What would you do?

RHP at 88 mph is right on the cusp of bigtime D1 and pro ball interest as you seem aware.  6'3" and 175 is a projectable size

I would absolutely shut him down and not do Fall Ball or Jupiter.   Give him a good 3 months of no throwing.   Hit the gym, run, improve his lower half strength etc.... the rest plus training to get bigger stronger will give him his best shot at adding the 3 to 7 mph that will really open up his future bigtime, as well as give him the best shot at staying healthy throughout 2018 which is fundamentally the most important thing

What does he want to do?

Different strategies for the fall are appropriate for different players depending on their circumstances. 

What would his reasons be for pitching this fall? Does he expect to do better than he did this spring and summer? Does he think his recruiting options will expand if he does the same thing he did this summer in front of a wider audience? Is he itching to measure himself against better competition?

Are those reasons more important than using the fall for arm rest and conditioning?

You already laid out the case for what you think your son needs to do.

Best wishes,

Focused, I sent you a PM.

For me, I would ask myself the following...

"What's best for his development at this time?"

He's gotten considerable exposure.  More innings of exposure may come at a cost to his arm health as well as potential mental fatigue.  This leads me to a second and related question:

"What's best for my son's mindset?"

I always thought it interesting that between high school and college ball, I took less time off and had less time off than when I started playing pro ball.  Grant it, the season in pro ball is a grind but shutting him down could allow for a mental break... not to mention could be a good time to get his body assessed for muscular imbalances.  After a while the repetitive nature of the game will create imbalances.  This fall/winter could be great to get his body and mind back in balance and ready for January.

All the best to you and your son.

You guys are great!  This is the best resource by far for parents who have high school baseball players!!  I guess my question/dilemma all is a result of early recruiting/committing.  He has friends who played all summer at PG ATL and are committing.  We feel we should have done this but instead did the college showcase tour instead.  Swampboy....one and only one reason is for more exposure.   Competition wise he faced some of the best there is at PG.  Backpick thank you for PM.  I think we will rest, relax, and work on getting that fastball mph up. Add healthy muscle, flexibility, and be ready for spring.  Thanks again for your time.  

If it was me I would get him on a driveline/wolforth  throwing and workout program and not worry about the rest of the year/fall. He is s 2019 and with his size and on a workout and velocity improvement program he will be over 90 come next year and you won't have to worry about where to take him as the coaches will find him. 

stayfocused posted:

Recently a post similiar to this was on here and I almost piggybacked on that one but decided against it.   What would you do?  Here is the question:  2019, RHP, 6' 3", 175 lbs, 88 mph (PG), was the go to guy in highschool ball in spring (but coach never over used), as soon as that season finished played on a college showcase team where he would pitch 5-6 innings (averaged ~60-65 pitches) a week on a weekend trip to various colleges (fun but nobody saw him).   Also did one PG tournament with this team (got a nice write up in the PG tourn. blogs).  This was almost every weekend June through mid July.  As soon as that ended picked up by a travel team to play at PG WWBA 16 (the most productive 30 pitches of the whole summer), and PG 16 U Championships in ATL.    Has been invited to play on that same travel team for fall with a few "warm up" tournaments before going to Jupiter.     Contact: 1 mid/upper D1 via travel coach.     This would be an easy decision if he were a position player.  But as a pitcher in order to be at the top of his game, he will have to start throwing and ramping up AGAIN this year in the next few weeks to be ready for the fall season.    One other important thing to know is that we are in a warm weather state so  his highschool season (practices) will begin in January.   So he basically was pitch ready for about 7 straight months.   Knock on wood....no injuries, but over the summer would definitely need rest/ice, etc... between starts.    He/we are leaning toward complete shut down and hitting the gym, running, etc...  to get ready for a very important spring/summer 2018.  WHAT WOULD YOU DO??  

I am assuming that he has no committment at this time, so without a doubt he should attend Jupiter. Why would this not be a priority?  This is the single most important event for any D1 prospect.  And you live within close distance, if you are from a warm weather state.

I am not a fan of over use, or attending  too many showcases or tournaments and spending money when not necessary, but be aware that many D1 programs here in the southeast are wrapping up their 2018s and courting 2019s.  

JMO

What sort of colleges is he looking at?  That can help the decision making process here.  FYI its normal after club season to take a few weeks off and slowly ramp back up for fall tournaments and showcasing, then shut down completely late Oct.  He can get at least 8-10 weeks completely shut down, then slowly ramp up in January for Feb games??  When do the actual HS games actually start?

For a 2019 he needs to be showing his stuff this Fall at either PG WWBA under the lights with all the coaches watching and attending a few showcases and camps showing his targeted colleges what sort of stuff he's got.  IF high academic kid go to WWBA and get to AZ Junior Fall Classic in Oct and HF first week of Nov, then shut down completely.  A short shutdown and easy ramp up is healthy and good, it will get him refreshed physically and mentally.

He can be focusing on arm care and refining while he goes through the fall.  He should already have a methodical pre and post game routine to protect his arm.

I was thinking along the lines of what TPM and Gov said...  I am all for the proper rest and recovery periods as yourself and others have noted.  But it sounds like your player is projectable beyond the level of interest he has received to date and the clock is ticking for players that fall in that D1 realm.  Jupiter seems to be such a big event for such players.  Why couldn't he make that his last big event and still have time to shut down for a while before ramping back up for his final HS season?

We don't know a whole lot about what schools/major etc., he is interested in so this factors in as well.  But from a pure baseball standpoint, it seems that the big carrot is hanging and the time is now (October).

What have you got charted out for next summer? 

IMO, this fall is prime time for him to start generating interest. D-1 RC's are looking for '19's now. He'll be shut down for 10-12 wks (Late Oct- mid Jan)...

As an aside, son attended 2 yrs, on 17U & 18U. We're from Texas, HS bb started in late Jan, first scrimmages/pre-season tourneys 3rd wk of Feb...

In Texas...I would say most pitchers like your son (tall with good velocity) get picked up before the summer between junior and senior year.   Our experience is that most D1 pitchers are taken before the end of a player's junior year.  Then the D1's go to position players the summer between Junior and Senior year.  90 mph seems to be the magic number in terms of velocity.  If I were you, I would go to Jupiter and any individual camps of schools your son is interested in this fall.  I know it is a dilemma to get three months of arm rest.  But...if he commits to a school, you can rest after that (even if you have to tell the high school coach he will only pitch in District play).  I know a few pitchers that have the same description as your son.  One in particular is a 2018.  He has not committed and I don't know what options he has at this point.  

I'll try and answer some of the questions.....his dream baseball school is an SEC school.   They have shown some interest but no "official" contact (saw him pitch twice at PG).   3.5 GPA.  C5TX.......would never tell the highschool coach that he can only pitch in District play....highschool baseball is TOO important AND his highschool is a powerhouse with a bus load of potential D1, D2, etc...pitchers...... that he would probably be told that he was not needed.   Also we hope to be playing for a State title this year.   I guess I am thinking he has nothing else to show in October at Jupiter.....now next year will hopefully be a different story but by then it will probably be too late for dream school.    He has a number one target school mentioned above and a list of 3-5 others that have seen him play on the showcase team this summer.    I would also classify those 3-5 schools as dream schools as well (all upper/mid D1s).  

Next summers plan is to play with the same travel team that we finished the summer with.  They do a lot of PG tournaments and are very competitive.    A side note story on this....I mentioned above he got the most exposure from 29 pitches this summer at PG tournament.   The crazy part about that is that the game was a consolation game being played off site (not at Lake Point).  This was the first time he pitched for this team.  I got there and it was empty and I was thinking these are going to be some wasted pitches.  Low and behold 5 minutes before game time 4 SEC coaches and a Sun Belt coach show up to watch.   They were there to see some other players but my son lucked out and got to pitch in front of them.   

stayfocused...I'd still recommend Jupiter this Oct. Then shut him down. That would give more schools an opportunity to see him and create a baseline for his progress into next summer. Just don't put all your eggs in one basket! It is a balancing act. But Jupiter is very important! 

Good luck to you!  My kid also goes to a powerhouse high school.  But I have come to realize that high school ball really does not matter when it comes to college recruiting.  I have seen some kids who do not pitch at their high school going to Major D1 schools.   Summer and off-season select ball is where all the recruiting takes place.  Good luck to your son!!  I hope he gets an offer soon...:-)

You can continue to run him into the fall, but showing what they/you already know serves no purpose. Any question that they may not know him? Have him reach out to the RC/HC, they'll tell you if they're "IN" on him. Don't feel comfortable asking........His coach can simply text them to ask.

Get busy! Work on strength, imbalances and mobility! If you show them improvement in the spring, they will come! It may or may not be the "dream school" but I promise it will be someone that wants him! To be "wanted" is a key component to being a fit!

I have never seen a school turn down a legit dude! IF they want you, they will do whatever it takes to land you. Including finding funds.

I think he pitches too much. As someone said here take 3 months off throwing now and really hit the weights during that time and gain some weight. Then start a good weighted ball program along with some pitching lessons and hit 93 next summer.

I think recruiting timelines matter less for pitchers if you are able to get above 90.

So better keep him healthy and throw 90 next summer than trying to have him pitching in every fall and winter showcase.

Make sure he is contacting the school/schools he is interested in.  If they don't know of interest in them then you are missing opportunity.  I have had to remind my son through the process that recruiting is a dating relationship.  Both sides have to show interest and flirt.  Then after you are going steady, you have to trust the other one won't hurt your feelings and break up with you for the new kid in school.  He understands that mentality. 

Contacting his school/schools may give you some idea where they stand and if they are even going to be at Jupiter.  If he is not faster, it is not needed unless you are just wanting him seen by others, they say.  I say Jupiter is worth the experience and every good/great high school player should experience it once.

6'3, 175 throwing 88.....if he has a good showing at Jupiter, he may not need the summer of 2018.  If he can be ready, I'd go ahead and do it.  You won't find another opportunity to be seen by that many coaches/scouts until next July.  Why wait, unless you're really concerned that getting back in throwing shape is going to be a problem.  Kids like that will get noticed.  As someone else said, make sure to contact any coaches who have expressed interest (or that your son is interested in) and let them know he'll be in Jupiter.  Then follow up once he has an idea when he'll throw.  It would be great if he's a starter and his team can tell you his spot in the rotation ahead of time so you can promote his start to coaches.