LHP - Not a Finished Product

EC2013--
First, welcome to HSBBWeb!

The opportunity for individual remedial work at college is very limited. Most colleges bring in their annual crop of 6 or 8 or more pitchers, put them through the fall throwing and conditioning program, and give the innings in the spring to the guys who emerge as most game-ready.

The exception might be if a small program sees enough in your son's physical gifts to give him the potential to be a better quality arm than they'd otherwise be able to recruit. However, you're going to need to show them something tangible--more velocity, more substantial success on the mound--to give them a reason to believe.

Even then, you will have to be very careful to make sure the pitching coach really does have the inclination and ability to stick with him.

It is a long shot. It will be extremely hard to make up so much ground in one year on the players who have been preparing for many years to compete for the opportunity your son seeks.

If your son really wants to pitch in college, he can't worry about what he didn't do in the past. He just needs to begin right now using every day to its best advantage. Now is the time to clear the calendar of other activities and go for it. Get him into lessons right away with someone who is competent to develop his game and oversee a throwing program that build his arm strength safely.

Best wishes,

Sounds like a potential JC player. Many JC's will take a kid w/o all the skills and work with them for a year or two.

This conversation might help. I was talking with the head coach of a good D2 program. He told me since they can't compete with the nearby Big Ten program for talent they thrive on recruiting players with a lot of potential upside. If a 6'4" kid can hit 85 on a radar gun someone at the D2 or D3 level is going to be interested. Do you know when a lefthanded pitcher is declared useless? Three years after his death certificate is filed. Ask Jamie Moyer. Moyer was declared dead at 32. He was just getting started. The best example of a lefty getting one more chance was Terry Mulholland.

quote:

Originally posted by EC2013:
My 2013 is a 6-4 200 lb LHP. The “issue” is that due to various reasons that are not relevant, he has never had a pitching lesson. He only pitched 10 innings Soph/Jr years, striking out 5, no walks, 4 runs. Of course the velocity is not there.. He is a natural athlete...
We are looking at D2 or D3. His grades are above average, but not outstanding.

Actually, it is quite possible that "the issue" will be due to the "velocity is not there" comment. What is his velo? Since he is a big lefty, if his velo is decent, I would guess someone will be interested in developing him as a P. If he is mid 70's ish, I think it would be a big stretch to think that pitching lessons and throwing programs could add enough at this stage. BTW, he will also need decent velo to get a look as an OF. Of course, the better the hitter, the less this is an issue.

Sorry, I was putting this together as RJM posted his... somewhat repetitive.

Thanks for those very helpful responses - I appreciate it! I am not sure of his velocity, we are going to a few showcases this summer, so we will learn something at those, and see where he stands.

quote:

Originally posted by EC2013:
... We are looking at D2 or D3. His grades are above average, but not outstanding.

Also know that D3 has no athletic scholarship $$ and are usually high academic and expensive schools. So, if grades aren't top level, there will be no athletic or academic funding and you will likely be footing an large bill.

Why not be a baseball position player, or play basketball in college?

I'm unclear why he thinks he will be a college pitcher. Is he pitching on a summer team now?

We thought being a college pitcher would be the way to go, since 6-4 lefty pitchers are valuable, but 6-4 small forwards are a dime a dozen. But right now since he is a better position player than pitcher, we will likely go that route.

quote:

Originally posted by cabbagedad:

quote:

Originally posted by EC2013:
... We are looking at D2 or D3. His grades are above average, but not outstanding.

Also know that D3 has no athletic scholarship $$ and are usually high academic and expensive schools. So, if grades aren't top level, there will be no athletic or academic funding and you will likely be footing an large bill.

There are a lot of state university secondary campuses that are D3's.

quote:

Originally posted by SultanofSwat:
Why not be a baseball position player, or play basketball in college?

I'm unclear why he thinks he will be a college pitcher. Is he pitching on a summer team now?

College basketball player? At 6'4" he better be a lights out perimeter shooter or a stud ball handler and passer.

You got some good advices here. If I were you, I would go to the nearest baseball academy where you could time his pitch velocity. If he has decent velocity and accuracy, and he decides to go the pitching route, he needs a lot of throwing and conditioning to prepare for 2013, which is not too far off. Be extra mindful of arm injury as he has not thrown much in the past.