Does these measurement looks like he is on the right track to play baseball at D1 college by 2019. honest opinion please

Slugger dad, it has been a surreal experience so far. My son missed the fall season due to an injury, so he will have to wait until spring to see what it's like on that mound. I think LSU averages over 10,000 per game. Just stupid. They LOVE baseball. I remember last year on his official visit, there were over 5,000 at a fall scrimmage. Very unreal and we feel so blessed for the opportunity.

As a matter of fact, I think they hold the attendance record for 20 consecutive years or something like that.

I wanted to add that D1 itself includes a pretty large range of players ranging from Vanderbilt to Coppin State with some 300 in total (picked Coppin based solely on RPI).  For a pitcher, I would suggest there is a good 10+ mph differential between top speeds (think 85 vs 95 for LHP) with noticeable differences in true control and quality of secondary pitches.  D1 is probably better split into three groups - top 50, next 100 followed by the bottom 150 (of which the very bottom 50 in any given year are simply not great teams).  There is clearly overlap between D1, D2, D3 and JUCO teams to some degree with the very best JUCO teams likely better than the bottom half D1 teams.  All that to say - if you want to slot your kid, asking about D1 will probably get you compared to the top half so take what you hear with a grain of salt.  Better approach is to determine where your kid in his progression (for instance, how coarse is his beard or is he even shaving yet), how much upside might he have (this is a tough measurement) and then start picking apart some D1 teams and back check their pitchers on PG.  You can either back check Vandy pitchers or you can back check Coppin St pitchers - you will get drastically different findings.

 

 

Again, I already said I come down on the dream large side.  Nothing at all wrong with dreaming  large,  setting ambitious goals for yourself and working like heck to reach them.  You just have to be prepared to let the chips fall where they may i things don't work out.  Can't let yourself be crushed. 

 

But I also want to say that part of being prepared to let the chips fall where they may is that you shouldn't fall into the trap of thinking it's a top D1 school or bust.   Very, very  few kids go onto play at the top 50 or so D1 schools every year.   Heck very, very few kids go on to play college baseball at all -- let alone D1 baseball.    A kid forming his dream may not have any real idea how rare that achievement is.  So some serious realism is also called for.   In addition, I have come to believe that playing college baseball at ANY level can be an incredible experience.  And kids really  should not let the dream of a top D1 be the enemy of a good baseball experience.  

 

Some of that has been alluded to already.  2017LHP just did above in fact.  But I just wanted to place heavy emphasis on the fact that there are many ways to have a satisfying baseball career in college.   Dream big, work hard.  Don't give up on a dream prematurely or too easily.  But also  don't let large dreams blind you to the full range of really good outcomes.

SluggerDad - thanks for the very well worded post.  I learned (here largely) that college baseball for most is a an enhancement to the college experience and seldom a stepping stone to any type of career in baseball.  We went through the "what if" process (what if he gains 3-4 mph) and then realized that our kid's entire future was at stake.  Once we realized that, the "what ifs" sort of faded away.  Makes me think about a thread about going pro - without the $1,000,000+ bonus.  Lots of folks were adamant that your kid needs to go to college and leverage baseball to get into a school that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.  I sound like I'm preaching but I'm really just repeating some wonderful advice I've previously gotten here.

You have been given some good advice here.  When my son was your son's age, I had him make a list of schools he may be interested in.  The list was in 3 columns:  Top choices, good choices, and ones he could live with.  They were mostly baseball related and schools he knew about from watching the CWS.  That's ok, because it got him thinking.

 

That list was tucked away and saved.

 

As your son gets older, and really thinking about recruiting, he will know more about where he fits in.  If an average recruiting class is 8-9 players, half of which may be pitchers, and your guy plays SS, his dream school may not be needing too many mid-infielders his year. So, a new list will be made to include schools that meet baseball needs and academic needs.

 

Now that my son is playing college ball, at a college that wasn't even on his list of 21 schools, we get a good laugh out of that original list from 8-9th grade.

 

All the boys want to play for a college world series team.  Mine included. There are many on that team that sit the bench.  That will be another question to answer in a few years....to just be rostered on a top team, or actually PLAY for a team.

 

(btw - Vandy has 5 freshman IFs listed.  That could be 4 positions.)

When my son was ten he decided he would play D1 someday. His sister was fifteen. She had just verballed for softball (girls mature and commit sooner). I told my son there were a lot of steps on the ladder before D1. 

 

At fourteen (freshman year) I wasn't wondering if he could play D1. I was wondering if he could make varsity. He didn't. Not a problem. He was a freshman in a large high school. He started varsity for three years. 

 

After freshman year I didn't wonder if he could play D1. The travel teams that did the right showcases pursued him. A pro scout told me with some swing correctins he could be a pro prospect.

 

The point here is I didn't wonder. I only pointed my son in the right direction and let him succeed. I let people tell him (and me) he had D1 potential. This was even though he's a fifth generation college ball player, I played D1 and his sister played D1 softball. If a kid does what needs to be done his potential will lead him to the right place.

 

Add: Is he projected to be 5'9" or 6'2"? At fourteen size matters in projection. By the time he's playing high school ball it will be more about ability.

Thanks for the advice. Im not sure what height. 

I don't think anyone has a crystal ball to tell you/him what future after HS holds.

 

All you/him can do is prepare and control what is in your ability to control:

• academcis
• test scores
• character
• desire
• comittment to improve
• actual improvement to the college level

Then there is the universe of what you can't control:

• injuries
• waning love for the game
• social life 
• not having the potential to begin with.

One step at a time - HS (travel or team) first.

 

Im curious as to what drew him to Vandy. It's amazingly beautiful campus? it's collection of bright young minds who average 31+ ACT scores? The libraries? The dorms? It's raised basketball court? It's function as a job machine (especially if you want to stay in state) for graduates? It's weather?  What did he like during his visit? Was he bowled over by the presentation by admissions? The opportunities offered to students in its honors program? The school newspaper? The book store? It's urban setting, as opposed to a rural school? It's size, as opposed to a larger or smaller student body? It's politics, religion, frats, girls?

 

It's great that a goal is set to go to college - and hopefully, play baseball. But unless a kid can develop a list of factors which comprise the "soul" of a school, how can he compare one school to another? 

 

I don't know know about your S. But I have known hundreds of aspiring 14 year old baseball players and non-players, and haven't met one who has acquired enough contextual knowledge to understand what would make a great college fit four years into their future.

 

So, approach these next few years with an idea to keep all options open. The only way to keep all options open is to prepare in the classroom and on the field as best as he can.

 

Read up on the admissions requirements at a whole range of schools - it's a huge task, and if this is the first time for your family, start with an overarching college guide (E.g., Princeton Review). Does he need to take the "most rigorous" curriculum, or not; are APs mandatory or not, etc?  Determine if the school Guidence Counselor's are sufficient or whether you need to be the primary research arm. When he's ready, he needs to get a feel for what type of school he feels comfortable with; so, have him go online and read the school newspaper. Whenever you travel together drive through colleges - in a city, in a suburb, in a rural area; big, small, fancy, state, private; there are so many variables that need to be boiled down (recognizing that tastes change as horizons expand); get put of the car and walk the campus; visit the field and libraries, the campus center and local coffee house. Pay attention to the rosters and look at the junior and senior majors - coaches tend to exaggerate the ability of their players to do science and engineering type majors - so you need to get a real feel of the truth; compare the players' majors with the schools major distribution.

 

You can do much of the legwork, research and guidance - and provide the money and support to develop baseball so that when he is forced to make a college decision, he has the maximum number of options on the table.

 

 

 

Lots of good experience and advice on this thread.  

My son came late to baseball, starting when he was 13.  By 15 he was a Varsity starter and had won a State Tournament MVP award.  By Junior year he had made the All-State team. He enjoyed baseball but also played basketball and football in high school and was more interested in hanging out with friends than working out.  He came late to the game but it came easy to him.  The result?  He was lazy.  He thought he had it all figured out.  

He got injured before his Senior year and his performance declined.  The local midlevel D1 that had been speaking to him informally stopped talking to him.  He headed off to a very solid JC.  Injury flared up and he was cut.  

So, the game came easy to him then he just hit a brick wall.  He hadn't worked hard enough, didn't love the game enough, had not invested enough.  At that time he decided he wanted to keep playing.  He is now healthy (knocking on wood) and is at a small school giving it another go.  

His love of the game and work ethic (still not 100%) have grown through his struggles the last couple of years.  He is enjoying college now more than he ever has.  He is enjoying baseball more than he has since he was a youngster.  He has really sort of taken to the role of being a positive force for Freshman players who are frustrated, injured and exhausted.  

My point is, for all but very few it is not a straight path.  There are many twists and turns, exciting moments and disappointments.  For every "five star" kid there is a solidly talented kid who it does not work out for.  For every kid that skates by on natural talent there are 10 kids who love the game and work 5 times as hard as the natural talent.  

Of all of the kids he has played High School ball with, maybe 4% found a place to play in college.  Two of the kids that have had the most success barely saw the field in High School.  None of the local All-State kids from his High School stuck at a college (kids from other local HS did however).  Of all the kids he played travel ball with (the stated goal of his travel ball organization is to get kids to college baseball) about 30% stuck at a college.  So, again, my point is, it is not easy.  

A kid with great natural talent can have options like Vandy, UCLA, LSU ect....almost all of these naturals also work harder than most other players.  For everyone else it is about hard work, dedication, the ability to bounce back and finding a good match after High School.  

At 14 I would make sure there is still balance in his life.  Despite my sons early success he was never going to go D1 right after high school.  His skill set just wasn't there and he didn't work hard enough.  If he developed (maturity wise) differently could he have worked to that point?  I don't know.  Would it have been worth it to him to give up time with friends, to give up basketball and football and other things he enjoyed?  Probably not.  There are many different paths.  Being open, being honest about what his goal is and setting honest targets with school work and baseball is good.  I don't like it when parents blow smoke at their kids, talking about going D1 or getting drafted when the kid is an average player, it is not fair to the kid (I am NOT saying this is what you are doing at all, I have just known parents who have done it).  So, its easy to fall in love Vandy....the difference between LSU, Vandy and the local JC is like the difference between a Ferrari and a Ford Fiesta.  But, at the end of the day, both can be vehicles to get him where he wants to go in life.  

Good luck and try to enjoy the ride.  

When my son was fourteen Louisville was his dream school. He knew nothing about the place. His love was based solely on watching 5'2" Chris Cates play short (son hadn't grown yet, was 5'2") and watching one of the games with two pitchers behind the backstop charting and gunning pitchers. When it came time to focus on the appropriate colleges Louisville wasn't even on his radar screen. It wasn't his baseball skills. It was their academics.

 

Vanderbilt is a great dream school. It's the best of both baseball and academics. But why does a fourteen year old fall in love with a college. Also, a kid better be a great player and mentally tough. I know a couple of Gatorade Players the Year who were chewed up and spit out by the Vanderbilt baseball program.

       
       


I always smile a little when people start talking about height. I'm 5'3" and my husband is 5'10" in his tall shoes. Our 15 year old 2018 is 6' and still growing. His overall body frame is bigger than his dad's and he weighs 30 pounds more than his dad did when he graduated high school. My husband's brother, full brother from the same parents, is 6'3" and 250 pounds. Genetics are a funny thing.

BTW - welcome to the board. You've gotten a lot of great advice. I hope you stick around.

I am 5'3" and husband is the same height as yours and somehow our son managed to end up a tad smaller than 6'4".  

FWIW, son left high school an inch shorter, and he never grew any taller.

So for most, its how will the player will fill out and how long will it take, not so much in height after HS.

JMO

whats wrong with Lou academics? I know the school and they have some pretty strong programs. I believe their baseball team is top 10. 

I agree with others it's hard to know this early... some kids are late bloomers and have major your body transformations throughout high school. Just encourage him to continue to improve his skills and continue to get stronger/faster in safe and progressive ways.  Honestly, at 5'8, MIF is his best bet...my son played OF at 5'8" for ages 13-18...i enjoyed watching him do,some amazing things out there in terms of range and arm, divers etc...but the hard truth is there are few (not none) 5'8" outfielders at higher level baseball, now a college feshman my son is having to learn SS.  Its been an honor for him, but also a MAJOR challenge and adjustment.  Just sharing my experiences and input...hope it helps!  Loving the game,  no matter what skill level he is at is key...i was so proud one day when i found his ballcap last year and inside of it was printed "for the love of the game"  its the way he plays and the code he plays by...like every pitch, evey, inning is his last...good luck...keep us posted

Wife and I are both 5'10" and son is over 6' 4" and still growing. On the high school basketball team last year, it used to be a joke with us dads. The three tallest players, 6' 4", 6' 5" and 6' 7" all had dads 5' 10" or shorter (I was tallest of the three). Of course, my father-in-law is 6' 10." It had been my plan to fly him out to all of my son's showcases and then I would sort of hide myself. However, no that he's reached 6' 4" I don't think it matters how tall I look standing on the sidelines.

I was just joking with my dad about this the other day. He is 6'2" with a big frame. I told him he was tagging along to the next showcase or camp and my hubby had to stay home. My son is built much more like my dad than his own dad.