Size

True, not all are big guys.

It is also true that not all of the 150 lbs., freshman, players are the assistant coach's son! Not to take anything away from JJ, his bunt (sac bunt which he beat out) was near perfection, and he obviously has some wheels. Also his batting average for the year indicates that he indeed should be there.

I just think if he wasn't Sferra's son, he would not have been on the field.

montanadad

I respectfully disagree-- the Sferra kid is a player--this is not the first time I have seen him--besides Coach Murphy thrives on winning not doing favors fro his assistant coaches.

Give the kid the credit he is due

Another guy Chad Orvella with the Devil Rays is listed at 5-11, which is a big stretch. He's a RHP at maybe 5-9.

Orvella

Orvella article

quote:

Also his batting average for the year indicates that he indeed should be there.

TR,

I thought I was giving the kid the credit he was due.

You are probably correct in your comments re Coach Murphy.

I love these size matters / size doesn't matter threads.

The fact of the matter is size DOES matter.

It matters to the small player who LET'S it matter to him. A player with this attitude is adding another whole set of hurdles to his path which is already littered with hurdles.

It matters to the coach who BELIEVE'S size matters. A coach with this attitude is NOT going to give a small player the time of day, let alone the chance to prove himself.

Thus, the fact is, unless the player is willing to accept that the playing field is NOT equal he will hurt his own chances. The fact is the small player is going to have to look a lot harder to find "the right fit" than others.

Can it be done, sure, if the player has exceptional talent. But just because you can name a few small players who have done well DOES NOT mean size DOES NOT matter.

It means if you have the right attitude, lots of talent, and find the right program you can still succeed. But NEVER underestimate the importance of all three of those. A lot of small players meet frustration because they ignore the last one.

AParent...

It's the size of the fight in the dog not the size of the dog in the fight that really matters. If the kid can PLAY he can play at any level.

AParent---

That was a BRILLIANT post!!

AParent,
I agree with those that agree, great post.

yeah but try to get an area code tryout- i think they throw away any application under 5'11- which stinks for players like my son who are 5'6

I don't think size matter until a certain point. I don't think players under 5-8 could throw 90 mph or very fast, who knows. I'm 5`4 and I throw around 80 or around there...but what stands me out from others is that I have heart (my nickname)...as long as u go out there and do ur best, that's all that counts

quote:

as long as u go out there and do ur best, that's all that counts

No, not really. What counts is when the 6'3" 200 lb guy hits a 430' jack. Thats what counts on the scoreboard anyways, and thats all coaches care about.

walawala

I have to respectfully disagree with you

The are many players on a team and not all hit 430 ft Homers--- there have to be guys to get on in front of them and that ia where you miss the boat--I like those little jackrabbits at the top of the lineup to cause mayhem--it makes it tougher for the opposing pitcher to pitch to the middle of the lineup

Did anyone ever see Matt Davis play at VCU in the early 2000s. That guy was maybe 5'2 but was an absolute baller.

How about Dustin Pedroia form ASU...absolute gamer. BTW does anyone know why coach Murphy has Pedroia's name on his hat?

I think he was the one who got his apendix removed.

Son is 5'9" and is the offensive leader of a D-1 team. Has always found himself to the top of every team he has played on. Even so- gets very little attention from the pro scouts. Size must matter to them.

I have a fireball of a short stop who gives 100% in practice and games. He is also an excellent hitter who has hit against the best pitchers around. He has one problem he is 5'7" and he has had more than one college coach tell him he is too short. If anyones interested in a short stop (no pun intended) we will be in Baton Rouge this weekend for the Louisiana Elite Invitational.

Size does matter to scouts, as far as pitchers are concerned. A perfect example, a pitcher from my son's school, very good, described as a "bull dog" of a player. Not drafted this year.
5'10" and 21 years old, he is most probably done growing.

One thing to keep in mind:

Size is looked at differently by college coaches than pro scouts--- at the college level size is not that important if you can play--for the pros a 21 year old who is 5 ft 10 inches has little if any projectibility--

Dont lose sight of this---

TR,
You are correct, I should have added that.
The key word here is projectibility, for pro scouting.

I understand the pitching-height thing in the pros. It is indisputable.

As for position players though - there are a ton of pro players that are 6'0 or under playing today.

Am I misreading here?

This topic comes up often.

Size is important. Talent is more important.

There are advantages in being tall and there are advantages in not being tall.

My very oversimplified and very unprofessional theory on size and talent:

6' need talent
5'11" need a tad bit more talent
5'10" need a little bit more talent
5'9" need a quite a bit more talent
5'8" need a lot more talent
5'7" need a whole lot more talent
5'6" need a ton of extra talent

I think size should not matter but it does to some degree. I had a college tell me liked our CF but he was a bit small(5-9/160) for thier program right now. He said he has no problem with small players at all but you can only win with so many in the line up.

It is my opinion size plays some importance but I think ultimately strength is a bigger issue.

Two players under 5-10. 1 Justin Sellers-top performer at Area Codes, All American team etc... 6th round A's. Justin excels at every part of the game except hitting power. A kid that almost went unnoticed because he did not make himself visible was from my son's high school. Carl Uhl, 5'8 170 lbs. Switch hitter with 3.7 speed to first base (3.9 consistent) Just this month was offered a scholarship to UCR and was drafted by the Pirates. It can be done but if you're small, you'd better have something special even if it's just your attitude.

wv

Well said

One thing I have noticed in all my years in the game is that the smaller player works harder and always has a dirty uniform--- those that want it bad enough make it happen

Just read where Pedroia (ASU/Red Sox) may be on the Sox roster by September--saw him the other night in a game and all he does is hustle, hustle--he looks like tha batboy but he does not play like a batboy

Too many get hung up on size where it pertains to college ball and that is flat out wrong-- if a kid can play the game there will be a spot for him somewhere in college and maybe after that

I say go for it kid !!!1

Let’s talk about some of the greatest players today and in history.

I don’t think anyone will argue that these are not good players.

Others can add many more not so tall players, but this team all 6-0 or under would be pretty hard to beat.

OF Willie Mays 5-11/180
OF Hank Aaron 6-0/180
OF Roberto Clemente 5-11/175
3B Pete Rose 5-11/200
SS Ozzie Smith 5-11/150
2B Jackie Robinson 5-11/190
1B Jeff Bagwell 5-11/195
C Ivan Rodriguez 5-9/205
RHP Pedro Martinez 5-11/170
RHP Greg Maddux 6-0/185
LHP Johan Santana 6-0/195

Oh by the way, the guy leading the American League in hitting right now is Brian Roberts, he is listed at 5-9/170.

There actually are some obvious advantages for hitters who are not overly tall. Smaller strike zone, shorter swing, etc. However, I agree that strength is very important!

PG

No disrespect but your being generous here. You can take an inch or two off of:

Aaron, Ozzie, Clemente, and probably Bagwell.

I think so too, but that is what they are listed.

If you take an inch or two off that makes the argument even stronger

Interesting article in SI May 30th regarding "Baseball's Incredible Shrinking Slugger".
While prospects are desirable according to their power hitting, I am wondering if the smaller faster player will become more sought after, since the game is obviously changing. Teams can't rely on the power hitter (who may have been on steroids) getting the home run anymore.
PG or anyone else any thoughts?

Actually many of the very best long ball hitters of all time have been less than monsters. Not sure who among these might have been involved with steroids. I would guess almost all were not.

Here are those in the top 12 Home Run hitters of all time (entering this season)

By where they rank on the all time list, followed by name, Height, and number of career HRs. Note: 7 of the top 10 are 6-0 or under.

1. Hank Aaron 6-0 755 HRs
4. Willie Mays 5-11 660 HRs
7. Sammy Sosa 6-0 574 HRs
8. Harmon Killebrew 5-11 573 HRs
9. Reggie Jackson 6-0 563 HRs
10. Rafael Palmeiro 5-11 551 HRs
12. Micky Mantle 5-11 536

I thought I read something somewhere about the "Eckstein Factor" didn't I?

Others 6-0 or less who have hit over 400 MLB homeruns and among the top 40 all time in homeruns.

Stan Musial 6-0
Jimmy Foxx 6-0
Mel Ott 5-9
Lou Gehrig 6-0
Carl Zastrzemski 5-11
Gary Sheffield 5-11
Duke Snider 6-0
Manny Ramirez 6-0

For interest (fun) sake here is the list of pitchers who have won over 300 games (in order of games won) and their height.

Some names you probably won’t recognize because they pitched in the 1800s. I doubt there are many Pud Galvin, Kid Nichols, Tim Keefe, John Clarkson, Mickey Welch, let alone Old Hoss Radbourn fans left out there.

Cy Young 6-2
Walter Johnson 6-1
Grover Alexander 6-1
Christy Mathewson 6-1 ½
Warren Spahn 6-0
Pud Galvin 5-8
Kid Nichols 5-10 ½
Tim Keefe 5-10 ½
Roger Clemens 6-4
Steve Carlton 6-4
John Clarkson 5-10
Eddie Plank 5-11 ½
Nolan Ryan 6-2
Don Sutton 6-1
Phil Niekro 6-1
Gaylord Perry 6-4
Greg Maddux 6-0
Tom Seaver 6-1
Old Hoss Radbourn 5-9
Mickey Welch 5-8
Lefty Grove 6-3
Early Wynn 6-0

Source - Baseball Almanac Baseball Almanac

PG great list.

I hate the threads that say size doesn't matter. It does. As any small player can attest to, there WILL be times when larger, less talented players will be given opportunities due to their size.

The hardest thing for a small player to do is look himself in the mirror and say "too bad, I'm going for it anyhow. So what if I have to work twice as hard, so what if folks look past me as if I'm not there, so what if other kids get chances I would die for - I'm doing it anyhow."

Those are the kids who have a chance to break the size barrier. Kids who pretend that size doesn't matter get frustrated to the max when they find out otherwise. Kids who says, "I can't do it because no one will give me a chance" have given themselves a built in excuse not to make it.

But the kid who can face the fact that it DOES matter, and put his heart and soul into it ANYHOW, now THAT is the kid who will show up on a list like the one you just posted.

Don't pretend it doesn't matter. But don't let it stop you either.

This is an interesting topic. I think it could go either way. Some coaches will not take a smaller player, some will. I've seen rosters where no player was under 6'0. I've also seen rosters with mixed sizes. I don't think size really matters too much, though. If a player has skill and heart, he has a shot. However, I also think the position has a lot to do with it. A middle infielder can be small and still play just as good, if not better than a taller guy usually. But, a first baseman, 3rd baseman, or catcher who is taller may play a lot better. David Eckstein is a perfect example. He is listed at 5'7 but everyone in baseball has claimed he is only around 5'5. He can hit the ball just as far as most players. Most of the players size on the roster is about 2 inches more than they really are. He isn't the only one either. I also think a real bulky player who is small appears a little bigger than he really is. Eckstein is short and skinny, so you can see how small he is.

Update!!! Following a stellar performance at the Louisiana Elite Tourney this weekend my 5'7"
SS was invited to a Juco for a tryout. We'll see how it works out. By the way the Elite put on a really nice tournament.