College Scouting- SS of OF?

[rubsomedirtonit]

I broached this on another thread but its lost in a quagmire. There is a school of thought that says SS is usually the most athletic player on the field. I have heard that college coaches will recruit the ss position more than others, excepting pitchers and catchers, because of that reason. Assume a kid is equally very good at both SS and OF. My question is which spot is better for college recruiting? Any college coaches or anyone familiar with the process care to weigh in?

 

[ApogeeDemon]

I broached this on another thread but its lost in a quagmire. There is a school of thought that says SS is usually the most athletic player on the field. I have heard that college coaches will recruit the ss position more than others, excepting pitchers and catchers, because of that reason. Assume a kid is equally very good at both SS and OF. My question is which spot is better for college recruiting? Any college coaches or anyone familiar with the process care to weigh in?

"If you play shortstop well, a coach sees you as an athlete that he/she might be able to convert to a different position with ease."-Amanda Scarborough
Now she does say that college coaches will look for a position specific player such as SS because its so important. But as you can see, looking for the best athlete on the field usually means looking at the SS. Here is the link, hope this explains it. See, I'm not crazy, I do know what I'm talking about!
http://amanda-scarborough.com/so-what-exactly-are-college-coaches-looking-for/

 

[rubsomedirtonit]

Great article Apogee, thanks. Not crazy afterall

 

[Lenski65]

I broached this on another thread but its lost in a quagmire. There is a school of thought that says SS is usually the most athletic player on the field. I have heard that college coaches will recruit the ss position more than others, excepting pitchers and catchers, because of that reason. Assume a kid is equally very good at both SS and OF. My question is which spot is better for college recruiting? Any college coaches or anyone familiar with the process care to weigh in?

If you're not a pitcher or catcher, be a beast of a hitter and colleges will find a place in the field for you.

 

[KO123]

Speed #1 Overall and lateral quickness. All the rest can be coached. Pitchers get a free pass. Skills or Highlight video will get you an interview then it is all about the 40 time and shuttle time. Just our experience

 

[Lester]

I can tell you my Step DD fits both and it was super valuable. So, she was highly recruited. We actually pushed her time in the outfield at 13u way up to get her even more looks out there and by the end of the season there were no issues in her play. I would expand the position from just SS/OF to Middle Infield and OF and if they have time to showcase in either spot along with speed and good bat, they are definitely recruited for their ability to be athletic and strong in both and it does up the interest a notch or half a notch. But again, if the foot speed, arm strength, grades, how they "show" when coaches arrive is lack luster... I don't care how you are, they will move on quickly. A great schedule attached to super communication of the "player to the coach" to get them noticed in addition to a strong connection with the school (via the coach and/or organization) it's hard.

Let me add... if you are a threat with the long ball and short ball and keep the defense and opposing team in a quandary as to how you are to be pitched too, um, let's just say they lick their chops. Add speed to that last statement, then its a no-brainder for them. Someone said it earlier, speeds itself is key in this specific context. I'll add, speeds below 2.8 are very attractive and if even faster you float to the top right away. Rachel was 'wanted' by the coach in her first 2 innings they saw her (2 at-bats, 2 innings of defense). It took either 4 or 5 more viewings (trips/tournaments) to find out the answers to these 5 questions (don't be shocked about how unscientific or metric based they are not):

1) Does she love the game, something "they gauge and have to see to determine". I pushed to get a quantifiable metric and they admitted "you have to see it to believe it" type of player in their minds.
2) How was she in the dugout after a successful at-bat with herself and team mates.
3) How was she in the dugout after an unsuccessful at-bat with herself and team mates.
4) Her softball IQ and how she naturally played the game. Did she 'have it'.
5) And the last was... was she in control.

These 5 questions were more important than a great game... they see the athlete... they know how to get that portion of player identified. It was the combination of all things and they spent the most time and their recruiting efforts in the 'hard to quantify' portions. I had a long talk with the staff about how they choose. So, it's not easy to point out quick things about a position player and they said it didn't matter to them in general, all players are looked at this way beyond the weather report stats on a profile page. They found her at ASA Nationals as a 13u and verified the above 5 questions at 14u in the fall at PGF Showcases. This is just one schools approach. They were very open about their process and awesome to chat with about recruiting.

 

[backstop09]

In the end and in the grand scheme of things, most of the above is true but it really doesn't matter all that much. Pitching aside, there just isn't much true "softball" money to go around at most programs. Being recruited and getting a significant amount of money to play softball are two very different things. Lateral quickness; speed; and a good bat might get a girl a couple of thousand bucks a year but grades, grades, grades are far more important to helping pay for college.

 

[Westler33]

Could not agree more about the grades hit the books as hard as the field!

 

[Really]

Could not agree more about the grades hit the books as hard as the field!

Oh great now we got 11U coaches giving recruiting advise. lol

 

[Blue Ice]

Lateral quickness; speed; and a good bat might get a girl a couple of thousand bucks a year but grades, grades, grades are far more important to helping pay for college.

DD got more money than most player received in their athletic money... Also, DD doesn't have to worry about not playing if softball gets in her way of achieving her goals of becoming an orthodontist if she loses her desire to play (very important).

 

[Evil_Dad]

The grades do make a huge difference, but also if you look at the D2 programs some of them have a lot of money to give out athletically also. Both dds have received substantial scholarships both of them were just about half rides to continue their education as well as athletically.
You have to do your homework.

 

[Lester]

DD got more money than most player received in their athletic money... Also, DD doesn't have to worry about not playing if softball gets in her way of achieving her goals of becoming an orthodontist if she loses her desire to play (very important).

your statement and all of it's reality along with the value of teaching them what/why it's important to focus on grades is key... because your professional resume needs a solid education that typically is only backed by a top level GPA... especially in a job starved economy that won't be better any time soon. Grades is probably the most important thing that we all can agree on... a forum topic that is agreed upon... wow!

We didn't talk grades until we were finished with our offer and then it got serious. So, it does matter. She only had her 8th grade transcripts to present to them, that was weird looking back.

 

[Westler33]

Oh great now we got 11U coaches giving recruiting advise. lol

Not 11u it's 10u and I think school is the most important no matter how old because after college what does a young lady have to look forward to REAL LIFE with a job! not sports because unless your name is cat or Jennie and your name is all over sports equipment better be looking at JOBS! just saying.

 

[FastBat]

Oh great now we got 11U coaches giving recruiting advise. lol

I have a 10U dd and you bet I stress doing well in school and getting good grades, it's like everything else, I am trying to create good habits.

 

[Uber_jones]

The real answer is, regardless of what your told....who hits better? Taking pitcher/Catcher out, it's all about the stick.

 

[Westler33]

Can't get any more right than that fastbat.

 

[fpitchdad]

The real answer is, regardless of what your told....who hits better? Taking pitcher/Catcher out, it's all about the stick.

And probably the best hitting catcher is going to be the one playing as well. Agree with Uber, if your not a pitcher/hitting catcher, you better be able to hit. You can be the fastest most athletic shortstop in the game, but if you can't hit, you ain't playing in college.

 

[Blue Ice]

The real answer is, regardless of what your told....who hits better? Taking pitcher/Catcher out, it's all about the stick.

Nailed it... For two years I watched an outfielder who couldn't judge a flyball play everyday because of her bat. My question would be...when is it not worth it? Her play in outfield costs our team several runs and games. 10-20 HRs per season and 10-20 missed plays (literally).

 

[SoCal_Dad]

Nailed it... For two years I watched an outfielder who couldn't judge a flyball play everyday because of her bat. My question would be...when is it not worth it? Her play in outfield costs our team several runs and games. 10-20 HRs per season and 10-20 missed plays (literally).

I'd put the blame on the coaches.

- Determining a player's overall net value is simply offense + defense (can be negative). It is a fundamental responsibility of the coach to evaluate that when determining their best line-up.

- Defense reflects more on coaches' ability than hitting or pitching. The fundamental skills are the easiest of the 3 to teach and coaches have more options on where to place them - including DP and the bench.