More Interpretational Help!

Good Morning Krakatoa,

I have fresh hot coffee,..want some?

Still waitin' for answers, huh?

Well,..unfortunately I haven't a cluuuuuuueeee what those evaluation words mean,..but I read your plea for help with this thread in another forum and decided to swing by here and learn a thing or two. When I got here I saw that your post had 90 views,..but there were no actual postings!!

????????????? What???? Huh?????

I'm suprised by that. Surely someone from this great HHBBW has an opinion ( or two ) as to what the evaluation words mean, or even a guess??? I know our old timers and even our newbies will come to your rescue!! I have the faith!! ( LoL )

So in the meantime,...I felt bad for ya,..and decided to sit here too and wait with ya to see what people have to say.

Hum da deeeee da deeeee.

More coffee?

SSMom, thanks for the offer, but in my part of the world it's bedtime!! That caffeine would have my eyelids flying open like a couple of cheap windowshades. But, yeah, I'm still a-waitin'........
I think I'll just lean back here and whistle myself to sleep...............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

Okie dokie Krakatoa,..well, while you sleep in your opposite time zone ( sweet dreams) ,..I will hold down the fort,..er uh, post,..and wait for answers and/or guesses to your question.

Freeeeee refill of coffee to ANYONE who answers Krakatoa's post!!

( whistling )

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Krak...

I'd call the coach who did the eval to get a clear perspective....

But beyond that....Where are all the smart HSSBW people? As I know you are straight up, and not setting anyone up... (putting these terms out then slamming a poster for answering)...I'll give you an idiots perspective....

"Spins Curve Ball" Two ways to get the ball to drop, spin and gravity. The preferred option is obviously spin as this maximizes "bite" and break. There are high school pitchers who do not possess enough quick twitch muscles or stregnth to really make the ball bite and so have rely as much on greavity as spin. I'd say this is a positive observation for Krak jr...

"Starts Bats" Probably means that he is always around the plate and makes people swing. The other option would be he is enough off the plate that they can sit and wait for him to have to groove something. I'd lay odds that this is also very good....

"on time delivery" Probably alludes to a smooth rythum. No herky-jerky motion with parts being left behind and then having to catch up later....I'd say this is good too...

"stab backside" I have no idea....

There it is...an idiots perspective to coaching baseball...

Sorry to have missed you in the Northwest last summer...maybe '07...

44

Oh, and by the way...SSMom...I'm a purist...I'll take a venti dark of the day with no room for cream...just the basics Maam...
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Krak,

I was hoping others would explain as it usually happens on here. O44 did a nice job!

I’ll try to help…

Stab backside – There are MLB pitchers who do this. It’s more of a descriptive term than anything else. It means the pitcher could be smoother from the time the ball comes out of the glove to the point of going forward. It sometimes looks like a two part delivery. I believe Rick Sutcliffe was one that comes to mind that stabbed on the back side. (There are others) It usually associated with pitchers who have a long arm stroke.

Spins Curveball – This is both good and bad. It means the pitcher has the ability to spin the curveball the right way (has a feel for it). It also means the curveball appears to just spin without getting real good sharp bite. Sometimes a “hanging curveball” is described as one that just spins in the zone. All curveballs do spin, but they don’t always spin the same from one pitcher to the next. Usually as velocity increases so does the “spin” and sharpness of the break on the baseball. The slower the velocity and spin on the baseball the more “round” the pitch usually is. There are some very good slow curveball pitchers who get tremendous “spin”, though.

Starts Bats – This means several things, most all of which are good. Deception, changes speeds, everything looks like a strike early, good control.

On time delivery – This basically means the timing involving the mechanics is good. The ball is released at the proper time. The middle of the body is timed correctly with the throwing arm. Doesn’t open up too early or in very rare cases. too late.

Needs to gain strength – Some see this comment as a negative thing, we see it as a positive in most every case. Gaining strength is something nearly everyone can do with hard work. Depending on what present level a pitcher is at, it could be more of a negative to a scout if the pitcher was strong and physically mature.

Krak,

For a more precise explanation from the person who filed this report please email or PM me and I will give you his email address. He will be more than willing to explain what he saw to you. I do agree that sometimes we should stick to the easier to understand ways of describing things. Most all our people have very strong scouting backgrounds and tend to use descriptions geared towards other scouts. Also, remember that different scouts might see different things in the same player. It is all opinion, based on what people might see on any given day.

Best of luck to your son.

Looks like I owe a few guys a cup of coffee,...er,..uhhh,...venti!!!

Krakatoa will be so pleased when he wakes up and see's your responses! I knew someone would come to his rescue!!
Thank you!

SSmon, start sloshin' that joe down my piehole for it is 7:52am in beautiful downtown Seoul, Korea!!

Thanks OBS and PG for the feedback. I get it now!!

And SSmom, thanks for keeping the light on for me!!

Lots of work ahead, through fall and winter, for the young Krakster. He's working hard in the weightroom (nothing overhead, son!) and I think this is going to make a big difference in his overall abilities on the mound. Hope springs eternal!

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Thanks for the help and the clarification PG, really glad to get an experts opinion...I really didn't want to be the last word on this...

Ah Yes, the dreaded Stab Backside...my younger actually had a terminal case until Junior year when it magically disappeared...

I for one enjoy language and the scout terms are so "baseball". Love this stuff..

All good fortune to Krak jr on his trip up the stadium steps to baseball greatness!

44
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I continue to be amazed at the helpfulness of this site! Krak asks some very specific questions regarding his son's review and - bang! - he gets responses.
Then...he gets answers from PG (!) which is even more terrific since that is evidently where the original critique came from. Wow! How great is that!
Just another comment on PG....the specifics don't matter....but I had an small encounter recently with PG (the organziation) and the result was another example of why PG is the 'gold standard' in the showcase business. Very impressive organization! First class - seemingly in every way.

Both - this site AND PG - continue to re-affirm my faith in baseball people. They are the best!

I agree! PG is awesome!! Even though my kid is not a 'blue chip' prospect, they have done many things to help us along the path and I can't thank Mr. Ford enough. Jerry, feel the love!!
(BTW,I have sent you a PM).

Krakatoa,..no problem.
It was my pleasure!
I knew the HSBBW would come through! Glad you got your answers!!!