2026 Catcher 5'9" 150 lbs 3.95 GPA

All your stats are looking good, especially the grades. Make sure you have a plan to get bigger, stronger, faster and improve your skills (behind the dish and especially at the plate, including a hitting strategy) and you can still make a 4.0 gps (yeah, I am that dad). Are you close to Driveline? They have a lot of resources now for your age group. A bit costly, but all travel sports is insanely costly.  Lastly, thank your parents...often

@Catcher26 posted:

I am a 2026 catcher in washington, I have a been measured with as low as a 2.2 poptime but recently have been around a 2-2.1 using video analysis, I am an extremely hard worker practicing baseball and lifting whenever I can find the time. I have gone from a 71 exit velo to an 84 in 5  months and I have a 7.2 60. All of my skills play well in game and I am a great middle of the order avg/power hitter. I have a deep desire to play at the next level and I want to know what level of baseball I could make it to. I would also like to know if there is any glaring weakness' in my game that I should be focused on.

You've got a great work ethic.  Keep improving in all facets of the game.   In my opinion, catcher is the most important position on the field.  Leadership is a big part of it, but also being on the same page as the coach.  Work on your soft skills as much as your measured skills.  Coaches like catchers who make them look good.

If you have a deep desire to play at the next level, you need guidance to get there.  HSBBWeb can be part of that guidance although we're limited to what we can do from a keyboard.  I would encourage you to seek out your high school coach, travel coach, Legion coach or whomever can assist you in your journey.  There are a lot of talented high school baseball players out there.  Most of those people that play beyond high school had some significant help along the way.   Yes, skills are very important but guidance is extremely valuable depending on what you want to get out of it.   There is a huge universe of baseball beyond high school, and you need to understand what is out there and where your skills can take you.  Additionally, you need someone to give you feedback and direction.   Unless you've been through it (as a student or parent), it is hard to explain because there are so many levels of baseball.

BTW...Keep up that GPA.  Your academics can open many additional baseball options for you.

Good luck, and JMO.

Keep working, improving all your catching skills, as well as hitting.  Don't focus on exit velo.  Keep strengthening your arm and pay attention to arm health.  Be a leader on your team.  Doesn't have to be fake rah rah stuff, you can lead vocally and/or by your actions and work ethic.  Hit the weights hard, a good strength, speed and conditioning coach/program is vital.  Academics are important/crucial.  Many athletes in baseball get way more money academically than they do for playing baseball.  Take an ACT/SAT prep class to get the highest score possible, as your academic money is based off of those scores. Sounds like you're off to a great start.  You only get one shot at this so if you love baseball, you have it all in front of you.  Best of luck

In a vacuum those metrics strike me as solid across the board for a '26. I'm guessing they don't get you written off out of the gate, and moreover, demonstrate that you ARE indeed putting in the work.

@2022NYC posted:

Make sure you have a plan to get bigger, stronger, faster and improve your skills (behind the dish and especially at the plate, including a hitting strategy) and you can still make a 4.0 gps

Agree with above. From what I'm seeing and learning, (and if this is Cap'n obvious stuff I apologize in advance) play where you will get best blend of level of competition and volume. The more I see, the more I appreciate good catching and how underrated it is. In many ways, you have to be the toughest, smartest, and most athletic (in a confined space) player on the field. Over a tourney/ series, the catcher touches/handles the ball the most and often has disproportionately biggest influence on the defensive side of the game. Plus you're the defacto on field-in game therapist for the pitcher, and field general for the entire defense. Work on receiving different types of pitchers, esp those with a lot of movement. Embrace (& learn from) difficult moments when calculated pre-pitch risk management may have yielded a better outcome than brute reactionary athleticism. Best of luck. Control what you can control.

Freshman, right? One piece of advice: There is still time to grow. I have seen Freshman come in at 5-6 and they are 6-3 when they graduate. That said, if you don't grow, they're going to tag you with the label "under sized." If that happens, don't let it get you down and don't let it become a sticking point. Find a coach and college that won't see that as a challenge or problem. (Sadly, there are some programs who don't take you seriously if you are under six no matter what your metrics.)

Not sure how much playing time your getting at your HS, but here a few things that will get you noticed and in turn help win a starting spot that are not metrics related. 

High baseball IQ - Whenever a ball is put in play, direct where the ball should go from the best view on the field.  Gain the trust of the other players by doing this in practices and scrimmages, with high reliability.  Good way to stay up-to-speed on this, watch MLB or College games, put the TV on mute and see if the players on the screen do what you tell them to do when a play happens. If they don't, rewind the game and watch to see what they did, why, and take note of it.

Earn Pitchers Trust - Learn the pitchers, what they throw, and how they throw it. Look for changes in motion from day to day (well bullpen, to bullpen, game to game). See what works and what does not. Let them know when something has changed and is not working. (Remember though you are not a coach, so don't try to coach, You could say something like, your curve was breaking a little better yesterday when you were keeping your wrist locked). Talk to them, ask them how they feel that day, that pen, that pitch. Find out what they like from the catcher, do they like a target, do they like a location glove flash, for an off-speed do they want a flash where to start the pitch or where you want the ball to finish. Build pitcher confidence that a ball will not get by you (within reason that is). Block that change or curve ball you asked for in the dirt. By earning their trust they will make it known that they trust and want you to catch them. Comfort for a pitcher can go along way.

Talk to the coach after every inning or even bullpen - check in with the coach that may be calling the pitches, let them know what is working for the pitcher, what is not, for games what the umpire is calling balls and strikes, is the zone consistent (should also let your teammates know how the umpire is calling).  What you saw from the hitters. Who is crowding, who is off the plate. Sometime you are just verifying what the coach already saw was correct. Have seen these conversation lead to the catcher calling 95% of the pitches because he earned the trust of the coach. (This is if you have a coach that is approachable and willing to hear what you have to say (most are, some are not sadly)).

If you feel comfortable enough, you can shift players in their position. This can be the basic things like bunt coverage, corners in, INF double play depth, Outfield no doubles, to other things more advanced.

I am sure there are some other things I just can't think of right now.

@Francis7 posted:

Freshman, right? One piece of advice: There is still time to grow. I have seen Freshman come in at 5-6 and they are 6-3 when they graduate. That said, if you don't grow, they're going to tag you with the label "under sized." If that happens, don't let it get you down and don't let it become a sticking point. Find a coach and college that won't see that as a challenge or problem. (Sadly, there are some programs who don't take you seriously if you are under six no matter what your metrics.)

Unfortunately most of the men in my family are under 6' with one exception, do you think the lack of height will be a major downside even if I look like a physical player size wise.

@TxballDad posted:

Not sure how much playing time your getting at your HS, but here a few things that will get you noticed and in turn help win a starting spot that are not metrics related.

High baseball IQ - Whenever a ball is put in play, direct where the ball should go from the best view on the field.  Gain the trust of the other players by doing this in practices and scrimmages, with high reliability.  Good way to stay up-to-speed on this, watch MLB or College games, put the TV on mute and see if the players on the screen do what you tell them to do when a play happens. If they don't, rewind the game and watch to see what they did, why, and take note of it.

I really appreciate the reply, I am a freshman so I don't know what my play time will look like in highschool although it looks like I might get 40% of the games at the varsity level.

Your comment about watching games is really interesting, I watch a lot of college ball and I spend time focusing on pitch sequencing (what I would call as a catcher and what I might expect as a batter)  but I had never thought about following the catchers and seeing there movements when the ball is in play. Thanks for the idea.

@Catcher26 posted:

Unfortunately most of the men in my family are under 6' with one exception, do you think the lack of height will be a major downside even if I look like a physical player size wise.

Personally, I think someone who is 5-9 is a better body type than someone who is 6-4 at the catcher position. (But, in fairness, my son is a 5-9 catcher.)

But, to your question, sadly, in baseball, everyone likes the big dudes. And, I get that at P, 1B and the OF...

Yes, it helps to be strong and that helps offset the lack of height.

Just be prepared that some will label a kid and discount him some if he's under six. (Mostly at the better programs. Those programs who can't be picky are more open to "undersized" guys.)

What is also very important for a catcher who is growing and getting bigger, stronger + faster with all of his training is also flexibility / mobility.  Because of the high amount of wear + tear on the body begin incorporating some yoga a couple times a week into your routine.  The earlier you start the easier and better it will be for you as you keep advancing levels of ball through your hard work.  All the best to you moving forward with your journey ~

It's all about the bat and grades.  My 2023 got his offer because they didn't have to worry about passing admissions.  He's undersized, sl above avg speed, avg arm, sl above avg defender, very good avg and gap power. very good grades/sat.   hit and study.

Agreed on the grades. Coaches love kids who they don't have to worry about failing off the team and who help with the team GPA. It also helps them get you academic money to offset the lack of available athletic money.

My son played at a mid-major.  His first two years their primary catcher was 5'7, maybe 170.  He was one of the best "catchers" we saw in two seasons.  Great arm....and enough power that his bat wasn't a weak spot in the lineup