- Jun 8, 2016
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I've seen 11 YOs hit the ball 230+..I am sure there 14-18 YO capable of getting a hold of a pitch and hitting it 260+.The question was asked above and I think it is a fair question to ask: who is watching these players you are talking about? Because if they are as good as you claim, there are P5 D1 coaches following them EVERYWHERE THEY GO. They are behind the backstop EVERY GAME.
Go ahead. Tell me about it.
That said, it doesn't mean they can hit somebody throwing 65 with a good changeup and another plus pitch. ...that is what P5 D1 coaches are looking for. That is what made Bustos the best..she did all of those prolific things against the best pitchers in the world. Doesn't mean there were not girls out there who could hit a ball further...they just wouldn't be able to do it as consistently, if at all, against the best pitchers in the world.
I think by and large pitchers can get away with playing against lesser competition. Talent evaluators can recognize a kid who throws hard with good movement and another good pitch or two. That is going to play against most anybody they face. Same can be said for evaluating fielding. Good first step, strong arm, moves well laterally good fielding mechanics play at any level. Evaluating a hitter is much more difficult and for the most part requires a scout to see the kid against good pitching.
This is even more important in fastpitch since the evaluators don't have the luxury of waiting 5 or 6 years for a kid to develop like they do in MLB (or more if they are signing them down in the DR where the kid is 15 or 16). Fastpitch evaluators don't necessarily have the luxury of thinking they can take the raw talent and work with it. They need to be able to see the kid against the kind of pitching they are going to be facing when they play for them and see results.
Note, before anybody squawks at me, I AM NOT saying anything specific to the examples given above. Just making a general point.
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