Parents, Repeat After Me Three times...

+1

Very well said and very true!

But we all love OUR kids. I've been around the worst offenders and the other ones who know their kid is special and who pretend to be humble...to a fault. I say if you love your kid, tell him there is another kid working as hard or harder to be better and take his spot. Never be comfortable. Humility is a strange thing, the moment you think you have got it, you've lost it.

HS coach doesn't tell me what to feed my son.  College coaches and scouts don't tell me what clothes to buy him.

 

I don't tell the HS coach how to run the team, nor the college coaches or scouts what they should think of my son as a ballplayer.

 

We all have a responsibility in life.  Mine is as a parent.

Can anyone explain the word "Usable" when used in feedback from a college coach?

How 'bout some context?  What was the topic and what was the statement?

This term was used in a follow up email from a college coach based on my sons performance at a camp.  the email was very detailed, and the coach used the term Usable  when referring to speed, arm strength, and hitting.

 

Usable is a positive word.

 

Example, there are some that run fast, some just run fast and some are able to use that speed.  Same goes for arm strength and other things.

 

One thing, I think is important... While it is a good thing to get an honest evaluation from someone capable of providing one, remember it is still just an opinion.  Use the evaluation to improve, but never believe that any evaluation is the gospel.  The greatest scouts that ever lived have missed when evaluating players. And they have missed both ways!

 

Most would say we are very good at evaluating players and I think we are.  But there are some we graded fairly low that are now playing in the Major Leagues.  And I love it!  It shows what hard work, persistence and believing can do.

How would one go about arranging for such an evaluation....should we reach out to others we know in the baseball community and ask who they would recommend do an evaluation? Do you need a referral or can you reach out directly to someone in these types of positions and ask if they can evaluate your son?

Your question, itself, suggests that you're on exactly the right path. Ask around.

 

Area baseball communities tend to be sufficiently fraternal that the people who have been a part of them long enough will be able to identify the folks whose assessments are considered the most reliable. The best travel team and high school coaches know the people who run the best development academies...who know the area scouts...who know college coaches...and it's all circular. Approach a few people in positions such as these, and I'll bet that a handful of names begin to pop up repeatedly.

 

I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank PGStaff for adding his ever-valuable perspective. No matter how much better than we parents his own very capable people and more local ones like I've identified may be, talent assessments are still produced within a band of opinion. ...and complicating the process is that playing profiles can change as players develop and mature. For these reasons, it's a good thing when a player can be evaluated several times over the course of his scholastic career.

I like numbers.  I respect talent evaluations from those who have done this professionally.  But I really like numbers.  Exit velocities do matter.  Pitching velocity does matter.  60 times matter.  Pop times etc.  My younger son doesn't play baseball he swims.  And at a high level.  I can say for sure he is at a high level because swimming is timed.  If kid A is faster than kid b he is better plain and simple.  Certainly there is still room for speculating about the two swimmers 'projectability' to use a baseball term.  But numbers are numbers.  I like knowing that if my son gets to 90mph it is very likely - not 100% maybe - but very likely he will play beyond high school.  I like knowing that if he gets his exit velocity up over 90 he is going to at least get more looks.  Gives him something concrete to shoot for.

Prepster,

 

Thank you very much.  Those words mean a lot coming from someone like you.

 

Truth is I never know if my thoughts are valuable.  Hope so, but I don't really care.  Just really enjoy talking about baseball.  Also enjoy reading what others think.

 

What is most important and enjoyable is seeing there are experienced people out there, like yourself, that have an interest in helping others for no other reason other than you want to.

Great thread- I Just finished reading a great new book on this subject called "Five Plus Tools" By Dave Perkin. He is a pro MLB scout who now works for Sports Illustrated ( SI.com ) and is their draft analyst each year, scouting all the top HS players in the nation. This book is a must read if you think you have a player who might get drafted or play college baseball. I found it incredibly helpful since I am fortunate to have pro scouts and D1 recruiters following my 2016 son. But there are many parents who need to understand the facts that dictate reality.