Released from camp

A 2016?

Yes

Camps for the most part are money makers. Be more selective in camps you attend. Figure out the current level of the players abilities and target those camps.

I'm my limited experience as a dad of a 2016 RHP looking for a school I would say that if they were interested in him they would have kept him around to speak to him later or just taken him right there to talk (esp this late in the game if it's a D1 school).  I personally witnessed the coaches at a northeast D1 school take a LHP off to chat after his 10 batters were up.  I asked my son where they went and he said they took him to make him an offer and show him the school.  A few weeks later he showed up as committed on PG's site.  

If it's a D3 school I would also think they weren't interested as we've just come back from a D3 overnight visit and the HC told us he was finalizing everything for his 2016 class tomorrow after his camp (or trying to finalize).  

I've seen your other posts (or some of them) and replied.  I can say that for my 2016 everything changed when he focused on the schools where he was a good fit - D3 schools.  He had been focused on D1 schools all summer with the same sort of response from them as I think you are seeing.  It was much different visiting with a D3 school for him.  Went from being ignored to wanted.  

Of course this is just what I think and I may be way off.  They may call him tomorrow but it doesn't sound like that to me.  I can tell you that I've been there (after watching my 2016 pitch lights out to 10 batters at a camp) and wondered the same thing.  

Keep us posted on how it goes.

MK

I recommend that you watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5idzX5Mfx8Q

Thanks for the link.  I saw that story when it first aired.  

How do you see that story applying to a 2016 RHP with no interest from D1 schools?  

I am curios about this too.  What does this have to do with the topic?

My 2016 LHP seems to be getting no love from D1 schools. At my suggestion he is about to embark on the "weighted ball" program. Too bad he waited to late.If he was throwing 88 he could write his own ticket. He also plays for a highly ranked HS team.

In his particular case he has the curve & sinker(ghange) for strikes; needs more velo

First, welcome to our site. 

Second, no thats not a good sign, but realistically was this a program that would be the right fit for your LHP or one you see as the right fit?

Instead of feeding us part of the situation bit by bit, why not give us more info. 

I am not a fan of weighted balls, so dont start trying to make something happen which only mother nature can control.  For many young men they dont throw harder until puberty is done or they just arent built to do so, ever.

And keep in mind because you played once or coached, it may not happen for your LHP ( grandson?).

Give us some specifics, age, weight height, gpa, sat etc.  He wont get into a program on secondary stuff alone unless he has other attributes. Being a good HS player on a good team doesnt always equal D1 or any college baseball.

I think you know and understand that.

Trying to build velo is a long multi-year process of reaching your genetically limited potential. There are no short cuts - without increasing the risk of serious damage to your pitching shoulder, elbow, etc. While I am not a fan of weighted balls, others have used it and claim success; just as some have used Jaeger, sleeves, etc. Whatever works is what works; but there are no shortcuts.

If your S is behind the curve, and wants, perhaps a JUCO would be an option?

I agree with the no shortcut theory, but at the same time there are some cases where velocity can be increased immediately with somewhat simple adjustments to mechanics.

Just have to be careful that the adjustment benefits the pitcher in every way, rather than velocity alone.  I see lots of young pitchers with a good arm that have mechanics that are robbing them of their velocity potential. One simple adjustment would add 2-3 mph right away.

Sometimes the pitcher still shows next level ability and when we see these simple fixes, we will grade higher on projection, because we know that the pitcher's flaws will be corrected at the next level.

But other than that, it's all about knowledge, work and physical maturity.  Trying to rush the process too much can backfire, similar to coming back too soon from an injury.  If someone is in a hurry, it might be best to reach out to the true experts that train pitchers. There are a few very good ones out there.

My 2016's pitching coach is an ex major league pitcher (yankees), with 30 years as a major D1 pitching coach, and still active as of this past summer as a p coach in the Cape Cod League. Mariano used weighted balls before entering a game. Yes I;m aware the some are not in favor of weighted balls or bats; but we'll try the 10 week program and I'll let you know how it turns out.

As silly as this may seem, my S picked up a lot of velo by simply deciding that velo was more important then command and control. (His new PC at that time some ten years ago - still his PC - believes in velo first.)

My 2016 pitched at camp in the "first" game, then released.

Via Twitter, I learned that the camp finished with teams 3&4 and  5&6

I think it safe to assume that they would not have made a decision after seeing only teams 1&2. We will keep you notified!

Well I guess you got the answers about the camp and have a pitching coach, and I know that your son plays on a very good team.

Best of luck.

However,  Rivera using weighted balls has nothing to do with increasing a

16, 17 yo velocity.

CoachJackE,

I agree with TPM, more information is needed to determine if this school or any school is a fit with your son.  As for the camp, are you aware if they are in the market for a 2016 LHP?  I guess that is the place to start.  If so, how many?  How many did your son see in the camp in groups 1 & 2 that were comparable or better?

I'm a huge believer in going where you are wanted.  But you have yet to establish (or share with us) what is the college baseball level that your son is best suited for....so to phrase it another way....we don't know if you are fishing in the right pond.   From my viewpoint it is tough to help given the available information.

Good luck

One point of agreement with Gooseg.  My son also picked up velocity in college, with the encouragement of his college coach, by just forgetting about location for a time and deciding he was going to throw as hard as he could regardless of the outcome.  Step two was learning to throw strikes that way, and step three was learning to throw the change-up that way.  4-5MPh.

Maybe son is a D2 P and that's why he's not getting interest from D1 schools, assuming he's had many opportunities to show his stuff to D1 schools. 

Post again in Spring and let us know how things went and who he signs w. Good luck

CoachJackE - I agree (and my 2016 agrees) that he needs to pick up some additional velocity.  He's enrolled in an off-season program that starts next week. I don't see starting a program now as helping him finding a spot at a D1 program though.  The timing just doesn't work out.  

As far as I can tell, the D3 program he visited this weekend would still want him to throw hard(er) next year though (in addition to his HS program who I'm sure wouldn't mind) so he's going to continue to work hard like he always has.  But he's finding a school soon and I don't think his workouts will have any baring on where he ends up. 

Don't want to mention names but the school is a D1 in the east. The coach was called in advance to determine if they needed LHP's. Then he we were candid regarding current velocity and he still seemed interested. Our 2016 seemed far superior to eight other pitchers during the first game...don't know what happened on day 2. We believe they were also accommodating by letting him pitch on day one because he traveling from TX (just guessing). His HS team has won 396 games over the past 14 seasons.

Do you know what his velocity was at the camp?

Not yet

Well, a college camp is not really something you can rely on for recruitment unless they REALLY have had you on their radar.

They will never turn anyone down.

Your lefty needs more mph for the type of D1 he is interested in.  

Work on the velo, being on a high profile HS team will help if he has what they are looking for.

Our players are always far more superior.  Get an independent evaluation.

Might be a good idea to contact PGstaff, Jerry Ford. He probably can give you great advice at this point in time.

My suggestion ...just do it.

I'd like to hear about your 2016, Velocity, camps, desired major. The last one is a concern of ours because he is interested in PT

Here's a PG quote:" Medium build with some present strength. Full delivery with a leg raise start, has rhythm to his delivery, bit cross body on release which gives him good angle, works very quickly and repeats his mechanics. Fastball topped out at 82 mph, has the ability to spot his fastball to all quadrants of the strike zone. Varies curveball velocity, gets lots of depth at 63-64 mph, can tighten it up to work the corners. Nice firm change up with some late life. Knows how to pitch and had easy quick innings with soft contact, will win lots of high school games over the next two years. Good student." The velocity is getting better (85), Did not pitch in many varsity games because the big three were super "TCU, TX TECH & KENTUCKY COMMITS The nice firm change is turning into a sinker that catchers have a hard time with.

I know.  My suggestion..contact PGstaff, maybe a trip to jupiter on a PG team might help.

Seems to me you are going by info that may not be current from the PG website. Did ypur grandson get exposure this summer?  

First, calm down a bit. You got some things going for you. He's a lefty. I'll tell you, I recently saw kids somewhere in the ballpark of what you are talking about show up at a major D1 camp uninvited and get immediate interest. Lefties sitting 84-85, but hitting 86 a time or two. Two of them were immediately ushered off to the HC and then to tours of the locker room and facilities. One showed up as a commit within a week. This school was obviously looking for lefties. Every mph makes a difference. If he played the first of three games and he's a 2016, they have his info. Keep in touch. If he's topping out at 85, but cruising 82-84, he may need to pick that up a couple of ticks to get an offer. There's still time. I, for one, have had tremendous results from off season weighted ball programs. Here's a great link to a new piece from Driveline which does an excellent job of detailing WHY weighted ball programs work:

http://www.drivelinebaseball.c...mp;mc_eid=d06fae759d

I'll also add this. My son pitched at this camp. Unfortunately, he was nursing a glute injury. We have been in contact with this school and it is my son's dream school. WE have even gotten the idea that an offer might be on the horizon (he's a 2018 and this school isn't one of those that jumps on underclassmen all that early). He was a little disappointed, only hitting 84 when he had been touching 87 a few weeks earlier. he threw to his 10 batters and was told by the PC "good job," but not much more. Likewise, we don't know if that performance ended the school's interest or not. However, we don't worry too much about it. If that was it for this school, we'll move on. Unlike you, however, we've still got plenty of time to work with. Regardless, throw a wider net and work on the velocity this winter.

For those who know the camp name, can you look on PG and see what LHPs they have committed from 2016 and what their velos were?  That may shed some light on why CoachJE's 2016 had limited interest so far.  

There is ALWAYS a reason why a player doesnt get interest.

Thats when you need to get an opinion thats more objective than how we see our players. Why not seek the advice of the HS coach or a travel team coach?

Just ran a count of uncommitted LHP's by PG Rating:

(1)  10

(0)    9.5

(4)    9.0

(12)   8.5

My 2016  8.0

Coach JackE,

Which weighted ball program is he using?  The same one as Delabar?

Ask opposing hitters. They will tell you.

Bob

Yes

Good!  I coach with Jame Evans and have seen our pitchers make great gains through hard work and following the program.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Who is James Evans? My 2016 is coached by Jim Lawler (20 yrs at TX A&M)

and his father is a certified strength & conditioning instructor and columnist for Elite Fitness

Jamie Evans co-authored the program with Tom House.  He is a throwing consultant with the Blue Jays and worked closely with Steve Delabar.  He is in the video you posted several times.

Thx for the info