What kind of schools in NE region do you think a 6 foot tall, 190 lb LHP throwing 84-85 mph with FB, CB and Changeup and good control play at? I have been told that for RHP's the D1's look for bigger size and 88-90 mph but LHP's may have more leeway.
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I can't give you an answer, but I can give you another question.
The answer to your question depends on how well he throws and what quick improvements coaches think they can help him accomplish.
A high school junior LHP throwing as you describe is on track to have some college options.
The question is what role does he want to have in college. There are lots of mid-80's LHP's on D1 rosters, even at major conference schools. The higher the level of school, the more likely these non-power LHP's will be middle or situational relievers. If he wants to be a starter, he should look for a school that clearly foresees him competing for such a role and where his velocity is at least in the vicinity of that of the starting RHP's.
Best wishes,
Thanks Swampboy. At this point he is open to all pitching options whether reliever or starter.
Thanks Swampboy. At this point he is open to all pitching options whether reliever or starter.
Most college pitchers, lhp or rhp begin in the relief role, he should just concentrate on who wants him and will give him an opportunity.
Thanks Swampboy. At this point he is open to all pitching options whether reliever or starter.
Most college pitchers, lhp or rhp begin in the relief role, he should just concentrate on who wants him and will give him an opportunity.
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I should have been more clear. I agree with TPM. However, only certain pitchers are brought in with the expectation of becoming starters down the road. Some pitchers relieve initially while they are being groomed to compete for starting jobs. Others relieve because that's viewed as their long-term role. LHP's have a comparatively easy time attracting college interest compared to RHP's, but unless their velocity is close to that of the starting RHP's, it's unlikely the coaches will ever view them as starting material. For every Michael Roth who starts for a major program with mid-80's stuff, there are a hundred counter-examples. And the Michael Roths (come to think of it, I'm not sure that name should ever be used in the plural) bring a lot of other qualities to the table.
Don't throw spaghetti off the wall to see what sticks. It's your son's college education. It's mostly if not all, your money.
1) Figure out what level conferences your son could play. Talk with his high school coach. Talk with his summer ball coach. Ask knowledgeable dads who have seen your son pitch.
2) Within those conferences decide which schools would be geographic, education and social fits. Don't rule out entire conferences. While a kid may not be able to get recruited by Louisville in the Big East, maybe Villanova would be interested.
3) Find out what showcases the schools on your list attend. Do they have prospect camps? You can find these things out by emailing the coaching staff, expressing interest and asking. DO NOT write on behalf of your son. The email should come from your son even if you do the work. Make up a new email account just for baseball ... yoursonsname.baseball@gmail.com for example.
Once you have this information figure out your budget and how to get the most exposure for the money. A showcase your son should try to get in is SelectFest in NJ. He'll need recommendations. Search for SelectFest now and find out what you need to do. If your son is a very good student check out Head First showcase on Long Island. An inexpensive showcase is Atlantic 100 sponsored by All Star Baseball Academy. These are individual player showcases.
Good observation and fair question.
The more elite D1 teams may start more freshmen because a) they lose a lot of starters to the draft after their junior year, b) they lose more freshmen and sophs at the end of each year to transfer because the bench players know they're good enough to start somewhere else, and c) they recruit the elite players with pro potential who are most likely to be capable of starting as freshmen.
Even at that level, they prefer to break them in, moving them from reliever to midweek starter to weekend starter. Sometimes circumstances require and talent permits that progression to be compressed or skipped all together.
quote:
What kind of schools in NE region do you think a 6 foot tall, 190 lb LHP throwing 84-85 mph with FB, CB and Changeup and good control play at? I have been told that for RHP's the D1's look for bigger size and 88-90 mph but LHP's may have more leeway
I'm trying to come up with ANY NE school (D1,D2,D3) that would NOT consider a LHP throwing mid-80s with 3 pitches. Sorry, I can't come up with any. Your son has a huge advantage and he needs to get the exposure to the programs that interest him. If he has excellent grades, the sky is the limit.
I agree with RJM that you need to develop a plan to begin qualifying these schools, and I would begin immediately. As a starting point go to College Navigator to select some criteria (location, major, size, etc...) http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/. Once you have your starting list, begin cross referencing those with the D1 (www.d1baseball.com and www.d3baseball.com websites (for example) to get further information about the school, program and conference. Try to get 40-50 schools to start with. Reach out to the coach via phone AND email. Ask the coach where he will be recruiting this summer. Request an unofficial visit if you are really interested.
Good luck!
One thing you may want to consider is attending a couple of showcases that attract NE schools. Our son attended a HeadFirst camp the fall of his junior year. The coaches in attendance were from schools across the country, however I think that more than 50% were NE based. Depending on his test scores, gpa, etc he could garner a lot of interest.
Good Luck!
I want to thank everyone for their responses. My son and I will get to work asap using all of your suggestions.
lefthook, interesting article here on two college Lefty's from opening day:
tpm
that is not a valid assumption
tpm
that is not a valid assumption
Don't you have anything better to do with your time than follow others around?
Cyber stalking, get a life Rizzi.
Lefthook;
Is your son a Junior? Have any scouts evaluated his games?
Please send me your e-mail and I will forward his name to the Yankees Area Code Team Scout.
Bob Williams
"Founder" of the Area Code Games
