Position Player Metrics for 2025

D1’s recruit the best athletes outside specialty positions like pitchers and catchers. A D1 might recruit all former high school shortstops and center fielders figuring they can move them around to various positions. If a kid is a corner infielder or outfielder in high school he better be a masher to be recruited for D1. This is at the higher level. There are various levels of D1. From top to bottom they vary significantly. The talent required varies significantly. The cleanup hitter at a MAAC would probably be the scorekeeper at Vanderbilt.

I’ve never seen a D1 potential recruit not be solicited by the right level travel team. Focus on bigger, faster, stronger and more skilled and see which travel teams come in pursuit. If they don’t he’s likely a D3 prospect.

Agree with RJM.....my son's freshman recruiting class at a mid-major had 6 position players....5 HS shortstops  (all were all-state their senior year) and a center fielder.  None of the 5 played more than a few scattered games at SS.  They ended up playing almost every other position, including 1B lol.   It's hard for me to talk metrics for a kid that age....when my son was that age he was 5'2 and maybe 100 pounds....he had no metrics    As he gets older he'll need to be able to hit...and have an arm.  The not getting below 7.0 will probably be an issue for him to play anywhere other than maybe 1B or 3B at a D1.

All good stuff. I was asking the metrics needed as sophomore in HS not as 13 year old just to clarify. He is playing up at 15u for one of the better travel programs in our state albeit not on the top tier team. My gut is his ticket will be with his bat if there’s a ticket at all. If you mash they’ll find a place for you and he has the hands/feet to be a good enough fielder.

So, 95 exit velo, 7.4 60, 85 plus position velo with solid in game performance get mid major or lower DI looks if not freak athlete?

I know 85 mph 6’1 180 RHP plus change that got no interest DI so just curious for position player what opens the door?

"So, 95 exit velo, 7.4 60, 85 plus position velo with solid in game performance get mid major or lower DI looks if not freak athlete?"

Ours had 95 exit velo, 7.3 60 and 88 mph inf velo as a Soph>. Got no bites as a SS/3b which he played every day. Also hit 378.

Switched to pitcher and the day he hit 90 mph, board lit up. Committed now as D1 two way. (But to be fair he added 6 inches and 60 lbs and is a freak in the weight room.)

I expect you are correct that you can play lower D1 or Mid Maj as long as you can hit like crazy.

My kids never had metric goals. They only strived for the best results in training and on the field. They never stopped reaching for the next level results.

Hi baseballdad72.   I hope this helps.  Here's what I'm coming up with.  I have a sophomore who just started becoming really fast.  He wallowed around 7.10-7.2 for a year.  Just ran a 6.86  60 today at an event.  4.0 home to first (right side).  threw 80 infld  84 outfld.  BP exit velo 94.   He's 5ft 8   150lbs.  plus MIF/CF defender; 3 hole hitter on the #2 team for a large travel org.  His travel coach has told me he'll be a very desired D3; hardly will get any looks D1.   If he was 6ft, projectable.  I think different story.   

If he’s never going to be sub 7.0, it’s a pretty safe bet D1 is not an option. Especially in the wake of Covid. Comb through PG and PBR and see how many D1 CIF/COF commits AREN’T sub 7. It’ll be a fairly short list.

Check out a kid named Garrett Kocis who is at Wichita State right now. When he graduated high school in 2017, he was the #1/#2 player in the state of NE. An all-state SS. Last year WSU was projected to finish last in the conference (but Wedge and Co. are fixing things fast). Kocis played 1B. Still is. That’s the reality for most D1 programs. They can afford to put former stud SS’s at 1B these days. Kocis is mashing. However, he did have slower 60 times in high school. But when people say a kid has to mash if he isn’t fast, I’m not sure many understand how mashy their mashing actually needs to be. Spoiler alert - it’s REALLY, REALLY mashy.

It feels boring as all hell, but bigger, stronger, faster really is where his focus needs to be right now. The problem with that is that every parent/player believes they are always doing that. They’re not. I’d argue that if a kid is doing all the things everyone else is doing, they’re not getting bigger, stronger, faster. Anyone who can’t provide lots of specifics on all they’re doing to actually get bigger, faster, stronger - isn’t.

If your son is that set on goals and measurement, I’d recommend he find a few comparable players who accomplished what he wants. Comb through PG, PBR, etc and figure out where their metrics were as sophomores in high school. Or as freshmen or juniors. Then just reverse engineer the numbers. If the goal is “9” and your kid is at 6, plot a timeline for when he’d need to be at 7 and 8 to have a shot at 9 by the desired date. Actually, plot for 10 thanks to Covid.  

don't give up on the speed thing. my 2023 was around 7.9 last year at this time.  he was around 6/1"/170.  he grew some, worked out a ton and incorporated stretching in his daily routine (focusing on hips, not just hams as a lot of people seem to do).  now he's 6'2"/195 and ran a 7.1 last weekend at an event.  has also run 6.9-7.0 hand timed (but with two clocks on him) in previous weeks.  the big difference is his strength and flexibility.  He also does very little direct sprint training but does run downhill and flat ground sprints a couple of times a week.  we found a perfect slope at his high school.  it's downhill enough to increase his stride length and frequency due to gravity but not sloped enough to throw him off balance when he's running.  it's helped, i think, as his gait looks a lot better when he's running and he's chopped a tenth off of his 60 in the month or so that he's been doing it.

Mattys;

you live near Candlestick Park? remember Jack Clark,  Joe Morgan. When i visited the lower practice area, I was invited to watch the "tire drill" to increase 1st step "quickness".

The rest is history. Keep in the perceptive. Learn & teach the history of the game.

Bob