Where is the "Talent" deeper?

OPP ...

quote:

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Is the over-all pool of talent in college ball as deep as that which you experienced when your sons participated in all of the high end summer select programs and tournaments?

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I would have to give a resounding YES ... since many of the players he competed with and against in those days are now on the teams he is facing in college.

OPP

according to my son it was deeper than he thought it would be especially when it came to pitching

In HS a team is lucky to have one real good pitcher--in college there no bad pitchers--some are just better than others

TR, I know that colleges will all probably have better pitching staffs than most HS teams, but I was specifically wondering/compared to "select" program teams.

OPP

There is no question--

"Select" teams have the best HS players/

College teams have the best players from the "select" teams

No question about it: The weakest college players, at any level, almost always were top HS players.

Figure: HS pitchers with an average fastball of 85-86 mph are generally considered exceptional. Last year, our area had one, maybe two. Average select teams will have, say, five exceptional HS pitchers.

How many of those pitchers are significant contributors as college freshmen? Considering all levels, and being generous, we'll say half.

If that is true of every single class every single year, you have a 10-pitcher staff if you redshirt). So a position player on a college team will almost always see a pitcher who was both an exceptional HS pitcher but, on average, one of those roughly two top arms on a select team.

Now do that for every position.

It is a little oversimplified, but that's what my ourfielder son experienced this year.

Observations from my freshman son playing in the Big West Conference....

1. Many balls that he hits now that he knows would have been hits in travel ball and high school, plays are being made on and they are no longer hits

2. Pitchers hit their spots much more consistently

3. He can't sit on 3-0, 2-0, fastballs anymore. he sees more cutters, sliders, and offspeed in those counts than ever before. And they are thrown for strikes.

4. Baserunners are much better, his defense has to keep progressing to combat them.

So to answer your question from our point of view .... Yes they are better.

I'm sure it depends on the level of college ball, but when you factor in the competition for position among a wider age range, the top college teams seem deeper in every area.

Talking to my coach who played in the minors and other people who i know who played in college and minor leauges, and one who made it to the show, it kinda goes like this.
Best of HS: Ace pitchers and #3 and four hitters go to college.
Best of College: Number 3-5 or six hitters get drafted, maybe two or three pitchers
Best of A ball: #3 hitters and good starters and releif pitchers
and so on, basically the next level you play at only consists of the best of the level previous, it only gets harder as it goes up, and it never stops getting harder till you get to the show, and when your there, your the best.

bigswing

It continues to remain hard at the MLB level as there is always some young phenom looking to take your place-- if a player eases up or lets his guard down he will be gone almost overnite.