I'm going to add my two cents. My son played baketball,s****r,football and ice hockey and some lacross. very gifted athlete. basball was and is the hardest sport. Go to any youth game in any of the other sports and kids are doing some amazing things. On the ice they are zipping around and putting pucks in the the corner of the net, baketball kids are dribbling and hitting three's, football kids look like gale sayers.. then go to a kids baseball game. Hardest game to master. play offense hit a ball catch,throw,steal,run,pitch etc...not an easy game. thats why kids go on to other sports they are easier to play.
With the other major sports, especially basketball, natural instinctive athleticism is the dominant requirement. With baseball, baseball instincts are required, but a few positions on the field require less natural atheleticism.
Baseball players don't have to be great althelets to be great hitters or pitchers. Many are but it is not a must. IMO baseball is more of a skill set sport. Players have a natural talent or skill in pitching and/or hitting. I think natural altheltics is required more in fielding than with hitting or pitching.
Also, although in other sports the other team is trying to stop you from scoring or doing your job, you depend on your althelticism to accomplish your job. With baseball, as a hitter, someone is trying to throw a dart by you, or make the ball move like a magician. Again altheticism helps but fast hands and hand eye coordination are more important. Someone mentioned Michael Jordan. Who is a better athelete than him? But he couldn't hit a breaking ball.
There were many times during the recruiting process that I wished my son had been playing another sport so his natural atheletic abilities, or lack thereof, would play a larger role with the decision making.
Baseball players don't have to be great althelets to be great hitters or pitchers. Many are but it is not a must. IMO baseball is more of a skill set sport. Players have a natural talent or skill in pitching and/or hitting. I think natural altheltics is required more in fielding than with hitting or pitching.
Also, although in other sports the other team is trying to stop you from scoring or doing your job, you depend on your althelticism to accomplish your job. With baseball, as a hitter, someone is trying to throw a dart by you, or make the ball move like a magician. Again altheticism helps but fast hands and hand eye coordination are more important. Someone mentioned Michael Jordan. Who is a better athelete than him? But he couldn't hit a breaking ball.
There were many times during the recruiting process that I wished my son had been playing another sport so his natural atheletic abilities, or lack thereof, would play a larger role with the decision making.
quote:Someone mentioned Michael Jordan. Who is a better athelete than him
quote:Someone mentioned Michael Jordan. Who is a better athelete than him? But he couldn't hit a breaking ball.
Yes, but he did bat over .200 with 30 SB and a few HRs in AA after not playing baseball in 15 years. I'd say that is pretty darn impressive. People thought it was a joke, but the above stats, to me, show he would've been able to hit the hook after a couple years of consistent practice.
quote:With the other major sports, especially basketball, natural instinctive athleticism is the dominant requirement. With baseball, baseball instincts are required, but a few positions on the field require less natural atheleticism.
fillsfan: I agree with the point you are trying to make. However, MLB Scouts seem to disagree with you in many instances in that they will draft highly that "athlete" to whom baseball is his second or third sport. They do so with the hope that his athleticism will allow him, over the time they work with him in the minors, to acquire the necessary baseball skills to play at a high level.
I too think that what most of us describe as athleticism; the ability to run and jump well is of less importance in baseball. But, I don't think one can say that other skills such as; balance, hand speed, quickness, great reflexes aren't also descriptive of athleticism. If one has the entire package then he's special. But many, in any sport only excel at certain attributes and not others.
The interesting aspect of baseball is that it is the ONLY sport where the player scores and NOT the ball!
Prime9,
I definitely agree that being a superior athlete can do nothing but help a baseball player.
I definitely agree that being a superior athlete can do nothing but help a baseball player.