2022 Advice Requested

Many replies here, thanks all!

• T_Thomas, forgot E-R moved to D2. But all the same, a school where the majority of the players are in STEM fields, which is what he is leaning toward as of now. And we know that at least 1 school here in GA has a 3/2 program w/ GTech, so that may be a great path (if he can get in).
• CTBBallDad, Reluctanto'sFan and RJM are correct, it's been a while since he's been measured. He's grown a lot in size/strength since early this year. We'll see what comes out of Ft. Myers. But I've seen quite a few people advocating that he work with someone on his running. He used to run CC, so we have contacts in that field to talk to
• RJM, yup, feet are 14 or 15 (depends on brand), have been for over a year now. And he now wears 17.5" knees. 
• CTBBallDad, he used to pitch, did fairly well, but stopped to focus on catching. He loves catching & hitting too much to voluntarily switch to PO, but he's also said that he loves baseball more than he loves any particular position. So if he's every forced to move there, I think he'll accept it.
• Fenway, thanks a ton for that link, and for the info. I hope you'll be open to me perhaps sending you some PMs as the next year unfolds, as I am sure I'll have questions as we go along.

Thanks again!

Great advice here. My 2 cents:

One thing I noticed looking through this thread and reading all the good advice is that while the calendar scheduling / 2022 recruiting timeline was covered quite well. I'm going to ask the OP a simple question:

Can your son HIT? Because that and his pop time is what is going to drive this kids recruitment. Can he HIT? Does he hit the ball HARD? He's a catcher and yes it's a very specialized defensive position and as far as the measurables for position players go,Catchers will get a pass on their 60 time. But they gotta hit the ball. For position players including catchers the HIT tool drives the recruitment. NCAA D1 recruiters want position players that flat out mash. There is no OBP or plate discipline being evaluated at a tourney. It's about hard hit balls.

I vividly remember a phone call my son made to me during fall ball of his freshman year in College. He was a D1 LHP and at the time and was hurt, but they had him playing in a scrimmage as a DH ( He had been recruited as a hitter by other schools )

son " Dad, I got a couple AB's today in a scrimmage "

me " Wow, cool.....How's that D1 pitching look"

son " Rough......I mean, I stepped in and dude threw a slider I was sure was outside the zone and it got called a strike. Then he threw the me the same pitch and I swung and missed. It was dirty. I stepped out and thought.....'Man, I'm already 0-2 I'm finished ' Then sure enough dude threw a FB probably 92-93 and I swung right threw it. It was right down the middle too"

That being said, with a 2022 I suggest that the Hit tool be a huge priority w/ time and training, focus. If he has a hitting coach now and he's not hitting balls off the wall or over it, You'll need a new hitting coach. Preferably one who stresses 'approach' . Most HS hitters have a defensive picky/ sort of patient approach at the plate. That doesn't fly at the NCAA D1 recruiting level. They want guys that are aggressive / attack guys that step in ready to swing first pitch. Because the reality is at the D1 level you're only likely to see one good pitch to hit in an AB.

Lastly, Keep in mind Recruiting for catchers is a different animal. Many NCAA programs view it as an apprenticeship, So, you have to really do your homework analyzing current rosters of each individual school you're targeting , looking at existing underclassman catchers while also tracking incoming PG recruiting / Commitments. For a 2022 parent this exercise isn't critical yet. But it will be quite soon.

StrainedOblique posted:

Great advice here. My 2 cents:

One thing I noticed looking through this thread and reading all the good advice is that while the calendar scheduling / 2022 recruiting timeline was covered quite well. I'm going to ask the OP a simple question:

Can your son HIT? Because that and his pop time is what is going to drive this kids recruitment. Can he HIT? Does he hit the ball HARD? He's a catcher and yes it's a very specialized defensive position and as far as the measurables for position players go,Catchers will get a pass on their 60 time. But they gotta hit the ball. For position players including catchers the HIT tool drives the recruitment. NCAA D1 recruiters want position players that flat out mash. There is no OBP or plate discipline being evaluated at a tourney. It's about hard hit balls.

I vividly remember a phone call my son made to me during fall ball of his freshman year in College. He was a D1 LHP and at the time and was hurt, but they had him playing in a scrimmage as a DH ( He had been recruited as a hitter by other schools )

son " Dad, I got a couple AB's today in a scrimmage "

me " Wow, cool.....How's that D1 pitching look"

son " Rough......I mean, I stepped in and dude threw a slider I was sure was outside the zone and it got called a strike. Then he threw the me the same pitch and I swung and missed. It was dirty. I stepped out and thought.....'Man, I'm already 0-2 I'm finished ' Then sure enough dude threw a FB probably 92-93 and I swung right threw it. It was right down the middle too"

That being said, with a 2022 I suggest that the Hit tool be a huge priority w/ time and training, focus. If he has a hitting coach now and he's not hitting balls off the wall or over it, You'll need a new hitting coach. Preferably one who stresses 'approach' . Most HS hitters have a defensive picky/ sort of patient approach at the plate. That doesn't fly at the NCAA D1 recruiting level. They want guys that are aggressive / attack guys that step in ready to swing first pitch. Because the reality is at the D1 level you're only likely to see one good pitch to hit in an AB.

Lastly, Keep in mind Recruiting for catchers is a different animal. Many NCAA programs view it as an apprenticeship, So, you have to really do your homework analyzing current rosters of each individual school you're targeting , looking at existing underclassman catchers while also tracking incoming PG recruiting / Commitments. For a 2022 parent this exercise isn't critical yet. But it will be quite soon.

 

Great question, and great thoughts.

Hitting has been his main focus this fall, for the reasons you outline above. He's been doing 60-90 min of hitting 5 days/week after school since school started, and will continue until the mythical Jan 13. 

He used to be exceptionally patient at the plate, seeing more pitches than anyone on his teams. That changed last spring, and he ended up the complete opposite all year. If he saw more than 3 pitches, he was pretty much getting a walk. 

As to whether he mashes.....I'm not sure yet, is the most honest answer I can give. He says he's been really advancing this fall after changing a lot of his approach. He was always a contact hitter, but has over the spring/summer developed more LD power. The few times I've seen him hitting at practice this fall, they've been deeper and harder than in the past. So it looks like he's trending there, if not there yet.

They start seeing live pitching next week, so we'll see how that goes. But I (and he) definitely agree that the bat has to be his focus year-round, whether he's actively playing or not.

Thanks!

Senna posted:

Many replies here, thanks all!

• T_Thomas, forgot E-R moved to D2. But all the same, a school where the majority of the players are in STEM fields, which is what he is leaning toward as of now. And we know that at least 1 school here in GA has a 3/2 program w/ GTech, so that may be a great path (if he can get in).

Thanks again!

That's one of the good features of the 3/2  programs - if you are admitted to the first school and make the requisite grades there, acceptance to the engineering school is usually guaranteed.

GT has a large list of participating schools, and several D1, D3, and JUCOs with good baseball programs:  https://ceed.gatech.edu/ddep

Clemson also has affiliation with several schools in multiple divisions, including several D1 & D2 schools:   https://www.clemson.edu/cecas/.../dual-education.html

I can't say much about the recruiting process as my son is only a 2023 C, but I would get your son into a gym that specifically works with athletes. A 7.9 is a bad run away from being an 8.2  My son was an 8.5 in August and just ran a 7.4 two weeks ago. I honestly was worried he'd never break 8.0. He's been in a gym 2-3 days a week that works on explosiveness and agility. 

76 MPH is not bad velo for a soph catcher.  Could easily be 80 plus by the time he is a senior.  Work on his footwork / exchange and continue to develop his arm strength.