The story of Lorenzo Cain is interesting. He never played baseball until the spring of his sophomore season. At 19, he hit .347 in the rookie league. At 20, he hit .307 in Class A. This year, at 28, he hit .301 in the American League and is the Royals' starting center fielder.
In some sports - tennis, to name one - it would be impossible to be a world class player if you stated at 17.
What does it say about baseball (and softball indirectly) that Cain can start so late, and do what he has done?
Let's take a travel softball, which assumes a player who is playing 50-100 games/year.
What makes a good hitter ...
- Natural talent, athleticism, hand/eye, etc.
- Practice, repitition
- Playing vs. good competition, quality of game experience
- Confidence/mental
- Mechanics
IMO, natural talent/athleticism is more than 50 percent of it, assuming you're a true travel ball player and getting at least the minimum that comes from that in terms of games, practices. The rest are enhancers.
What do you think?
In some sports - tennis, to name one - it would be impossible to be a world class player if you stated at 17.
What does it say about baseball (and softball indirectly) that Cain can start so late, and do what he has done?
Let's take a travel softball, which assumes a player who is playing 50-100 games/year.
What makes a good hitter ...
- Natural talent, athleticism, hand/eye, etc.
- Practice, repitition
- Playing vs. good competition, quality of game experience
- Confidence/mental
- Mechanics
IMO, natural talent/athleticism is more than 50 percent of it, assuming you're a true travel ball player and getting at least the minimum that comes from that in terms of games, practices. The rest are enhancers.
What do you think?