Bad showing in front of interested college coach

Considering he is a 6'4" lefty with decent velo, I'm guessing he will probably have other opportunities.  That said, your situation brings up many issues and tough questions that require consideration.  A showcase opportunity with targeted coaches present is a great opportunity, but only if the player is in proper playing shape and prepared to make the most of it.  No one should go from playing no baseball for five months to jumping on the mound in a competitive or showcase environment.  Getting back into pitching shape requires a gradual ramping up of the arm, starting with flat ground from short distance at low effort and working up thru long toss, re-introducing the various pitch types, throwing bullpens, etc.  Rushing back is asking for trouble. 

Also, I know the "Friday Night Lights" affect is a strong one so there is no easy answer to this.  But if he is determined to play college baseball and he is coming off an injury, can he really afford to be losing precious recovery and recruiting time to football?  If he is playing football on Friday night, how can he expect his legs to be fresh enough to perform well at a baseball showcase on Saturday or Sunday?  Have the trade-offs been properly measured?

As far as how to address things with the college coach, your son may want to send him a note.  I would suggest he not make it sound like an excuse but rather that he made a mistake choosing to attend the showcase without proper preparation.  He should take ownership of the mistake, share his plan to rectify the problem and then follow through on that plan.  I wouldn't focus so much about the fact that he got hit but maybe more about the lack of control and movement.

Sorry so direct... I hope something here can help your son and others. 

I agree with what has been said above , and I would like to add a story about my son.  A PAC 12 school wanted to come see my son pitch this summer, and the game they came to see, my son hit and pitched like poo.  After the game, a former coach of my son's called and said the PAC 12 coach loved what he saw from my son, and he wanted to come watch him again. The point is, results in a game don't mean much, if your kid has marketable skills, the coach knows it.  He will be fine.

I would second that I wouldn't be showcasing if your son isn't ready. Too much risk to look bad, or worse, get hurt.

Only the coach can say what he thought about what he saw.  Take comfort that they see more things and see them different from parents.

My son had two memorably bad outings in high school in front of people he was hoping to impress.

Sophomore year, the coach of a travel team that was several rungs above my son's previous team watched him get lit up pretty bad.  The next day the coach called and said he liked his composure and saw plenty he could work with and offered him a spot.

Junior year, after my son threw four or five gems in a row, the pitching coach from a D1 drove four hours on a week night to watch him stink up the joint.  Although he said he understood it was just a bad night, I don't think my son ever fully recovered in the eyes of this coach.  Over the course of the following summer, every coach on that college's staff saw him at least twice.  He never had another bad outing in front of any of them.  They remained semi-interested and kept up email and phone contact, but they never made a move, even as comparable schools who saw the same summer outings issued campus invitations and made offers.  I have to believe that bad first impression planted doubt that was never overcome.

It can go either way.  There's really no way to know until you see what the coach says and does.  Take comfort in the fact that every pitcher has bad games--and keep working toward the goal.

Best wishes,

Cleared first of Aug for baseball, yet he must have been practicing for football as QB before that right?

 He had no business getting on the mound without seeing how his arm felt. Soon as he was cleared he should have been slowly working out arm. Football seems to be more important to him . 

If my son wanted to pitch at next level and was coming off arm injury, no way would he be QB in Fall Of Sr. Yr. this is his time to concentrate on baseball.

Did coach who came to see him know he was injured? I would ? Why son didn't have time for  working on pitching since Aug, but had time for football, esp QB position.

just my two cents. Know many here r all for mult sports, but after an injury, I disagree. I would have had son get back to pitching and look for college showcases in nov/Dec and hopefully be back and ready to be seen then. 

No! to practicing football, well he was not throwing a football till he was cleared, but he was running and doing ab and leg work. I tried very hard to talk him out of football. He was the returning QB and really wanted him to play. Plus I had his mom and his girlfriend working against me....sad but true...they wanted him playing football...I appreciate all the advice so far.

You have gotten good advice but playball2011 got it right on the money.

Your initial post above is full of excuses. Stop making excuses for your son.

He had no business being on that mound if he wasnt prepared. I can see why your son missed showcasing this summer, its time to set priorities straight and he has to do that NOT you. He also has to decide what HE really wants to do, not what he thinks anyone else wants him to do (including you). Your job is to guide him in making the right decision and allowing him to go to pitch with no prior preparation was not in his best interests.

As suggested call the coach (your son not you). Before he calls he has to make a plan, perhaps not play any baseball  until after football and for heavens sake make sure he prepares properly.

I don't mean to be harsh but didn't we have this conversation a few months ago about your son's over used arm?

Is he set on playing baseball in college?  Does he have any current offers or options that he is satisfied with?  Does he have a school target list narrowed down?  Has he done the desired school visits?  This is his senior year in HS.  Does he have a realistic idea of what needs to be done and when in order to still give himself the best chance of accomplishing his post-HS academic and athletic goals?

Back to the coach in question, with the earlier multiple discussions, is it safe to assume he knew your son was coming back from an injury/extended break?  Would this school be  high on son's list?

There are typically several camp and showcase opportunities in the fall and winter.  Again, if your son is not where he needs to be in the recruiting process and that is his goal, tough decisions may need to be made.  Answers to some of these questions may bring clarity and make those decisions a bit easier????

As a side note, we had a pitcher a few years back who was a young rising senior and had really gained momentum his junior HS season. He was on the fence about football (receiver) his senior year.  Baseball was clearly going to be his college opportunity.  Mom really wanted to be part of the Friday Night scene and pushed him to play football.  He also had a great opportunity to play in the SoCal Scout League in the fall where he would get may looks.  He tried to do both.  He clearly showed fatigue with his pitching opportunities.  He ended up with limited interest coming out of Scout League and ultimately went the JC route.  He did fine there and is now off to a D3 with his story yet to be written.  I can't help but think his path would have been different if he were fresh and showed to his capability on the mound that fall.  For better or worse, I don't know. 

TPM...I don't see my post as making excuses for anyone. What were the excuses exactly? Please let me know. I have not contacted any coaches for my son. All his contact has been by him....Like you said, he has to set his priorities, not me...I told him he should not play football and should focus on baseball. He made the decision to do both, not me. I really don't understand your comment about him missing summer showcases. He couldn't obviously due to the injury from school baseball. I told him what I wanted but, and I guess this is another excuse, I was out numbered by him, his mom and girlfriend. All I can do is support him no matter what his decision is...All I was trying to do by posting here is looking for advice on how to deal with the situation he is in....I actually told his mom last night that maybe he has learned he cant just go play without practicing and that hopefully she sees it too. If nothing else comes from this experience maybe that will be it.

Don't mean  to sound harsh but sounds like it could be a maturity issue on his part.  Does he not know what it takes to get to the next level in baseball?  IMO if it's a true passion, he  would be doing things a bit diff. Hard I know to give up big QB spot. Is he going to make a college decision based on girlfriend?  Hope not, it's hard for teenagers to have that pressure. 

Not much advice we can give if he's going to do what he wants. 

maybe his HS coach can help. Good luck

I would like to take a different spin on this post. I would also say that a coach's reaction to a bad outing could be insight to what he might be like to play for? If a college coach gives up on you as a recruit what do you think he would be like to play for? Do you get buried after a bad outing or two? Do you get a chance to redeem your self?

Remember the recruiting time goes both ways......they get to look at you and you get a chance to look at them.

Now about that time off, you should go back and refer to your past posts.

I will say it again, why on earth would you allow him to take the mound unprepared after having to shut down this summer?

Good point but here is another thought.

If you were a coach would you want to give a player a scholarship that doesn't prepare to win?

dolphindan,

Other than the lack of,preparation, your story is very common.

A not so good performance at the wrong time.  It probably happens thousands of times every day during the season. It happens to the very best!

There is no way anyone can know what that college coach is thinking other than him.  He might have seen something he really liked or he might have written your son off.  One thing for sure, he has seen bad performances before.

The first time I ever see a player, there are a few things I take for granted. One, it is very unlikely that I will be seeing this kid at his very best. Two, it is also unlikely I will be seeing this kid at his worst. So That requires looking for ability rather than results. Does he show enough velocity?  How does his arm work?  How athletic are his actions? Can he spin the baseball? Does he have a good demeanor?  Can he repeat his delivery? How much effort is there in his delivery? Etc.

I have seen very poor performances by players I ended up grading high.  I have seen good performances by players I have graded low.  So basically it gets right down to the specific coach and what he is looking for.  Unfortunately that is something we have no way of knowing.

I suggest you tell your son... Welcome on being a new member to the stink it up club. It is a very large club, in fact it includes everyone who has ever played the game. The good thing is, there always seems to be another day.

Ahhh, this is the piece of info I was looking for.  Sounds like he was made aware of the pros and cons.  If that was his decision based on what HE wanted, then you are right.  All you can do is support him whole-heartedly.  Tough to argue against the chance to play in other sports senior year if that is what the player wants to do and he knows the trade-offs.  Enjoy it while you have him nearby.  Hopefully, things will work out all the way around.   

These things happen all the time and it doesn't necessarily mean they will not continue to watch him.  Every player has an off day.  One of the important thing s to watch is how he competes without having his best stuff.  For example...what is velocity like after he gives up a hard hit double?  (If he is an 86-87 guy, is the next pitch 84-85 or 88+?)

Your son may want to reach out to the coach and ask his opinion.  Be sure to not make excuses but to let the coach know it was his first outing.  

Also, how committed is your son to playing college baseball?  The fall is a great time to be seen, especially having been on the shelf for a while.  Why is he playing football?

IMO the fact that he chose football over rehabbing and getting on mound after Aug clear date is what is questionable. As a coach I would doubt his commitment to baseball. He has a very short window now that he is a Sr. to be seen.  What division of school are we talking about here? 

If this coach did write him off for whatever reason he needs a plan B.

HSHS

Honestly, I doubt most coaches look at it as a lack of commitment to baseball.  They look at it as a solid commitment to his football teammates to finish what they started. That's a plus in most coaches minds.  A significant portion of the players on my son's minor league teams were exceptional athletes that played football and/or basketball in high school.  What I like about the HS football and basketball experience is the crowd impact that you almost never see in a HS baseball game.  There's no better training then having a full house working against you with the game on the line.   

Bad outing in front of a coach that may or may not be interested?  So what? there are a lot of other coaches/programs out there.  If he's a pitcher with the right velocity he'll get a lot more chances to be seen and there's always junior college, a free recruiting redo.

On the commitment to Baseball because he played football, I don't think coaches will think that at all.  Most coaches recruiting my son love the fact that he plays football.  I had one PAC 12 Coach tell me that he loves his recruits to play football, rather than showcasing in the Fall, because he believes the showcase kids forget how to compete.  He wants his guys to compete, and by playing football, they are competing.

It's not the fact that he plays another sport. It's that he was injured and gave no thought to getting back into baseball pitching shape.  He's coming off an arm injury and  goes to QB instead of rehabbing to pitch.  QB throwing is diff than baseball pitching

also crazy to be QB on Fri night and play P the next day or two.

Did he really think he was going to get on mound after all those months off and pitch well?  Not being realistic about what it takes. 

Wish this kid the best.  Will Be interesting to get update on progress by Spring.

I don't disagree...

I feel like we are going around in circles.  

If anyone cares to look back at the previous discussions of the sore shoulder, they would understand why I am in agreement with playball2011.

Dolphin1 Jr did everything that we gave advice not to do. I do not fault the Dolphin1 for that, but he doesn't seem to have an handle of whats happening and again that is not his fault.

IMO there is something else going on. Does your son REALLY want to play baseball in college? Or is that what you want him to do? 

BTW, what was the result of the MRI?