Hi everyone,
Just got my 14 year old sons stats from his 14U season this year, and something very interesting came to my attention. He only strike out 4 times in 116 at bats. I was just curious to find out how important this stat could be to his future? I do understand he just finished 8th grade but could this be a sign of him being a great hitter as he gets older?
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While interesting, don't read too much into a stat like this. While it appears that your son is making consistant contact, it is much more important that he drives the ball hard. Despite rarely striking out, a guy could still be a .260 hitter with very few extra base hits while a teammate strikes out 20 times in the same number of AB's yet hits .400 with 6 or 7 HRs. It's obvious who is the better hitter at that point. Number of K's at 14 really doesn't tell a ton about a kid's hitting skill in the future. It's even possible that too few K's can sometimes mean a guy isn't being aggressive enough and is actually a defensive hitter. When my son was young I used to worry about every K but now I don't worry about them as long as there not excessive and he is having good hacks.
I agree with Threebagger. Stats seem to matter to some parents. It doesn't mean talent although those with the most talent tend to have the best stats over time. The way I looked at things for hitters and still do is watch what happens when the velocity goes up. Some of the "stats" guys are almost afraid to stand in there at high velocities. The competitors, the guys who have the talent will show up then. Maybe they don't post the .600 batting average against the average house league pitchers but they will compete and continue to compete at the higher levels of the game.
ClevelandDad -- a question: We all know that Major Leaguers tend to revert to their norm over time ... whether it's batting avg, Ks, whatever. At what age do you think that starts to get cemented?
To the OP -- I agree with the others. Too many unknown variables to assume anything yet, but no matter how you cut it, fewer strikeouts are better than more! As Tony LaRussa told my son when he was 14 ... "See the ball, hit the ball."
Sounds like your son gets that.
JP ... The game becomes more challenging at each level. The player adapts and keeps moving on in the game or he hits the wall and it's over. The only players who have cemented their place in the game are the MLBers who perform at the same level every year.
As for the original post, it's great a hitter isn't striking out as long as he's aggressive and driving the ball. It still doesn't guarantee success at the next level. Each level presents its own challenges.
With my son, a 13 year old 8th grader - he'll be 14 in a couple of months - also playing 14u, I'm more concerned with the process then the results. I've seen him get K'd looking on a pitch that has bounced on the plate and at the ankle level, so I don't think you can get too wrapped up in the amount of K's that a kid has at this level.
I usually talk over his AB's with him at some point after a game. We'll go over the pitches he took and any he has swung at. It's a brief conversation at this point. I look for him to put himself in the best count possible and to identify the pitches that were being thrown. Does he make mistakes? Absolutely. But he's 13. He makes less then when he was 12 and that's what I am after. His pitch identification and selection has improved dramatically over the past two years. That's what his goal is at this age.
NY ... Did your father review all your at bats after games? Did you enjoy that? I'm curious why some parents feel the need to analyze everything to death. I've never done this to my kids and they both play(ed) college ball. It would have driven me nuts if my father analyzed all my at bats.
The most I've ever said to my kids is "How did your swing feel today?" if it looked off. Then I waited for them to ask for observations. The best response my son ever gave after a bad game was, "I stunk today. It doesn't mean I stink. It doesn't mean I forgot how to swing a bat. I'm not going to worry about one game. I'll be fine next game."
RJM, it is not done in a combative nature. I am not over analyzing his AB's. I'm trying to increase his thought process. It is something he almost always wanted to do as he welcomes my input. The times he hasn't wanted to, I haven't asked. Are there times that we haven't spoken? Absolutely. In fact, I have purposely decreased these conversations as he's learned to answer any questions for himself. I can count on one hand the amount of times we have spoken this year, and we haven't done it at all for the past two months.
He's moving in the right direction and he understands when he does something right and wrong. That's all there is to it. As of this point I'm there to answer any questions he has, when he comes to me.
