what is a good batted ball speed. My son is 14 just got timed this weekend at 83. How is that for that age. what speed shoul a senior be at to be considered a college prospect? thanks in advance.Just wanted to say how much I enjoy this site and getting info from knowledgable folks

To tell you the truth, it's were they hit the ball and how they hit the ball. Rather then how fast it comes off the bat.
I've never had a coach ask that question.
It will tell you if he is making good contact though.
Just keep driving the ball and work on his speed of foot, good soft hands on fielding, and throwing ability.
If they can get a hit consistently with power to all fields.
He will move up.
Have fun these coming years, its a blast.
Everything will take care of it's self in time.

EH

I am a long time reader of this forum and am finally ready to start posting. This topic is close to what I have been looking for also.

How were the measurements taken? Was he hitting off a tee?

I think the best judge would be how far his long ball goes. I have searched the forums and can't find a thread that talks about home run distance of elite HS hitters. With metal/wood.

What is the magic distance for how far a kid can hit a ball before he will get noticed. I am talking about game HR's here hit off of good pitching.

Say 90mph is the magic number for pitchers. Is that 400 ft HR's? Or 425? I know there distances will be exaggerated the same way velocity is but what is your best guess?

If a kid is hitting ropes into the outfield does it really matter knowing the velocity? When my son was fourteen all I looked at was he hitting the ball as hard as the best hitters his age. Each year I look at his (sixteen last summer playing 18U) hitting the same way. He's playing with the best in his area. Is he hitting like them? I'd have to think his velocity was lower last summer playing all wood bat.

quote:

home run distance of elite HS hitters

Don't worry about home runs. If a kid hits the ball hard the power will come. A friend's son didn't hit a homer in high school. The knock on him in his scouting report after his soph year in SEC ball was not enough power given he would probably have to be moved from short to third in pro ball. His junior year he hit 20. His first full season in the minors he hit 20. Since high school he's been a line drive hitting machine. He eventually got bigger and stronger.

I often catch some of the better HS kids hitting at 96-98 off the bat and have caught college players at around 100 but there is no " magic" number or HR distance because these don't really tell enough about a hitter when taken by themselves. A big strong kid who really can't hit might one time really get ahold of one and blast it 425 ft+. That doesn't mean he's a college or pro prospect. There are great line drive hitting guys who of course never hit 425 foot drives. These are interesting numbers but I don't think they tell a lot about a hitter if you do them one time or against inferior pitching.

I understand more power usually comes later and at times a lot more. I realize the same can happen with pitching velocity.

I will just give my situation. My brother is 15. Will be playing 15u next summer and is in Freshman year. This year his longest game HR went about 360-380. He had at least 3 more that were about 350. Each easily carried a 320' or more fence. He also had about 6 more that were on shorter fences and although they cleared easily it is tough to tell distance. He batted around .500 this year in travel. He really only faced one what I would call elite pitcher, a 15u kid gunned at the tourney cruising 86. He got hit by a pitch on a 3-2 count and had a hard ground-out to short in other.

He is about 5'10" and weighs 180. Good size but by no means big for current travel that he plays. He has 2 brothers that are 6'2" and our dad is 6'1" so we do expect he is still growing.

So what I am asking is at what point does a power hitter really get noticed?

While this really won't answer the questions above it really is the best answer once you've seen it.

You know a hitter is a prospect by the sound of the ball off the bat and seeing how the ball jumps off the bat. You can see this during BP as well because those who are prospects stand out.

Like someone said earlier a kid might get lucky in BP or a game and launch one but listen / watch his next 4 or 5 swings and the effort he puts in. It won't be the same as just that one. But a kid who has it and knows how to use it; his swings are all the same with pretty much the same effect and effort.

Last season myself and head coach were standing at the left center field fence during BP one day. We got a kid who has already signed to play with East Carolina and is getting talked about in the draft. Our fence is about 330ish deep and he was hitting balls about 50 feet over our head. You just know it when they hit it. The rest of our guys had great contact but it just wasn't the same.

My advice is to find a high school that has a kid like this and let your son(s) watch and listen to the stud in BP. Have them burn that into their memory (and yours) and when their BP starts to sound and look like that then you know you got someone special.

Coach,

Funny that you describe it that way. Up here in NH we have a player that was the first from NH to ever play in the TOS. He has gone on to play in East Cobb and the Area code games as well. Most of the scouts who are ever quoted in articles in reference to him all say the same thing...the ball sounds different coming off of his bat then a normal high school hitter. From what I know (have personally never seen him play yet)he is a line drive machine with some pop, hit one 400ft in East Cobb apparently. It has always stuck with me that it was the sound off of his bat, in a game or BP that let the scouts know he was special, not how far he hit them or how fast his bat speed was but the "SOUND OFF HIS BAT". He is headed to Maryland next year.

Same thing about the sound of the ball. I had the pleasure of watching Jaff Decker from AZ when he was trying out for a group of scouts. We had the field next so we got to watch. What a treat. The sound was amazing. I have only heard that at MLB batting practice.

Whenever we are at a tournament or a practice, everyone notices that sound. People wander over to watch. It is something that is hard to describe, but easy to hear. You just know it is a shot.

baseball 3- that time of 83 was off a tee on an inside cage. He hit between 5 and 10 balls in games 340 - 360 range as an 8th grader in jv and 14u travel. He turns 14 end of next July. Just thought Someone migh know of Batted ball speeds expected of seniors recruited for college. Thanks in advance for responses

83 is pretty fast. I don't have any stats, but I remember watching a White Sox game a few years ago. They were timing Albert Bell's bat speed. He was late on the first fast ball and his bat speed was 88. He was thrown a fastball at the same speed later in the at bat and hit a gapper. His bat speed was still 88.

Timing with speed. Sounds like your kid is pretty strong. What size bat is he swinging?

DMan it wasn't has bat speed it was batted ball speed, his bat speed was low 70's. he was using exo 33-30

Sounds like this 14 year old is strong, for sure, but it is not as tough to square it up against most pitchers of that age. At 16U and above, he will see some more movement on fastballs and breaking balls and change-ups!


Bat speed is important, but almost irrelevant if a player can't square up the ball with the bat.

There are many things that will increase bat speed, most of which have already been mentioned.

Batted ball speed is increased dramatically when you get it on the sweet spot. Metal bats with the trampoline effect add even more when you catch it just right!

Albert Pujols' bat speed is remarkably slow when compared to some others, but he keeps his bat on plane and in the hitting zone longer than almost any other hitter!

see this thread

http://hsbaseballweb.com/eve/f...671040313#7671040313

Best of Luck to this young man, but it sounds like bat speed is not going to be an issue for him?

BTW, my Son was recruited by several D-1 schools and not one ever asked about or measured his bat speed or batted ball speed?

I agree with the above comments about the sound coming from the batted ball of a very good hitter.

I also believe you can see and evaluate bat speed. Seeing a fluid, effortless, balanced fast swing is noticable even if it's a swing and a miss.

I've gunned some guys off of a tee (hey, 3 days of rain can make you goofy)... I did have one kid that broke 90 (HS junior); he had a sweet left handed swing and really good power.

Most of my HS hitters were in the 70's; stronger swings in the 80's... the point is there is a lot more to being a good hitter, as you know

ther are so many good explanations that one is hard to pick... the way the ball comes off the bat is a big difference, some hitters that hit for average rather than power actually hit harder than power hitters, its all in the swing, bat speed, sweet spot. so many variables its hard to get into them all. listen to the ball when it come off the bat of chipper jones as to the difference in griffey junior, 2 different style hitters but the sound is about the same, though griffeys bat speed at one time was alot greater than jones but jones hits better for average. I dont go by mph on the bat its to hard to judge, but i do know bat speed, type of swing, and the way it jumps and sounds I do know. I could go on for hours but I wont but dont be put off by the MPH to many people now days rely on it watch some good HS hitters and tune into them, then go to college and listen to them.... but the one defining factor is when it comes to the wood.. can he do it then!!

He's 14 now, or 13? How big is he?

Souther- He played 14u last year didn't turn 14 till end of July. Will be playin 15u this summer as a 14 yr old

sorry forgot to list size he's abot 5'10 170lb or so as of Nov 2009