Don't know what to think about son

No sliders! Easy on the curveballs...Emphasize the change.

Find a good summer team.

Don't overuse his arm - pitching once a week is fine.

Let him play other sports until a soph.

Go to a PG camp after finishing his frosh year.

D1 is a few years away. It will only happen if he has good grades and test scores. Spend as much time on academics as athletics.

he plays basketball but pitching is the thing he likes best....he has a great summer team......

I will watch the curve balls.

thanks

What is PG camp? We live in Nashville tennessee do they have these around here?

Question: My son just played a great tourney it was a big 14 BCS tourney. He pitched well, and after about the 5th game some guy came up to him and asked him where he goes to high school. He told the guy I'm only going into 8th grade. Then the guy asked him how old he was and he said 13......and then he asked him what high school will he go to, and my son told him the name of our school. Then he asked him his name, my son told him his name, and then he said you had a good weekend didn't you I saw you pitch. and my son said yes, thanks. Then the guy walks off.
My son said the guy was about 30 yers old, and he thinks he was a scout of some kind.

Do they scout this young?

Yes there are a few young ones but not many. More likely a college recruiter.
A local college grad here became the Jays roving scout in Florida shortly after graduation. He has risen into the Jays management.

Players are being watched earlier and earlier these days.
Scouts not only watch for possible prospects, but often are the eyes for the college coach asking them to find them players they also can follow. Many of these guys are young, and many are just associate scouts, which means they are not working for the team, but possibly with a paid scout from the area. learning the ropes from him.
Your area MLB scout will also follow players for MLB and make recommendations as the player gets older.
Always remember, possibly there is always someone out there watching.

quote:

Always remember, possibly there is always someone out there watching.

Yes there is.

PG = Perfect Game. it is an organization dedicated to showcasing baseball talent. Although I agree with other posters that 13 is too young, you should check out the PG website.

First, you seem to have some healthy skepticism about projections. Body size usually equates to college velocity, but as they commented earlier, ptiching is so much more than velocity. However, you can't really "teach" velocity, so merely having it makes your son a more likely candidate for people wanting to teach him and give him opportunities.

My athletic mentor, an old legendary HS basketball coach, said rarely can anyone tell before a kid is 16-17 whether he is D1 material in any sport. He advised letting nature take its course, and if my son showed potential at 16, then invest. This saved us the wear and tear of five unnecessary years of travel ball and lessons, when everyone else around was jumping and going crazy with those activities.

My son is very similar to yours in size/age comparisons and now has a D1 scholarship at a great baseball school, threw 95 at age 17. We gave him some lessons when he was 13 -- just because I could see he wasn't balanced in his delivery. 5-6 lessons later he had a sound delivery and a basic grasp of what he needed to do. After wards, we took him in for a twice a year evaluation just to make sure he didn't pick up any bad habits. He played local summer baseball, but no travel until he was 17 and college recuriters were interested.

The two biggest mistakes I have seen made at this age are:

1. overusing arm--pitching too much and too many breaking balls.

2. Spending too much money in pursuit of a partial coillege scholarship which may not even equal the money you invested in your son's pitching over the years.

I have also seen kids with real potential burn out, and families burn out, from too much travel and lessons.

Just becaue we can do travel ball and take lessons doesn't always mean we should. It's not for everybody and doesn't guarantee success.

But if your kid loves it and you can afford it, then stick with it.

Someone said here that academics were just as important. I agree! Stress that to your son. Even though he may enjoy a great high school, college and possibly professional career, at the end of the day his brains are going to carry him through the majority of his life.
We have noticed through a variety of sports that sometimes there are the standouts at a young age, and that eventually they get to a point where their talent is even with everyone else, and they have to work really hard like everyone else. That's when the test starts.
Your boy sounds very talented, and you are smart to check out the situation. Good luck to your family!

And don't forget to tell him you love him, for being himself, not only a good ball player and student.

Relax dad. Have him continue to play multiple sports, and have fun. Do not allow him to be over pitched. Focus on grades. Nothing really happens until he starts making a contribution on Varsity. Look through this site particulary the time line.

Keep reading here and enjoy watching him.

I should state that I am not trying to manufacture a pro player, but I would love some college money anywhere for that mattter. I know we are ahead of most players his age, but who knows they may catch up to him at some point.

I guess what I really need is a good year round program that makes sense....

thanks for the responses.

quote:

I would love some college money anywhere for that mattter.

There is a lot more academic money available than athletic money. Make sure he concentrates on grades...

I went to Berkeley for free based on one incredible test score.

Most of the time academics will pay off better and you don't have to worry about injuries other than brain cramps....

Flexibility

does he have it?

if not get it now. Yoga, Martial arts

very flexible,