"Dear Mr. and Ms. Smith
Thank you very much for the opportunity to provide an in depth evaluation and plan for your son Jon Smith. As you know, I was a professional baseball scout for many years and know some people who are pretty high in various baseball organizations. While scouting is different from developing baseball skills, I am very experienced in watching and rendering opinions and have done so for literally thousands of players over my scouting career - some of those who I evaluated played in the major leagues! My goal is to create a multi-year relationship with your family which will culminate in your son realizing his baseball potential. While I do not coach, teach, or develop, I can tell you what your son will need to do to reach the next baseball level.
I attended two full games of Saturday's high school double header and am pleased to share with you my observations:
Jon is a 5' 2" 150 lb. soft body, right fielder who is just entering puberty. His parents (I don't know if he was adopted) are both average height and build.
While only two fly balls were hit to right over both games, I observed that Jon wore his uniform properly and he warmed up well, with most of his throws to his warm up partner within an acceptable range for both accuracy and velocity. Both fly balls were routine, but I noticed Jon seemed a bit unsure whether to crow hop a throw back to the infield - maybe next game, I'll get to watch Jon catch a ball with a man on base and less than two out. However, during pre-game the three warm up fly balls were caught and his throws went to the base he had been told to throw to; moreover, the throws were reasonably accurate and showed good velocity. For almost every pitch defensively, Jon would seem to be focused on the game and moved to back up throws when appropriate.
At the plate, Jon seemed a bit tentative. He did not seem to have an approach at the plate or a plan to attack the pitcher when the count turned in his favor. His swing was a bit long and loopy and he stepped out a bit - especially on breaking pitches.
He ran out the balls he put into play and hustled whenever he was on base. His time to first, however, was very slow. I attribute that to his weight and soft body as well as the fact that his head bobs and weaves as he runs and the moving parts don't work in harmony. His leads were a bit short and his secondary leads lacked aggression - there were several balls in the dirt which could have been used to advance, but weren't. He needs to pick up the third base coach earlier on plays where he runs from first to third.
For a 14 year old, however, Jon has potential to play at the next level. BUT, the road to the next level is difficult and requires dedication and discipline. Therefore, here are the goals for the upcoming year based upon my observations:
- find a strength trainer who knows how to instruct baseball players;
- jon should eat healthy protein heavy foods (chicken, fish) and avoid sugars, fats and fast foods and snacks. He should eat lots of vegetables and fruits and protein supplements. A nutritionist you hire can help.
- find a batting coach to tighten the swing, straighten the stride and bring a plan to batting.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to evaluate Jon; he is a fine young man with baseball potential and with hard work, discipline, good baseball coaching, a personal trainer and nutritionist, has a very good chance of developing his game to be able to do compete successfully at the next level.
Enclosed you will find my bill. Including the double header, travel, notes, and creating this incredible evaluation and development plan, I spent 12 hours. Please remit the $200 to the address noted and I look forward to watching Jon over the next six years."
So, how helpful?
