it is a known fact that the bigger kid with[ equal talant]to a shorter kid wil get more chances,more looks from scouts.a pitcher by far will have that edge everything else will go by who has more skills.to anybody that thinks that is not true stop kidding yourself.howmany pitchers in the big league are under 6 feet.......

wow, i am happy to hear that because my son has been over looked in other sports (not baseball) and he is big. maybe, for once he'll get his shot.

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howmany pitchers in the big league are under 6 feet...

On the current National League rosters there are 55 pitchers that are 6 foot tall or under. There is a very large number that are 6-foot-1. I didn't have time to check the American League.

People really need to understand something. Size is a plus, no doubt about it! However, talent is much more important than size. When they decide who to move up, they don't just automatically move up all the tall guys.

Why is it so important to some (on this site) to keep telling kids they're too small and they don't stand a chance. Especially when there are so many great players and pitchers who are/were not big!

Someone mentioned size=talent on a different thread. I have seen many real big kids that lack talent. Size=Size!

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Why is it so important to some (on this site) to keep telling kids they're too small and they don't stand a chance. Especially when there are so many great players and pitchers who are/were not big!

What do you look at when evaluating a 12 year old for future potential. Before I go on, let me say that accuracy before age 16 is very iffy.

For me, the first item is innate ability. Foot speed, throwing velocity, eye hand coordination, size, etc.

Good height, large shoe size, and big hands before the onset of adolescence are good signs. But only if accompanied by the above. I ask about the size of the mother's brothers and the height of the father. A family history of baseball after HS is a plus.

For those in early adolescence see if your doctor will give you growth charts for kids to measure their height and weight percentiles. Check their ankles to see how high the coarse leg hair goes. None is best.

Even with all of this, it is pot luck. It isn't that the, "elite" team coaches are any smarter. They just have a better pool and a lot of mature kids to pick from.



Then come the intangibles. Mental toughness, work ethic, coachability.

Interesting thread so tell me where does this boy end up?

13 years old 7th grade, plays 14U Major for a top 50 team nationally.

Shoe size 13.5, long big hands and fingers, lanky right now at 6'1 1/2 142..... 8ft 2 inch reach

Pitcher, throws some curves, mostly change-up fast ball and knuckles, locates well and hits 75-76

I have been told by two doctors he will hit 6'5 has wild desire for the game, loves it and loves playing against older kids.

Have been told by three college coaches and 3 ex-pros his upside is great...one ex-pro wants to promote him starting his freshman year....

Numbers for 14u Major team...19 innings, 27 k's 7 walks , hit two batters, picked off 5 runners, 1 wild pitch.

Now having said this, if he does not continue to work hard he will not go any where....BUT what he has already been blessed with will get him more opportunities than smaller players......that's my take, he has great upside, if he stays injury free and works his tail off.

13 is not preteen but he is going to get some looks. How physically mature is he? Ultimately it will come down to innate ability. His speed is OK but not spectaacular. It is just too early to tell. You can get a pretty good read at age 16.

Why does a pre teen need to be identified?

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Why does a pre teen need to be identified?

Good question.

"Why does a preteen need to be identified?"

Why does a preteen need to go to a showcase?

Same answer. They do not. What a kid accomplishes on the small diamond is of no consequence and every year we see elite and all stars fail on the full sized diamond.

While we are at it, going to pitching coaches falls into the same category. You cannot buy innate ability and that is where it is.

Obviously a preteen does not need to be identified in any sort of scouting sense.

He does need to be identified in order to encourage him to move towards playing opportunities that will help him develop his potential. Even when a kid is talented and self-motivated, you too often see a kid fail to get the right instruction.

In our area there is no middle school baseball. To develop, you need to get with a team with coaches who instruct the fundamentals and who imbue competitiveness and respect for the game. I don't know how many of these travel teams I see -- run by dads or run by ex-pros or both -- that fail the kids they supposedly serve.

Not that a kid can't recover from that, or overcome that. But life is easier when you get it right the first time.

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Originally posted by TRhit:
Why does a pre teen need to be identified?

Only because the original poster asked.

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Not that a kid can't recover from that, or overcome that.

In general kids destined to go on in the game do so in spite of their coaching rather than because of it.

"Daque His speed is OK but not spectacular"

I beg you to find 25 13 year olds throwing 75.....constistantly in a game...I have seen some 14's but not may 13's Everyone I have ever know inflates the speed

but anyway that's ok, the speed will come, the location, movement and knowledge of how to pitch, means more than speed.

Age 13 is a big change year in bodies. Some 13 year olds look 16 and others look 11. How old does this kid look? That is how I would judge his velocity. It is all academic until we can see how is is doing 3 years from now.

The reason you can't predict what preteen player is going to "make it", is not because you can't see his talent, its because life is going to get in the way.

He looks like a 15-16 year old.

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He looks like a 15-16 year old.

In that case, I would evaluate his pitching velocity as though he were that age. But remember it may be an exercise in futility until is is that age.

I think we need to focus on command and control, not that he does not have it, but he is growing so fast that we have to keep going back to it.

I think increase in speed will come as he gets stronger. I know I need to slow down a bit with him as he is not 16-17 but rather 13-14

we are going to finish out the summer schedule then take a rest from throwing....work on core strength and then this fall start a long toss, weight program.

I have been told he needs to go to his first show case after his freshman year, just to get a feel then go back and work some more his soph and jr years.

You can also tell by his body that he is going to grow more....started to go through puberty, but has no signs of hair on his ankles, and still looks thin...I need to put weight on him.