Expectations on Consistency of the College Hitter

Wouldn't Dustin Pedroia have been playing D1 ball with BESR bats? Not the same as BBCOR/wood, I would think.

You can't have the mentality I need a hit every day. You need to have consistent at bats, swing at good pitches, don't chase too many pitches and hit the ball hard regularly.

How much leeway you get hinges on your status as a player and also what kind of outs you made. If you hit a line out and a hard double play grounder that is not as bad as a pop up and two strike outs on 3-4 pitches.

So worry about getting good pitches to hit and hitting them hard, if you do that you will keep playing even when you have a 0 for 12 stretch.

But if you are overmatched and just produce Ks and weak contact you might lose your spot quickly.

Son's senior year he was a DH/1B after being a PO first 3 years.  30 games in he was leading the team in batting average, hits, HR's and by far the fewest K's on the team.  He was sick and missed a game.  Next game went 0-4 and didn't play the next 2.  The rest of the year he sat at least 1 game/weekend while still leading the team in the 4 categories I mentioned above.  The team won 10 wins that year....lol. 

Buckeye, I would've ended that post WTF instead of LOL. You're more gracious than I am.

1.  If you don't produce, you won't be in the lineup for long.  You have to prove yourself every day.

2.  How long your leash is depends on a lot of variables - how much you have proven yourself in the past, how good the other options are for the coach, quality and loudness of your outs, how much one of the next guys deserves a shot, your other contributions, current mood and success of the coach and more.  Might be one AB, might be a day, a series, a week, a month.

3.  You can't think about the prospect or reality of not producing.  If you think that way, you almost assuredly will fail.  Constantly work on your game.  Have a positive and definitive approach for each AB.  Have a very short memory with failures.

@smokeminside posted:

Buckeye, I would've ended that post WTF instead of LOL. You're more gracious than I am.

Lol....trust me....there were many WTF's that season.  I've had a couple years to calm down

@cabbagedad posted:

1.  If you don't produce, you won't be in the lineup for long.  You have to prove yourself every day.

2.  How long your leash is depends on a lot of variables - how much you have proven yourself in the past, how good the other options are for the coach, quality and loudness of your outs, how much one of the next guys deserves a shot, your other contributions, current mood and success of the coach and more.  Might be one AB, might be a day, a series, a week, a month.

3.  You can't think about the prospect or reality of not producing.  If you think that way, you almost assuredly will fail.  Constantly work on your game.  Have a positive and definitive approach for each AB.  Have a very short memory with failures.

A most EXCELLENT post by @cabbagedad! I'll call it a "Golden Post." There are many variables, and my son had different experiences from his HS and college coach. RipkenFanSon started out 5 for 23 at the plate on his HS varsity team during his sophomore year. As a result while he was mostly a starter who still played the field (usually playing 3B or OF) he was DHed for. I scratched my head as if he were on the bench, he could at least PH, lay down a bunt, PR in a tight game. No chance for SB if you don't hit, but play field. His college teammates of his class used to razz him that he was DH in HS one year, even though he wasn't a pitcher.

On the other hand, despite starting 1 for 21 in college, his coach stuck with him; saw his intangibles, his work ethic, defense and willingness to work his way out of his start (Cabbage's "other contributions.") Son was determined to make the travel team for his versatility (before realizing he would start each game). Coach early on liked the MI combination son made at 2B with senior SS. Son would go on to graduate #2 in hits all time at school and #6 in hits all time in conference. Not bad for a guy which was DHed for in HS.

@Francis7 posted:

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His advice to my son: If you go hitless, they will then run everyone else out there and you won't get a chance again until all of those guys go hitless too.

So, is that the expectation at the college level, that you are going to get a hit in every game?

Yes.

Only thing I can add to cabbage's post is scholarship players may get a longer leash to be prove themselves.  After all, the college has a vested interest ($$$) in the player.   A non-scholarship player may not get as many chances or opportunities.

@FoxDad posted:

Only thing I can add to cabbage's post is scholarship players may get a longer leash to be prove themselves.  After all, the college has a vested interest ($$$) in the player.   A non-scholarship player may not get as many chances or opportunities.

This ^^^^

Unless you’re a stud they’re looking for recruits to replace you every year. This means as long as there’s competition a player will compete to win a starting position even if he had a position last season.

A friend’s son arrived at a ranked program thinking as a catcher and a PG top 100 prospect he had a shot at starting freshman year. He arrived to find he was competing with two other catchers. They all lost out to a converted outfielder with a cannon.

Players have to be physically and mentally ready to perform every day. They have to maintain this attitude even if they don’t play for a week. One successful pitch hit appearance leads to another and another. Then you get a start. If not prepared and you fail it may be a long season on the bench. Not everyone gets the same level of opportunity.

Then after a good season you may return in the fall to find a JuCo transfer at your position or a freshman, former Gatorade Player of the Year.

If doesn’t matter how good you are or what you’ve already accomplished. What matters is are you the best option to put on the field to win the game?

My son’s roommate went from freshman starter, to soph platoon player, to junior utility player to not being rostered senior year.  He didn’t get worse. He didn’t get better. He lost his confidence. The competition got better. And it just kept coming every year.

I’ve posted before there are 6-8 studs at the front of the roster. There are 6-8 good, capable, but less talented players at the back of the roster. Everyone else in the middle are reasonable equal in ability. Only 12-14 are going to join the 6-8 studs as contributors. The difference won’t be about talent. It will be about who’s mentally tougher and can stay physically and mentally ready when things get challenging or aren’t going their way.