New to the recruiting process, Son is RHP velocity 75, was told skill set is good. Asking how much better his velocity will get in 3 years and is D3 in his best interest.
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What’s his height and weight? What is his projected height and weight? How hard is he willing to work at being a great pitcher.
D3 pitchers tend to throw 82 to 85 heading into college. Having multiple pitches at varying velocity is important. Control and more importantly command is important.
How hard he will throws depends on how badly he wants to excel. But, how well will he pitch? There’s a difference.
@skiball posted:New to the recruiting process, Son is RHP velocity 75, was told skill set is good. Asking how much better his velocity will get in 3 years and is D3 in his best interest.
I have a sneaky suspicion that you are likely putting the cart before the horse. Kid probably just need to grow a little and fill out.
The real answer to your 2 questions is "nobody knows" at least based off the limited info given.
Did he make his HS team as a freshman?
Is he a PO already?
Agreed. Probably not enough info to say much. If it helps I have a 2025 lhp who is now sitting 80; touching 83. 6ft 0in. I was privately told by a reliable poster here that he is not a D1 pitcher. So we re leaning D3 ourselves
Everyone’s kid is going to have a different track record.
Freshman year my son was 5’11” 135. He cruised 80 and maxed 82/83.
Soph year he was 6’ 160. He cruised 83, hit 85/86.
Junior year he was 6’1” 170. He cruised 87/88 and hit 90.
Separated should surgery held him back senior year. He was 6’1” 175. After recovery he was back to 87/88 and 90.
He got to 6’2” 190 in college.He threw mid 90’s from the outfield.
My son is built like a point guard. He was never going to be a 200-220 build kid. But he worked hard at getting bigger, faster quicker and stronger.
I was told once by a longtime pitching coach to expect a 3-4 mph bump per year. And based on what I've seen that seems to be a pretty good weather vane (directionally correct but not precise).
Pitchability is important.
There is absolutely no way to know. We knew kids who were sitting 75 as freshmen and never progressed much beyond that. Other kids make huge gains. How much does he work outside of "practice"? Does he lift and care about nutrition? What are his projections genetically? What program does he use to train? Are his mechanics efficient? A million factors.
@baseballhs posted:There is absolutely no way to know. We knew kids who were sitting 75 as freshmen and never progressed much beyond that. Other kids make huge gains. How much does he work outside of "practice"? Does he lift and care about nutrition? What are his projections genetically? What program does he use to train? Are his mechanics efficient? A million factors.
Agree. Nobody knows the future let alone some poster here - no matter how knowledgeable or well-intentioned. Kids are drafted or signed all the time to big time D1’s and that is the last we hear from them. Other kids have higher ceilings but take longer to develop. Start by making the high school team and exceeding at that. Continue to grow and develop along the natural course of things. Three years from now there may people scrambling all over themselves to have your son play for them be it D1, D2, D3, or the pros.
For recruiting, work backwards. D3s recruit 17U (summer before senior year); if he's viable for them, that's when you'll know. If before 17U your son is 6'4" and throwing 90, you'll be hearing earlier and from different schools than if he's 5'10" and has progressed to 80. As others said, if he wants to play in college, he'll have to work at pitching, building strength, etc.
Ask pitching coaches, travel coaches, etc. what they recommend.
As a note, these days D3 pitchers throw 82-88+ heading into college.
"Best interest" depends on what your son wants out of baseball and school. JUCO is also a possibility, for many different reasons.