Advice on Recruiting

I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but what about JUCO to D-1?  it sounds like the D-1 coaches are sending you a message, and you aren't listening.  I guess there is still a possibility, but why not broaden your options?

Not sure this will help much, but worth a try.  Given the fact that you go to a very high end academic school, you are smart, and seem honest...that will help you.  This is just an educated guess, but it appears you have been dealing with a hurt arm, and inconsistent velocity...all tell tale signs of not very sound mechanics.  It also appears you put a lot of emphasis on lifting weights.  Lifting "some" weights may be beneficial, however throwing hard is not a function so much of strength, as it is sequencing the body parts, to move the body in an explosive way, to generate arm speed.

My advice would be, to solicit the help of a "proven" pitching instructor....that person may, or may not be in your backyard.  Typically, when I hear a player has inconsistent velo, an arm that is always bothering them,...it is almost always a function of inconsistent mechanics.  When you are able to hit upper 80's in one pitch, then lower the next, it is clear you are not aware of why you hit 88, and then hit 82...not your fault (very common).  Most pitchers rely on "luck" when they go on the mound, and don't know why one day they have life on their fastball, and the next outing they feel like they are throwing a bowling ball.  It is critical for pitchers to understand sound pitching mechanics, so they are not relying on luck.

I would look towards pitching coaches you could travel to, or even do a video analysis.  There is the possibility that a pitching coach can pick up on a very easily correctable flaw that you can fix, to get the velo back up, and be consistent.  Then you can get in front of coaches, and get the opportunity...it is not too late, but time is not on your side.  I will PM (dialogue) you to offer whatever help I can.

Understand this, if you don't change something, and continue to have an arm that hurts, or velo that is all over the place, a D1 shot is likely not in the cards.  

Throwingas, I can certainly understand the frustration.  Unfortunately, every year as I have followed my boys through their baseball careers, someone is left behind that had the skills, desire and work ethic to make it as a college ball player.  It seems to me that more good baseball players exist than places for them to play.  

My advice is to keep working and pursuing opportunities at the D-1 level.  However, at this point, it would also be wise for you to expand your outlook.  Rynoattack offered a solid plan.  Consider going the junior college route.  If you are D-1 material, this will give you an opportunity to "reset" your career.  JUCO players are on the rosters of most D-1 teams and my observation is that the JUCO player will often show up in the fall with a bit more opportunity available than a lot of the incoming freshman, due to age, size/strength and experience.  

If you can work around 85mph you have the velo to pitch at the major junior college programs in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, etc. 

Thanks for the help guys. Much appreciated. As for the lifting weights, its been legs mostly. Squat and Deadlift- as well as Sprints. Ive always had an emphasis on staying loose yet explosive. Otherwise, I haven't really explored the JUCO option, but I will look into it.

What's wrong with playing at a quality D3 that makes the NCAAs and having a great shot at getting on the field early in your college career? There are plenty of mid major potential players at quality D3 programs. Finding a roster spot isn't a competition with the other pitchers at your high school. Its about finding the best baseball experience for you. Do you play for SHP?

Throwinggas, I might suggest your "splitter" and "knucklecurve" are not the offspeed pitches they're looking for.  Splitters are dangerous (and could be the reason you have arm problems) and silly if improperly thrown.  As for the knucklecurve, you should know that is a joke at the D-1 level.

Work on your fastball and a real curveball, IMHO.  Work with a top pitching instructor to refine your mechanics and develop a proper breaking pitch. 

D1 is not for everyone.  There are just a ton of RHP's to choose from.

Go see coach Wolforth in Houston.  Get on the Jaeger long toss program.  Try to go to a good Juco then after one or two years you will have your shot at D1 again.  If you go to a D1 you will not play much if any your first year anyway. If you have been vocal about the D1 that might be why the Juco's aren't calling yet, but you still have time.  If your not willing to play anywhere other than D1 you are to in love with the idea of telling everyone where you play and not in love with the game itself, so dig into your grades and think about a career.

Took the words right off my keyboard.   Leverage what you are good at...academics.  Seek an academic school with a solid D3 baseball team.   They are looking for players like you.  You've been working hard at this for some time, and that is to be commended.  However, I'd like to see you work smarter to go after schools that truly want you and have a very good pitching coach that can develop you.   Good luck.

Your inconsistent velocity is the concern and is often a problem of repeatable mechanics or an arm injury. You need to determine why your velocity is a problem...

Throwingas96 - My son is an 86mph closer at a top D3 and he has had a great career.  He had several D1 opportunities as a shortstop (even Ivy) and chose this route because it was better for his career; baseball AND academic.  At first I thought he was crazy - I was dead wrong!  The better pitchers on his college team look just like you say you look.  They throw as hard as you say you should be throwing (and harder) on your very best day and they all had D1 opportunities.  

IMHO (and I hope I'm not being to harsh) saying "I'm not going D3" is just another way to quit.  So, go ahead and quit - you will only be hurting yourself and missing out on all the fantastic opportunities that are waiting for you out in the real world of college baseball.  I'm sure you don't really want to do that.  I've seen kids regret that decision too many times before.

For my own son going D3 meant playing early, being captain, working fantastic summer internships, playing summer collegiate ball, and securing a full time job in the real world by November of his senior year. 

So stop moping.  Take your resume and your video and send it to every NESCAC and Centennial conference coach.  For many its too late, but some will have big holes to fill now that the ED deadline has passed and that big right hander they were counting on committed to some other school.  If you quit your just helping every other big right hander who had an off summer.

PS. Wolforth is a great guy who will tell you the same thing.  

Throwingas96.... why are you D1 or bust?  If your goal is D1 then go JUCO first then transfer to D1.   I know of a highly recruited player that went to an SEC school his freshman year, and now is at a quality JUCO.... now he might be trying to get drafted, or he might be looking for playing time, either way he left the SEC for a reason.

Look up the stats for the D1 schools you want to go to and cross reference the rosters ( fr and soph) and see how many innings and AB's they got compared to the JUCO players that transferred in.  You cannot get better in the dugout.

I have a son in similar situation, its very frustrating, but having seen his brother play at a JUCO....it is a route you should consider, you will likely get more playing time at the JUCO, As some have suggested , find a quality pitching instructor. 

With your academics you should have very little if no cost.

I really hope you find a home, but in reality you have no idea on how competitive college baseball is.Frankly you need to get real.  Like a lot of HS kids in a "small pond" they think they are something. IF you can pitch you are a perfect candidate for a high quality DIII program. 

I just got back from my son's fall world series and I would venture to guess that 1-3 of the freshmen pitchers will see some mound time this year. The top kid velo wise was 92-93 and he got rocked. 

Good luck!

I can sure understand why a young man would want to go to a DI college.  Most young players that fill out forms for us mention schools like Texas, UCLA, LSU, Florida, Stanford, etc., as the colleges they are most interested in. For some those schools are a realistic goal.  Sadly, for most those schools are not realistic.

i spent many years coaching at small colleges.  We had two pitchers from one of those teams that ended upitching in the Major Leagues.  The centerfielder on that team made it to AAA. The catcher played a little pro ball and the shortstop sets in the Chicago Cubs dugout as the Major League strength and conditioning coach. All those guys and a few others were plenty good enough to play at most any DI college.

I truly believe that college baseball (any level) is the best of all baseball experiences. It's just very special If you're in the right place. I can't imagine someone who loves the game deciding it has to be DI or nothing. Google Jordan Zimmerman. If someone is as good as him they probably can pitch at a DI college, but he didn't.

Just a quick comment on "squats" and "deadlifts".  IMHO, those are not really helpful for baseball.  Baseball is a rotational game, and those are planar exercises.  Baseball, as in most sports, is played on one leg at a time.  Why emphasize exercises where both legs are on the ground working together?  How many times in a any game are you in a dead lift or squat position (other than a catcher, but even the catcher, when moving and exploding, is moving legs one at a time, and performing rotational movements).  Maybe you need to get to a person that can get you on a program that is more conducive to baseball.  Single leg squatting (hips recruit totally differently than with double leg squats), core, rotational core, shoulder girdle and rotator cuff.  Just another piece of the pie for you to consider.  Wish you luck. 

Listen to PG Staff as he is very very informed about many things in baseball. 

Hate to tell you Ohio Dad but squats and deadlifts are the core leg workout in most college programs. Yes rotation is important but power comes from the legs. Good programs are phased with a strength, explosive and maintenance periods but late summer and fall are typically times when programs are in their strength phase. Go take a look at the legs of college Sr's playing ball and compare them with Freshmen. 

Howdy,

Not gonna argue or disagree, but double leg squats and deadlifts will be used less and less in the future.  Check out "The Death of Squats" video on YouTube, as a start, and see if that doesn't make a whole lot of sense for sports/athletes, versus power lifters and body builders.  Legs are where it all starts, total agreement.  Not saying squats are bad, it is just that double leg squats do not allow the hips to recruit the same way that single leg squats do.  Hips work totally differently when on one leg.  We move on and perform on one leg at a time.  I don't train my athletes with double leg squats any longer (for many anatomical and kinematic reasons), as it just does not carry over to sports as well.  Things change and develop all the time, and older thinking will eventually be replaced by newer and improved thinking.  I try not to make comments unless I have studied, experimented, and seen results.  Just because a big college or professional program does something, doesn't necessarily mean it is what is best. If there were a way to take two similar kids, with similar genetics, similar work ethics and commitment, and simply trained double versus single leg squats with these kids, there would be a difference seen in performance, injury prevention, etc., once the sport movement began.  Totally agree--Strong legs.  We don't all have to agree what is the best way to get there.  However, I would take that challenge. 

Is there a workout program that you would recommend? Thx 

Throwingas... All good replies. If you love the game, go where they love you and you will get a chance to play. Plane and simple. DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, JUCO, it doesn't matter if you're competing.

This post sounds fake.  I've heard lots of kids, including my own, believing they could compete at any level.  None, expressed the narrow view you possess.

Your best workout and advice is to be receptive to any level of baseball and prove everyone wrong. 

I have to admit I had the same thought cross my mind, i.e., is this a real post or someone trying to prove a point?

But giving the benefit of the doubt, I'll respond on the merits.

First of all, the OP describes a player with a history of arm trouble, a resulting loss of velocity, an understanding that SAT's are important yet an unwillingness to prepare for them, and an attitude of entitlement ("D1 or bust!").  If I were a D1 coach, I would not recruit you.  For one thing, there are literally dozens of other guys out there with similar size and MPH numbers but who don't come with your baggage.  For another, your admitted lack of work ethic makes me think you may not only fail to progress in college, you may be a sourpuss in the dugout and as a result, a bad influence on the team's overall attitude.

A D1 coach saw you recently, said he would contact and did not.  Perhaps he checked references on you and decided there was another sub-90 RHP he felt more comfortable going after.  Or maybe the "dark period" that coincides with the signing period crept up on him, and he still intends to get with you once the smoke clears on signings and he sees what he still needs and who his choices are to fill out his class.

My advice is to pull your head out of your southerly regions, recognize that the attitude you are projecting is hindering you, and see if you can make something happen in the coming months.  But also recognize that actions have consequences, and that the consequences are not always temporary.  You may have burned some bridges already.  You may have to go where someone is still willing to lay out a welcome mat.

Or, you can stop playing.  IMHO, anyone who's entertaining that option seriously is not a college prospect at any level.  College players face daunting schedules and demands, year round.  Without the desire, you won't cut it, irrespective of your talent level.  If all you want to do is play now and then and not have all the other burdens, then you might look into club ball.  That's what it's there for.

All of the responses have included good criticism, good advice, and some skepticism.  I think one thing everyone has missed here, is his honesty.  Would have been much easier to come on here and just say, my FB is inconsistent, had some arm troubles, and still fighting to get on somewhere. 

At least he laid it out there, and painted an accurate picture of his abilities, and his mindset.  Now it is up to him, to take the suggestions, criticisms, and advice to hopefully form some more realistic goals.  Those goals could include modifying his search to include none D1 schools, or trying to fix his mechanical issues, and reapply himself towards the D1 schools he is interested in.

I took things a step further, and reached out to this young man via a PM.  He answered the PM.  I asked him if he really wanted help, he needed to address the issue at hand that is resulting the arm pain, and his inconsistent velocities - Mechanics. I offered to take a look at his mechanics to see if I could find anything glaring that stood out that would be causing any of those things.   I asked him to take video footage from the side, from behind, and to send it to me.  I received a PM yesterday with a link of recent footage, just like I asked.  Footnote:  in his original reply to my offering to look at his mechanics, he indicated he would take some footage, however it would take a few days, because he was studying, and taking exams.  FYI -- big athletic kid, with good "intent" in his throwing mechanics, and moves very athletically....lots to work with.

This weekend I will take the video footage he sent me, and I will do a voice over analysis putting him side by side with some MLB pitchers who have similar builds/deliveries, and point out where his problems are  coming from.  He should be able to take the information, and make some immediate improvements.  Like most every pitcher I have worked with, before they come out of hand break, all of their problems have already occurred. 

Anyway, I just wanted to give a little insight.  Yes, he is real.  Are his goals, and mindset what we all would want to teach / see....of course not,.... and some of the honest, direct replies some of you have had for him, are likely something he has needed to hear, but let's at least recognize that he reached out to us for help.  Now it will be up to him to re-evaluate his mindset / goals, and fix his mechanics.

Back Foot Slider, that is great that you have reached out to this young man.  My hat is off to you, and good luck to this young man...

 For Back foot slider!

Back Foot Slider,

I would like to thank-you again for your help in advance. My mindset is probably a little skewed from the ideal mature figure you would like to see. However, I think you have to realize it speaks alot to the determination I have always had. I am determined to play without fear and that is how I set my goals.

Everyone,

The whole part about me essentially throwing away my summer, it wasn't as bad as it sounds. My arm hindered alot of it, and yes, I did feel bad for myself a little too much, but it wasn't all a waste. I met coaches, kids, and parents who taught me valuable intangibles to live life by.

I never knew how college recruiting went prior to experiencing it. If I was on here before my season, it may have turned out different. You guys have all been a help, and I fully understand the lash of criticism and skepticism.

I look forward to working with BFSlider not only on the mechanical game, but on the mental game as well.

Thanks to everyone again.

It appears the kid has matured a little from his first post to the last.

throwinggas96,

Good luck, and please update us on your progress as you move through the various recruiting stages.

Back foot slider,

Well done.  Tip of the cap to you, sir.

Atta boy, Back Foot Slider.   How about a PG year in lieu of the Juco route?   Great advice here, guys, but if you really, really want to play D1, GO FOR IT!

Best of luck to you.

my only comment would be open to the experiences of college, not just the baseball aspect of it. Hopefully, you will have a great 4 yrs and be healthy, but u never know. If your only life is baseball related and something happens to end that you will need to move on.  It's easier if you have other interests, goals.

What a great story!  Congratulations and thanks for coming back with the update.