just a quick question about my arm strength

[baseball2234]

hey im a freshman right now in high school and i was clocked at 80 the other day, i would like to throw low to mid 90s at least by the time im a senior and play d1 or drafted straight out of high. should i be doing anything special that will get me to mid 90's, or you think just by growth and development by the time im a senior i will throw that hard. so yeah is there anything that will help me get my velocity up drastically? i know i still have time.

[TG Coach]

hey im a freshman right now in high school and i was clocked at 80 the other day, i would like to throw low to mid 90s at least by the time im a senior and play d1 or drafted straight out of high. should i be doing anything special that will get me to mid 90's, or you think just by growth and development by the time im a senior i will throw that hard. so yeah is there anything that will help me get my velocity up drastically? i know i still have time.

Just curious: What is your size right now (height, weight)? What size shoe do you wear? What is your mother's and father's height?

[baseball2234]

im 5'10 135 (working with a trainer right now to put on some major muscle) size 12 shoe parents r 6'3 and 5'8

[paul5150]

my guess is that you will be upper 80's if you work hard. Dont be thinking that you need to be throwing 90's to be drafted or to go to a d1 school.

[TG Coach]

im 5'10 135 (working with a trainer right now to put on some major muscle) size 12 shoe parents r 6'3 and 5'8

You're going to be a good size kid. Keep working hard. Check out the site below. Do the work under adult supervision. Good luck!

http://www.asmi.org/SportsMed/throwing/thrower10.html

Becoming good size is no guarantee you're going to throw hard and become a D1 pitcher. There are two 6'3", 200 pound upper 80's pitchers at our high school who are going D3. The competition for D1 is fierce. Give it your best shot, but make academics the priority. You'll have more options.

[baseball2234]

thanks for the help, and im not a pitcher in an outfielder throwing 80. One more question, it may seem stupid and obvious but im just making sure...is it harder to get recruited and start on a d1 baseball team or enter the draft out of high school and be picked sometime during the 1500 draft picks and then linger around in rookie ball and work your way up. im just a little confused

[TG Coach]

thanks for the help, and im not a pitcher in an outfielder throwing 80. One more question, it may seem stupid and obvious but im just making sure...is it harder to get recruited and start on a d1 baseball team or enter the draft out of high school and be picked sometime during the 1500 draft picks and then linger around in rookie ball and work your way up. im just a little confused

Whether a player is drafted out of high school or college he's probably going to start at Rookie A ball. A cream of the cream college player may start at a higher level, or move through the three levels of A ball faster.

I'll use the BF house pro player (Hidden Gem) as an example. From a site I found it appears he played college ball and came out in the draft when he was 21. I'll guess that was after his junior year. He was a 6th round pick which is high. He still went to Rookie A ball. When he had a good Rookie A season he skipped A ball and went to High A his second season and AA his third ... and so on until he was called up to the majors, referred to by baseball players as "The Show."

A high school player will usually go through the entire ladder unless he is a stud like Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey went from high school to Rookie A in one year to High A and AA the second year, to starting for the Mariners at age 19.

A kid out of our high school did rookie A ball twice before being promoted to mid level A. After being all-conference and all-area in high school he had trouble at the plate in Rookie A. Keep in mind he was facing a lot of 21yo former college pitchers in Rookie A right out of high school.

[baseball2234]

i understand what you mean, but i meant what is easier being drafted out of high or playing d1. Im guessing you meant being drafted out of high since theres so many different teams to plays the young guys on and some just go straight to the majors

[TG Coach]

i understand what you mean, but i meant what is easier being drafted out of high or playing d1. Im guessing you meant being drafted out of high since theres so many different teams to plays the young guys on and some just go straight to the majors

A player goes when he feels it's his time. There are plenty of D1 players who are not drafted. There are fifty, sixty rounds of the draft (can't remember what it is now). There are players who are drafted who are not college material. On the other hand some will go to JuCos for a couple of years. There are questions the player should ask himself if he is drafted out of high school. Am I mature enough to go live on my own and be a professional? Will I get another chance if I don't sign now? If a high pick, how much money am I being offered? Will I enhance my skills, draft status and signing money by going to college? What is my shot of making it if I sign for next to nothing compared to going to college, playing ball and moving on with my life when I'm done playing?

Never forget pro baseball is a business. A friend was drafted in the 48th (of 60 rounds). He signed for $500 and a plane ticket to the team's town. He hit .337 in Rookie A ball. He broke is ankle the last week of the season. The parent club rehabbed him. As soon as his ankle was better they cut him. The reason he was cut was he was more of a future potential financial liability than a prospect given he signed for $500. On the other hand if a first round draft choice hits .237 and breaks his ankle, I'll give you one million-plus reasons why he will be promoted to mid level A ball.

Another friend was a five tool, first round pick. He was supposed to be part of a major trade and would have started in the majors as soon as the trade happened. The trade fell through. He got injured twice and never made it.

Hidden Gem would be a good person to get perspective on this. He plays AAA ball and has spent time in the majors.

[baseball2234]

thanks for all the info. I find it pretty interesting how there are some players who arent good enough to play d1 baseball but can be considered a "proffesional" by playing rookie ball.

[TG Coach]

thanks for all the info. I find it pretty interesting how there are some players who arent good enough to play d1 baseball but can be considered a "proffesional" by playing rookie ball.

Some players are physical late bloomers. Some players are overlooked by D1's due to a percieved lack of enough tools, then destroy D2 or D3 and get drafted. A pitcher throwing 90+ mph is throwing from a mound 60 feet away regardless of the level of ball. The person I referenced who hit .337 and was cut played D3. He was 5'9", 140 when he graduated from high school. By his junior year of college he was 6'1", 180.

And who would have thought D2 Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire would have five players drafted in the 2006 draft. It was more than University of Florida and many other major D1's. It was just one of those years. Four of them were hard throwing late bloomer pitchers.

[baseball2234]

yeah i see what ur saying. Its still pretty early for me only a freshman in high but i had a great year, at least i think so for varsity. Batted .490 with 1 homerun, so yea im pretty serious about baseball even though i know there are probably twenty thousand freshman on varsity who batted higher than
.490 with more than 1 homerun. but what would you suggest to a current potential mid round draft pick where their parents are wealthy enough to support him if hes not earning a lot, go to college and play 4 years and mature, or go straight to the minors and mature with wood at a young age and work your way up.