Average 60 yard times by age

With a little training a kid can improve his sixty time beyond what comes naturally. After my son grew from 5'11" 135 to 6' 160 I got him 60 time specific training.

Depending on body type this would be possible...2018 (june bday) went from a 7.83 (Feb 2015) as a 15yr old to a 6.96 (Aug 2016) as a 16yr old.  He did winter track and worked legs...he's working toward a sub 6.8 before the end of winter workouts.

PlayWithEffort posted:

There are dozens of threads here about 60 times but does anyone know an average or typical 60 yard time for players by age or grade? 

Take a look at this link and excerpt included below. Is this a reasonable expectation of improvement year over year as the player gets older and matures? I understand individual improvements will vary and will concede that anomilies exist but is this typical? I would expect there to be some improvement gains as one gets older (similar to strength or velocity) but how much is considered typical?

https://www.infosports.com/baseball/arch/1166.Htm

Except from the blog follows:

0.5 sec per year from age 11 until 15.
Then, 0.2 sec thereafter. This means for
the 60 yard dash:

9.5 sec age 11
9.0 sec age 12
8.5 sec age 13
8.0 sec age 14
7.5 sec age 15
7.3 sec age 16
7.1 sec age 17
6.9 sec age 18

Why does the chart not continue on to age 50, 60, 70 etc.  I would be curious to see that 

The link doesn't seem to be working - for me, anyway.  

Here's some data for you, based on current PG percentiles this year:

2017:  a 7.17 sixty is the 50th percentile for the class of 2017 this year

2018:  a 7.31 sixty is the 51st percentile for the class of 2018 this year

2019:  a 7.41 sixty is the 51st percentile for the class of 2019 this year

2020:  a 7.66 sixty is the 52nd percentile for the class of 2020 this year

2021: a 7.85 sixty is the 50th percentile for the class of 2021 this year

Based on the above, the numbers from the blog seem fairly accurate.

cabbagedad posted:

PlayWithEffort posted:

There are dozens of threads here about 60 times but does anyone know an average or typical 60 yard time for players by age or grade? 

Take a look at this link and excerpt included below. Is this a reasonable expectation of improvement year over year as the player gets older and matures? I understand individual improvements will vary and will concede that anomilies exist but is this typical? I would expect there to be some improvement gains as one gets older (similar to strength or velocity) but how much is considered typical?

https://www.infosports.com/baseball/arch/1166.Htm

Except from the blog follows:

0.5 sec per year from age 11 until 15.
Then, 0.2 sec thereafter. This means for
the 60 yard dash:

9.5 sec age 11
9.0 sec age 12
8.5 sec age 13
8.0 sec age 14
7.5 sec age 15
7.3 sec age 16
7.1 sec age 17
6.9 sec age 18

Why does the chart not continue on to age 50, 60, 70 etc.  I would be curious to see that 

The link doesn't seem to be working - for me, anyway.  

Lol! 

Sorry about the link. For some reason, I can find it via Google but it doesn't work when I copy the link into the post. Anyway, there's not much more in the link than what I pasted in as the excerpt. 

2019Dad posted:

Here's some data for you, based on current PG percentiles this year:

2017:  a 7.17 sixty is the 50th percentile for the class of 2017 this year

2018:  a 7.31 sixty is the 51st percentile for the class of 2018 this year

2019:  a 7.41 sixty is the 51st percentile for the class of 2019 this year

2020:  a 7.66 sixty is the 52nd percentile for the class of 2020 this year

2021: a 7.85 sixty is the 50th percentile for the class of 2021 this year

Based on the above, the numbers from the blog seem fairly accurate.

Thanks 2019Dad. Interesting information. The average improvement isn't quite as dramatic as the blog's .5 second but there is an improvement in times at roughly the 50th percentile. 

PlayWithEffort posted:

2019Dad posted:

Here's some data for you, based on current PG percentiles this year:

2017:  a 7.17 sixty is the 50th percentile for the class of 2017 this year

2018:  a 7.31 sixty is the 51st percentile for the class of 2018 this year

2019:  a 7.41 sixty is the 51st percentile for the class of 2019 this year

2020:  a 7.66 sixty is the 52nd percentile for the class of 2020 this year

2021: a 7.85 sixty is the 50th percentile for the class of 2021 this year

Based on the above, the numbers from the blog seem fairly accurate.

Thanks 2019Dad. Interesting information. The average improvement isn't quite as dramatic as the blog's .5 second but there is an improvement in times at roughly the 50th percentile. 

 

So, from a statistics standpoint (and PGStaff could confirm), I would assume that as the further the graduation date (i.e., younger player), the smaller you sample size in the numbers from PG.  That is, there are far fewer players attending PG showcases and having a 60 time recorded at the younger age than the metrics reported in the older ages.  My assumption is that there is a significant increase in participants within the same graduation class over time to their Jr year.

This would certainly skew the numbers (and percentage gain) over time.  My guess is that if you were to measure only the control group (only the players who posted the 7.85 average for the 2021 class) through each year, you may see numbers closer to the blog's.

RJM posted:

With a little training a kid can improve his sixty time beyond what comes naturally. After my son grew from 5'11" 135 to 6' 160 I got him 60 time specific training.

RJ, Exact same scenario for mine. He hit 6'0" 160 & we had a showcase coming up in about 6 weeks. He was at 7.28 to start & with 6 weeks of 1X / week meeting with speed & conditioning coach & doing his "homework," he got to a 7.06. Most importantly, the mechanics of proper stride, arm swing, start position, body angle & several other factors have now been added to his run mechanics moving forward. I provide you these #s just as an illustration for what is possible in a short period of time. He always ran extremely well but his form now is greatly improved, I feel.

I would encourage those out there who have a player willing to put in the work to get this training if you can afford it. We paired up with a buddy & had both of them train & it cut cost in a major way ($45 / 1 Hr. session per athlete). The run just seems to be so critical now for a position player & we do not think twice about paying for hitting or pitching instruction, but proper run mechanics & training can have a major positive impact here. If the player is not willing to put in time away from the instructor, you are mostly wasting your $$. I had to wait for mine to buy in before I was willing to spend the $$ ( he is 14).

My 2017 son's experience was probably a bit of an anomaly but going into this past summer his best "official" 60 was 7.0. He was busy and so were the coaches I tried to get him to, so before HF he was able to get in just one session with a speed coach, and then he worked on the stuff the coach gave him for a couple weeks. After that he ran a 6.59 at HF.

JCG posted:

My 2017 son's experience was probably a bit of an anomaly but going into this past summer his best "official" 60 was 7.0. He was busy and so were the coaches I tried to get him to, so before HF he was able to get in just one session with a speed coach, and then he worked on the stuff the coach gave him for a couple weeks. After that he ran a 6.59 at HF.

I doubt 0.4 improvement is the norm, but I've always thought a good sprint coach and an "untrained" athlete could drop at least 2 tenths.

Go44dad posted:

JCG posted:

My 2017 son's experience was probably a bit of an anomaly but going into this past summer his best "official" 60 was 7.0. He was busy and so were the coaches I tried to get him to, so before HF he was able to get in just one session with a speed coach, and then he worked on the stuff the coach gave him for a couple weeks. After that he ran a 6.59 at HF.

I doubt 0.4 improvement is the norm, but I've always thought a good sprint coach and an "untrained" athlete could drop at least 2 tenths.

JCG, that's a major jump.  My guy's was more along the lines of Go44's thoughts. 7.0 before training, 6.81 after a month or so.  Did your kid work out every day on technique?  Mine was 3x week.

You'd better be careful of kids "watching the stop watch," trying to overrun and blowing out their knee.  

Oh, and BTW.  My prodigious offspring runs a 5.2 60 as a 15 y/o while dragging an obdurate mule behind him.

All of this, of course is a spoof on how apoplectic some people get over radar gunning pitchers and asking about average velocities at younger ages.

Smoke, he met with the coach once, then worked out maybe 4 times on his own. I think he was like the smart kid who does poorly in standardized tests until somebody gives him basic technique for time management, guessing strategy, etc. and then he kills it.  You've seen video -- he's usually the fastest guy on the field, but he needed, and still could use, work on starting as well as basic work on form.

Great time, man.  I was thrilled when 2017 finally got below 7.  It makes a big difference.

At 18 I was our fastest pitcher at 7.2, but most position players were well under 7.  My technique was raw back then, so I think I could be faster now.  

My 2018  went to a PG event the summer after his Freshman year and had his 60 time recorded at 7.2. He was in the top five for his age group. He has not been able to go to another PG showcase yet and is upset that his time is "stuck" at 7.2 with PG on the website when he ran a 6.6 this past January at another showcase.( bigger stronger and much faster) I was told the only way to post a better time is to do another PG showcase (The WWBA and the other PG tournaments do not have a timed 60 run only PG showcases). He has been to other camps where recruiters have timed his game speed from home to first base and was told that was more important to colleges.

I am not sure about the average improvement in the 60 each year but I know that you can expect to get faster as you mature in high school.  Are colleges moving more toward the recorded speeds of a player going from the plate to first? I think the 60 is not a baseball measurement anyway. 

Does anyone know what the average college time from home to first is? MLB average also?

Story - while I was at PG this summer, I was speaking to a LOT of college coaches...just because I am very chatty.  Anyway - I asked a D1 coach from a school in Indiana why they use the 60 instead of home to 1st and his answer "I don't know - it is just what they have always used.  Some coaches do not care about it and others do. "

My understanding is that MLB average home to first is about 4.0. I also understand that the origin of the 60 is that it matches home to 2nd base. 180'=60 yds.

nxt lvl posted:

My 2018  went to a PG event the summer after his Freshman year and had his 60 time recorded at 7.2. He was in the top five for his age group. He has not been able to go to another PG showcase yet and is upset that his time is "stuck" at 7.2 with PG on the website when he ran a 6.6 this past January at another showcase.( bigger stronger and much faster) I was told the only way to post a better time is to do another PG showcase (The WWBA and the other PG tournaments do not have a timed 60 run only PG showcases). He has been to other camps where recruiters have timed his game speed from home to first base and was told that was more important to colleges.

I am not sure about the average improvement in the 60 each year but I know that you can expect to get faster as you mature in high school.  Are colleges moving more toward the recorded speeds of a player going from the plate to first? I think the 60 is not a baseball measurement anyway. 

Does anyone know what the average college time from home to first is? MLB average also?

I've heard this a LOT.  It is one of the reasons coaches caution showcasing early.  Those stats get "stuck" on the players PG page and they won't go away until you replace them with another showcase.

A local 2016 D1 recruit, whose parents apparently had money to burn, went to SIX showcases from 2012-2016.  Each time he focused and trained for only one thing, for example he trained hard and only focused on his 60 time for one of the showcases, only focused on getting his pop time down for another showcase.  While all measurables were taken at each showcase the home page of the player shows you the best times/speed in those categories.

If you read the fine print on his PG page you would see that his best pop time was from 2013, his best 60 time was from 2015, best FB was from 2016....but when you pull up his page you see he had MANY great numbers, it was impressive, but wow that must have been expensive!

My take on home to 1st is that scouts tend to collect this information on those kids they think it may make a difference.  Oftentimes you will see the scout wander over to the first base side and get his stopwatch ready when the kids comes up to bat.  The 60 - especially with the split times being taken at PG - is a good measuring stick.  If you are 7.0+, the scout probably isn't going to clock you home to 1st.  If you are 6.7 but don't seem to move too well on the bases, they'll call you average.  If you are 6.5, then they probably start getting interested in how quickly you can get down the line, especially if you are a left handed batter.  

To defend the 60, I would not want to be the guy running a true home to 1st drill.  You cannot simply have them run the same was as a 60, you need them with a bat in hand and see how quickly they get out of the box.  I've heard pop times are difficult at times to control as the catchers start "cheating".  I could easily see the same thing on home to first drills.  Anyone ever watch the little guys make the fake swing and start running to 1st base while the LL coach is yelling at them to "go through...go through"?

CaCO3Girl posted:

nxt lvl posted:

My 2018  went to a PG event the summer after his Freshman year and had his 60 time recorded at 7.2. He was in the top five for his age group. He has not been able to go to another PG showcase yet and is upset that his time is "stuck" at 7.2 with PG on the website when he ran a 6.6 this past January at another showcase.( bigger stronger and much faster) I was told the only way to post a better time is to do another PG showcase (The WWBA and the other PG tournaments do not have a timed 60 run only PG showcases). He has been to other camps where recruiters have timed his game speed from home to first base and was told that was more important to colleges.

I am not sure about the average improvement in the 60 each year but I know that you can expect to get faster as you mature in high school.  Are colleges moving more toward the recorded speeds of a player going from the plate to first? I think the 60 is not a baseball measurement anyway. 

Does anyone know what the average college time from home to first is? MLB average also?

I've heard this a LOT.  It is one of the reasons coaches caution showcasing early.  Those stats get "stuck" on the players PG page and they won't go away until you replace them with another showcase.

A local 2016 D1 recruit, whose parents apparently had money to burn, went to SIX showcases from 2012-2016.  Each time he focused and trained for only one thing, for example he trained hard and only focused on his 60 time for one of the showcases, only focused on getting his pop time down for another showcase.  While all measurables were taken at each showcase the home page of the player shows you the best times/speed in those categories.

If you read the fine print on his PG page you would see that his best pop time was from 2013, his best 60 time was from 2015, best FB was from 2016....but when you pull up his page you see he had MANY great numbers, it was impressive, but wow that must have been expensive!

If I had to guess, I'd guess he got recruited as a pitcher.  I'm guessing he didn't get recruited as a catcher.  I've run across lots of D1 recruits that don't even have a PG profile, much less a bunch a great numbers posted.  If in fact he trained for a single drill, then he had someone really stupid giving him advice (except for maybe the last showcase when he brought the fastball).  I would argue that a decline in any particular drill would stick out like a sore thumb - pop time in your example certainly being a good example.  I would suspect that most coaches that utilize PG appropriately would perhaps review individual showcase results and start making comparisons among the kids they either saw (and liked) or those that posted good numbers.  If they are looking at catchers, they probably put eyes on several, but may go to the stat sheet to see how the pop times compared and who they might have missed.  

I'm sure the kid deserved the attention he ended up receiving, but I'm guessing the parents got more out of the early scores than anyone else - "Little Jimmy was in the 98% percentile of all pre-teens with a pop time of 2.5".

Any idea how the kid is doing in college?

2017LHPscrewball posted:

CaCO3Girl posted:

nxt lvl posted:

My 2018  went to a PG event the summer after his Freshman year and had his 60 time recorded at 7.2. He was in the top five for his age group. He has not been able to go to another PG showcase yet and is upset that his time is "stuck" at 7.2 with PG on the website when he ran a 6.6 this past January at another showcase.( bigger stronger and much faster) I was told the only way to post a better time is to do another PG showcase (The WWBA and the other PG tournaments do not have a timed 60 run only PG showcases). He has been to other camps where recruiters have timed his game speed from home to first base and was told that was more important to colleges.

I am not sure about the average improvement in the 60 each year but I know that you can expect to get faster as you mature in high school.  Are colleges moving more toward the recorded speeds of a player going from the plate to first? I think the 60 is not a baseball measurement anyway. 

Does anyone know what the average college time from home to first is? MLB average also?

I've heard this a LOT.  It is one of the reasons coaches caution showcasing early.  Those stats get "stuck" on the players PG page and they won't go away until you replace them with another showcase.

A local 2016 D1 recruit, whose parents apparently had money to burn, went to SIX showcases from 2012-2016.  Each time he focused and trained for only one thing, for example he trained hard and only focused on his 60 time for one of the showcases, only focused on getting his pop time down for another showcase.  While all measurables were taken at each showcase the home page of the player shows you the best times/speed in those categories.

If you read the fine print on his PG page you would see that his best pop time was from 2013, his best 60 time was from 2015, best FB was from 2016....but when you pull up his page you see he had MANY great numbers, it was impressive, but wow that must have been expensive!

If I had to guess, I'd guess he got recruited as a pitcher.  I'm guessing he didn't get recruited as a catcher.  I've run across lots of D1 recruits that don't even have a PG profile, much less a bunch a great numbers posted.  If in fact he trained for a single drill, then he had someone really stupid giving him advice (except for maybe the last showcase when he brought the fastball).  I would argue that a decline in any particular drill would stick out like a sore thumb - pop time in your example certainly being a good example.  I would suspect that most coaches that utilize PG appropriately would perhaps review individual showcase results and start making comparisons among the kids they either saw (and liked) or those that posted good numbers.  If they are looking at catchers, they probably put eyes on several, but may go to the stat sheet to see how the pop times compared and who they might have missed.  

I'm sure the kid deserved the attention he ended up receiving, but I'm guessing the parents got more out of the early scores than anyone else - "Little Jimmy was in the 98% percentile of all pre-teens with a pop time of 2.5".

Any idea how the kid is doing in college?

He was recruited for Catcher.  He is at a local mid D1, no idea how it's going since he just got there in August.

I think it is very interesting to look at some of the top HS draft pick's PG profiles & pages when they have a deep history. You can scroll back & see what they did & how they measured sometimes from 13-14 yo to present. You get a feel for when they added velocity & how their physical growth tracked along with that. You may also have some early video & can look at progression through the years.

You can then take these views & see how it translated to the pro game after they signed by looking at their stats. 

nxt lvl posted:

My 2018  went to a PG event the summer after his Freshman year and had his 60 time recorded at 7.2. He was in the top five for his age group. He has not been able to go to another PG showcase yet and is upset that his time is "stuck" at 7.2 with PG on the website when he ran a 6.6 this past January at another showcase.( bigger stronger and much faster) I was told the only way to post a better time is to do another PG showcase (The WWBA and the other PG tournaments do not have a timed 60 run only PG showcases). He has been to other camps where recruiters have timed his game speed from home to first base and was told that was more important to colleges.

I am not sure about the average improvement in the 60 each year but I know that you can expect to get faster as you mature in high school.  Are colleges moving more toward the recorded speeds of a player going from the plate to first? I think the 60 is not a baseball measurement anyway. 

Does anyone know what the average college time from home to first is? MLB average also?

Don't know about college, but the MLB scale is in this article: www.fangraphs.com/blogs/scouti...0-80-scouting-scale/

As you can see, average for MLB is 4.30 for a RHH, and 4.2 for a LHH

Objective Tool Grades

Regarding running times, velocity, pop times, and scouting reports.

We have several MLB organizations that pay us for accurate information.

We can't be very reliable if we report something we didn't actually see.  If we were to use the information people send us it would be a mess.  We have heard hundreds of stories where someone's son touched 94 last week can you update his profile?   The best we have seen is 81 last year.  Always possible that he touched 94, unfortunately we didn't see it.  So we tell dad to attend an event... He does... He tops out at 85.  Had we reported 94, every DI recruiter in the country and every MLB scouting department would go to work on the kid.  They waste their time and money and we lose all credibility.

That said, we do love to hear about improvements players make.  If it is something extra good, we follow up.  We just can't report what we don't see.

PGStaff posted:

Regarding running times, velocity, pop times, and scouting reports.

We have several MLB organizations that pay us for accurate information.

We can't be very reliable if we report something we didn't actually see.  If we were to use the information people send us it would be a mess.  We have heard hundreds of stories where someone's son touched 94 last week can you update his profile?   The best we have seen is 81 last year.  Always possible that he touched 94, unfortunately we didn't see it.  So we tell dad to attend an event... He does... He tops out at 85.  Had we reported 94, every DI recruiter in the country and every MLB scouting department would go to work on the kid.  They waste their time and money and we lose all credibility.

That said, we do love to hear about improvements players make.  If it is something extra good, we follow up.  We just can't report what we don't see.

That makes total sense.  PG does post the best speed they have seen at their events, not just the best speed at a showcase.  Local boy posted an 89 at a showcase, but 2 weeks before he posted a 90 at a PG game, the 90 is what is listed as his best.

2019Dad posted:

nxt lvl posted:

My 2018  went to a PG event the summer after his Freshman year and had his 60 time recorded at 7.2. He was in the top five for his age group. He has not been able to go to another PG showcase yet and is upset that his time is "stuck" at 7.2 with PG on the website when he ran a 6.6 this past January at another showcase.( bigger stronger and much faster) I was told the only way to post a better time is to do another PG showcase (The WWBA and the other PG tournaments do not have a timed 60 run only PG showcases). He has been to other camps where recruiters have timed his game speed from home to first base and was told that was more important to colleges.

I am not sure about the average improvement in the 60 each year but I know that you can expect to get faster as you mature in high school.  Are colleges moving more toward the recorded speeds of a player going from the plate to first? I think the 60 is not a baseball measurement anyway. 

Does anyone know what the average college time from home to first is? MLB average also?

Don't know about college, but the MLB scale is in this article: www.fangraphs.com/blogs/scouti...0-80-scouting-scale/

As you can see, average for MLB is 4.30 for a RHH, and 4.2 for a LHH

Objective Tool Grades

	Tool Is Called	Fastball Velo	Batting Avg	Homers	RHH to 1B	LHH to 1B	60 Yd Run
80	80	97	.320	40+	4.00	3.90	6.3
75		96	.310	35-40	4.05	3.95	6.4
70	Plus Plus	95	.300	30-35	4.10	4.00	6.5
65		94	.290	27-30	4.15	4.05	6.6
60	Plus	93	.280	23-27	4.20	4.10	6.7
55	Above Avg	92	.270	19-22	4.25	4.15	6.8
50	Avg	90-91	.260	15-18	4.30	4.20	6.9-7.0
45	Below Avg	89	.250	12-15	4.35	4.25	7.1
40		88	.240	8-12	4.40	4.30	7.2
35		87	.230	5-8	4.45	4.35	7.3
30		86	.220	3-5	4.50	4.40	7.4

 

Is there one of these for D1's...DII...?

I informally timed my 12u CF (2022) with an 8.0.  He was 3rd in road runner in Cooperstown. I know he is fast, but we'll see what translates down the road. He is always the smallest kid on his travel teams, but always the most athletic as well. Right now he is probably 4'11 and 80lbs!  Neat thing is that he is starting to hit with alley power. Repeatedly seen him make plays in CF  unlike any other (really trying to be objective - his coach has said the same thing). Unfortunately, his 5"11 dad only hit his major growth spurt at 16...

The unfortunate thing is that we are going to have to make decisions about high school soon as his small private school that he loves has a very poor program.  Curious if people think summer travel and showcases, along with private coaching, will be enough for the right exposure.

KidRock posted:

I informally timed my 12u CF (2022) with an 8.0.  He was 3rd in road runner in Cooperstown. I know he is fast, but we'll see what translates down the road. He is always the smallest kid on his travel teams, but always the most athletic as well. Right now he is probably 4'11 and 80lbs!  Neat thing is that he is starting to hit with alley power. Repeatedly seen him make plays in CF  unlike any other (really trying to be objective - his coach has said the same thing). Unfortunately, his 5"11 dad only hit his major growth spurt at 16...

The unfortunate thing is that we are going to have to make decisions about high school soon as his small private school that he loves has a very poor program.  Curious if people think summer travel and showcases, along with private coaching, will be enough for the right exposure.

kidrock, Welcome to the site... that is a great question that is worth posting as a new topic (as to not divert too much from this one).  You can also search past threads on the topic.

In short, yes, you can get the necessary experience and exposure from summer travel if that is the path you choose and choice of HS should not have "strength of baseball program" as a line item that weighs too heavily in the selection process.

KidRock posted:

I informally timed my 12u CF (2022) with an 8.0.  He was 3rd in road runner in Cooperstown. I know he is fast, but we'll see what translates down the road. He is always the smallest kid on his travel teams, but always the most athletic as well. Right now he is probably 4'11 and 80lbs!  Neat thing is that he is starting to hit with alley power. Repeatedly seen him make plays in CF  unlike any other (really trying to be objective - his coach has said the same thing). Unfortunately, his 5"11 dad only hit his major growth spurt at 16...

The unfortunate thing is that we are going to have to make decisions about high school soon as his small private school that he loves has a very poor program.  Curious if people think summer travel and showcases, along with private coaching, will be enough for the right exposure.

I also hope you post that question to the board. 

I have a 14u 2020. His team still has that 4'11 and 80# kid, so your son is not miles behind.  The biggest issue with the little kids has been the size of the field and swinging the BBCOR bat.  The smaller kids have been relegated to MIF, their compact size still gives them an advantage there, because they just don't have the arm strength to throw it meaningfully the 200+ feet it takes to get the ball in from the outfield. 

I've seen teams full of the tiny fast kids and if a ball is hit to the fence it can sometimes take 3 kids to get the ball to home plate...that's just not going to cut it when there are 14u kids that are 6'0 and 160#'s that can strong arm it all the way to the plate. I would encourage you to have him not work with anything lighter than a drop 5, going from a drop 10 to a drop 3 has been really tough for many of the smaller kids.

When you say the school has a poor program I assume you mean the coaching is not from a very experienced coach and the team is not very competitive.  If that is the case I would still encourage you to stick with it.  You can get better coaching at those private lessons you spoke about and your kid might get more playing time on a less competitive team than he would on a team loaded with 6ft+ kids.   Keep in mind in high school your 9th grader could very easily be pitted against a 17 year old senior.  If you don't see that going well then neither will the coach, and your boy won't make the team or he will be the bench warmer until that growth spurt hits.

I live in the Atlanta area,  and I can say with certainty that while some colleges are going to high school baseball games they are more likely to go to a showcase or to watch a travel team play.  99% of the recruitment stories I have heard were from the kids summer team/showcases, so where the kid plays HS baseball is not as important as it once was....in my opinion and experience.

Thanks for the feedback to the newbie. Very helpful.  And yes, I won't veer from the thread anymore than I already have. I will say that he played his first games on a 90ft diamond in the last month and I noticed that his speed helped him stand out even more.  Their are only so many places you can hide the lumbering behemoths. Also wanted to add that I spoke to a pro scout recently who said he once personally clocked Ichiro at 3.25 from home to first. Amazing!

I would only add that going to a school with a " strong "  HS program can help but only if you arent a bench warmer. You have to play. In my opinion it is better to play at a school with a weaker program than to sit the bench a a school with a strong program. 

My kid goes to a very aggressive school with a strong sports program with a history of kids being recruited to play in college. The competition for playing time is tough. The pressure is evident even in practice. No one walks or dogs at anything. Anytime. The pressure is too much for many kids and they transfer. But the kids that are there get better faster. Playing  and practicing against some kids who will be playing D1 in a few months helps speed development. But that alone does not eliminate  the need for showcases and camps. Just makes you have better habits and develop faster. You still need to showcase and attend camps in my opinion. 

KidRock posted:

I informally timed my 12u CF (2022) with an 8.0.  He was 3rd in road runner in Cooperstown. I know he is fast, but we'll see what translates down the road. He is always the smallest kid on his travel teams, but always the most athletic as well. Right now he is probably 4'11 and 80lbs!  Neat thing is that he is starting to hit with alley power. Repeatedly seen him make plays in CF  unlike any other (really trying to be objective - his coach has said the same thing). Unfortunately, his 5"11 dad only hit his major growth spurt at 16...

The unfortunate thing is that we are going to have to make decisions about high school soon as his small private school that he loves has a very poor program.  Curious if people think summer travel and showcases, along with private coaching, will be enough for the right exposure.

Kid, I wouldn't move your son, unless he REALLY wants to change schools.  Most kids (other than the absolute stud outliers) need showcases/travel team exposure, even if they're starters in strong programs.  My son's program is often a top ten state program and even the guys headed to div 1 had to do showcases and travel team events to be seen. Some non-starters are being recruited by div. 3s, just on the basis of their performance at showcases, since there was little record of HS play.

Here's some data we got at one point or another.  My kid actually ranks super high in a sixty but doesn't run the bases all that well. He's a catcher and was always being taken out for other players who play less to get some base running in.  I would rather he scored well in home to first, or got a great jump on a pitcher than ran great a 60 anyway (he was top 10 at NTIS last year in the 60 and all they cared about was the radar gun regardless of position).    

Concur with above comments; spend time finding out about the local regional club teams.

Go to the PG website and look up the teams attending past or upcoming tournaments, and find out which teams or programs are nearby.     Who are the coaches?  Go to some games?  Contact their program and go watch their off season workouts.  When you're at the games or practices, talk to the parents: tons of information about do's and don'ts, and who are good hitting and fielding instructors.  Get focused on skill development.  

I've always hired previous D1 SS's to teach my boys the necessary position footwork and glove work.  It's cheaper and more fun for the boys.  These former college players I hired still love the game and they're normally very interested in helping young players with athleticism, desire, and a dream, like they once had.  

Repetition using the correct techniques at a young age really helps; building blocks.  Develop, fun, develop, fun, age appropriate coaches, and programs that are focused on developing will help your son immensely.  And find a way to keep your son in multiple sports through 9-10th grade, it helps with keeping it fun, developing an athlete, cross training, and being with their other friends etc....

We were 3 sports thru 9th, 2 thru 10th, then he knew he wanted to focus on baseball.

Good luck

phillyinNJ posted:

Depending on body type this would be possible...2018 (june bday) went from a 7.83 (Feb 2015) as a 15yr old to a 6.96 (Aug 2016) as a 16yr old.  He did winter track and worked legs...he's working toward a sub 6.8 before the end of winter workouts.

philly,

Any udpates on your son's 60yd this year as a 17 year old?  I think the later bloomers have bigger jumps at the HS ages.  My son's times looked like this over the past couple years, so curious what to expect over the next 2:

Summer before Freshman year: 9.5

Summer before Sophomore year: 8.25

This Summer getting ready to be a Junior: 7.4

I know the rate of decreasing times cant continue, but its interesting to see how they track.  I would guess my son is a late bloomer by about 2.5 years, at 5'9, 130lb now.

Has nothing to do with youth times, but my son's teammate on his college summer team ran a 6.34 and 6.40 sixty at the league showcase on Tuesday.  Here's the crazy thing.  He had knee surgery the first week of June and was only cleared to run 100% the end of last week.  He ran the 6.34 first....the scouts all thought they timed him wrong so they had him run again.  CF with a big bat....certainly didn't hurt himself in front of the scouts with that performance

Linedrive_07 posted:

phillyinNJ posted:

Depending on body type this would be possible...2018 (june bday) went from a 7.83 (Feb 2015) as a 15yr old to a 6.96 (Aug 2016) as a 16yr old.  He did winter track and worked legs...he's working toward a sub 6.8 before the end of winter workouts.

philly,

Any udpates on your son's 60yd this year as a 17 year old?  I think the later bloomers have bigger jumps at the HS ages.  My son's times looked like this over the past couple years, so curious what to expect over the next 2:

Summer before Freshman year: 9.5

Summer before Sophomore year: 8.25

This Summer getting ready to be a Junior: 7.4

I know the rate of decreasing times cant continue, but its interesting to see how they track.  I would guess my son is a late bloomer by about 2.5 years, at 5'9, 130lb now.

He ran a 6.82 at a showcase (laser timed) on 4 June, so he is attending another one next week in the hopes of getting down to 6.7...would be nice to hit that time since he just turned 17. 

7.83 was as a 14yr 8month (my mistake in the prior post)

He was 7.25 as a 15yr 2month

6.96 as a 16yr 2month

6.82 as a 16yr 11month

He's 6'1 and about 170...still has a lot of filling out to do, so I'm sure his time might get down a tad bit more before its all said and done.

Good luck to you guys next week, hope he hit's it.  It will probably be next summer before mine is in the high 6s where things will plane out from there.