Let Nature Take Its Course

Mine was 5'9" as a 14 yr old, he'll be 19 in December and is 6'4"

His older brother (now 22) was 5'9" at 15 and topped out at 5'11"
There aint no rules for this stuff

Do you think I might grow an inch of two before I reach 50?

I'm hoping because I am looking really short around my son.

quote:

Originally posted by BOF:
Do you think I might grow an inch of two before I reach 50?

I'm hoping because I am looking really short around my son.

In WIDTH? Absolutely...much like the rest of us.

quote:

Originally posted by BOF:

Do you think I might grow an inch of two before I reach 50?

I'm hoping because I am looking really short around my son.

Gosh, I know exactly how you feel about this BOF. It's all I can do to stand beside my 18yr old who is now 6'1 and is surely to find another inch or two over the next couple years. How wonderful!

I thought I use to be King at 5'10 but now face reality each day with him around...ha ha.

A friend of mine was 5'6" as a high school freshman. As a 6'4" college junior he was an All-American pitcher and member of Team USA. He told me when he was a high school freshman it never crossed his mind he would be pitching in college, much less professionally.

I was 5'8" entering High School. I graduated 6'7".

Son #1 was 5'8" entering H.S., graduated 6'5".

Son # 2 entered H.S. this year at 5'8". Finished freshman year at 6'1.5". My best guess, he'll end around 6'8" - 6'11".

It doesn't take a genius to look at a kid and figure out whether he's still got room to grow or he's close to done.

.

Let nature take its course. Works fine most of the time, but sometimes it needs a little help...

Hey,
The orange stuff is good! (oh, did I say that out loud?)

ahhhhhhh! TMI! TMI!

Krak,

There are many parents of kids on 27's team who are worried about their sons' heights. I keep reminding them that 14 is not the end-all age for many...it's just the start. Way too many cases of kids who have continued to grow through HS and into the college years for them to be worried at this point.

However, at 5'10" I'm looking up to a 6'3" 14-yr-old. Well...at least I have 2 younger ones to help me feel somewhat tall

Funny post, Krak. I, too, was worried when Bum, Jr. was 5'4 1/2 at 15. He was 5'6 1/2 at 16. Then 5'8 1/2 at 17. At Stanford they measured him at 5'10 --really!-- but I doubt that camp was being run by their mathematics department.

Bum, Rusty is THE poster player for parents who think their son has to be such-and-such a height to do well and gather interest! I wish now I'd got his autograph back at Irvine in ought-six!

The taller kids tend to be awkward! (not all) We have hired a personal trainer to help our 6'4" soon to be 15 year old son refind his mobility! He has been growing steadily with a few spurts - now needs bigger cleats after a year of size 13. This year it seems to have caught up with him.


We know two baseball players who have been told they are too small to play at the high school level. Both are about 5'8" as freshmen. While son will never be told that, he could be told he isn't fast enough, or isn't athletic enough. Even though he can work through this, there are two sides to everything.

What I've seen with some other kids are the classic late bloomers. It is really too bad that some good solid talent seemingly gets shelved at the HS level. If the HS coach does not believe in these kids what happens? They haven't peaked yet, but how will a college see them if they are not playing? The good news is two local community colleges are finally joining others by adding baseball. We have a great system in NC, and hopefully this will help these guys and others kids who may have had issues in high school.

Weight can be an issue too. My 18-year-old son is 5'11", but is about 20-30 pounds lighter than his teammates of the same height. You can see every rib when he undresses. His dad was the same way in high school and put on 30 pounds in college, so thankfully there is hope!

Krak,

I am there now and I do worry about it. Jr. is 5'7"/120lbs at 13. It's not easy when you see kids on his team who are 6'+/190lb.

I glad to see I am not alone!, I guess I need to relax and like you said - let nature take its course.

.
Height is luxury...skill is a necessity...

Be carefull what you wish for...Height comes with it's own baggage (pitcher and 1B bias among MANY other things/let me count the ways)...mine are both 6'6", and I can tell you this, forget the height, work the skills...

And Bum....the interesting thing is that those scientific genius's at Stanford camp measured mine a full inch over his actual height...go figure...

44
.

quote:

Originally posted by observer44:
...
And Bum....the interesting thing is that those scientific genius's at Stanford camp measured mine a full inch over his actual height...go figure...

44
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Must be the early morning camp, Kids usually 1 or 1/2 inch taller in the morning than in the afternoon. I called this "growth potential".

Bum, I would trust those Stanford geniuses in a heartbeat. Try measure Jr right off the bed in the morning......

.
They measured him in his cleats...

...In the afternoon...

44

Krak- good point. There's only so much we can control so why not spend that energy working on things we can control. Things like grades, hitting, working on baseball skills. In retrospect I am the best worryier(is this a word?) I know and much of it was needless worrying. And quite often every player has what may be seen as drawbacks by many people and they can work hard to prove these people wrong. Unfortunately sometimes the shorter players have to work harder and be better than their taller teammates to get noticed.

And, sometimes you have to ignore these "helpful" peoples advice/comments as they just don't know what they're talking about but still freely throw around their advice and comments. Great to prove them wrong isn't it? Also it's interesting to look back and see that some players that were huge @ 13 years old stopped growing and are no longer the best players. Some mature early and it does give them a big advantage but as you say let nature take it's course.

.

Just on a side point, the starting SS on the Lakewood Blueclaws (Single A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies) is a kid (just turned 18)named Freddy Galvis from Venezuela. The program probably says 5'10"... I think he's 5'8"... but has the fast feet and softest hands I have ever seen... and a good arm. Can't hit very well yet, but offcrKID#1 says he is the best young infielder he has ever played with. He's being groomed to take over for Jimmy Rollins some day.

The Pros seem to love the big guys, but it is already proving out that the really big guys break down easier. Seems to me, the prototypical guy who makes it is 6'2ish, but has worked to utilize every aspect of his size.

cadDAD

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Perceptions are a funny thing. Everyone has a point of view and in the end they are all meaningless.

Some kids are small, others are big. However, baseball is a game which requires Heart, and I have yet to see a measurement for the size of one's Heart.

My son was never small, he blew through 6'2" and 190lbs at age 12. He was always big and squishy. Coaches never thought of him as athletic enough. There was always a kid that was a better "athlete."

Yet in the end you stick with the game, work on your weaknesses, grow mentally tougher and keep playing.

I have heard countless coaches say my son was too slow, it was why he wasn't recruited out of HS. Yet this season he led the NCAA in 2b's earning all-american honors, not bad for a big kid that is "slow."

In the end, it is the size of the Heart. Don't take no for an answer, keep playing, find a place where you are embraced for what you can do, not what you aren't.

ILVBB...

Correctamundo...forget the height...work the skills...every package comes with challenges...get over it...you only trade one set of exuses for another...

44
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quote:

I am there now and I do worry about it. Jr. is 5'7"/120lbs at 13.

Your son is one of the big kids. My son was 5'2, 110 in 13U. As a high school freshman he's 5'11", 145 on his way to a projected 6'2" or better. His older sister is 5'10". I have a bet with him he'll hit 6' before hitting 150. If I win I'll invest my winnings in Ensure so he can gain weight. I picture a kid who will weight 155-160 when he hits 6'2".

CaBB: "In retrospect I am the best worryier(is this a word?)"

I challenge you to a Worry-Off! On the runway! With David Bowie judging! Oh wait, that's Zoolander......

Anyway, I'm a mega-worrier, too. Well, I used to be worse. It's getting better. I don't worry about baseball stuff -- just that the kids are healthy and happy and that it will continue!

Even the big ones grow, mine has added height since he left for college. Little less than two inches and I wish they would get it right on his roster stats. Kidding, it doesn't matter really.

5'10" is a very common size for a college or milb roster. Last I heard it's based on talent anyway.

Latin players tend to be smaller on average, their gift is usually of speed.

Krak,
This was a good post, a good reminder to stop worrying about what you can't control and worry about what you can.

Krak- I have yet to meet a man that is better at worrying than I am! But, I will concede we may both be very good at it.

My new philosophy as my son heads off in August to school is that it's all in his hands now. We can sends checks and encouragement but it's really all up to him from this point forward.What they make of the rest of their lives will come from deep within and as parents we've done our best to equip them.

ILVBB- you said it beautifully-there is no measure for heart. However if they keep doing their best and working hard and believe in themselves than great things can happen. (see my post in the ladies forum).

I am on to worrying about other things now!

Mine was 5'6 145 as a freshman. He grew to 5'9' 185 as a senior. His lack of height didn't stop him from having the strongest arm in the outfield, one of the top three fastest on the team who got great jumps on balls in the OF and hit with good power to all fields and hit in the heart of the order.

I never got obcessed with height like many who seem to. I knew my kid would not be as tall as me but could play ball though.

However, it does seem others got closer looks because of their height despite the lack of talent. When my kid got his chance to earn the starting job, he had to prove it and maintain a high level of play to keep that starting spot.

Bum,
I thought they made them take their spikes off before being measured? BTW, mine is 1/2 to 3/4" taller first thing in the morning than at night. We list the morning height and he still tends to be taller than the other kids listed at the same height.

I've met a bunch of college coaches who are under six feet, all of whom played themselves, mostly at major D1 schools.

I stopped worrying about height when I met these guys.

quote:

Originally posted by CaBB:
I am on to worrying about other things now!

CaBB, I'm really worried about you. You worry way too much and this worries me deeply.

Rob,
Very good point. Many of the HS and college coaches I have met are under 6' tall, and all of them played at the college level, and some as high as AAA. The freshman coach at 27's HS this past season was Dane Iorg, and he's under 6' as well.

If you can play you can play. I never worried about my sons height that plays baseball because I never thought it would be the difference. I figured if he could hit and throw and catch he would be ok. I did worry about my oldest sons height because he played football and was a tweener. He was 5'10 as a freshman and was 5'10 when he graduated from hs. My youngest was around 5'11 as a freshman and now as a sr is around 6'2. I dont think my son would be any less of a player if he was 5'10 instead of 6'2. He might not look as good but he would be just as good. And that in the end is all that will really matter. Can you play?

Hey guys, do you think I will grow anymore? I am 15 years old and I am still only 5'6. I have been 5'6 for 2 years now and it is really frustrating me. I see all my friends are now 6' or above and I am stuck on 5'6. This wouldn't be really that much of a big deal for me but the thing is that I am a pitcher. If i was a little bigger, I could probably throw a lot harder. I have decent velocity but if I had a little height, my fastball could be above average. Also my parents are not tall. My Dad is 5'10 and my mom is 5'5.

ro1249,

There are way too many variables to say that you are done. Perhaps a visit to your doc and a look at your growth plates could give you an idea?

As far as your parents' heights and where you may end up: again, the variables enter into the equation. I'm 5'10", my wife is 5'7", yet 27 is 14 and 6'3". According to 27's docs, he should stop at either 6'4" or 6'5". The height in the family comes from both sides; just not in a direct line.
Hope this helped.

Found this tidbit just today on the Northwoods Blog:

"Herrera Called Up

June 3rd, 2008

I try on a daily basis to check the Major League Baseball transaction wire. With the start of the Northwoods League season I’ve been focusing my time elsewhere and haven’t checked it in almost a week. Well, I was very pleased when I looked today.

Danny Herrera, known as Danny Ray Herrera to many, had his contract “selected” today by the Cincinnati Reds. Less than three years ago he was pitching for the La Crosse Loggers. In 2005, the 5′8″, 145 pound (that’s not a misprint) left-hander joined the Loggers in early July. He appeared in seven games in the second half of the season going 5-1 with a 3.13 ERA.

Herrera was drafted by the Texas Rangers and quickly became one of their top prospects. He was traded to Cincinnati this offseason in the deal that sent American League Triple Crown and MVP contender Josh Hamilton to the Rangers.

With the call up of Herrera, 47 Northwoods League alumni have suited up in the Major Leagues.

Curt Carstensen
Director of Operations
Northwoods League"