Lying about Height

I once asked PG about this after I saw one of my son's 5'8" teammates listed on Perfect Game as 5'11". I was told often players submit their own physical information. What do you think a coach is thinking when the kid turns out to be three inches shorter than listed? I'm questioning his honesty and everything he's told me. In the case of my son's teammate he lives in fantasy land. We heard for two years about all the D1 interest. He walked on a D2 and didn't make it.

Not sure that's limited to baseball. I see it in programs at HS basketball and football games too. My son will look at guys listings an laugh at many of them.

My son put on 15 pounds for WWBA in East Cobb this year! His coach sent the numbers and just got it wrong. I think they had him at 5-10, 165. He might be 150.

There was a story in the paper this week about a very accomplished local player which said he was 6-0. He is no taller than 2B. But that doesn't make him any less talented.

You know, basketball teams have a practice of measuring height in their shoes. Maybe in baseball the 2" comes from measuring in their spikes on cement?

That is the thing that I don't get 2BMom. Talent is what they need to see. I don't think that anyone cares how tall you are if you can flat out play. Yet almost everyone does it. What advantage is there? I am sure that a scout or recruiter who is 5'8" knows you aren't 6'1" when you are talking to him and look him straight in the eyes or he has to look down to talk to you. It seems silly and a good way to start out on the wrong foot with a lie.

Not very often do we actually measure players. However, we always measure players with our eyes. It's fairly easy seeing that we know how tall our staff members are. If we see our 6'1 guy towering over a listed 6'2 player, it is noted. Usually players list on the high side, but here is something interesting.

DeAndre Smelter is a early round prospect from Georgia. His height has been listed in many places as 6'2". When we first saw him, it was obvious that he was taller than 6'2". You will still see him listed as 6'2" in many places. He is 6'4"!

For the most part, height and weight are fairly accurate. Almost always within an inch, usually a half inch. Anything different becomes very obvious to every decision maker. So in the end, no one is fooled.

I have always wondered the same thing. It is indeed very prevalent, but I have just never figured out the advantage, especially for recruiting purposes.

I guess I can understand exaggerating height and weight on a roster, just for the intimidation factor for the opposing team. Although I doubt how effective this is.

But for recruiting purposes, it seems dangerous. My son was 5-10/210. Very solid build, but not tall. I always wondered what a college coach would think if we had listed him at 6-0, and then he realized upon meeting him that he was 5-10?

Isn't there an integrity issue here that could easily be a bad sign?

But it is so prevalent in baseball that perhaps there isn't any stigma with doing it, just kind of a wink and nod.

I've always wondered.

A little off-topic, but I think some players just have a presence, and on the field they seem taller than they really are. Then you talk to them afterward, and they are the size of normal humans after all.

Yep. And you can list yourself as tall as you want to list yourself. And still the only thing thats going to matter is can you play? Actually I think it hurts kids. If I hear a kid is a 6'2 RHP and I go to see him and he is 5'11 I start to wonder what else have I been told that is not accurate? If I hear a kid is 6'2 and I go to see him and he is indeed 6'2 or taller then I start to think , maybe this kid is the real deal?

But he still have to be able to play regardless of how tall he is listed. At my sons school I think they very accurate. It is a fact many are listed taller than what they are. But it doesnt matter.

I think everybody would list to the tall side.
If you where just over 6', you would list 6'1".
Son is listed at a D1 as 6'2" 180#.
But that is what he was as a Freshman.
Now a Senior and still listed that way, Yet.
He is everybit of 6'3" 215#.
It is how you play that will get you noticed.

EH

Like I said, I don't get it. Why start out with a lie? Heck of a way to begin a relationship with a possible recruiter or scout.

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What's all the fuss?






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Woo hoo...son is now 6' 3" tall!!!!

In all seriousness by adding the height on their PG profile etc...when a coach is searching the database to check out a few players is he going to be more interested in the player rated an 8 who is 5' 8" or the comparable player who is also an 8 but 6' tall. He is more likely to spend his resources to check out the kid who claims he is 6' tall. That is the only benefit I see.

quote:

Isn't there an integrity issue here that could easily be a bad sign?

Yes IMO, however it's amazing how talent can overcome some of those issues.

Years ago some MLB Scouting Departments had orders to never turn on a RHP unless he was over 6-0 tall.

If you were an outstanding pitcher at 5-11, these scouts wouldn't come to see you. If you were listed as 6-1, they would come. They might find out how tall you really are and then not turn you in, but if you were really talented they would tell college recruiters about you. Maybe that is where all of this started.

Doesn't make it right, I guess. But I don't see it creating any problems if someone is listed taller than he really is. In our experience it's usually within an inch difference. That could easily be a shoes on/shoes off thing. We don't see many giant exagerations and when we do it is so obvious it does make the player look bad.

I interned in independent ball this summer. One of my jobs was height and weight portions of the physical. I might have had one player all summer actually agree with the height I wrote down. Normally it was 1-3 inches shorter than they would claim...

I know one MLB scout who eyeballs kids closely to see if they match their listed heights. And he'll ask them about it, too, if he ends up talking to them. Fudging an inch is one thing, but I've never understood why players would add 2-3" to their heights when it's obviously inflated. I'm not sure what they get out of it, especially once the college coaches or pro scouts see they're not that size.

quote:

Years ago some MLB Scouting Departments had orders to never turn on a RHP unless he was over 6-0 tall.

If you were an outstanding pitcher at 5-11, these scouts wouldn't come to see you. If you were listed as 6-1, they would come.

I was told years ago the Mets minor league managers didn't turn in daily reports on righthanded pitchers under 6'2" unless they threw 90+.

There was an article in the Philadelphia paper this year when the Phillies scout filled out a report on Jimmy Rollins in high school. he fudged the physical stats. He didn't think the crosschecker would show up to see a 5'4", 135 shortstop.

Here are the first three sentences from 17's only Perfect Game evaluation:

"17 is a 2009 catcher with a 6'0'', 195 lb. frame from Tampa, Florida, who attends Alonso High School. 17 has present strength in his body with a big frame. He appears to be taller than his listed 6'0"."

At that time as a sophomore he was 6' 1/4" barefoot. We don't know his exact measurement height now as a college freshman, he lists at 6'1" and could probably get away with 6'2". He doesn't see the point.

The only benefit may be for the 6'2" pitchers he looks down on when he goes to the mound.

Each year they measure the kids at the Stanford camp and there are some stories out there about the measured height and weight differ from the self listed height and weight. Since 6'2" seems to be the issue mine was listed and measured at 6'2" but they did add 3 lbs to his listed weight.

He's just over 6'2" and by the end of the day he's about 6'1 3/4" but he's usually the tallest 6'2" player by a bit at showcases and camps.

A couple of years ago my son played in a fall scout league. At the first workout someone from the MLB scouting bureau was there measureing hight, weight and checking eye sight. Height was done with shoes off. No fudging there.

Side note. Last year our area had an all state running back that broke all kids of state rushing records. Peaple wondered why he wasn't getting any D1 looks. He ended up at a D2 school being red shirted as a conerback. He was listed at 5-10 200 in the state championship program. He's now listed at 5-8 186 in college. Not sure if it hurt him but coaches and scouts can tell the difference.

Tim Lincecum
Weight 170 lbs.
Height 5-11
Bats Left
Throws Right


I wonder what he put down when he was going through the recruiting process?

I thought he was 5'9".

Prince Fielder was listed at 6'1 in High School back in 2001. Now going into 2010 he is listed at 5'11.

PG.
He was 6'1" in HS. Over the years, gravity has made him get shorter due to his size.

quote:

Why is lying about your height so prevalent in baseball?

I would prefer to think of it as telling a "good story." It doesn't hurt to think of yourself in terms that are "bigger than life." If you don't think of yourself as the "big, bad dude" how will anyone take you seriously?

My postive spin on a practice which has been commonplace for years.

This practice is not limited to amateurs. I am an honest 5'10" and I'm at least two inches taller than every MiLB player I've had come to the plate listed at 5'10" and 5'11" and equally as tall as some listed at 6'0".

Jerry:

Since you guys take a photo of everyone, I always wondered why you didn't have a marking in the photo showing 6' etc. Like you see on the door at 7 11...

08

We actually did that a couple years at our indoor events. Believe it or not, it was hard to get an accurate reading. If done correctly, I think it would work.

I suppose that there are a number of ways the answer could end up tweaked - camera too low, player standing too close or far back, grid hung too low... but it seems to me that with some care, it should be doable...

I'm sure some of it's an honest mistake -- kid hasn't been officially measured for 8 months and you just know he's grown 2 inches....

When our son played at East Coast Pro this summer MLB measured him. He has been listed as 6'2" in most publications.

MLB had him at 6'1" 3/4 but they dropped him back to 6'1".

Somebody flunked rounding in school.