What aspect of a players game do you find most lacking when a player comes to your team?

Please define whether the team is HS (FR.JV,V), travel select or rec and the age

High School

#1 Arm Strength
#2 Basic Hitting Fundementals
#3 Baseball Knowledge

Batting

Advancing Runners

a) Bunting
b) Hitting Behind Runner

Biggest problem we have seen is the ability to run the bases

I think this answer is going to be different across this board's experiences. Knowledge of what it takes to be "good" is always troubling. We are seeing more and more "select" kids entering the program. Note, I benefit from that and am not complaining on that issue alone. However, these young men think that they are the "elite" and so, mentally and physically, they aren't prepared for some high school coach to tell them that they have to work harder. In other words, their goal has been to be the best in their community. They achieved that. They now have to realize that they have a long way to go to be the best in the area, region and state.

I would note that once these kids realize the quality of talent out there, they then focus on getting better. Is is VERY DISHEARTENING when one of these kids is content to just be the best on the team.

Toughness, both mental and physical. Kids THINK they work hard, but unlike those of us that have been off the field for a while, they don't really understand hard work.
They also lack understanding of basic baseball knowledge.

B25, I haven't personally seen that in kids from the top tier select teams. Perhaps because the kids that play on those teams have played against the best in the entire country, and they know what they need to do. Normally these players have better work ethic than the rest of the HS team. That is what got them to the point of being able to earn a slot on a top tier select team. And this character trait is not "turned off" for the HS season.

Players from the lower tier select teams? Yes, I have seen some instances to which you refer. But then I have also seen some kids who don't play select at all exhibit poor work ethic.

Different experience, providing a different viewpoint.

In HS kids, bunting is certainly a lost art. Too many fielders (the vast majority, actually) still can't properly execute a turn & sprint for the ball hit over their head. Too few catchers consistently using proper blocking techniques.

quote:

Originally posted by Coach Knight:
Toughness, both mental and physical. Kids THINK they work hard, but unlike those of us that have been off the field for a while, they don't really understand hard work.
They also lack understanding of basic baseball knowledge.

I agree that we are babying the next generation. Kid's today don't know how tough we had it ( Didn't your Dad say the same thing? ) Seriously though, I agree but it is the fault of parents and coaches. We hand kids things that we had to fight for.

Anyone over 40 remembers using the same 1 baseball all summer and using tape to keep it together. Now the average person has more baseballs that our teams used to....


As far as lacking baseball knowledge, I think many kids are being over coached. It goes all the way up to the show. How many catchers actually get to call their game? Pitches are called from LL to MLB. How does a catcher get the chance to learn how to call a game?

The kids don't learn by doing it on their own.

Personally I think the reason for all the "lack of" situations is due to the fact that there are no longer "corner lot games" in the neighborhood.

We learned to do the things we had to do for self preservation and get to play in the next game and the next game.

Another lost art is moving without the ball.

Even in this present day of computer games, once the ball is hit every player is moving to their spot.

In most youth games and in some instances pro games, players not involved in the play become spectators. Nobody really notices until the ball gets away and the back up man is there, or not there.

Kids today do not have the baseball role models that I had I think. I sat in the bleachers of Yankee stadium watching Mickey Mantle play. I wanted to run, hit and throw as good as he did.

Being from the Bronx and playing neighborhood against neighborhood, we never had the chance to become complacent. There were always other parks or school yards to play against. That went from stick ball to baseball.

My neighborhood was good , but we got trashed by a bunch of fathers that told us that we played like girls. lol The abuse.

Texan, I agree with what you posted. Unfortunately, we are a very small community and so, if you make the "select" team then you are the elite. We have been very isolated and so, when they play outside of our area, then they see what the talent pool is really like. Kids that play at the highest level know to bust butt all of the time. Fortunatly, we now have a feeder program through a "select" organization that will really help us since they are traveling out of this area on a consistent basis.

For whatever reason, the hardest thing for me every year is finding three quality outfielders.

1)I would have to say "Lack of Fundamentals" and the coping skills the kids come to us with are huge hurdles. Good athletes will get the job done however they need to. Lots of times this is not a correct method , just a coping method(I will accept any correct method, not just my method). Then as 15 yr olds they have to be retaught and often times they can't handle the learning curve that causes them to get worse before they get better.

2) "Game on the line" mental aspects.

3)Baserunning reactions

4) Accepting being "good".

I played in college age summer ball the last couple years (not very competitive). Here's what I noticed:

1)focus/concentration: cans of corn dropping 10 feet behind their head, swinging at 2-0 pitch at head level

2)attitude: if it's not a 400 foot homer, it's a helmet thrown in the dugout and breaking into tiny bits (why can't they throw the ball that hard?)

3)fundamentals: no crow hop fielding a grounder, improper throwing, sidespin on balls rather than backspin, no balance in swing, no hip rotation, rolling top-hand over, missing cut-off man

4)knowledge: throwing 3-0 curveballs to hitters, outfielders throwing to the wrong bases, can't run a half-decent cut-off system, no hitting plan (like before, swinging at 3-0 curveballs)

Then again this league is for guys who's days are pretty much done. Since I'm the only one still trying to get noticed, I'm the odd one out. I remember when our coach at practice went around the circle of players and asked each of us what our hitting strategy was. When my turn came I said "Until 2 strikes, don't swing at pitcher's pitches." The players all went "whuhhh?" our coach said "so unless you have 2 strikes, you don't swing at any pitch that the pitcher throws?" Then I had to explain what that meant. Gives you a good idea of the baseball IQ around here.

I have been out of HS coaching for 6 years but when I left I found that some kids had a hard time accepting correction for a mistake. As I went through the years I noticed more excuses being given.

Three areas come to mind.
1. Situational hitting
2. Baserunning skills
3. Understanding the game. (I would love it if every kid would go to the library -remember those- and get a book about hitting, pitching, fielding,or whatever. Even if the book does not have the best ideas, it will at least get the kids thinking about things and may encourage them to learn more.)

Is it a problem knowing what is "situational hitting", or a problem executing situational hitting?

I think a little of both. Many kids don't understand without being specifically told (which is fine to learn, but it seems that many don't have the basic understanding coming into high school) what they need to do at the plate. When they don't know, it takes a long time for them to learn to execute and have confidence. For instance..runner on second (close game) and the batter has 2 strikes. I would like to see him hit behind the runner to advance him. If the kid has learned this, they will be confident and can execute better. If it is new to them, it will take more time in game or simulated games to develop that confidence.

It's not that hard to know what to do, but it is significantly harder to execute for the player than it is for the coach.

Hsballcoach/Texan:

I too have coached high school baseball (summer/fall) for many years and share the passion you and many posters here have for better preparing kids for high school baseball (and the new skills it requires on 60/90’ field). Offensive and defensive ones.

My list here would have been identical to hsballcoaches. And Texan, you make an excellent point that “It's not that hard to know what to do”. And I’d like to add- if we can only get more parents and coaches to understand and begin teaching them a year “before” their kid gets there.

And I don’t think “execution” is near as important as just “understanding how to attempt it”. Most are 50/50 plays at best anyway.

Lastly, I saw a junior college scrimmage stopped last fall where everyone was called to the mound to discuss the right-handed batter’s attempt to hit the ball behind the 2b runner with no outs. I’m sure the coach did the same thing for other skills that even elite players often fail to totally understand.

With the Internet, there is no reason why only the elite players ever get to hear about this stuff.

THop