Tryout season doesn’t always make sense

[_MIA_]

Quite true. I'll add that evaluating ability goes well beyond what I call the ball player "eye test". My experience says that, over time, the player who initially looks good is often outperformed by someone who surprises you.

Not sure what you mean by "looks good". If you watch a couple of games (and I am talking about 14U and above..below that no point in trying to predict anything) you can usually tell which kids have skill and will..not going to be a good player without both. One is easily worked on, the other can drive a parent nuts because you really have no control over it other than killing it..

 

[Strike2]

Not sure what you mean by "looks good". If you watch a couple of games (and I am talking about 14U and above..below that no point in trying to predict anything) you can usually tell which kids have skill and will..not going to be a good player without both.

You've seen them...tall, athletic, fast, and has a strong arm. They immediately stand out as an "athlete". They have their moments, but they don't do well over time. An attitude problem surfaces after the "best behavior" of tryouts that shows them to be uncoachable, or at least resistant to suggestions. That shorter, slower "average" looking kid who listens ultimately is more successful. I've seen it at every level.

 

[_MIA_]

You've seen them...tall, athletic, fast, and has a strong arm. They immediately stand out as an "athlete". They have their moments, but they don't do well over time. An attitude problem surfaces after the "best behavior" of tryouts that shows them to be uncoachable, or at least resistant to suggestions. That shorter, slower "average" looking kid who listens ultimately is more successful. I've seen it at every level.

Sorry but if I don't know anything about a kid I am not going place my bets (in a tryout setting) on the less athletic kid if skill levels are equal. While I realize this is something you have seen, I don't think there are statistics which say athletic people have more attitude problems..

 

[Strike2]

Sorry but if I don't know anything about a kid I am not going place my bets (in a tryout setting) on the less athletic kid if skill levels are equal. While I realize this is something you have seen, I don't think there are statistics which say athletic people have more attitude problems..

Not at all what I'm saying...I am saying that first impressions of "ability" can be wrong. YMMV

 

[_MIA_]

Not at all what I'm saying...I am saying that first impressions of "ability" can be wrong. YMMV

Of course..that happens at all levels of play in all sports. I bet a lot of teams wish they took Brady in the first 5 rounds. However the intangibles you are talking about (you mentioned "coachability", etc) are difficult to discern (especially when the kid has no history...which wasn't the case with Brady...) so one is left to extrapolate on what you see. If the short stubby slow kid has a better swing, has better fielding mechanics, tracks a fly ball better, knows how to run the bases better, etc, etc, then yeah picking the athletic kid probably wasn't smart (or maybe ONLY picking the athletic kid...) and that goes back to what I said about people not have a clue about what they are looking at..

People tend to only look at single point in time results (big bomb in front toss in tryouts..) not at the things that "play" over a long period of time because many people don't know what they are looking at. How many coaches know how to teach a kid how to field ground ball..like really teach them (and not just yell you need to get in front of it when the ball is clearly a backhand ball) I would guess less than 50% and maybe even less than 25% so if they don't know how to teach it and don't know what it looks like when a kid has fielding mechanics that play over time, all they are going to look at is if a kid caught the ball or not..On the other hand, if a coach does know this and a parent doesn't, then when their kid "kills it" in tryouts ("she caught every ball") the parent is going to be left complaining that their kid got "screwed" but in reality the coach actually saw that the kid's game wasn't at the level it needed to be to play for him/her.

I can tell if a SS has good fielding mechanics by watching them take 3 or 4 GB in between innings. What I cannot tell is if that kid is going to lay out for a ball to save a run (will) or make the right read on a high chopper to her backhand side (instincts)..need to watch some games for that. Like I said before, as a parent, the skills part is "easy". The will and instincts thing is what drives me nuts because you have little control over it and I like to be in control..Those two things are what differentiate a combine star from a "ballplayer".

 

[Vertigo]

Quite true. I'll add that evaluating ability goes well beyond what I call the ball player "eye test". My experience says that, over time, the player who initially looks good is often outperformed by someone who surprises you.

Yes. I’ll share that my ds recently had a college coach tell the group at a prospect camp that he will take the bigger “power hitters” and turn them into whatever position player he needs on the field. My ds, who is lean, can put the ball to the fence - and frequently hits doubles and triples in games due to his speed. However, because he doesn’t “look” the part and doesn’t put the ball over the fence in front-toss rounds, he gets looked over. Defensively as an OF, he’s as solid as they come - and I am extremely honest about my kids’ abilities.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Yes. I’ll share that my ds recently had a college coach tell the group at a prospect camp that he will take the bigger “power hitters” and turn them into whatever position player he needs on the field. My ds, who is lean, can put the ball to the fence - and frequently hits doubles and triples in games due to his speed. However, because he doesn’t “look” the part and doesn’t put the ball over the fence in front-toss rounds, he gets looked over. Defensively as an OF, he’s as solid as they come - and I am extremely honest about my kids’ abilities.

This can happen in softball too. Chicks dig the longball. But really, I hope this coach's team ends up having a losing season.
Just recently talk to a D1 coach and she said, "I recruit up the middle. Pitchers, catchers, SSs and CFs."

 

[_MIA_]

Just recently talk to a D1 coach and she said, "I recruit up the middle. Pitchers, catchers, SSs and CFs."

That's common in college softball and MLB..I actually don't disagree with that for the most part. Of course if your kid really mashes then you won't have a problem regardless of where she plays (I doubt Alo ever played CF or SS...)

 

[Vertigo]

This can happen in softball too. Chicks dig the longball. But really, I hope this coach's team ends up having a losing season.
Just recently talk to a D1 coach and she said, "I recruit up the middle. Pitchers, catchers, SSs and CFs."

Yeah - I frequently find that OF get overlooked in the recruiting process. Coaches will take a corner IF who can hit HR and put them in the OF. However, when it comes time for that stellar OF play which can prevent a game from being blown wide-open, the coach then wonders why that corner IF/power hitter doesn’t have the speed to get anywhere near the ball, or they just assume the play would never be made anyway. Have seen some great OF save games many, many times.

 

[_MIA_]

Yeah - I frequently find that OF get overlooked in the recruiting process. Coaches will take a corner IF who can hit HR and put them in the OF. However, when it comes time for that stellar OF play which can prevent a game from being blown wide-open, the coach then wonders why that corner IF/power hitter doesn’t have the speed to get anywhere near the ball, or they just assume the play would never be made anyway. Have seen some great OF save games many, many times.

That is why you recruit CF and SS and not corner IF..