcher on TV or in person, and I just don't see this 90+ much except for MLB, which is to be expected. People I've talked to say if a HS kid is 90+ he'll most likely be drafted, so I guess they are all in A or AA ball somewhere.