Freshman pitcher...What should he be doing

Welcome!

Find a good pitching instructor in your area, do not worry about showcases or camps at this time.  Find a good summer team, it can be local, the more you play the better you get. TN has good baseball, maybe this time next year or his junior summer he can attend a camp at one of the college camps in your state, more for instruction than Put your hard earned money to good use. Sounds like he fits the pitcher profile.

Read the recruting material here on the site, a bit outdated but gives you a good idea with the timeline.

I know where you are but not sure what college you are closer too.  You can contact bacdorslider he is from Mt Juliet.

Also understand that, for college baseball, there is most often far more academic money than athletic money.  So grades are VERY important.  This knowledge can make for a great motivator for your son's study habits if he needs it.

He should start learning about proper pitcher-specific conditioning as well.

You found the right resource.  Welcome to the site.

I can echo the comments about grades. First question that coaches, who were recruiting my son,  asked was about his grades. It sure did make things easier since his grades were good. 

Read, read and read some more on various topics that interest you. 

My thought, as an incoming freshman new to pitching, is to start with lessons this offseason.  Add some pitching specific workouts to increase strength and mass.  Play the spring season and see how he stacks up.  If he doesn't already have a summer team, find one.  Play the summer and see how he stacks up.  Then in the fall of his sophomore year, you can see if he has the measurables (ie; velocity) to start showcases/camps. If he doesn't, then repeat the offseason work.   I think he really needs to be in the 80's before he showcases/camps would be worth it.  Hopefully, he'll get there by his JR fall and he can hit the circuit hard.  Good luck. 

• Thank you for the reply, great info. Originally Posted by TPM:

Welcome!

Find a good pitching instructor in your area, do not worry about showcases or camps at this time.  Find a good summer team, it can be local, the more you play the better you get. TN has good baseball, maybe this time next year or his junior summer he can attend a camp at one of the college camps in your state, more for instruction than Put your hard earned money to good use. Sounds like he fits the pitcher profile.

Read the recruting material here on the site, a bit outdated but gives you a good idea with the timeline.

I know where you are but not sure what college you are closer too.  You can contact bacdorslider he is from Mt Juliet.

Thank you for the feedback, that is really helpful!

borobaseball , I sent you a PM.  I think I can help you and your son....

If prominent coaches and ex pros are saying your son should be pitching tap them for their potential connections to summer teams.

I dont think theres any reason to take him to a showcase yet. Right now most important part is development. At 6'4" 165 he should definitely be able to put on some good weight during the fall. Make sure he's eating a lot, but good, healthy food. He should look to get on some sort of workout plan specific to him. If he's just starting pitching he probably has mechanics that can be cleaned up quite a bit to add velocity, improve command, or reduce stress. As others have said, grades are extremely important. Baseball is not a big money sport like football where they can get anyone in. My son had grades that were not good but not horrendous and it cost him a lot of oppurtunities. I don't know anyone in your area but I can reccomend you to a guy out of Seattle who has sent me lots of information. He's a pitching consultant for multiple MLB teams.

welcome to the clueless club   the folks here are awesome, both with advice and been-there-done-that perspectives.  You found the right group...  I've got a freshie pitcher too, levers a wee bit shorter than yours though ...  He gets that from me 

 Thank you everyone for taking time to share your advice. I really appreciate it.... very helpful!

Just to emphasize what other's have said, I concur that grades should be a big emphasis and that getting some "good" pitching lessons/coaching to help develop good mechanics.  

Strength and conditioning program, which the school should have, along with proper mechanics and his velocity will increase dramatically as his young body develops as they typically do from Freshman year through the Senior year.  And the old saying "practice makes perfect" hold true with pitching.  

 Since your budget is an issues, don't worry about showcases or camps at least until the summer after Sophomore year.  Lessons and playing time is important.  So, when HS season is over, a good travel team that plays a lot locally should be something to look for that he can get more practice and experience from.