Well I see its been nearly 18 months since I last posted here on the forums. At that time my then 13U son was starting to blossom as a LHP and I pretty much knew nothing about baseball (thus the lost dad moniker). I never really thought I would have a kid who was a big into sports because I never was at all but its reality now and he is doing well.
Fast forward to completing his freshman year as a 14 year old and starting to look toward his Sophomore year. I am seeking any input from those who have had their sons go through the high school years.
A few facts:
- LHP
- Throwing in the upper 70s - topping out at 79 or 80
- Just turned 15 so typically younger than most in his grade
- Around 6 1 in height and pretty athletic frame - he has been doing an intensive baseball focused fitness program focusing on core development
- Commands 4 pitches for strikes - 2 seam, 4 seam, change up and curve (I believe its called a football curve) - really good ball movement
- Started on JV and moved to Varsity the last 1/2 of the Freshman season as a PO - The team is a solid and plays a high level of baseball.
- Plays club ball as well on a solid team
- Overall high school and summer ball ERA was probably around 2 or 2.5 and overall good stats
- Works with a private instructor who was an LHP in the minors
All in all from what I can tell thats a pretty good spot to be in if your serious about being a LHP in college. So I am thinking about next steps to help in his development - given that here are a few questions that if anyone wants to chime in on that would be great 
- Any input on where he is at compared to other freshmen pitchers would be great
- Would it be worth attending a couple of local college show cases (D1 schools) for the experience?
- You read a lot about learning new pitches and when to do them - e.g. a true curve ball. He is eager to learn more but we have babied his arm with pitch count and pitches very carefully so at some point we will have to decide on what the next pitch to learn is and when.
- His love of baseball doesn't seem to diminish even as it gets harder and more work. Of course it was an exciting year to be a freshman and have the opportunity to pitch in a lot of big games, etc. The downside is he became almost exclusively a PO. His hitting is just OK and he isn't super fast so being left handed that limits his options at First and Outfield. He is ok with PO but there is the struggle of not playing every day. Any suggestions from other parents of POs?
- His goal is to attend a D1 school and though he won't admit it there is probably dreams of being drafted high enough to make it worth it (I don't have those dreams LOL). I am trying to keep expectations realistic and at the same time give him as much opportunity as possible to continue to develop. A lot of people who know baseball and see him seem to think he has something special. I am trying to balance keeping it real and also giving him a great opportunity. Any advice in this area would be welcomed.
- So I am on the emailing list for Ron Wolforth and read about all the things they do to help progress pitchers. Anyone have any experience with him? The one area I don't have a good handle on is implementing a solid throwing program, etc. I wonder if a program like his could lay out a development plan for the next couple years.
Every summer for the past couple of years I have kind of assessed what we will do with baseball. Now that its like having another child in terms of time commitment I figure it can't hurt to get as much advice as possible!
Thanks so much!
Lost Dad
