Things Parents worry about most with projectibility

quote:

Originally posted by Gingerbread Man:
Just curious about what parents worry about most (#1) as far as future post HS projectibility goes in their pre-HS son.

Is it height?
Is it arm strength (velocity)
Is it bat speed?
Is it making the HS team and doing well?
Is it injury problems?
Is it running speed?


What do you think?

We didn't worry about any of the above, except that his arm might get over used and we encouraged him to participate in other sports. His conditioning came from golf, basketball, bowling, swimming, etc. He never played year round bb in a place where he could. He never hit a weight room until HS.

What do I think? I think that we all worry, but you seem a bit obsessive. You also seem to be trying to "make" a player, that doesn't always work out.

What are you going to do if he comes to you someday in HS and tells you he wants to quit?

There goes all of your plans, but most of all think about all the worrying you did for nothing.

Work on HS, then if he shows ability, work towards a college scholarship, the other stuff is just icing on the cake. Chances are very high, that your son won't get past the college game.

quote:

Originally posted by fillsfan:
Work hard in the off season so you are ahead of where you were last season. Working hard and playing well are the only things they/we can control. So focus on that and forget about 5 or 6 years from now.

Excellent advice.

quote:

Originally posted by TPM:
Chances are very high, that your son won't get past the college game.

Actually High School game.

Just enjoy the gifts God has given your son whatever they may be - baseball or otherwise.

quote:

Working hard and playing well are the only things they/we can control. So focus on that and forget about 5 or 6 years from now.

You got that right. That's all you can do. Otherwise you get caught up on worrying about all this other stuff, you don't enjoy it when they are playing and then all of a sudden, it's over. Gotta enjoy it for the moment. If the player has that gift that will allow him to play high school varsity baseball and possibly beyond, then it will work itself out.

quote:

entire practices on base running

Ow...this hits a nerve....

My son plays at a small school. The team is made up of whomever shows up and the experience level varies quite a bit with some players having never played outside of rec league. I'm convinced now that base running is where experience really pays off. Getting a good jump, judging whether a fly will be caught, trail running, etc...

They practice these things and still run themselves into outs..... It isn't the same when you know the situation in advance. Good baserunning in a game requires game experience (IMHO). Fast guys who only played rec are the worst. They think they can outrun everything and run like no one can make a play...

I would think that coaching in a big program has the advantage that by the time they reach varsity, players have sound fundamentals (otherwise they don't make the team) and a lot of game experience (e.g. Freshman and JV + summer ball at a minimum ...) We have a very good and very experienced coach but he has to put up with a lot of bonehead plays...

quote:

Originally posted by BOF:

quote:

Originally posted by TPM:
Chances are very high, that your son won't get past the college game.

Actually High School game.

Just enjoy the gifts God has given your son whatever they may be - baseball or otherwise.

BOF,
You bring up a good point, but for most of the websters players they will most likely play college ball.

Gingerbreadman,
Why would anyone want to wish their son's life so far ahead in the future? I'd love to turn the clock back and watch another HS game, college game. Enjoy all you can, every moment because it can end at any time. Stop living your life through what you wish for your child.

You remind me of some of my son's friends dads, in middle school, then in HS, they were done with it, they wanted more to their life not what their folks wanted for them. In fact one was so pressured, he really messed up in HS and then in college. Shame, cause son said he has still to this day never found a better player than he was.

Are you caught up in the glitz and the glamour of the MLB game, you know it takes a very long time for most to get there if they do, and it ain't all glitz and glamour.

It takes a long time for many to realize that

TPM,

With all due respect I am not obsessive or overboard on the subject. My concerns and worries are normal for any parent wanting to help son achieve his goals.

I believe my son has honest achievable goals if he continues to learn and progress upon the same line he has up to this point. I personally believe the future is what you mold it into being not what the future molds you into being. Nothing is hardly ever handed to us on a silver platter. God gives each one of us talents but it is up to us to realize them and cultivate them. Grooming a child to perform at the highest level possible within their individual talent area is what any parent would want- as long as that is also what the child wants.

When my son first started LL years ago we never even dreamed about him making it even to HS. But as the years have progressed, he has began to bloom into a very talented young player. He knows and realizes this and he knows if he continues to play he has a very good shot of getting noticed and playing after HS at a good college program. He worries about injury, arm strength and velocity and how he is growing heigth wise also, its not just me. He knows enough from watching the game what is required to make it at the next level. His sights are on college and pro ball at this point and I see nothing wrong with that approach. There have been many pro sports players who wanted that dream at a very early age.

But my son also knows that his dreams require a very high level of committment, one of the reasons he has chosen on his own to play with older kids last year and this year leaving many of his friends on former teams to play and get better at the sport. He with me realizes that his dreams and goals go through HS and that success at the next level is a must in order to reach the end goal. I guess that is why I along with every other parent of a talented player worry about this or that before they actually get there. We know probably better than anyone the roadblocks that exist limiting players from achieving their dreams.

With all due respect I am not obsessive or overboard on the subject. My concerns and worries are normal for any parent wanting to help son achieve his goals.
===================================================

i wish you were my dad,when i was a kid i wanted to be a cowboy. then a fireman, i recieved no support at all.


gingerbread, i couldn't resist being a wiseguy, i'm sorry.

one thing i haven't heard mentioned here is school work. all pre high school parents should know what is courses are required. that is the most important thing.

ncaa.org i think?

quote:

knows if he continues to play he has a very good shot of getting noticed and playing after HS at a good college program.

Is he starring on varsity or 17/18U yet?

quote:

Originally posted by 20dad:
With all due respect I am not obsessive or overboard on the subject. My concerns and worries are normal for any parent wanting to help son achieve his goals.
===================================================

i wish you were my dad,when i was a kid i wanted to be a cowboy. then a fireman, i recieved no support at all.

Your dad must have given you a jock. You became an athletic supporter.

quote:

Originally posted by Gingerbread Man:
TPM,

My concerns and worries are normal for any parent wanting to help son achieve his goals.

I don't agree, maybe when he reaches HS at the varsity level. BTW, when my son was your son's age he was trying to figure out how to be the next world's greatest magician, golf pro, street hockey player AND baseball player. He never worried about how tall or short he would be, had no clue what his velo was or cared, if he would get injured, etc. How can one worry at 13-14 about their height as an adult, unless those worries are passed on by the parent. Sorry, don't think it is normal to worry about those things at 13-14.
Maybe that is what seperates my generation as a parent from the parents of today.

Guess what, he made the HS team, played for a D1 program and now plays professional baseball. Not to say he didn't worry as he passed into each level, but then it might have been more appropriate then at 13-14.

I agree, I did not hear one concern over school, probably the most inportant thing to worry about, that opens more doors than what seems to be on your mind.

BTW, I read something and can't find it, about a player who got released this week from pro ball. They mentioned that he had issues regarding changinf his slot during a game and had a very hard time repeating his mechanics, which never got him to the level he needed to be for his age before he was released.

Just thought that I would mention that, maybe something you might want to think about, so you won't worry about it later on.

Worries and concerns change I think.

I really had no major worries or concerns in Middle School or Freshman year. My son was concerned about having enough money for pizza after school - or getting the high score on Guitar hero.

Now (10th grade)I realize we have a very young coach who is making rookie mistakes. It is not in anyone's control though. (But it is driving me nutz - son seems happy to be playing so I shouldn't care I guess.)


The biggest concern I have for son is staying healthy and keeping a positive attitude. There are a few things baseball wise he needs to work on - a little bit of polish if you will. Everything else seems to be in order too.

Guess we will see how things work out -

The question was with regard to parents concerns not the player---most kids 13 thru 18 do not have a concern regarding height and weight--as long as they are enjoying themselves they are fine

The parents simply worry too much and they worry about things they cannot control---I must be cut from another cloth because I never worried about the things that parents worry about today---I never had a concern---my guys would be what they would be-- I also had the advantage of having great baseball people around me at all times so I wasn't walking blind

I say this to parents/ relax and enjoy-- let it all take its course---HAVE FUN !!!!

quote:

BTW, I read something and can't find it, about a player who got released this week from pro ball. They mentioned that he had issues regarding changinf his slot during a game and had a very hard time repeating his mechanics, which never got him to the level he needed to be for his age before he was released.

Just thought that I would mention that, maybe something you might want to think about, so you won't worry about it later on.

Sounds like said pitcher lacked the control and/or had a high era for his age and that was why he was released, not because of changing arm slots. Would like more info however on said pitcher.

In my area I would say that 80% of the hS players have played comeptetive travel ball (don't know if this about the normal average or what) leading up to playing in HS. Almost all of these kids at a very early age (9-10) are conditioned to think about playing together as HS team-mates. Many of the travel teams take upon the names of their respective high schools or mascots and keep these teams together as much as possible until they reach HS. The HS teams therefore are very cometitive. I suspect this is how a lot of areas farm their talent before the HS level. We have in my opinion one of the best travel team leagues in the Northwest, if not the best. Parents and players alike have to start grooming and competing early on if they are going to make the HS team and be cometitive. I guess this is why it leads me into this topic discussion.

Most parents my age are already discussing the future prospects for the local HS teams and who is going where and playing for who. Its a type of jockeying for position I guess with the parents. But they do so in consideration of their son playing post HS. Its about getting recognized mostly. Some parents don't want son to play on one HS team as it will be too loaded with talent while other parents want this very thing for the sole purpose of getting better coverage by having an all around better team. It really all comes down to this-

At the age of 13-14 in any given area, most of the lesser talent has quit playing travel and rec baseball. Of the remaining kids, its not hard to pick out who has the genuine talent and make-up ofr playing and excelling in HS. Of those top kids it is not hard to ascertain who has a good shot of getting noticed. We are no longer just talking about future average HS players anymore, we are talking about potential prospects for post HS play. Of those few percentage kids, the parents of kid at that 13-14 year age have a pretty good idea that son needs to push harder and cultivate the talent that has been tried through the system and left aside for most others.

I genuinely believe that it starts at this age with parents on the things that worry them about projectability later on and as a counter they work harder at fixing potential issues that could limit them at a future level.

Congrats on your son btw. Who is he if you do not mind me asking (I dont know very many people on this board)?

Maybe.....I just worry too much eh eh.

WOW !! Just a little intense eh.

quote:

Originally posted by fillsfan:
WOW !! Just a little intense eh.

Time to break out the fishing pole, take the kid in tow and go after some nice Idaho trout.

quote:

Originally posted by fillsfan:
WOW !! Just a little intense eh.

Here's some perspective for pre high school travel dads. Fillsfan's son plays for argueably the premier travel program in the area. You can throw out any regional biases. This program competes on the national level. No one leaves this program for greener grass. They leave because they don't make the team in ensuing years.

Fills, how many players are remaining at 16U that were on the team at 13U? . I know the answer. But I figure it has more impact coming from the horse's mouth.

Hi, Guys, Just let your son attend a PG event could easily solve the "argument". RJM please let your Sophmore son in a PG event this summer and post his score, and GB-man let his son do a PG event as a freshmen. Let's see how it goes. I would say if any of your kids can score over 9 at this age, he will be a lock for the College ball, will have very good chance to play Pro ball. All those braggings are totally unnecessary, just "show me the score". I will show my son's score next year, I promise.

Are we here to compare the kids "scores" ??

I don't think that this is what it is about !!!!!

RJM, I don't want to make this personal, but only 5 or 6 of 15 players at 13 are on the team at 16. Of the remaining only two start. I'm sure this happens on many teams.

Your point being that a lot changes between 8th grade and 12th grade is very accurate. There is a lot of weeding out in HS and a lot of surprises along the way.

GBM,
Most of the kids who at 13-14 here that excelled didn't get as far as their folks thought they would.
You are talking kids who dominated on the national level.
Working with your son for him to improve is definetly a good thing, however I worry about the things that you worry about for the future. You are obviously preparing your son post HS, I just don't understand, there's so MUCH that happens between now and then.
I've said enough on my opinion.


You can go to Baseball America and read on last weeks (4/1) milb transactions and you will find the info on the pitcher. Was drafted by the Marlins in 2005 with a million dollar investment.

When my son was 13 he wanted to play pro ball. I thought why not?

Well,that was a dream and the reality is YEARS and YEARS of very hard work and lots and lots of LUCK. There are SO many stars that have to be a lined for players to reach the next level.. talent of course is necessary but its only one part of what it takes and rest youll have very little control over

Enjoy your son now while its still a game.

njbb,

quote:

Originally posted by bbking:
Hi, Guys, Just let your son attend a PG event could easily solve the "argument". RJM please let your Sophmore son in a PG event this summer and post his score, and GB-man let his son do a PG event as a freshmen. Let's see how it goes. I would say if any of your kids can score over 9 at this age, he will be a lock for the College ball, will have very good chance to play Pro ball. All those braggings are totally unnecessary, just "show me the score". I will show my son's score next year, I promise.

I don't think comparing scores has anything to do with this discussion. I'm not intersted in anyone's scores. I'm only interested in how my son can use baseball to get him into the best college he wants to attend. I can tell you I don't worry about my son's game on an ongoing basis. I've already played the game. I've had my turn. It's his turn. I have plenty of other things to concern myself with on a day to day basis. I would only worry about my son's game if I thought he wasn't having fun. When I watch I want to have fun. I don't freak out when he takes a called third or makes an error like I see some others dads react.

The emphasis in our house is grades, not baseball. There's a 100% chance my son will have to go earn a living. If my son beat all the odds to get drafted, at that point there's still just a 1% chance he would earn a living playing pro ball. It's not on any radar screen in our house. If the opportunity should present itself it will be considered. But I think first he should become a high school stud and be recruited to college ball before I spend time thinking about finding an agent for him.

I was at an ACC game today. When I go to games I like to talk to the parents of players. What better source to learn from. I'll ask which kid is their's. When they ask which one's mine I say he plays high school ball, shut up and let them tell me all about college ball, their kid's journey and stories about the team and other players.

Two parents made the same point in two different conversations. They said (paraphrasing), "Almost every kid in the ACC going in, believes he's going to be drafted. If they're smart they should be focusing on their education."

Didn't mean for this to be a contest or anything. The advice I get from here is laughable at best sometimes! No Joke!

I wouldn't even come to this board and post some of the things I do if I honestly didn't believe my son had a real shot. Sure, he may only be 13 now and the dream of playing post HS is still a ways off, but if he doesn't start planning and doing now, those dreams just go up in smoke.

Someday he will play in college or the pros, and you know why? Because he has a heart of gold and a priceless **** talent to go with it. For what its worth, good luck to your son, maybe someday our kids will meet in the big show and have a good laugh together, eh eh!

quote:

Originally posted by Gingerbread Man:
Didn't mean for this to be a contest or anything. The advice I get from here is laughable at best sometimes! No Joke! ......... Sure, he may only be 13 now and the dream of playing post HS is still a ways off, but if he doesn't start planning and doing now, those dreams just go up in smoke.

From the dad of a starting outfielder on an ACC team today: "Your son (a hs soph) has another year before he has to show anything."

quote:

From the dad of a starting outfielder on an ACC team today: "Your son (a hs soph) has another year before he has to show anything."

Lots of practice, wondering, and wait goes into the years leading up to "showing it off". At what age did you and your son start preparations for showing it off potentially to play post HS?

quote:

Originally posted by Gingerbread Man:

quote:

From the dad of a starting outfielder on an ACC team today: "Your son (a hs soph) has another year before he has to show anything."

Lots of practice, wondering, and wait goes into the years leading up to "showing it off". At what age did you and your son start preparations for showing it off potentially to play post HS?

My son has never done any preparation to show off for playing post high school. Each year he works hard to prepare for the upcoming season. Soph year was the first time he didn't play three school sports. Everything he does is about becoming the best player he can become now. Last fall, showcase programs made contact based on what they've seen and/or heard he's done on the field.

One more note, you may not have seen this information, good stuff, this is what we did, after discovering the HSBBW.

http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/recruit_timeline.htm

It puts a lot into perspective and gives goals to follow year to year, less worry.

JMO.

quote:

Originally posted by Gingerbread Man:
Didn't mean for this to be a contest or anything. The advice I get from here is laughable at best sometimes! No Joke!

I wouldn't even come to this board and post some of the things I do if I honestly didn't believe my son had a real shot. Sure, he may only be 13 now and the dream of playing post HS is still a ways off, but if he doesn't start planning and doing now, those dreams just go up in smoke.

Someday he will play in college or the pros, and you know why? Because he has a heart of gold and a priceless **** talent to go with it. For what its worth, good luck to your son, maybe someday our kids will meet in the big show and have a good laugh together, eh eh!

I'm sorry if you feel the advice is laughable.

I will be interested in hearing from you 10 years down the road. Best of luck to your son

I gotta admit, Gingerbread Man, I was on your side till you posted this:

quote:

Someday he will play in college or the pros, and you know why? Because he has a heart of gold and a priceless **** talent to go with it.

Most of us are just hoping our kids will still be playing next week. I'm glad you can see into the future. Maybe you have stock tips for us?

It's hard to teach our kids humility when we don't have it ourselves.

LHPMom

quote:

Someday he will play in college or the pros, and you know why? Because he has a heart of gold and a priceless **** talent to go with it.

I know a player in that same boat and isn't even playing college ball. This was a dream of his and his mom. This kid got everything come his way. The best baseball instruction in the area, early playing on the senior legion team and made varsity as a sophomore. He worked as hard at his game as anybody. It's easy to dream at 13 because they haven't started high school yet. Maybe these things will come clearer when they're juniors and every year leading up to their junior year they improve and don't let the usual distractions or diversions change that course.

Gingerbread Man, are you sure you ain't the Cookie Monster?

" Fifteen of the team's 25 players spent time with the A's in 2008."

A little peak into the distant future for you.

Sorry to have struck the wrong chord with some of you. In all seriousness people just flat out missed the original intent of my post. I was originally asking what worries parents had when their kid was pre-hs and felt their kid had an honest shot at playing post HS at that point- what worries they had for their kid at that stage for them not making it after HS.

I know it is kind of backwards in approach for some reasons, but in reality, a yera or two before HS ball, parents need to know what issues their kid has- where they worry the most and how it may effect their dreams.

In all sincerity I am sorry for my statement earlier about son perhaps automatically playing post HS. I can't read or see the future and in all reality I would be just pleased as much as anyone if he just played well in HS and enjoyed himself with that.

I do want the best education and experience in life for my children and will help them in any way to help them fulfill their dreams. That was the reason for the original post. I just wanted to see if others felt the same way I do right now.

GBM,
I accept your apology, but I think most here were trying to tell you that they didn't worry much, and took each year at a time.

RJM, Are you sure you don't want the PG fortune Teller tell the future of your son? That will get rid of a lot of worries with projectibility.

GB-man, Your son will be very successful with your approach, the only thing left is whether if he is talented enough, go to a PG event next year, you will find out easily. No worries needed. Those posters try to convince you not to believe in your son.

Forget about them, remember all these quotes:

All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea.
Napoleon Hill

Four steps to achievement:
Plan purposefully.
Prepare prayerfully.
Proceed positively.
Pursue persistently.
William Arthur Ward

The most complicated achievements of thought are possible without the assistance of consciousness.”
Sigmund Freud

Our achievements of today
are but the sum total of our thoughts of yesterday.
You are today where the thoughts of yesterday have brought you
and you will be tomorrow where the thoughts of today take you.
Blaise Pascal

Cherish your visions and your dreams
as they are the children of your soul;
the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.
Napoleon Hill

Please check out Napoleon Hill's book "Think and Grow Richtoo.

Napoleon Hill (October 25, 1883–November 8, 1970) was an American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. His most famous work, Think and Grow Rich, is one of the best-selling books of all time. Hill's works examined the power of personal beliefs, and the role they play in personal success. "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve" is one of Hill's hallmark expressions.[1][2] How achievement actually occurs, and a formula for it that puts success in reach for the average person, were the focus of Hill's books

quote:

Are you sure you don't want the PG fortune Teller tell the future of your son? That will get rid of a lot of worries with projectibility.

I don't understand your point. My son will be at a PG event this summer. I also know successful college baseball players who did not attend PG events. There are some with parents on this board.

A PG score isn't what gets a player invited to play at a college program. Impressing the recruiting coach of the program live at whatever event is usually what gets a player into a program. I have an older kid. I've been there, done the process with softball.

I was talking with the parent of an ACC player this weekend. He did not attend a PG event. He did not play summer ball until the summer after his junior year. The coaching staff never saw him play. He's there on the recommendation of a pro scout(connected to the team pitching coach ... kid isn't even a pitcher) who saw him play summer ball. There are lots of ways to get where a player wants to be.

Now since the dads of the younger kids would rather fight than listen, whether it be to me or posters with far more experience and expertise than I have, I'm going to bow out of conversations with pre high school parents. You can't learn when you're talking and fighting.

I'll leave with one piece of advice. Go hang around the college game. I love talking to people who know more than me. It's an avanue to an education. Approach a parent and ask which player is their kid. Ask the parent how their kid got there. Then shut up and listen. You don't know more than they do. If you pay attention you'll learn a lot.

Have a nice day!

Thanks for the replys. I am going to take things a little slower- one day at a time and improve knowledge of the game and let son develop on his own. It reminds me of just 4 years ago son went to draft day and no one knew him. He was one of the very last to get chosen. One coach saw talent in him and took the chance with him- saw an electric arm- and he could actually catch a ball. Later he told me that "You can teach anyone to bat a ball or even run around bases well, but its hard to teach one how to throw and catch a ball".

He worked with him and by the time the season started he was the best starting pitcher in the league, oh, and his bat came around as well. It reminds me of the wisdom of seeing and knowing what talent is. I believe it was that moment that changed my sons approach also. He relaized through someone believeing in him that he could achieve greatness. I remember that first year in a game where his coach told him to go out and throw 9 strikes and end the game. He went out there and threw 9 pitches in a row in the strike zone and struck out the side. I asked son later how he did it and he just replied- "coach told me too".

Belief is an amazing tool!

I haven't been on here in a while and I read this whole thread, post by post today.

There isn't a parent out there that has a kid playing competitive or travel ball that doesn't want want or hope for a scholly from a college. You can be passive in your wording and say it means more to your son than it does to you. OK, but I'm not buying it.

I want my kid to play college ball. I hope my kid is good enough to get drafted. I dream of sitting along the 3rd base side of Wriglely telling the guy next to me that the kid hitting is my son. The dream is alive!!! Its OK to admit it parents, you want it and you want it bad for your kid because you love them unconditionally.

I have about a 99.9% chance of being disappointed in the not too distant future, but in the meantime I'll continue to cram my compact car with catchers equipment, helments bags and oh so strategically placed buckets of balls so my trunk will shut and enjoy the reality of spending time with my kid at the ballpark. We'll both keep right on dreaming too, I'm 100% sure about that.