Play where you are good, or play where you fit the measurables

For school, play both. You probably dont have a choice anyway. For showcases, play the position where his measurables stand out. CF needs a high velo from OF, speed and Exit velo in terms of measurables.

A 2022 running a 6.75 will get recruited as an OF if he can hit even a little... Get that down to 6.5 and practically have your pick of schools

You don’t want to showcase as a first baseman unless you look like and hit like a masher. College first baseman are typically either mashers who may have played catcher, first, third or left field when being recruited, a player that didn’t win his recruited position or a player who can hit but is dinged up and can’t cover his normal position. 

BballHS, he hasn't been able to play both positions in school, they only have him at 1st and pitcher.  In practice he can try to take some OF reps, but not if it interfered with IF reps.  With travel teams and showcases,  we have had him play his primary position but I'll probably start listing CF as his primary, even though he has a very rudimentary skill set there.  I just need to get him more reps there.

It's not enough to just be fast to play CF. You have to run efficient routes to the ball, be able to make all the catches(including the dreaded line drives that are either short, or over your head),  have a good arm with excellent OF technique, and  get great jumps on balls.

 It is one of the most important defensive positions on the field. Playing 1st and P does not prepare you for it. Make sure he takes hundreds of OF balls before he goes to a showcase as an OF.

Oh, and you didn't mention his P measurables. Teams always need Pitching. If he is a good pitcher, then it makes sense for him to be a 1B on his off days from pitching, as the demands on the arm are far less there.

57, I agree, hence my original question as to how to approach these showcase/tournements.   It's a risk to put him in CF, but at the same time, I'm not sure schools can see him as a first baseman or pitcher.  Pitching measurables, FB mid 70's. Curve and his best pitch, change up.  Played JV as a freshman (measurables here dont matter but they were good).  He is very effective because he can mix up all 3 pitches and control them well enough.  

To add to 57’s comments even though my son was a CF’er we spent hours on the field with me hitting long gappers, line drive gappers, line drives straight at him, in front of him and straight over his head. We worked on charge, scoop and throw on base hits at him, to his right and his left. We did this often until he ran out of gas.

We used a bag of balls. After each play he tossed the ball against the fence until the bag was empty. On the base hits he flipped the balls towards second base. I didn’t want him making a lot of throws.

An outfielder has to develop natural reactions for a quick break on the ball and taking the correct route. 

As a 2022, what positions on the HS team are graduating this year? Pitching measurables tell me that as a P, likely an "innings eater." Scouts told son early on that his speed would be his calling card. 6.75 for a sophomore is pretty good. You didn't indicate if "running ' (stealing bases) is part of 2022Grad's game. Position really isn't relevant for that. Son played against a team this summer whose catcher was team's leading base stealer, and he had a good % of success rate. As other posters have indicated, profile doesn't match 1b. My son once had a teammate who played CF, and could also play 1B if needed. Much better than being a 1B, who can spot in CF.

Another question is if 2022grad could play MI. I would probably say get reps at CF; In the showcase settings skill sets usually consist of 5-7 balls hit to you. I have seen some showcases where all outfielders line up in RF also. As an aside, son played 3B in high school most of his junior year, where he neither fit the profile defensively (too much range to have fewer chances than MI) nor hitting (contact hitter). His Legion team (and showcases) he played MI and CF. Where does your son usually hit in the lineup?

3and2Fastball posted:

A 2022 running a 6.75 will get recruited as an OF if he can hit even a little... Get that down to 6.5 and practically have your pick of schools

Not true for D1. 

RoadRunner posted:

3and2Fastball posted:

A 2022 running a 6.75 will get recruited as an OF if he can hit even a little... Get that down to 6.5 and practically have your pick of schools

Not true for D1. 

There is a spot at most D1's for a 6.5 runner who can hit a little, absolutely

Son was HS SS. Recruited as MIF. Didn’t have an IF spot open as a freshman so DH. Crowded IF as a sophomore, so he won the CF spot. He never played OF with any regularity before this. He can run, and knowledgeable coaches always said that was his spot (CF).  We had similar concerns, but he was able to convert, once someone took the time to train him. It has to be worth the coach’s while to make the change. Worthwhile=one of the top 9 hitters.  Be a hitter. 

3and2Fastball posted:

RoadRunner posted:

3and2Fastball posted:

A 2022 running a 6.75 will get recruited as an OF if he can hit even a little... Get that down to 6.5 and practically have your pick of schools

Not true for D1. 

There is a spot at most D1's for a 6.5 runner who can hit a little, absolutely

Does your kid run a 6.5, and that’s been your personal experience?

Ripken Fan posted:

As a 2022, what positions on the HS team are graduating this year? Pitching measurables tell me that as a P, likely an "innings eater." Scouts told son early on that his speed would be his calling card. 6.75 for a sophomore is pretty good. You didn't indicate if "running ' (stealing bases) is part of 2022Grad's game. Position really isn't relevant for that. Son played against a team this summer whose catcher was team's leading base stealer, and he had a good % of success rate. As other posters have indicated, profile doesn't match 1b. My son once had a teammate who played CF, and could also play 1B if needed. Much better than being a 1B, who can spot in CF.

Another question is if 2022grad could play MI. I would probably say get reps at CF; In the showcase settings skill sets usually consist of 5-7 balls hit to you. I have seen some showcases where all outfielders line up in RF also. As an aside, son played 3B in high school most of his junior year, where he neither fit the profile defensively (too much range to have fewer chances than MI) nor hitting (contact hitter). His Legion team (and showcases) he played MI and CF. Where does your son usually hit in the lineup?

In the last couple if years my son has started pitching, middle relief and closes.  Stealing, below average.  Speed good, base running skills, below average. Coach originally wanted to make him a PO but his hitting has kept him on the field so he's in the lineup.  Freshman year, hit leadoff for JV. Before that he was 3, 4 or 5 spot most of the time.  He can play MI, but he isnt nearly as smooth as the current varsity MI.  His travel coach told him he should take reps at 3rd but the current 3rd baseman is a beast at the plate (my son might be able to field as well, but doesnt hit the ball as hard/well).  He did attend a couple of local showcases where they took reps at right field throwing to 3rd and home, that suited him well.  

I'm going to take the advice to work on OF with him on the side.  I think he can show well enough out there, who knows, maybe he can make OF for his HS team (he's got a lot of ground to make up, plus show the coaches too), but I'm not seeing first base for him after college so it might not even by an option to showcase there.

Do you hit fungos to him? 

That he has below average baserunning skills might point to a lack of baseball instincts. Measurables are more important but if you aren't terrorising the ball baseball instincts do help getting into the lineup. When he makes bad baserunning decisions coaches probably think that will transfer to other areas of the game too so they don't trust him to play tougher positions than 1b

Work on getting stronger and bigger and improving your hitting and running but also work on those baseball instincts. 

I had that issue in my first years of playing too, hit the ball hard but was sloppy on field and bases so I didn't play so much. Tightened that up and then I played most of the time.

Not everyone can be a stud on the bases but you can for sure make sure that you don't make mental mistakes. 

He's only a soph in HS... any idea what his height projects to be?  Do you consider him to be close to physical maturation or still growing into his body?

3and2Fastball posted:

RoadRunner posted:

3and2Fastball posted:

A 2022 running a 6.75 will get recruited as an OF if he can hit even a little... Get that down to 6.5 and practically have your pick of schools

Not true for D1. 

There is a spot at most D1's for a 6.5 runner who can hit a little, absolutely

You have to hit a lot to play D1 baseball to begin with. Speed is the differentiator in recruiting after it is already established that they can hit. A kid who hits a little in HS/Summer circuit is not going to crack the lineup at the D1 where everybody hits a lot to begin with. They'll take the 6.9 kid who can hit  

Kids running a 6.25 to 6.4 get recruited. How high of a prospect and how much money they get is another matter. But if they show they are competent hitters the coaches drool at the speed and dream of making them a better hitter. 6.5 is very fast. But it’s not blazing. A 6.5 sixty is probably only a 4.6 forty. Not fast enough for track. 

A sub 6.4 is a straight mlb 80, isn't it?

At least according to this article?

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/sc...0-80-scouting-scale/

Dominik85 posted:

A sub 6.4 is a straight mlb 80, isn't it?

At least according to this article?

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/sc...0-80-scouting-scale/

Not if the scout evaluation says ...

Runs like a deer. Hits like one too.