| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| ss7 |
Posted - 06/25/2010 : 23:35:41
I heard Jason Heyward was looked at as early as 11 by a former Braves scout |
| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| tfb |
Posted - 06/30/2010 : 16:58:41
FYI- My son is now 15 and the Tampa Bay Rays scout talked to him at 14.
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| gasbag |
Posted - 06/30/2010 : 11:36:35
The only scouts I've seen at 11U games are 12U coaches....unless you consider parents, grand parents, friends and other family members Scouts ?
I think someone is spouting more gas than this "gasbag" can handle !!!! |
| bballman |
Posted - 06/30/2010 : 11:36:16
I'd pretty much say so. My son pitched varsity as a freshman in a 5A school. I know he is on the radar of a couple of pro scouts, but it is nothing serious at all. It will really depend on how much he continues to progress. I think one of the guys saw him because, as a freshman, he pitched a complete game against Pope the year they won states. There was a Braves scout there to see Jake Montgomery I believe. He wound up giving up 5 earned runs, but this team was in the game pretty much the whole time. It was 4-2 going into the 5th. He had given up a couple of those runs on weak bloopers over the infield. Really not a bad outing for a 9th grader against the eventual state champs.
His pitching coach he has been seeing since he was around 9 or 10 also works for a MLB team. I know he is on his radar, but that is just by chance. I also know of a kid who at 15 was throwing 90mph. He is on a lot of people's radar. I'm sure given the right circumstances, there is a chance kids will get on the radar of people at a slightly earlier age, but it is just the radar, not REALLY being looked at.
I'm pretty sure my son is also on the radar for at least one college team from when he was 15 - summer after his freshman year (last summer). We played a tournament at University of South Carolina. He pitched against the Parkview varsity team. Before the game, the USC coach told our coach he didn't really look at 15 year old teams. Too young still. My son started, struck out a couple of guys to start. Coach sat down. 2nd inning he took out his note pad and gun. Stayed the whole game. Son threw a complete game, 2 hit shutout. That kind of performance will get you noticed. But, still, it had to be a standout performance. If he would have struggled or even given up more hits, he wouldn't have been noticed.
Either way, it was still HS before anyone made any comments. Still not sure where things will take us. He is short - 5'9", 170lbs, so he will have to prove especially good to go to the next level. Last tournament was throwing 84-85 and hit 88. Still more improvement to be made.
One more note. Make sure you do your best to have your kids get good grades in HS. The first thing any scout or coach asks is "How are your grades". Performance questions come after that. |
| baseball37 |
Posted - 06/30/2010 : 11:30:34
quote:
Originally posted by ss7
What if you make varsity as a freshman at a great baseball school? Does that rule still apply?
There is no "rule". My advice is to have your son prepare the best he can and continue to play and enjoy the game. If he is a high calibre talent, he will be seen. But I would not hold my breath on 11 or 12 year olds being scouted. He certainly has a better chance to be seen once he reaches High School. Even if he makes the varsity team as a freshman and sits the bench behind the upperclassmen he won't be seen. The area is known for it's baseball rich talent. IF he continues to play baseball he will have opportunities...and isn't that all we can ask for.
I love your enthusiasm, but feel you may be setting yourself up for disappointment with this fixation on having your son scouted at such a youung and unproven age. |
| coachdan06 |
Posted - 06/30/2010 : 11:12:34
patent I dont live far from your neck of the woods we have heard the similar stories about Heyward.
no names offered but we know a local Braves scout quite well so take it as good information when I say no scouts give a hoot about anything going on before 16 , sometimes 15 is an exception. NOt often.
Too much can happen - the 12 13 and 14 year old stud becomes slow a foot on bases and in field , his pitch speed is no longer dominating at 60 feet , what was a screamer at 75 feet is now a grounder or two hopper at 90 feet you know whut I mean.
At 16 you being to see the final stages of growth , and , most of the kids have evened out in that area , wont grow a whole lot more so you now know what you have .
14 year old boys are junior schoolers that dont even talk to girls why look at them like men ?
quote:
Originally posted by patent pending
I agree with AlterEgo. Living in Mcdonough Ive spoke to alot of people that say Heyward was not even a stud at that age ? I bet there are thousands of more talented 11 year olds playing locally today. I have still yet to ever see a pro scout at any game under 14. But I think we can all agree Love some J Hey Go Braves.
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| 12uCoach |
Posted - 06/30/2010 : 10:57:21
It's not always studliness they are looking at. In one week of May 1996 my 11U team played a 12U team with Jeff Francouer and Kyle Davies and we knew that of the 12 players on that team, they were the two we would read about. Two days later we played another 12U team, and the name that struck us was the Markakis kid.
In 1997 we lost in Cooperstown to a kid from Chet Lemon's Juice throwing heat named Corey Wells. Drafted by the Mets and released after 3 seasons.
There are others who made it to the show, those that are close and those that let life get in their way as they matured. Is there a file on these kids from the time they are 12? Doubt it. Is there a note on these kids? You Bet. Every Scout will exaggerate their find, knew a coach who had a kid at 11U who got into scouting just because he felt strongly about a kid and wanted credit for the find. Player was cut after 2 years in the minors after a decent college career, scout never really signed anyone else and faded from the scene. |
| ss7 |
Posted - 06/30/2010 : 10:28:03
What if you make varsity as a freshman at a great baseball school? Does that rule still apply? |
| patent pending |
Posted - 06/30/2010 : 09:42:56
I agree with AlterEgo. Living in Mcdonough Ive spoke to alot of people that say Heyward was not even a stud at that age ? I bet there are thousands of more talented 11 year olds playing locally today. I have still yet to ever see a pro scout at any game under 14. But I think we can all agree Love some J Hey Go Braves. |
| CoachMark |
Posted - 06/30/2010 : 05:53:31
I think the writer of the Heyward article was 'stetching' a comment. There is no way anyone was scouting Heyward, Strasburg or anyone else at 11, 12, 13, etc. Heck, HS coaches don't care what your son did on his 14u travel team. If parents could understand this, the travel baseball world would have a lot less craziness and be more enjoyable for everyone. |
| bballman |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 19:18:03
I would tend to agree with Alter on this one. I seriously doubt that scouts are out scouting 11 or 12 year olds. I would think it happens much like Alter said - by chance, in an unofficial way. 16 - 17 is when scouts get serious and really start looking "officially". Like I said, if you are a super stud with size when you are 15, you may get some looks, otherwise start worrying about it when your kid is 16. |
| ss7 |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 18:53:50
Very well put 12u coach. I would say Jason was just playing great at a great time. (while the scouts we're just taking a peek at rising talent) |
| 12uCoach |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 17:55:21
Scouts will see something in a kid and "follow" them. If you have been doing this for a long time it becomes second nature to spot the good ones early. You keep track of them to watch their progress in baseball and life. Many are dropped by the wayside, some turn out to be roses, and far more are found when watching the kid you see another one to watch.
You always tell your players that they never know who might be watching, well, think of how many players were looked at when a scout was in a park and heard that Jason was playing? They might walk over and see a few innings. |
| Alter-Ego |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 17:10:17
My opinion (which does not count for much) is the scout that starts looking at a kid earlier than 16 is doing so because that kid probably plays out of a park he is around a lot or something.
For example, a scout may have family that plays out of a park, in the younger age group, and happens to come watch that family member regularly. In doing so, they happen to see, with some frequency, a younger player that is a stud at that age. As his family member comes up, he gets to see the stud player move up as well. By the time he gets to 16, the scout says "yea, I have been watching that kid since he was 12.", which is not a lie, but was not his primary intention during those early years. |
| patent pending |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 14:38:49
Very interesting reading ? Yes. But Fact or Fiction ? |
| ss7 |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 14:15:01
1 out of a milion are looked at that early. 16 is usually the age the scouts really start looking. |
| ronicard |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 07:53:24
According to the book "Scout's Honor", the Braves scout first noticed Kyle Davies at 12 and they kept tabs on him every year from that point. I, too, think that is definitely the exception but it does happen in some cases. |
| bballman |
Posted - 06/28/2010 : 08:46:58
I think Heyward was the exception rather than the rule. I think maybe someone saw Heyward, saw some potential and hoped that he would be that good when he got to the right age.
I don't think scouts really start looking until 16 or so. We have been to numerous "showcase" tournaments. The word has generally been that they don't look at kids until 16 or so. One literally said, "We don't look at 15 year old teams, there is too much that can happen between 15 and 17 or 18. The bigger kids stop growing and become average and the smaller kids grow. You just can't really tell yet at 15 if a kid will be ready for the next level when they are 15".
Like I said, I'm sure there are exceptions. If your kid is throwing 90 at 15, they will be looked at. If your kid is 6'3" hitting bombs, they will be looked at. But if you are among the pack, it's not time yet. You will have to really stand out to be given consideration prior to 16 years old. Just play your best and try to improve every year. When the time comes, promote your kid with showcases and high profile tournaments and if they have the right stuff, they will get noticed. There are a lot of very good ball players out there.
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| Seam Splitter |
Posted - 06/27/2010 : 20:50:49
Thats what a recent article stated. The Braves basically identified his talent @ 11 yrs old & kept him hid as best they could. Very interesting reading. |
