The Height Factor

The heading is "Surprise, surprise" and the pitcher is described as "just 5'11"". What is the message you're trying to send here, ChicksDig?

D'oh!

I don't think the "surprise, surprise" title was because of his height. I got the impression that it was because he "put himself on the map" with his outing.

Size matters.

Simple as that.

For every 5'11" kid that does that, there are 6,872,493 other right handers that do that and they are all 6'2" in high school--and taller!

I read an article years ago about a scout who said he wouldn't go to see a pitcher under 6 ft. I have no idea if this was just one guy, but it seems the attitude behind it is common.

Too bad - I often wonder if Joe Morgan would be "discovered" by today's scouting. I've met him and he's definitely a little guy. Also a very nice guy. Was my favorite player as a kid.

Last year I posted an under 6' all star team. I also reviewed (take my word for it, my wife thinks I spend too much time on hsbbweb already)every mlb 40 man roster and 40% of the rosters were made up of guys 6' or less (a lot of the sixfooters listed probably were not) excluding pitchers of course. So the point being, to respond to justbaseball, yes they/scouts are probably missing the next Morgan, Rose, Maddux etc. because they "scout" with a tape measure, stop watch, and radar gun rather than determining if a kid can play.

Conserve fuel...starve a terrorist!

Last I checked height was not one of the 5 tools needed to play baseball. However I am sure there is a lot of lets say vertical discrimination going on in scouting and coaching circles. Maybe that explains why shorter players tend to hustle a little more and are just generally scraper players.

If you remove pitchers from the equation and remeasure all those guys that say they are 6'0, you will see a much higher % of players under 6'0 playing professional baseball than people think.

I think however that the 40 man MLB roster will show that big does count, and that percentage of shorter players will go down from that overall percentage.

I also did some informal research on height on MLB 40 man rosters, and I just went back and reviewed it.... These number +/- one or two... but not more than that.

Based on rosters currently Posted in USA Today website. 1-20-04
(not all current rosters have 40 players listed) Approximately Out of ~1300 players...

194 were listed as under 6' or about 15%
Of those 39 were listed as UNDER 5'10" or about 3%

14 LHP were under 6' or 1%
19 RHP were under 6' or 1.5%

I didn't count total number of Pitchers but can estimate approx 600 or so So we are talking only 6% of pitchers are under 6 foot tall....

There were 76 infielders and 63 outfielders under 6'

Again, These are the LISTED hieghts and BASEBALL is notorious for reporting Height as "taller" than actual....

Percentages tell us that is would be BEST to be 6' or taller.... Especially as a Pitcher.

The Seattle Mariners had the most sub 6' players, 11 ... or 27.5%

As the parents of sub-6-footers, I've heard this ad nauseum:

If you're little, you have to prove over and over again you can play. If you're big, you have to prove you can't play.

Baseball players come in all shapes and sizes from 160lb. Casey Fossom to 260lb sub-6 footer Bartolo Colon.

If you sat David Eckstine on Pudge Rodriguez shoulders would he be taller than Richey Sexton?

Let the fans and the scouts and the naysayers with tape measures (LOL) worry about the height thing.

The player just needs to worry about hitting the h*** out of the ball - throwing it hard and accurately, running like the wind and catching everything.

I know alot of tall guys that stink - and alot of "short" guys that are great.

I am with "ITS" here on tyhis one

If the kid can play there will be a spot for him at the high school and college level-- for the pros it gets a bit more difficult but it can happen.

TRhit

I counted 105 6 footers or smaller on the 40 man rosters of Anaheim through Houston, I kept on thru Montreal (just picking out highlights) but here are some names of the vertically challenged:
Colon, Ramon Ortiz, Eckstein, R.Alomar, TEJADA, Mora, Foulke, PEDRO, Williamson, NOMAR, Millar, Mueller,MANNY,T.Walker, SOSA,Magglio Ordonez, Graves, Lidle, Larkin, Burnitz, Castillo, Pierre, OSWALT,Ausmus, BAGWELL, BIGGIO,Berroa, LoDuca, Podsednick, O. Cabrera, VIDRO, Wilkerson, Bergeron...........

Conserve fuel...starve a terrorist!

njbbdad, you can add Aaron, Mays, Mantle, R.Allen, Berra, Campanella, Bret Boone,G. Brett, Brock, Buckner, Carew, Cash, Cey, Garvey, Clemente, Morgan and a whle bunch more.

BeenthereIL,

quote:

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Size matters.

Simple as that.

For every 5'11" kid that does that, there are 6,872,493 other right handers that do that and they are all 6'2" in high school--and taller!

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Are you saying that there are more 6'2" right handers than 5'11" righthanders in high school and because of that "size matters" to someone?
or
Are you saying that there are 6,872,493 other right handers that do that and they are all 6'2" and therefore will also go to the Area Code Games and put their names on the map as well?

Knowledge is Power! Thank you Mavens and HSBBWEB!

No one is saying it can't be done.

What's being said is ..

If you are under 6' you better be D&^$n ... Darn GOOD!.... to make it in the bigs these days.

Because the percentages favor the taller players.

If you are over six feet, you need to be darn good to be a big leaguer too. You have to be darn good to be a big leaguer.

chicks...

Don't know what other way to say it...Bigger is better.

If a high schooler is 5'11" and throwing 86 touching 92...and another high schooler is 6'2" and throwing 86 touching 92, in whom do you think the scout is likely to have more interest?

BeenthereIL,

I would hope that the scout/recruiter would take a little more into consideration than just velocity and height. I think what you are saying is that there is more upside potential with the taller player. However that could be turned around and it could be said that if a taller player has more potential to throw hard, then a shorter player throwing the same velocity must have better mechanics and thus control over his pitches. Do you want to take the risk that you can straighten out the taller players mechanics, which have been ingrained in them over many years. I say go with the better pitcher regardless of height.