New to the board, what to do for a 2019 RHP?

Check the following thread.  Lots of good information in it with many of the same questions.

http://community.hsbaseballweb...tails-about-exposure

What are your son's grades?  Does he have a chosen career path (major)?  Have you had his skills evaluated by an independent professional?  If his grades are low, it'll be tough getting a D1/D2 offer.  NCAA minimum is 2.0 GPA and some schools have higher minimums.

Familiarize yourself with the recruiting timeline that is on this site.

Basically he needs to develop a marketing plan (with your guidance).  Develop a list of schools that he would that have his program of study/academic interest and merge them with that of baseball.  Be realistic.  In state or out-of-state?  Both?   You'll want to have list of about 25-35 schools to start. Don't discount D2, D3, NAIA or even JuCo.  There are some very good schools with very good baseball programs at those levels. Full disclosure - my son played D2 JuCo and for a D2 university.

At some point he'll need to showcase his talents at a PG type event so the coaches can evaluate his "tools".  Generally speaking, if they don't know about a player, they won't come looking.  College recruiting coaches very rarely attend HS games and if they do, it's because of a phenom that somewhere someone has told them about (marketing!). 

Oh and by the way, enjoy his HS baseball career.  Four years goes by quickly!

Hello fishnsale, WELCOME to this site.  Indeed you'll find a lot of great information that's already posted AND you'll get great feedback.  It'll really help as your son progresses through high school.

Some time ago now I also was hearing a lot from various parents about how good they thought my son was and also at the time we weren't involved in travel ball or any other baseball activities outside of the spring season.  But when I'd hear so many comments I decided to get son into something at a higher level (raising the bar to see if those comments might be correct in their valuation).  That you're son is a Freshman now, it's a good time to "raise the bar" and get him involved at a higher level to see if he can progress.  I'm sure in your area you can find a good high level travel team that can challenge his skill.  I did it and it was worth it (my son reached his goal for a D1 school and in is freshman year he also added a goal of playing professional . . . which he has also achieved and is still playing.  This summer will be a great time to get him onto a good team where he will be exposed to college coaches, recruiters and scouts.  Note, being in SoCal it not likely you'll need your son to participate in long distance competition as there's plenty around there.  Then, the following summer (at end of sophomore season) it'd be a very good time to go so a PG event (don't need to go to a lot of them).  Also, in another year to so, it would be good to think about attending one of Stanford's camps in NorCal as there aren't really any better (IMHO).  Now is a good time for you son to start making a list of colleges he might like.  That list will probably change over time but it won't be long and he'll need to be doing some specific things.  Right now, it's important to get plenty of playing time  . . . and OH YEAH . . . GRADES;  the better his grades the more choices he's going to have for D-1 or otherwise.

Yes, weight training and conditioning is an important thing to start now and hopefully his HS has program for that and a good manager over it.   

Fishnsail -- welcome to the board! I just sent you a PM.

thank you Fox dad and Truman for the reply's! 

that info helps greatly. His GPA right now is mid 3's but its his freshman year.  He is a good student(not an incredible student though). 

I am going to start to get him on board with making goals and a college list. It would seem this is the first step of the process. My  non sports junior with the 4.6 gpa is looking at engineering schools this weekend actually. There will be a decent chance that my 2019 will try to go to the school and play BB where his older brother ends up. We will see- its a long shot.

We just spoke to another friend we know from Las Vegas.  Their son is a 2016 RHP and they have spent over 50k in travel programs ,etc over the years.  That blew our minds!  50k, that is crazy.  Seems like they got roped into every program around .

I have offered to get my son a trainer this past winter and he declined but now seems more open to it.  One of his goals is he wants to be at 90 mph by his junior year. I think with continued growth plus proper training he has a chance.

Appreciate all the help and will look at the older threads and timelines on the site

fishnsail posted:

We just spoke to another friend we know from Las Vegas.  Their son is a 2016 RHP and they have spent over 50k in travel programs ,etc over the years.  That blew our minds!  50k, that is crazy.  Seems like they got roped into every program around .

I have offered to get my son a trainer this past winter and he declined but now seems more open to it.  One of his goals is he wants to be at 90 mph by his junior year. I think with continued growth plus proper training he has a chance.

Appreciate all the help and will look at the older threads and timelines on the site

 

Jeez.  If they had invested that 50K they wouldn't need to chase scholarships.  Seriously. 

I wouldn't set a mph goal, but he should continue to work on his mechanics.  As he grows and trains the velocity will probably increase - no guarantees though.  Most developed HS pitchers (juniors and seniors) are in the low to mid-80's at best.  I've only seen one that was 90 or better - son's HS teammate who was drafted out of HS (he didn't meet the NCAA minimum for grades so no D1 or D2 offers) was throwing 93-94 and occasionally touched 96.  Going on his 4th year in the MiLB and is up to 98 and has touched 100.

In the past 10 years he's probably been the only I've seen or heard of throwing over 90 in our local region.  There have been a few in the high 80's but not all that many.  But we're not in a prime baseball area either.  You get what you get.

My son will attend a 7A (highest classification) school in GA in the fall and you rarely see 90+ mph in the region. It happens but it's rare. Some classes are blessed with more good arms than other but it's not the norm.  As Fox dad said most kids are low to mid 80's but almost, not every school has an kid who can get it in the upper 80's. 

Now, your top travel organizations might have a few kids who are 90+ and the ones who aren't can really pitch. Travel ball and high school ball are two different animals but I think travel ball is the best indicator how good he really is. 

Start thinking weight, strength and velocity training. Look for a quality travel team. It may be too late for this summer. But teams are always looking for part time fill in pitchers. This summer or early fall have him participate in an inexpensive local college showcase to get a feel for the process.

hshuler posted:

My son will attend a 7A (highest classification) school in GA in the fall and you rarely see 90+ mph in the region. It happens but it's rare. Some classes are blessed with more good arms than other but it's not the norm.  As Fox dad said most kids are low to mid 80's but almost, not every school has an kid who can get it in the upper 80's. 

Now, your top travel organizations might have a few kids who are 90+ and the ones who aren't can really pitch. Travel ball and high school ball are two different animals but I think travel ball is the best indicator how good he really is. 

on that low-to-mid 80s thing . . . nice start by a local pitcher last night -- 6 innings, 1 run, got the win, threw 84 pitches, so pretty efficient. His fastball touched as high as 84 mph four separate times, and he averaged 82 mph on his fastball overall.

Pitcher's name: Jered Weaver

fishnsail posted:

thank you Fox dad and Truman for the reply's! 

that info helps greatly. His GPA right now is mid 3's but its his freshman year.  He is a good student(not an incredible student though).  

Again, that reminds me of my son in that he's a good student.  Academics never came easy for my son but he was/is a hard worker and I'd say the train that helped him most was that he was a "determined" student  trying to reach is goal.  His mother and is used to call that determination as being stubborn, but now we see that stubborn streak of his really helped him achieve what he has.    When viewing just how grades and athletic abilities work together is like the higher the skill set for baseball the less is needed for acceptance into a college (within a certain range and varies some depending on the particular college).  So, I'd say getting a 3.5 or better along with decent SAT or ACT scores will give a good player quite a few choices.

 

I am going to start to get him on board with making goals and a college list. It would seem this is the first step of the process. My  non sports junior with the 4.6 gpa is looking at engineering schools this weekend actually. There will be a decent chance that my 2019 will try to go to the school and play BB where his older brother ends up. We will see- its a long shot.

 Yeah, it's a little early to tell.  But the end of the sophomore year, it should be easier to see ahead.  Certainly, with a school with an alum often shows some preference.

 

We just spoke to another friend we know from Las Vegas.  Their son is a 2016 RHP and they have spent over 50k in travel programs ,etc over the years.  That blew our minds!  50k, that is crazy.  Seems like they got roped into every program around .

 

 That's way more than anyone really needs to spend.  Better to do fewer programs and save that money for college expenses.  Maybe if you can find the right personal coach, you might spend a little extra there.  But like I said before, being in SoCal, there's a lot of opportunities to play at high levels and it doesn't have to cost a lot.  A lot of the expense for travel ball are the plane tickets, rental cars and hotels.   Being in the financial business when my son was going through this I was detailed about tracking what I spent on travel ball and in a 5 year time I totaled about $12,000 spent and some of that included a few long distance travel ball trips (some which I feel we really could have done without).  So, yes . . . be careful about being "roped into every program around" or even every tournaments that promises a lot of attending recruiters and scouts.

I have offered to get my son a trainer this past winter and he declined but now seems more open to it.  One of his goals is he wants to be at 90 mph by his junior year. I think with continued growth plus proper training he has a chance.

Appreciate all the help and will look at the older threads and timelines on the site

 As FOXDAD mentioned, I would make it a point not to get overly concerned over getting to 90 mph.  If he's hit 80 at this stage and given his height and weight, he's just might easily get to 90 as his body matures during this adolescent period.  The main thing is to work on strength and conditioning and making sure his arm is not abused and is taken care of.

You'll likely here it more than once around here; enjoy and savor the moments of your son's time playing ball in HS.  It goes by very fast.  If and when he gets off to college to play ball, you may not see as much as you might now.

fishnsail posted:

Hi Everyone,  glad I found this board. looks like there is a lot of great information.

I am the father of a Freshman 2019 RHP.  He is 6'1 and around 155.

He has been pitching on all 3 levels of our san diego area high school team this season and doing very well. Up until this year he has been playing mainly for fun and competition.  With his recent success and growth this has quickly escalated into a what to do next question?

He hasn't played on any travelball/club teams since he was 10. Has never been to a showcase or anything. He really hasn't played in any summer leagues other than LL all star situations.

Lately while watching him pitch , I get the "he has a chance" comments from other parents.

His goal now is to pitch D1 and we want to help him achieve that without being too steering and crazy baseball parents.

He has hit 80 on our jugs gun and has a best in class curveball along with smooth form and perfect demeanor.  He is developing a change up.

His batting is average so he isn't getting into D1 with that

Obviously he needs some weight training and stuff as he has never lifted a pound in his life and he his still growing.

We just aren't sure what the next step is and there are so many programs/summer teams/showcases etc. that it makes my head spin. Perfect game makes my head spin.   Many seem like a money grab also. We have no idea on any of these and haven't asked around yet.

any advice would be great. He seems very motivated lately and is accelerating quickly . We would like to  make the right moves to help him out.

thank you

PG is great but Kyle said only go there if you have something to Show. 80 is good but not D1 stuff yet. You can still go to PG in a year when he hopefully throws 84-85.

Welcome to the site! Get ready to receive lots of good info and some criticism at times, this is a place where healthy debates happen often. I like that your son has goals, mine had the same. I cant say he did as a frosh but goals are good. The weightroom is definitely a destination for him. Find a pitcher workout and stay away from the bar and bench press. Lots of dumbells, pulls, squats and rows. I'm sure your can find a local expert to guide your son. 

Have fun and enjoy this journey, HS ball is cool and when it's gone, you'll miss it.

Like others have said, welcome to the board...

At this point you have some time.  It may not seem like especially when you hear about 2019s committing.  Most of these kids are your outliers and the majority of the 2019s wont commit for another two years or so.  Right now the big recruiting class is the 2017s.  Up until this fall the majority of the schools will be looking at 2017s with the better 2018s sprinkled in.

One thing I will caution you on.  It is going to take some development for your son to become D1 ready.  At this point as you have said "he has a chance".  Many things can change over the next two years.  Anything from his physical development to girls.  I have seen lots of kids "who had a chance" not go on to play college ball.  Some of them do not develop as hoped and others gave it up for various reasons.  I would temper your expectations at this point.  Make it your goal to develop as much as you can as a player and not worry too much about the college aspect.  If you develop properly and get in the right places things will happen as they should. 

At this point, your son should be focusing on his grades and his development as a player.  Grades will factor just as much into the equation as his playing skills will.  The first thing every coach has asked my son, is "how are your grades".  The second thing asked of his coaches (after can he play) is "how are his grades". 

I would spend time on physical development in addition to baseball skills.  Do some research or find someone who knows how a pitcher should work out to develop physically.  I do not know of any kid (and I know some D1 commits to major schools) that is physically ready to play college ball.  Many of them have the skill sets but at this time there bodies need more physicality work.

Now as you are working on grades and development, you will want to start putting together a plan of attack.  Search this site, there is a lot of good information on how to approach things.  Personally I would start by putting together a list of schools that he is targeting for academic and career aspirations.  Then take a look at the list and figure out what schools he may be a fit for baseball-wise.  I would start have your son (not you - very bad if its you) start sending the RCs from these schools emails introducing himself.  Keep the letters short, but do provide his current GPA, height and weight, position, and if your comfortable his "measurables", not his stats.  College won't care about his stats.  They do not know the level of competition you are playing.  They are more interested in his velo and the differential between his FB and his Change.  Next don't be too excited when he receives a camp invite or questionnaire back as a response.  This is a typical response that is sent to anyone contacting the school or on any baseball list they may have.

As you progress over the next couple of years you are going to need to find a way to get in front of these coaches.  A good showcase program can help you.  If you post what area you live in Im sure some folks can make some suggestions.  You want to be on a team geared, and has a track record of, getting kids into college.  This may not be the winningest, top travel team in your area.  Many of these showcase teams will sacrifice a win to get some kids in front of a scout.  If you want advice on selecting a program I would suggest posting a separate topic and many folks on here will give you some advice.

Also, don't discount D2 or D3 schools, or NAIA.  Kids, and most parents, seem to get stuck on D1 there is some very good baseball being played at the other levels.  I ran track in college.  At one of the better D2 programs in the country at the time.  The majority of our meets were at the D1 level and we were very competitive. 

Finally, listen to the long time posters on here.  The majority of them have had kids play in college.  There are a few who have had kids play in, or are currently playing in the MLB.  In fact I believe one persons son made their debut yesterday.

2019Dad posted:

Fishnsail -- welcome to the board! I just sent you a PM.

Also welcome!  And also sent you a PM. Knowing 2019 the good man that he is probably with some of the same info for you. But just in case I doubled down!

Fishnsail, I am the mom of a 2020 so please wait for others to chime in on this idea, but given the area Fishnsail is in shouldn't he try to find a pitching coach/program rather than a high level team?  At the moment most of the teams are probably set. 

Wouldn't it be more beneficial for the kid to get on a decent pitching program to gain muscle and velocity in the proper way in a structured environment and attack the travel team concept next year with the advice of his pitching coach? 80mph is great for not being in the travel ball world but it isn't D1 and being 155#'s he has a LOT of room to grow.  My 5'11 kid is 150# and he looks like skin and bones.

Wow !

Such great help and responses.  I wasn't expecting all of that. Probably found out more in past 24 hours than we have in previous 5 years concerning the process.  Joes87- your response should be a sticky on the board.

I am excited about being here and will savour these HS days as I know it will go fast. (I also will try not to be so enveloped in it that it takes over part of my life).  

Probably going to wait on the PG thing till next year. In the mean time, we are going to start making written goals and seek out summer and fall training and or teams.

I will keep posting and let everyone know how it works out.  Guess we are pretty lucky to be in the So Cal area as there is a lot of baseball related acess and a ton of great baseball schools and colleges. 

It will be an adventure.

Welcome to the site.  You already have some good info here and I'm sure others will add to this.  As the parent of a 2016 RHP who throws in the 80-85 range I would say that for right now I would find him a quality travel program that allows him to play against top competition and also provides access to high level instruction - including off-season strength and conditioning. I'm across the country so I'm not sure what the summer programs look like where you are - I'd find something close to home and I would not want that team to do crazy traveling (for your sake) other than maybe one PG or other national type program. There will be time for more travel the summer between Jr and Sr year.  As CACO points out, many of the summer travel teams are set now (at least here on the east coast) but in my experience they will always find a spot for a good pitcher.  

There are lots of other threads on here that you can search about RHPs and velo needed to pitch at the D1 level but I can tell you first hand that the RHPs who get D1 offers who don't have max velos between 86-89 are outliers or appear to be outliers (to me).  Every team we played the last two summers had guys throwing low 80s.  On 2016's team 2 summers ago they could bring virtually anyone on the team in to pitch and he'd be throwing 80mph.  It's very hard to stand out if you are just one of those throwing 80 mph, no matter how effective you are.  

I don't point that out to be negative and most of those players mentioned above weren't freshman as he was playing 17/18u both summers but I think it's important to know what you are facing and the level of competition he'll face if he wants to play D1.  Spend the next two summers with a focus on serious development - pitching mechanics, strength, flexibility - as well as playing against top competition and then see where he stands velocity wise and you'll have a better idea on the level he should focus on (D1, 2 or 3).  

And finally - have a lot of fun.  It goes by very fast and the next thing you know your now freshman will be a senior and getting ready for his first start of his last HS season (weather permitting as I do today).   Make sure you take the time to enjoy the time spent with your son (and family) and take a lot of pictures.  

80 as a freshman....especially this early in the spring of his freshman year is very, very good.  Here in Ohio, he'd be in the top 2 or 3 freshmen in the state as far as velocity alone.  The fact that your son is already 6'1 and 155 can't hurt.  My son was 5'2 and maybe 100 lbs at this point in his freshman year.  He was probably throwing 70-72 on a good day.  There wasn't a coach in the country who would seriously have looked at him at that point.  Fast forward to the winter before his junior year.  He's now 5'10 and 150-ish.  He went to a winter camp and threw 84 in January.  There were guys there who had thrown 87-88 the previous summer who only hit 82-83...so he started getting some notice.  84-86 may not get you D1 looks in California, but here in Ohio and other "cold weather" states, it's enough to get some interest.  My son is now a freshman at a mid-major D1.  He is sitting 88-89 and has hit 90 a couple times.  They don't have another guy on their team that I've seen over 86 so far this year....and a couple guys getting regular work are 82-84.  If your son continues to progress....and can get to 84-85 within a couple years, I'd say your chances of finding somewhere to play are very good....at some level.  87-88 and he's likely got a shot at D1.  The fact that he's throwing some Varsity as a freshman is a huge plus.  Somebody sees something in him...and if he's holding his own against upperclassmen then I'd say he's got a good start.  Good luck

FISHNSAIL,

From one of those old timers, welcome to the HSBBW.  When you have a few minutes, I hope you can read through the entire site. Understanding the history since Bob started the site over 16 years ago is a bit like baseball itself in terms of reflecting  the importance of history.

Having learned somewhat the hard way with our son, and having posted on the site about this since 2003, this thought of yours is one most of us from CA shared on the way up:

"Guess we are pretty lucky to be in the So Cal area as there is a lot of baseball related access and a ton of great baseball schools and colleges."

While this is completely correct, it ends up being only part of the equation, even for sons who are very, very good players. Experience tells us that it is at least as  important to appreciate how many highly skilled players there are in our State competing for very few open spots at those great baseball schools and colleges.  While there is no completely accurate measurement, I have posted more than a few times on the site that there are probably 10 D1 quality players in CA for each college freshman spot, every Fall.  Unless our son is one of the elites (which most are not), their chances of being recruited to UCLA, USD, SDSU, Cal, Stanford, etc are slim to none, realizing the gap between the very top recruit and #10 on the list for that position might not be  all that distant.

My point is the support for your son might also include an awareness and nudging  him to expand his college horizons well beyond our State, where incredible college and college baseball experiences exist. If your son turns out to be an elite pitcher by his sophomore/junior year in HS, you won't need to worry.  With decent academics, he will have choices.

If yours is like so many in our State, talented but not elite and with solid academics, the college he attends may well not be one you even knew about when he was a HS sophomore/junior.

The end point is any player or parent who is focused on playing D1 college baseball in our State has to recognize the level of talent required and the amazing amount of talent from which college coaches have to choose.

Good luck on the journey!

fishnsail posted:

Wow !

Such great help and responses.  I wasn't expecting all of that. Probably found out more in past 24 hours than we have in previous 5 years concerning the process.  Joes87- your response should be a sticky on the board.

I am excited about being here and will savour these HS days as I know it will go fast. (I also will try not to be so enveloped in it that it takes over part of my life).  

Probably going to wait on the PG thing till next year. In the mean time, we are going to start making written goals and seek out summer and fall training and or teams.

I will keep posting and let everyone know how it works out.  Guess we are pretty lucky to be in the So Cal area as there is a lot of baseball related acess and a ton of great baseball schools and colleges. 

It will be an adventure.

Here's my only advice from what I have seen over the years...make sure that it's his goals and not yours. You can help guide and support him along the way but he has to lead the process. 

You mentioned that you offered access to a trainer and he declined so you didn't push him. That's the right approach in my opinion. 

2019Dad posted:

hshuler posted:

My son will attend a 7A (highest classification) school in GA in the fall and you rarely see 90+ mph in the region. It happens but it's rare. Some classes are blessed with more good arms than other but it's not the norm.  As Fox dad said most kids are low to mid 80's but almost, not every school has an kid who can get it in the upper 80's. 

Now, your top travel organizations might have a few kids who are 90+ and the ones who aren't can really pitch. Travel ball and high school ball are two different animals but I think travel ball is the best indicator how good he really is. 

on that low-to-mid 80s thing . . . nice start by a local pitcher last night -- 6 innings, 1 run, got the win, threw 84 pitches, so pretty efficient. His fastball touched as high as 84 mph four separate times, and he averaged 82 mph on his fastball overall.

 

Pitcher's name: Jered Weaver

Weaver did not get to the majors throwing 84. He got there throwing 90+. Along the way, like most pitchers he lost velocity and added knowledge. Chances are a rookie pitcher throwing 84 would last about a week in the majors assuming he ever got to AA. Assuming he ever got signed in the first place.

hshuler posted:

Here's my only advice from what I have seen over the years...make sure that it's his goals and not yours. You can help guide and support him along the way but he has to lead the process. 

You mentioned that you offered access to a trainer and he declined so you didn't push him. That's the right approach in my opinion. 

+1

Fish ... Sit down with your son. Create a written business plan on how he can be developed as a player and what colleges he might want to get in front of. Your plan (training, travel teams, showcases, camps) will get modified along the way. But you can't get there without a map. If you have a budget use your plan like a puzzle to optimize the fit.

Attend college games of various levels. See what it takes to play at various levels of college ball. Ask parents of players about their son's journey to get to his program. As long as you don't distract them from watching the game I never had a parent not like talking about their kid. The best time to talk is during pregame. If you see someone with a gun ask how hard pitchers are throwing. It looks slower from the sidelines than on the field.

Learn as much as you can to guide your son. One time watching a D1 camp/showcase a parent commented how close in ability all the kids were. I commented only four of the thirty six had D1 swings. I was asked how I could tell. The answer: coaching experience and watching college games.

The journey can be stressful at times. Try to keep it fun. Don't drag your son through the process. The passion and work ethic has to come from within. 

Good luck.

Fish,

You are getting a lot of good solid information here.

Hopefully your son will turn into an outstanding prospect.  Maybe he already is for his age group.

The best suggestion I can give you is to contact the coaching staff at USD and ask the same questions you asked here.  Also there is a Travel organization in San Diego that is actually considered one of the most talented in the nation... San Diego Show.  You probably know about them.  You should contact them as well. One more thing, San Diego has produced a lot of players, some like Mickey Moniac from La Costa Canyon HS are in their final HS season and are early round draft prospects.  Others have already moved on in professional and DI colleges. You would be surprised how accomodating their parents are in many cases.  They might give you some great advice for dealing with the future.

Best of luck

Not sure what part of town you are in, but Point Loma Sports Performance has a fantastic training and development program for pitchers. 

Thank you , we are close to PT Loma  , I will check out PLSP.

This forum has been a great help!