Hitting is overrated....Part II

I didn't say that scouts were not interested in power as I guess they hope power will show from the left side. Recent conversation with a local scout shows that he is more excited about his speed and defensive skills. I am just as surprised as you are.

Im surprised you would post this cr*p again.

Its'

You could a been a bit more diplomatic...........

You could have avoided the c word..............

You could have just said, "It's like deja doo doo all over again"

FO,
I kind of thought Dad04 had the best sense of humor around here.
Sorry Dad, got to give it to FO on this one!

FO,

Diplomacy has never been one of my better skills. LOL

quote:

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Originally posted by limom84:
Original post:

I attended a college showcase last week, and all the boys hit the same. The only standouts were the kids who ran sub 7.0 60 yd. dash and threw to home on a line from 250 ft. Hitting appears to be something that can be taught but speed and arm strength were the natural athletic talents and abilities that were raved about by colleges and scouts in attendance.
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You all have probably guessed that my son was one of the boys who could throw on a line from 250 ft. and run a very quick 60. He is also a very good hitter with loads of power from the right side, but power is not what the scouts are interested in. They have him now hitting from the left side, hitting weak dribblers to the infielders and getting infield hits, stealing a couple of bases, and manufacturing runs with speed. THIS gets them excited. This just reinforces that hitting is overrated and that you can take an athlete with above average tools and make him more desirable than just "hitters."

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I can say that from personal experience this is NOT true. At this point I am to young to have attended a Showcase (Soph)... But have made every team I have ever made because of my bat. While my defense is solid at 1B, I am of less than average speed, and my arm is also sub par. While I am working to lose some pounds and improve my arm, teams think it is a fair tradeoff for someone who (at least at this level) will bat .800. While probably 99/100 of those hits is a single, if I was a coach I would want someone who will always get on base rather then a speedster who in the off chance that he does get on will stretch it into a double by stealing. I hope that made some sense :-/

See, the thing is, now-a-days, they only draft power hitters and power pitchers. It'll be a loooong time before another Greg Maddux or another Wade Boggs.

I'm afraid that's wrong. Speed is huge....it's why a guy like Nook Logan of the Tigers and guys like him are in the bigs. Power is probably the SEXIEST skill these days, but not necessarily the most recruited. All college coaches I know are looking for burners who can go get it on D and that can make defenses adjust on offense.
Power pitching? Gotta agree on that one.

While coaches would love to have all 5 tool players very few are out there. If you get a kid with speed and an arm then that is a player who may be able to contribute.

That doesn't mean that they aren't interested in power, it just means that they think a particular kid's best shot at the moment is to capitalize on his speed and arm.

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posted October 12, 2004 07:50 PM
but power is not what the scouts are interested in.

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quote:

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posted October 12, 2004 07:58 PM
I didn't say that scouts were not interested in power as I guess they hope power will show from the left side. Recent conversation with a local scout shows that he is more excited about his speed and defensive skills. I am just as surprised as you are.

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Don't tell me what you said. If the scout is interested be happy with that. If he was only interested in power, you'd have a problem wouldn't you?

Take this to the bank though. If he finds a kid who can do what yours can and hits the ball harder, he'll take that kid first.

quote:

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He is also a very good hitter with loads of power from the right side, but power is not what the scouts are interested in.

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Not to mention that I bet from the scout's point of view (not the mom's- no offense moms) your son may not have MLB power as a tool. His job is to gauge potential MLB tools not HS power or aluminum bat power. Power to the average observer might not be power in a scouts eyes (ie...just because you think your son has power doesn't mean scouts see it that way.)

Be happy that your son has 2 MLB tools...that in itself obviously got the scout's attention.

blazer

See you next week in FL

Have a good trip down

I am hoping that defense makes some difference in the scout's eyes. Although my son is a little young to capture scout's eyes yet (freshman) he has been told by an umpire he was the best 14yr old catcher he had seen in 25yrs of umping. My son does have plenty of power, he hit a ball 375ft at a camp last year,but he has a problem of connecting with the ball lately. Are there any suggestions of getting him out of a slump. He batted .675 last summer but has gone about 2 for 8 in the last 3 tournaments he has played in. Both hits he beat to the base, not true good hits. But I guess my question is, would above average catching skills overcome a less than hot bat?

Whatever LIMOM. You so smart.

There are some players in the Big Leagues that have one plus tool. And in nearly every single case that one tool is the bat. How could hitting be over rated?

Tools. The more the player has the more attention he receives. Attitude, especially attitude with a leadership component is EXTREMELY underated by parents and players alike. Body type is next on the list. This is a game of durability at the D1 and especially the pro level. Put all that together and you can write your own ticket!

txcatchermom,
2 for 8 even if the two hits were scratch hits is nothing to start worrying about. For all we know he lined out the other 6 times or happened to run into pitchers that were better or different than he's used to.

The only flag that raises with me is that he only had 8 at bats in three tournaments meaning he only played the equivalent of 1 game per tournament unless he walked pretty often. Hitting a ball 375 ft at 13 (a year ago) is a long, long ways so he definitely has some pop. A 13yo from the LLWS US champs hit a ball about 295 ft. off my son on Sunday and let me tell you that was a long way for a 13yo to hit a ball.

As far as the importance of catching skills bbscout is the authority around here as far as knowing what it takes to get noticed at the next level so I'd recommend listening to what he has to say.

Bullwinkle,
I was wondering about that. I thought she liked C6.

Bull,
PULEASE forgive me, you fall in a class all by yourself!!!!!! You are the BULL!
CAdad,
have no clue who c6 is!!!!!!!!!1

By Soxnole,

quote:

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Tools. The more the player has the more attention he receives. Attitude, especially attitude with a leadership component is EXTREMELY underated by parents and players alike. Body type is next on the list. This is a game of durability at the D1 and especially the pro level. Put all that together and you can write your own ticket!

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Good advice and a good post.

However, speaking from experience, I have seen some of the worst attitudes become instant multi millionaires in past drafts. (Please don't ask for names) Then we see some of the worst attitude guys in all sports become super stars and make even more millions. Talent is #1 by a large margin and makeup is next. Makeup includes much more than just attitude. Having a great attitude is very important in life, but it won't matter in the highest levels of baseball if your a position player who can't hit.

Body type is important, but bad bodies have been overlooked, if there is some great talent involved. The two main areas where body type can be overlooked are pitchers to some extent and hitters, especially power hitters.

Prince Fielder is/was, as an example. At around 5'11/265 no one would say he had a great body when he was drafted. Yet he was about the 7th pick of the draft because of one tool and only one tool. That was his power bat! That's how important power and hitting is in todays game. They didn't pick him in the first round to field, throw well, steal bases, or show leadership skills.

No matter how good a position player is, if he can't hit, he simply will not receive serious interest. Once again the only reason I'm saying this stuff is because the title of this thread (Hitting is overrated) is kind of irritating. It would be hard to find a MLB Scout or College coach that would honestly think hitting is overrated.

Sorry bull, I concede to you, no question about it, you are full of bull..................


And as usual, nice post PGStaff...........

Thanks for taking the time..............

Ummmmm...where's my "Please do not feed the troll" sign when I need it??

Bullwinkle---

Are we ALL supposed to be reading your post??

TPM---

Have a GREAT trip!

Yet another eloquent post from our esteemed fellow member - LIMOM84.

Gong time.

li, there is no call for that kind of stuff.

limom---

quote:

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Bullwinkle---

Are we ALL supposed to be reading your post??

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Bullwinkle no habla inglés. ¿Perdón, pero acerca de qué usted habla?

Bullwinkle,
Thanks

PAmom,
So much for limom being a mom, certainly no lady as far as I am concerned.

Am I losing my mind or did Bullwinkle delete his own post?


limom84 ...
Just one thought ...

PGStaff....thanks for the post...son read it too...makes a lot of sense to both of us...but then we could never buy that hitting is overrated...but it makes for good reading!

Soxnole....thanks to you too....we have been advising son on the importance of leadership qualities....it so helps when we can have him read these postings....for some reason....the opinions of strangers have more validity than Mom and Dad when it comes to baseball....and most other things in his life right now!

This just reinforces that hitting is overrated and that you can take an athlete with above average tools and make him more desirable than just "hitters."

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/kc/news/kc_news.jsp?ymd=20040930&content_id=876979&vkey=news_kc&fext=.jsp

As to this statement. I wonder why the Royals drafted this HS player??????????????

How does this reinforce that hitting is overrated? The guy hit .373, no mention in the story of him not being a good hitter in high school. Sounds like they are trying to find him a place to play because of his bat.
If you can hit, they will find a position for you to play.

It doesn't reinforce. My point is that he can hit. He will play.

The first line was from the first post. Sorry that you missunderstood.

My son has power. Power is important. My son does not have power but he is a great defensive player. Hitting is overated. My son has great control and movement radar readings are overated. Get the point? It seems that some people just can not be objective when it comes to their kids. The fact is if you can rake and you have power it is never overated. It will take you a long way in the game. If you can throw gas it will get you noticed and give you opportunities. The mere statement that hitting is overated is absurd. Sure scouts love kids that can fly and have strong arms and are outstanding defensive players. They also love kids that can mash. The ability to hit at a high level with power is and always will be one of the most sought after abilities in baseball. There are tons of kids that can run and play defense. By your own admission none of the kids stood out with the bat. Thats right and when one does he gets noticed right away.

LI Mom,
Obviously when they were teaching the word class you only heard half the word...which was reflected in your post...put the "cl" back and you have what is represented on this site

Since hitting is overrated and Manny and Matsui are suspect outfielders, maybe lil Johnny can take their place.

Perhaps LIMOM is not a female after all, much less a mom--- perhaps it is LIL JOHNNY in disguise all this time

Just another of the cyberworld trolls !!!

LilMOM/LILJohnny
Guys with thunder in their bats will get looks for the guy with lightning in his cleats-- dont ever forget that

If you can mash you will play--ever hear of the DH !!!!

Another interesting observation.....

All the speed on the Sox team has yet
to get in the game. An out-of-character
slow start for Damon has kept him off the basepaths, but Roberts, Reese and
Kapler.....the speed, take a back seat to the
hitters.

If you notice some past posts from Limom84...there are also posts from Lida84

It was Dad who got mooned....Write it down!
By a very fit PAMom...Your training sessions should be an inspiration to all of us.

TigerPawMom,
Celtics6 was one of our more humorous posters who hasn't posted much recently. Hope I didn't offend you with my post.

I miss C6 - that dude was hilarious.