Too Early?

No, it's not too early to get his name out there, especially as an LHP.

This is a tough one.  Top D1's tend to be on an early schedule but I don't think they will have much interest in a P throwing 75-78, even if LH and good mechanics.  I'd be curious to hear what the travel coach/pitch coach has to say.  Is he connected at the school in question?  Based on the measurables and the target, it may be a year early.

sent you a PM.

For a 2017, now is the time to get your ducks in a row and prepare for those emails and calls, and start executing on your plan.

Having said that, sitting 75-78 right now may not be an attribute that you'll want to promote to your target audience, even if from the left side. Your recruiting plan may be sound, but your product may not be competitive. You have to ask yourself: how competitive is my "product", and should I start marketing my product that may not compare well to others?

There are two factors you need to consider when looking to win in the recruiting marketplace: a strong marketing plan, and a competitive product.

Suggestion: take the off season to build arm strength through a reputable velo program, and get stronger/bigger with the help of a personal trainer. If your son is able to add 5 MPH so that he's sitting 80-83 and touching 85-86 from the left side by the end of the Spring, then you have a very strong product to market at the right time.

IMO it's never too early.....okay, maybe middle school but he wants to go to the school, the major is there and he will develop and get stronger/better. LHPs are the "Unicorns" of pitchers and are crucial to a pitching staff. They are always a hot commodity, never sell him short and continue to push him to get better. I know the family of a LHP who at 18 is 5-10"/5-11" 160-165 lbs, throws 86-88 with a nice cb and great change...he will go to PENN (maybe not "top d1") and is automatically into the Wharton School of Business due to baseball, not too shabby.He was probably throwing at similar numbers a few years ago.

First of all, welcome to the site! ...and congratulations upon having secured a screen name that I would have imagined would have been gone long ago!

I'm in the camp of those who thinks that it'd be entirely appropriate for your son to express his interest at this point. I think they'll appreciate knowing of it, will gladly add him to their database, and will probably try to see him next year.

While I agree that there's no need to call attention to his current velocity, it'll be factors other than that that will gain recruiters' and scouts' attention early on. They'll be less concerned with his velocity this year than they will his overall mechanics, control of his fastball, development of his change-up, and mound presence. College recruiters will also be interested in how he's doing, academically.

A word of caution: You might encourage him to fight the temptation to become too fixated on a small group of schools. College recruiting is very much about the mutuality inherent in a matchmaking process, and there are many more participants on your son's side of the equation than exist on the other. As others here have noted, his being a left-handed pitcher certainly aids him in that regard; but, it doesn't completely inoculate him.

Best wishes for his success!

As the parent of a son who had all the typical "negatives" going for him.....too slow, too short, too skinny, etc, etc I can tell you that it's a struggle for the smaller kids....though my son wasn't 5'10 as a soph so you're way ahead of us.  With regard to the velocity, I would just say he's a LHP who has hit 80....coaches will take that however they want....but it's a decent number for soph lefty. A friend of my son's committed to a Big Ten D1 the fall of his junior year...and at time had hit 85....sat 83-84...but had excellent mechanics and control.  He was nowhere near 80 the year before. 

I would absolutely start now in promoting your son.  It's never too early.  Good luck

In this day and age we have to accept that schools are getting commitments from 10th graders, HOWEVER, it sounds like your 2017 is just starting to really get in his groove for both body and skill.

Everything that I have read on here and other boards says you should wait to show him when he has something to show.  So, why not take him to one of the PG events in FL in December, or if he isn't ready then in June?  That would allow you to get him evaluated by professionals, get a good idea of what he should work on to improve his PG score, and put him on the radar.  THEN if it works out that he gets a decent score or a nice write up then email the coach with the link to the professional and unbiased scoring.

Thanks for all your responses, and thanks Smoltzie 29 for your PM. Couldn't figure out how to reply in the dialog box.

This school has a one day prospect camp coming up in about a month. I signed my son up for that. Should I have him email the coach before he attends?

A short email in advance, explaining why that school and baseball program are of particular interest to him would probably be appreciated by the coach.

Assuming that it's a "prospect" camp rather than a "skills" camp, you might prepare him for the fact that the coaches may pay more attention to the guys who are a year ahead of him. It's not a slight. Rather, it's a reflection that they have several guys attending who are high on their current recruiting board. Your son's time will come before he...and you...know it.