Does "enhancing" recruiting information really help?

[Ken Krause]

Over the last few weeks I've been checking out a few team web pages and paid recruiting sites that have profiles of some girls I know. What I've found particularly interesting is the home to first times they are listing.

On one site, there wasn't a single girl over 3.1, and most were in the 2.7-2.75 range. This was for an 18U team. You think ok, maybe that's correct. But I know one of those players, and I can tell you she is not 2.7 home to first. 3.1 maybe, which is above average in the larger softball world. But not 2.7.

Then last night I saw the profile of another girl who has bulked up considerably since I last saw her, and darned if she isn't listed as going 2.7 home to first as well. She didn't run that fast when she was lighter - how could she do it now?

So what's the deal with this? It's pretty obvious to me that they're fudging these numbers. Is that common? And more importantly, does it really fool college coaches?

Seems to me that running speed is pretty easy to check. All a coach needs to do is run a kid against a stopwatch. And if those numbers are off, doesn't it call into question every other stat listed? Not to mention the player's character generally?

Maybe this is common practice and I'm just naïve. But there's a huge difference between 2.7 and 3.0. IIRC, Natasha Watley was listed as running 2.7 home to first, and was considered world class. There can't really be that many otherwise average players running that fast.

 

[JAD]

I am sure there are a lot of recruiting stats that are "fudged" in an attempt to get more attention from college coaches. There is also a "margin of error". When a player really runs a 3.1 and is listed as a 3.0, no one thinks twice about it because it is within the "margin of error", but when someone claims a 2.7 (top D1 speed) and runs a 3.1, the college coach probably gets in their car and leaves!

 

[JAD]

My DD went to a "skills showcase" hosted by a local organization last December. They had a handful of college coaches there, and the organizers were gunning pitchers. When they posted my DD's speeds I just smiled and shook my head. They were "juicing" all of the pitchers speeds 2-3 MPH. My DD still claims it as the "fastest pitch she has ever thrown", but her working velocity is a good 3-4 MPH slower than that! LOL

 

[CoogansBluff]

I'm no college coach and have no experience with a daughter being recruited, so take this for what it's not worth ...

But I can't imagine how those unverified speed numbers will make any difference unless you put 3.9 or something that disqualifies you. If I'm a coach, a player's reported speed has to be way down the list on what will get a player noticed. So far down as to be hardly worth discussing. Actual speed is different. That's meaningful. But it becomes meaningful only after it's been determined that the player is a possible target, and that is usually determined by the player's travel team, how that team has performed, and the role that the player played on that team, and the player's academic record.

Consider our travel-ball coaching experience and tryouts. What's the quickest way to find out whether a player is right for your team - What's was your most recent team? What level did they play? What position did you play on that team? What place did you bat in the order? I'm not asking about a player's speed to first. That's something I want to see, not hear about.

 

[Scl1991]

I think a lot of college coaches take stats with a grain of salt- too many parents are the ones keeping those stats, and coaches know it. They'll want to evaluate a kid on their own. And doesn't matter what the stats are- the player will still have to perform once they're on any college team.

 

[ArkFastpitch]

I have heard of some recruiters who take skills videos and anylize them with a known frame rate. They count how many frames from home to first and get a true time instead of an "advertised" time. This may be a bit extreme but it keeps you honest.

 

[wichita]

Funny this topic came up as I was just looking at one of the teams in my areas website and under their young 14U teams section was an article that the coach or webmaster wrote about a tournament they had just gone to last week and were stating how all their kids played up to 16/18 level and beat these teams and 5 of their girls received D1 offer and how one pitcher was gunned at 60-62.... this girl was on my DD's team last summer and I can tell you she might on a good day throw 57 maybe .... sure she might be able to throw maybe 60 mph once in a series of 50 pitches and that would be throwing as hard as she can with no control. But some parents do believe that "embellishing" a girls stats gets her seen ...which I guess is true to be seen once but ill bet that coach wont be back...... I do have a question along these same lines ...when you measure your DD's height do you do it with shoes on or off? the reason I ask is i was nearly hung by my kid because I guess your supposed to do it with shoes off .....I personally think its dumb to do that it should be with regular tennis shoes or cleats ....after all that is what you will be playing in.....


P.S. just looked on my older DD's old teams website and there's a girl she played with and she is pretty fast but my DD would beat her home to first. They had her down as 2.6 home to first.... my kid is between 2.8-2.85 has been verified by severl coaches and camps.....there might be 5 to 10 kids that are 2.6 just don't understand how people do this.....

 

[Jquick823]

In my opinion here is how people do this. 1. Slow on the start and quick on the finish with the stop watch. I am in my 2nd year of coaching travel ball and we have a ton of speed at our 12U level. My DD who is 5'1'' at 12 (average) has a Home to First time between 3.1 and 3.5 (D1 coach verified). My DD is also getting slower since she's a catcher i expect this but she's got a CF build so she's steps ahead of others at her position from what i've seen and her D1 hitting coach has said she's faster than a few girls at the D1 level.

The HC of this travel team continues to tell me that his DD is 3.1 home to first yet can't beat my DD who on her best day is 3.1. People who have 'heared" of stats like 2.6 being world class think that stating 3.1 is impressive, but those that "KNOW" stats understand that just about every 12yr old is running around there. From my limited experience hanging around a D1 school, they don't care about your speed all that much, but more so about your character and overall skill.

 

[CoogansBluff]

From my limited experience hanging around a D1 school, they don't care about your speed all that much, but more so about your character and overall skill.

I agree. Unless you're in the top 10 percent in speed, it's not that important. (I know that's an arbitrary generalization, but you get my point.) Might as well put how much weight you can squat or bench. Yes, you'd rather be fast than not, or strong than not, but it's still primarily a game of skill, not raw athleticism. It's not college football, where you can get a scholarship based on speed, size and strength alone.

 

[tmolina]

My DD runs a true 2.75-2.95.has hit a 2.69 before. Verified by two D1 coaches. I think most of it depends on if she runs on her toes or flat footed. Will that get her into a D1 school, no not if she can't hit D1 pitching. A true slapper has to be able to swing away, soft slap power slap and chop slap at will. I hope she can get there. As far a recruiting site goes, I wouldn't let them pad any of her stats whether its time, GPA or average cuz that can only come back to hurt her in the long run. At the end of the day its the kid and parents responsibility to make sure the info is accurate. If a college coach see's your kid and she isn't a fit for his/her team they might recommend her to another coach or school. They do talk to each other so we will keep things on the up and up, and if you pad GPA that can really hinder your DD's chances.