College Recruiting Video

ironman - I like the effort!

I would eliminate the part with you taking routine throws at first as that is not really a skill imho. Like all young players, I would encourage you to keep active in a vigorous long-tossing program.

I can see the power potential in your swing. I am not sure if you need to show admiring long balls however. Your swing alone ought to be good enough imho. I think the side angle view of your swing is most valued by recruiters.

I think you should attend a showcase where there are D3, D2, and D1 recruiters there. I would let the feedback from that type of event help you determine a good fit for college.

Cleveland Dad,

I appreciate your opinion and agree with everything you have to say. First of all, I am in the process of starting up a long-toss program, as I had done it earlier in the summer but I kind of got out of it. The biggest problem for me is keeping the same arm slot and I also need to use my hips better and be smoother. I agree with you on the admiring long balls part, but I left that part in to show where the balls had went. Also, I too thought the fielding grounders part was not necessary, but I did it for a specific coach who asked for it. He also did not ask for a side view which I thought he would have wanted, but I will add some side swings in more than likely. But first I would have to shoot some swings first from the side. Lastly, for your power potential comment, I feel that was not letting the ball come in far enough that day. I am working on fixing this, and I also did not play football this year in order to do a conditioning and weight program. Thanks for your comments Cleveland Dad, I'd appreciate others too!

ironman, as a baseball mom I am not qualified to give you helpful feedback on your abilities. However, I am very impressed by several things:

* your humility
* your teachability
* your desire and efforts to improve
* your sacrifice of football to do more conditioning and weight-training
* your academics (GPA: 4.23 Sat: 610 Math, 640 Verbal, 680 Writing; 1930 Total) as noted on your YouTube video

Great job and best wishes for the future!

looked pretty good to me. Just one thing, you might want to tighten up your throws from 1st to 3rd. Coaches want to see a tight line , no loops in your throw.Did you play on St. Marys American Legion team?

Infield08, Thanks for the encouragement. And Cbrem, I know what you are saying. Some of those throws are actually pretty far and I had to put a loop on it for it to not bounce. I liked maybe three of them a lot, but the other ones were just okay, especially the one where it kind of loops in and lands maybe half a foot above the bag. And no I played on the Mayo Legion team in Anne Arundel County, not in St. Mary's County. St. Mary's is my high school, and it's in downtown Annapolis.

ironman555

One suggestion. In making a video always show your best. Don't ever show hitting, throwing, etc. that is "just ok". Always show your best. Remember you are asking a coach to evaluate you and showing him anything but your best will hurt you. Good luck and try making another video with only your best. Love your size and willingness to learn from others opinions and wanting to improve.

Just wondering, have you received any ivy league attention? Once a kid breaks about 1900 the Ivies usually show some interest.

RHP22,

Yes I have received letters from Harvard, and have requested and received information from Dartmouth and Penn. They were just basic questionnaires, as I had not completed a video yet, and I haven't even gotten a chance to return the Dartmouth letter yet, which I will get out this week. But what you have to realize is that there are also a lot of other great academic schools other then the Ivy League. Coming out of an area that is not a big baseball area, I have looked for other schools, mostly D3 that are good academic schools that I can both play at and get a very good degree.

I liked your swing and approach. You took the pitches middle away back up the middle and backside. I would have liked to see the bp a little siffer. Way too soft.

I like your size and you seem to move very well for a kid your size. Your arm strength is not a strength. You really need to improve in that area. You were long on your throws to 2b and they were not as stiff as I would like to see. Your throws to 3b should be on a line.

Your positives are your power potential from the rs - your length and size at 1b. Your negatives - lack of arm strength. That is what I see in the video. From the video there is no doubt you can play at the next level. Next time you do a video have the bp be straight line bp.

you're a solid big guy

next time you make a video you might want to think about what you do after you swing that bat. Standing there for a whole 5 seconds just watching the ball fly doesn't and won't look good to other coaches. Once you smack that ball just get ready for the next one instead of standing there in awe. Act like you hit all the time.

The first thing I thought of when I watched your throws, was a rainbow.

One more thing to note. As a player, it's better to hear criticism than praise. I think you'd agree with me.

Keep working.

Hi,
I was interested in watching your video because my son needs to make one. So..thank you for showing us how it is done. Purely a subjective opinion..looks good to me. As one parent already mentioned, throws to 3rd probably need to be a little sharper, no loops or rainbows as my son has a tendency to do.
Toward the end when you were running bases, it seemed dark as though the sun might be setting?
I really couldn't see the running well.
Good luck to you! Let us know where you decide to attend college and play ball!

I agree with the arm strength thing! You can't be crow hopping on a throw from first to third. Get the legs under you and whip that ball over there.
Use your upper body, not just your wrist and forearm.

On the hitting, it is obvious you have the strength to hit the ball a long way!

I watched your swing over and over, trying to find out what it was that didn't look natural to me.
I think I could tell you better with a side view,
but it looks like you are pulling the bat through with just your hands and wrists, and there is a slight loop in your swing.

Try keeping the right palm up longer instead of forcing the top hand to turn over.

Also, notice your stride with front foot is more towards first base and you end up pulling the bat across your body and you don't get the hip turn needed to power through the zone. Look at the swing just before the 1 minute mark. Look at your hips at contact. They're not squared up yet, and there is no drive off of the back side. Try opening up the stance some and forcing the hips through.

Once you use your hips and legs better, the hands can relax and be more natural through the zone.

I also might suggest a bit more flex in the knees.

It is very obvious that you have the desire and the communications skills to excel at whatever you attempt to do! Keep at it!

gitnby,

Yes you are right with the wrist thing. It can be my biggest problem, as sometimes it will turn backwards at the last second, creating a long loop in my swing. Other times, I just have to wait for the ball to come back in. I am currently adjusting from a nearly 100% upright swing with no bend, to this swing and there have been some growing pains along the way. And to all who are telling me about the throwing,at least I know what I have to do now. I really think it is more about mechanics and balance then arm strength, because when I rear back and throw I can actually throw decently hard. My balance and timing are the major things throwing me off and that's what I believe will help me go further.

Ironman,

You seem to have the same approach I have. There are many good academic possibilities out there for student athletes with talent on the field and in the classroom, and kids with the right approach and work ethic will be rewarded. Keep researching, and at this point try making a few phone calls yourself if you're not receiving any. That's the best way to communicate with a coach. Ask them if they're interested in seeing you play

RHP22,

Yeah I'm down to pretty much two really good D3 schools that are also great at academics. PM me and ill talk to you about it if you want.