Extra Innings - Player Rankings

[curt.shelley]

 

[Orange Socks]

The parents who's kids are on these lists are the ones paying for subscriptions.

 

[Schmick's Gloves]

I've seen these online. How's it work?

There's absolutely no way people are traveling around the nation comparing 12U players. So they're just getting input from coaches, right? Coaches submit their players? It certainly seems like something people could pay for placement, or game the system.

The coaches that pay for the service provide the scouting profiles for their own players

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[Strike2]

I wonder how many of those "top 100" as a 12yo are still playing by the time they're 18?

 

[Nimrod]

I'd never want my DD on a list like that (not that she was good enough). But if you're one of the best 100 players in 12U, you're already getting plenty of affirmation by your success on the field. Don't need to add any expectations or labeling at that age, when you're still trying to find your identity. Totally unnecessary.

I've seen rankings for youth tennis, and I can accept those because tennis is an individual sport, and tennis rankings can be compiled objectively, based purely on results. But 12U softball player rankings do more harm than good. Most of those players are overrated because of the method, so why set them up for that?

 

[_MIA_]

I wonder how many of those "top 100" as a 12yo are still playing by the time they're 18?

Higher % than the 12th kid on the roster despite the David vs Goliath bias shown on here...

 

[ang2bmd]

I can say my dd entire team was spread across those rankings although I think it took the expanded top 200 to get the whole team and yes they were very good that year. Top 5 at pgf in 12u. It was fun for the girls to be recognized and yes some Facebook fluff for us as parents. Of that team all 11 are still playing although only 9 still play for us. That team is now 2nd yr 14s and now spread among the top 100 with a couple of additions and they figure to be very very good and we are still very proud of them. Girls tend to seek recognition outside the game from parents, friends etc....maybe its a flaw but it seems to be true. We have personally played against most members of the top 100 for 2024 and while I don't always agree with the exact order every single player in that list for 2024 is a stud.

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[MNDad]

Making the list does not guarantee that a player is any good, It just guarantees that somebody (cough)parent(cough) submitted their name for the list.

I don’t have a subscription, but back when it was free the ranked kids were all top ball players. With pretty much every college touting where their recruiting classes rank it looks like that hasn’t changed. I should add I’m only talking about 16U/18U. They didn’t do 12U back when I followed it.

 

[Nimrod]

I don’t have a subscription, but back when it was free the ranked kids were all top ball players. With pretty much every college touting where their recruiting classes rank it looks like that hasn’t changed. I should add I’m only talking about 16U/18U. They didn’t do 12U back when I followed it.

By the time they're 16U/18U, I figure these rankers can find out who's recruiting who and make more educated guesses. I think rankings are worthwhile at that point.

But at 12U, there are lots of elite players/talents who remain unknown to the rankers and to the coaches who bring teams to nationals. Best hitter I saw my DD's age didn't play a national tournament until she was about 16. She was still playing on a borderline A/B team when she was 12U, but crushing it. Nobody outside the area knew who she was. She now starts for a P5 team.

The first player I knew that made one of these rankings did so when she was around 13, and she never played in college. She was good, but not as good as the other player, but she played nationally, and her coach had the ear of FloSoftball, but she burned out or something. Great kid, don't exactly know why she stopped. So was that good that she got hyped so early? I don't know.

I trust that players in the 12U rankings are good, and presume the info comes from conversations that the rankers are having w/ coaches who frequent the national events and are not based on parents who subscribe. It's just that not all the talent has been discovered at 12U, and they've certainly not been fully developed. So it can be a setup. Hopefully the younger players are just enjoying it and don't take it too seriously.

 

[bmakj]

I think rankings at 12u are absurd honestly (probably 14u as well). at that age, it is going to be 50% about how good a player they are, and 50% how physically developed they are compared to everyone else in their age bracket. If you have a girl much further along than everyone else her age, and she works moderately hard and has moderate athletic ability (beyond just stronger and longer limbs, meaning quickness, reaction time, hand/eye coordination), she will likely standout among her age group. it will even out over time.

on DDs 14u team, tallest girl is probably 18+ inches taller than shortest, and probably at least 75 lbs heavier (not saying anything by this by the way, tiny girl is very tiny and thin). given time it will all equal out.