Helli all.
dad of hs junior 2023 grad.LHP fb velo 81-82. Been told his curveball is excellent. and working hard on change up. Excellent student( gets that from his mom). Any chance at d1? I have showing him high academic d3’s. When is too late for d1 recruiting? Fall senior year?
thanks in advance
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You should check out the pencil section in page 7 of the previous "LHP" post. Seriously though. I have a 2025 LHP touching 80 w good command control who I think will be D1 but who knows really. I think it depends on first and foremost size. If your 2023 is 5ft 8 and only has another inch to go.... then pretty challenging road to D1. not "project able". In fact I kinda think the worst thing in baseball is to be a short lefty. Leaves you CF as a position.
Fortunately the prevailing thought aside from black pencils are weird is that lefties have more time than other positions to develop and get recruited. Sounds like a LHP could sign in fall senior year. Good luck!
Also it seems like he has to be sitting 85 minimum by next summer to have a D1 shot.
Tough to say without more info. Agreed that frame matters and what mph you think he will be late Spring. IMO late next Spring will be a key time time to assess/reassess your strategy including how you plan to get in front of targets. Just went through it with a HA 22 pitcher. Saw Ivy, Patriot, NESCAC, Centennial LHP’s from our area all committed June-August.
He’s in a good place to be. 2 years to gain 4-5 mph on his fastball. Make sure he gets in really good shape and continues to develop his lower half strength and flexibility. And of course take care of that arm!
D1 is a possibility as a lefty, yes. If he gets to mid to high 80’s. Make sure you have some convos with him about thinking about which is more appealing to him: being a lefty specialist/bullpen guy at a D1 or being a 4 year starter/ace at a D3. There is no right answer, it’s up to him (and of course not the only possibilities)
We know/played with roughly 20-25 ish committed pitchers in our area from this past year. We saw a ton more P commits at tourneys throughout the summer plus peers committed to his conference. Based on everything we saw and heard, IMO a good 6’1, 210, topping 85mph in-game and sitting 82-83, LHP would get serious interest in HA D3 (with perhaps the exception of JH and 1-2 more). Would be right on the bubble for some Patriot schools and may come down to his secondaries polish. Would think a slight reach for Ivy. Would think quite a few other D1’s would be interested. We see 85mph lower D1 commits in our area. These our just one persons recent observations so a grain of salt here…. Seek trusted advisors.
My advice for the next 8-9 months is make sure you clean up mechanics- smooth LHP’s grab imaginations and you also could get another 2-3mph out of it. Make sure your club team goes to the type of events your target conferences go to. Make sure target coaches know his pitching schedule. Coaches generally wanted to see my son throw 2 times in-game. Some were okay with one but between tourneys and showcases (and I guess camps but we didn’t go to them), start to think about a rough plan. So in the Northeast, for example, Diamond Nation Super 17 and Boston Open were 2 that quite a few coaches (of our targets) were behind the backstop watching and all radaring. Again, our experience and located in North East. Best of luck.
Mom of 6'2' 2022 Lefty with excellent grades here. Here is what we're in: Leftyson gets lots of interest, I think he's the "smooth" pitcher with lots of movement who grabs the imagination of coaches both because he's still growing and has more room on his frame for more muscle while having success on the mound, but he throws 83. Coaches just can't pull the trigger unless you're north of 85. Get him there if you want D1 and even many many D2/D3. If he's got great grades consider doing the Headfirst or Showball events that are coming up in Florida. That will send you into the fall/winter with an understanding of where he's at by seeing who reaches out afterwards so you can understand the landscape a little better. And get him over the 85 hump.
@LousyLefty posted:Mom of 6'2' 2022 Lefty with excellent grades here. Here is what we're in: Leftyson gets lots of interest, I think he's the "smooth" pitcher with lots of movement who grabs the imagination of coaches both because he's still growing and has more room on his frame for more muscle while having success on the mound, but he throws 83. Coaches just can't pull the trigger unless you're north of 85. Get him there if you want D1 and even many many D2/D3. If he's got great grades consider doing the Headfirst or Showball events that are coming up in Florida. That will send you into the fall/winter with an understanding of where he's at by seeing who reaches out afterwards so you can understand the landscape a little better. And get him over the 85 hump.
I know a 2022 LHP from my town who tops around 83/84 (works low 80's) who committed this summer to a D1 Patriot. He's 6 feet in cleats, maybe 170. He's likely done growing (based on size of parents but who knows). He's just a good pitcher, hits his spots, and is a real gamer. He has plenty of great tape and great outings at events to show. Better pitcher than my son (my son doesn't read this board so I am safe with that comment). He was a 2021 who reclassed and it worked out. You never know what coaches are looking for.... I do think the travel coach had a lot to do with getting this LHP the look from the school and the offer.
** updated - just looked up his stats from this summer on PG and he is working 83-85. 85 is also his top velo. So he's legitimate 85 velo. He's also 5' 11'. maybe 85 is a magic LHP velo as you point out.
USING 85, not topping 85, does seem to open a lot of doors for LHPs.
It’s one thing to be just good enough to draw attention and receive an offer from a D1. But what happens when the “just good enough” player arrives on campus? Is he last in the pecking order for an opportunity to get on the field? Even college coaches have their recruiting favorites and preconceived ideas.
A player should want to get to a D1 and get on the field. The expression is “Play ball,” it’s not “Watch ball.” Or worse, get released from the program in a year or two.
Unless a player is a pro prospect he should be looking for the best education with the potential for a quality baseball experience regardless of division.
Thanks for the replies. Thats why I love this site. His travel coach says he has “very good stuff” but needs to get velo up…. And honestly not all about d1. More about being recruitable. And getting a good education.
Osh1001, you're getting a lot of good input. My son, who is a senior LHP at a Patriot League school, had a similar profile to your son at the same age. Topped out in the low-mid 80s with very good curve ball and changeup when he committed his junior year HS. Has really not added much velocity but has had good success as a starter and reliever because he can command multiple pitches. As a LHP, if your son has strong academics and good command of multiple pitches he should be attractive to HA D1-D3 schools.
