Size Matter's!

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Originally posted by Bum:
shippirate09, size was a sore issue in the Bum family until reality set in. Reality #1) Bum, Jr., is the size he is. I can't change that. Reality #2) A Division One school wanted him, and they didn't give a hoot about his size.

My concern with these "size" threads is there are a lot of kids out there who get discouraged because they don't believe they live up to a certain standard--size. Kids, be realistic about your chances, yes, and the realities of your size, but NEVER give up your dream because the odds say you should.

Of course size matters. That's obvious! But Bum, Jr. refuses to let it stand in his way.

Bum,
FANTASTIC POST!

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Originally posted by TRhit:
oldslugger

But you still do not know where The Domincan republic is located---I find that very fascinating

As I said, N of SA and E of CA or

la 18/37 lo 68/59

Again, orchestrating a piiiissing contest

Bum, that is a good post and point. I can see people's frustration though because size is a huge matter that alot of schools and especially MLB pay a great deal attention to. I sure you can name a handful of guys that made it despite their size but the fact is they all can run. The Ryan Theriot, Pedroia's, etc are all 6.6 runners. So if your small you have to have speed, plain and simple. You also see tons of guys that are 6'4 205, that aren't that good get scooped up because of their potential (which is a good word for RAW or SIZE) So I can see the frustration when the smaller guy is better fundamentally and puts up better numbers but doesn't get looked at. However, with hard work you can make a good college career out of it, you just might not get as much money as the bigger guy because you lack the potential he does in their mind.

For all of you arguing about education and the Dominican Republic....how many of you have actually been there? I'm not talking about the resorts either. I have, and I also recently hired a gentleman from the DR who has a family member working with one of the MLB teams. So if you want some shocking cold hard facts, I'd be more than happy to get them for you. But for the time being, I'll give you a quick, off the cuff tid-bit of information for you. I've already mentioned this story on here previously but I'll mention it again for the sake of this discussion:

Only about 25% of the school age boys actually graduate from high school. Why? The other 75% drop out of school to pursue thier dreams of playing professional baseball. Instead of going to school every day, doing homework and then going to practice, they spend all day, every day practicing and playing baseball.

As a side note, there was a very interesting documentary piece on The Discovery Channel (???) a while back. You can search PBS for it but it chronicled the lives of two players from the DR and their pursuit of a dream. One of the players "made it" and the other didn't. I didn't see the show on TV but the web site had a nice, pretty thorough description about the show. You might want to look it up.

This is an interesting topic. I have to wonder just like someone said earlier. Sometimes being taken at the age of 16 is a huge advantage, if you take some kid from the Midwest and put him in pro style camps and workouts for the next 3 years where he's doing nothing but getting pro coaching, hitting with wood, workout plans, diet plans, etc. I think he'd have a great chance to make it, this is the advantage the DR guy might have. Alot of college kids struggle out the gate because they aren't used to hitting with wood, well if they had been hitting with wood since 16 it wouldn't be an issue. They should make rules like the NBA, you have to be 18 to get signed or picked up by a MLB club. I think the kids in the states have a disadvantage in that sense because they are hitting with aluminum, not getting the proper coaching, training, etc depending on where they are. I read somewhere where Sammy Sosa was 5'11 175 and ran a 7.8 60 yard dash but they signed him when he was 15 because he hustled all the time. Obviously, he panned out but this would never happen with a kid in the states. They'd see those stats and just wait on him or pass on him and there's so much more that can affect him, but if he would have been taken and put into a big league camp with all the right stuff around him he could turn out like Sammy. It's almost like the old days of the Russian Olympian's training the kids since birth.

quote:

For all of you arguing about education and the Dominican Republic....
Only about 25% of the school age boys actually graduate from high school. Why? The other 75% drop out of school to pursue thier dreams of playing professional baseball. Instead of going to school every day, doing homework and then going to practice, they spend all day, every day practicing and playing baseball.

$2M is life-changing money for most. I would bet that any American born young man at age 16 offered the chance along with that sum of money who has MLB dreams would quit school.

Without burrowing into the principal, a kid can earn over $100,000 per year of passive income in either a soft market or conservative portfolio.

Algebra can wait. Problem is, they don't even offer that to most HS graduates, only a few.

Isn't the DomRep near Hawaii?

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Originally posted by OLDSLUGGER8:
$2M is life-changing money for most. I would bet that any American born young man at age 16 offered the chance along with that sum of money who has MLB dreams would quit school.

No doubt! But only a very small percentage see that....or ANY money. Most end up living in relative poverty working odd jobs, doing what they can to get by.

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Originally posted by Beezer:
But only a very small percentage see that....or ANY money. Most end up living in relative poverty working odd jobs, doing what they can to get by.

You're right. A very small percentage of those Dominican kids with big dreams will actually make it. That's why it is a crime for MLB to sign 16-yr-old children, regardless of nationality.

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Originally posted by ClevelandDad:

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Once more… Talent trumps Size… In every instance!

Surely we can all agree that size matters in the NFL - right?

I was struck by the impact that two of the smallest players have on the fortunes of the New England Patriots. Wes Welker and Kevin Faulk must be all of 5-8 but each play significant roles helping that team win. Sometimes a player just needs to find the right system. That might mean persevering though some adversity and never giving up on oneself. They said Welker was an undrafted free agent who was then realeased, signed by Miami, and then New England traded for him. LaDanian Tomlinson does not look all that big to me either. I think back to another era and Steve Largent was neither big nor fast yet he is a hall of famer. How do these people manage these things if size is the controlling factor?

Good Point... Didn't the KC Royals have a SS years ago that was 5'5" - 140lbs. I believe he played for quite a few years.

Freddy Patek

I think you guys are missing the point. Of course you will find an exception to every rule, but see how far and hard you have to think to find an example of a small guy making an impact. But in tern you can name about 100 guys off the top of your head who had all the tools, size, etc that got chance after chance and never panned out. Guys that are bigger will get more chances and opportunity than the smaller guy every time. I will also bet you that Steve Largent back in the day had a very fast 40 time. Wes Welker was one of the fastest guys on the field and in H.S he was an all-american that played like 5 different positions for his H.S team that won state. LaDanian is not only super fast, he's huge. The small guy has to be exceptional while the tall guy doesn't, that's the point and fact of the matter.