High School I/O - True or False

Good topic. I always watch the I/O of the other team. The best teams seem like they don't even need a coach out there. The worst seem like they've never done it before.

Agree, very good topic. I thought of this yesterday when reading the post from the user who felt that her freshman son was in a disastrous situation.  I almost posted something like, "before you transfer your son, go to a home Varsity game and see what that team looks like, how the kids comport themselves, and how the coaches manage the game."  But really, you could probably find out all you need to know before the first pitch is thrown, just by watching the I/O, seeing the starter warm up in the pen, and even seeing how the kids prep the field.

I'll say true.  I mean, how often do you see subpar pregame I/O and then a razor sharp focus and prowess once the game begins?  Crap in, crap out.

It depends on the time of day. In a early morning tournament game I have seen team "sleep walk" thru their infield pre-game. Our team was running the outfield fences to determine if any holes in the fence and to "wake up".

My outfield fungos were hit over the OF heads to the fence to practice the "cut-off" drills by the OF and Infielders. My infield grounders was "range" work [left, right, left, right], catchers threw bullets to all bases.

Game over in pre-game!  No contest. Opposing team was very good, but at 10 am, no so good.

Bob

I'd say mostly false.  Public HS coaches can only do so much with the players that are coming into the school. I/O is a fairly standard process, so it's normally the skill level of the players that make it look good/bad.

Private HS would be different as they can recruit already polished players. Their I/O will normally look impressive no matter the coaching.

I believe I could watch the pregames of a conference and accurately list the top half of the standings and the bottom half. Some coaches elevate their teams with organization, discipline and fundamentals. These teams don’t beat themselves. Other coaches are a drag on the talent for the same reasons. An exception would be the stud who puts the team and the coach on his back and carries them.

fly996:

Not correct. It depends on the AD and his philosophy.

Does the Private HS Coach hit infield "one handed"? Game over!

Bob

The well coached public high schools have no problems recruiting. Their team's success sells itself and good players want to be a part of it.

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

The well coached public high schools have no problems recruiting. Their team's success sells itself and good players want to be a part of it.

Not sure I understand how Public HS recruit. Kid's in our town go to one of the two specific High Schools based on solely on their home address location. My kid could not get recruited and go to the cross town rival Public HS. I would have to move across town...

@fly996 posted:

Not sure I understand how Public HS recruit. Kid's in our town go to one of the two specific High Schools based on solely on their home address location. My kid could not get recruited and go to the cross town rival Public HS. I would have to move across town...

Happens a lot in FL. Even when I was in HS in the 90’s we had kids transfer in all the time. The team was ranked number 1 by USA Today my freshman-junior years. Each year 2-3 new studs would show up. We even had a UM commit from AZ come to the school for his senior year. A few years after I graduated they won the “national championship” with 6 seniors being drafted in the first couple rounds or something like that. Nowadays look at some of the power schools in the state. Look at their rosters year to year. Top ranked kids don’t all coincidentally move within their boundary for their junior and senior seasons.

In FL we have a choice program. As long as a school is not at capacity they can take kids from neighboring districts. If they are at capacity it is more difficult, but it can be done.

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

Happens a lot in FL. Even when I was in HS in the 90’s we had kids transfer in all the time. The team was ranked number 1 by USA Today my freshman-junior years. Each year 2-3 new studs would show up. We even had a UM commit from AZ come to the school for his senior year. A few years after I graduated they won the “national championship” with 6 seniors being drafted in the first couple rounds or something like that. Nowadays look at some of the power schools in the state. Look at their rosters year to year. Top ranked kids don’t all coincidentally move within their boundary for their junior and senior seasons.

In FL we have a choice program. As long as a school is not at capacity they can take kids from neighboring districts. If they are at capacity it is more difficult, but it can be done.

O.K., I never knew this type of thing existed...

Even in states without school choice the district can still provide the option. This was the case with a nearby district. The best football players went to one high school, best basketball players to a second and best baseball and soccer players to a third. It stinks if you’re a stud in two sports unless it’s baseball and soccer. I think the district grew to a point where they eliminated choice.

When my kids were in HS in NorCal you could choose a different school in your district so long as it wasn't impacted -- IOW, it had to have room.  However, coaches were not allowed to recruit, and they seemed to take that very seriously. When my kid was in the 8th grade we were at a HS baseball game and started talking to the school's varsity basketball coach. After a couple  minutes he said he couldn't talk to my kid because someone might see and report it, even though he was already set to go to that school.

@JCG posted:

When my kids were in HS in NorCal you could choose a different school in your district so long as it wasn't impacted -- IOW, it had to have room.  However, coaches were not allowed to recruit, and they seemed to take that very seriously. When my kid was in the 8th grade we were at a HS baseball game and started talking to the school's varsity basketball coach. After a couple  minutes he said he couldn't talk to my kid because someone might see and report it, even though he was already set to go to that school.

The coaches can’t recruit. But the kids learn the ropes by word of mouth. Plus they’re seeing in the local newspaper who’s winning in what sports.

My son wasn’t (wink wink) recruited by a Catholic private because they were part of the state athletic association. Several players told him it would be a great move. He was offered an academic scholarship providing he played at least two sports. Figure that one out!

The academics weren’t as good as our high school’s gifted program. So he passed. He gambled his soph year (third year for new coach) would be a turn around year for a program in the dregs for twenty-two years. They came in second followed by two conference championships.,

@Consultant posted:

fly996:

Not correct. It depends on the AD and his philosophy.

Does the Private HS Coach hit infield "one handed"? Game over!

Bob

What happens when the coach throws right and bats left?

Should the other team just get back on the bus

@ReluctantO'sFan posted:

What happens when the coach throws right and bats left?

Should the other team just get back on the bus

Uhm..........throws right and hits left is me.  Not sure what to do now.

Overall I would say it's true but you can be mislead by watching them once.  They are high school kids so they will sometimes have bad days.  It happens but yes the better teams will take great I/O the vast majority of times.

That is why we always fluffed it. Always look good in pre-game.   I hit easy balls and did not make my guys run a long ways.  I know coaches who act like they are batting for the Yankees and the team in the field is their opponent for the World Series.

@PitchingFan posted:

That is why we always fluffed it. Always look good in pre-game.   I hit easy balls and did not make my guys run a long ways.  I know coaches who act like they are batting for the Yankees and the team in the field is their opponent for the World Series.

Yeah we don't take a complicated one.  I want them to have success and get in a positive mindset early.  But even then we will throw it around and look terrible on occasion.

The ones that get me are the teams who run a full practice for I/O.  Every kid out there (no problem with that) but they get 2 or 3 reps each and they do every possible scenario.  Then it lasts about 20 - 25 mins. 

In HS, I put a time limit on the other team by starting ours with about 40 minutes before game time and taking about 15 then they had about 15 minutes by the time we traded.  I always went first as home team.  Had a guy take 30 minutes one day and finally had to have umpire tell him to get off the field.  He had 4 coaches hitting balls to everybody, 25 players.  I told him it is in and out not a practice.

@Trust In Him posted:

RJMHSBaseballWeb member since 2007

The coaches can’t recruit. But the kids learn the ropes by word of mouth. Plus they’re seeing in the local newspaper who’s winning in what sports.

Prior to entering high school I was approached by a few parents of another high school that had a pretty good baseball program.  Son played against their sons during travel ball and Little League.  They explained the way to transfer into their high school was to find a "unique" class that is only offered there, thus the district will grant it to avoid hindering a student's academic journey.  The parents mentioned the coach knew who my son was and _____ class was the one to put down (funny thing is my understanding the district never checked to see if the kid actually took that class).  They kept in contact with me for a few months until I told them son will go to his assigned school.  Main reason was because friends will be going there, academics were pretty much the same, and baseball was something he would do because he enjoyed it.  No regrets by son or us on this choice.

Same.  These dads who talked to me had no way of knowing the things they knew, coach HAD to have told them.  We also got the upperclass players, who "happened" to be at the field during travel ball practice (TB coach was on the HS staff as an asst coach) chatting up Lefty.  Telling him how they go get food for lunch from his favorite fast food restaurant at least once a week (TB coach totally fed them that info too), how good they were and how it's "too bad" he was going to X-school and he should come play with them...

@Francis7 posted:

You can tell the level of commitment, organization and seriousness of a High School Baseball Program and their coaching staff just by watching how they conduct and execute their pre-game I/O.

True or false?

True.  Your question had everything to do with the Coaches.  My three kids went to two different high schools.  The Coaches expectations and seriousness were night and day between the two programs.

True. No excuse for lazy i/o.