How much does position matter?

3and2Fastball posted:

The high school player with great reads & great jumps who runs a 6.8 will not get recruited over a high school player with average reads & jumps who runs a 6.5 unless he has a significantly better bat.

This conversation reminds of the pitching convos where the 88 mph pitcher is said to have great movement and great offspeed pitches and thinks he should be D1

The bat is the separator.  Without that ingredient, you better flat out fly

No, an 88 mph pitcher is a 40 on that scouting scale (and, btw, the mlb scale is average fastball not highest). A 6.8 is akin to an average fastball of 92 -- both are 55 on that scale.

No one is saying that a 6.5 isn't better than a 6.8. But there is pushback against the idea that 6.8 is unacceptable at D1s unless the kid hits bombs all day. The 6.8 kid doesn't need to get recruited over the 6.5 kid . . .

Here's one:

https://www.perfectgame.org/Pl...ofile.aspx?ID=305981

Bellinger is/was an elite bat...

having said that, 2019Dad I trust you, you have more insight on this than I do and live in a Baseball hotbed... Just relaying what I have heard from a few scouts/college coaches in terms of trends

Back to OP question....

I was told that college recruiters mostly "recruit up the middle".  C, SS, P, CF.  

Son's college HC told us he would recruit all short stops if he could.  

Keewartson played SS in high school, 2B (with some SS) in college, and 2B-3B in milb, with one stint in LF.   You best be versatile, and agreeable, to play other positions to stay on the field.

Speed and position won't matter if you can't hit the ball.  You have to be able to hit.  If you can hit, they will find a place for you.

You definitely need to hit but playing a tough position does make it easier. Tyler white destroyed every minor league level but still took until about 26 to reach the majors.

There is a spot for a great hitter but there are like 5 spots for a good defender. If you hit .210 that won't be enough either but the bar is lower and you can get away with hitting just ok.

Dominik85 posted:

Are those hand timed or electronically timed?

They all have videos from the showcase that show electronic timers.

K9 posted:

RJM posted:

hshuler posted:

I was going to post this earlier today but didn’t.

I’m pretty sure that Mookie and Beni are faster but Jackie is the best CF of the three.  Speed matters but there are other intangibles to playing defense.

https://www.perfectgame.org/pl...rofile.aspx?ID=68354

Betts is in right because it’s harder to play than center in Fenway. I believe if Bradley were to be traded Benintendi would be moved to center even though Betts would be a better center fielder.

But Bradley has a unique tracking skill most outfielders don’t have. On long hits he takes his eyes off the ball, hits full sprint, runs to the right spot and can accurately gauge when to look up again and find the ball. 

Also Betts has the best arm of the 3, another argument for him in right.  

You sure about that one? LoL 

Check out #3 on the list. 

https://www.mlb.com/cut4/best-...8-season/c-301139106

Yeah, my son is a CF with a  good arm, and the two guys he watches are Bradley and Hicks.

MidAtlanticDad posted:

Here are the numbers for the outfielders at the 2017 PG National Showcase.

So, that's 34 players who run under 6.8. a few(5-10?) will get drafted, and not play college ball. There are also legit D1 OF's that run under 6.8 who aren't involved with PG...who knows how many...lets say another 75 or so. That's 100 players who run under 6.8.

We have over 300 D1 programs, with three starting OF positions, and at least three other OF'ers(often more), on each team. That's 1800+ OF'ers. Divide by 4, and you get 450+ OF positions at a minimum up for grabs every year in D1. Not all of them are going to be running sub 6.8's. If anything, I think 'm being light on the numbers of OF in most programs, but some players are dual purpose, i.e. utility INF/OF, or P/OF. 

     Again, a kid on my son's HS team is going to a P5 D1, and one that is often ranked in the top 50 or so. He is 6', 190lb. 7.15/60, good, but not great arm(mid high 80's). Decent glove, but nothing special. Very Good bat, with power, but not jaw dropping. I mean, he can hit 375-400' bombs in thin northern air, but also flies out a  lot. I would say that his glove, while by no means bad, is likely the worst of his attributes, not his speed.