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Velocity.. How big of a role does it have in the college
recruiting process?
Every Summer several thousands of amateur baseball players ranging from 13u to 18u dedicate their whole summer to play in
showcases and tournaments in hopes to catch the eye of college
recruiters and pro scouts.
The pressure to perform can start to amount for pitchers as they
don’t have many opportunities to make a great impression. One
bad inning and or you don’t fit their criteria can send a scout
looking for another field before you even know he’s gone.
Several factors come into play when colleges are looking for
pitchers. Like I said before they don’t have a lot of time and they
want to make sure they look at as many pitchers as possible that
weekend so they have a mental checklist to sort out what they
know is or isn’t going to be good fit for their program. Different
levels of schools also plays a huge role in the recruiting process.
The needs of a Major Division 1 program is going to be far
different from what the needs are of a small Division 3 program.
The number 1 deal breaker for college recruiters is Velocity and if a
high school pitcher is in the velocity range for example, (76-80mph
or less) it doesn’t matter if the pitcher goes 7 innings and throws a
no hitter they are not going to actively recruit that pitcher. On the
flip side to that a high school pitcher can be in the velocity range
for example, (86-88mph or better) and throw 1 inning, walk 4, give
up 3 runs and the school will be doing whatever it takes to get that
pitcher. Seems unfair to some people but the truth is you have to
be projectable and have tools that will show scouts and recruiters
that in the future you will have the ability to get guys out on the
college or pro level. Velocity, body type, athleticism, mental make
up, and have the ability to meet academic standards of the school.
All these factors play a role in the recruiting process.
I must add that I do believe there is a college for most pitchers
and if your passion is to play college baseball there is small D3,
NAIA, or D3 JUCO Schools that don’t mind taking on pitchers
with lower velocity and have some pitch ability but you have to be
willing to sometimes sacrifice things that may be important to you
for example, school academic strength, weak schedule, bad
facilities, lack of coaching staff, and the school may be in an
undesirable part of the country. All these factors are something you
need to look into and make sure you are going to go to school for
the right reasons. If perhaps you are a high academic kid but your
skills as a pitcher are not up to the level with a school that meets
your academic needs I would strongly suggest giving up the game
to go to a good school to get an education and move on to get a
degree, good job, and have the ability to have some financial
freedom later in life. Playing high level college baseball is not for
everyone and if its not for you I would embrace that and focus on
education.
Some Helpful tools to help you in the recruiting process is to bring
on an organization that specializes in getting you seen by colleges,
giving you a un bias evaluation of your talent, and what is the best
option academically for you. Having an expert that has
relationships with college coaches, has the ability to evaluate and
place talent, knows how to expedite and guide you through the red
tape of NCAA qualifications can cut the process of finding a
school in half. Doing all these steps without any knowledge can be
very overwhelming For example, filling out NCAA clearing house,
creating a profile with your information and videos, talking with college coaches on your behalf and giving them the right
information so the coaches have a good feel as to what you as the
pitcher is bringing to the table, communicating on regular basis to
keep coaches updated on your progress, and constantly trying to
showcase your skills and qualities to new schools.
Guys like Josh Rudd from National Scouting Report (NSR) bridge
that gap between you and the colleges you desire. Josh is the
Southeast Regional Scout for NSR and has quickly become a one
of the top guys in the area to help place baseball players into
college. Josh goes above and beyond for his players, is extremely
professional, and works extremely hard for his guys as well as
building great relationships and respect with college coaches. Josh
was kind enough to give me NSR’s Baseball Recruiting Guidelines
and placed them below so you have an idea as to what it takes to
play at certain levels of college baseball.
BASEBALL RECRUITING
GUIDELINES
DIVISION I
The typical Division I baseball player is ‘polished’ and
already has all the tools necessary to be successful as a
freshman. As opposed to the Division II baseball player,
the typical DI player needs far less development, if any.
RIGHT HAND PITCHERS
• Height: 6’1”
• Weight: 180 Pounds
• Over 1 K per Inning Pitched
• ERA below 2.50
• Velocity: 88-90 MPH (Verified by neutral source)
LEFT HAND PITCHERS
3
• Height: 6’1”
• Weight: 180 Pounds
• 1 K per Inning Pitched
• ERA below 2.50
• Velocity: 85-87 MPH (Verified by neutral source)
DIVISION II
For some colleges, especially those in the southern states
and out on the West Coast, DII Baseball is an extension of
DI. There
are very few differences between the typical West Coast
or southern DII player and the average DI player. For the
DII schools up north, the athletes may be a notch below
the average DI and perhaps a little less polished. They
may not throw as hard, play for the top high schools
programs, or possess at least 4 of the 5 measurable tools.
This is not always the case, as there are some very solid
DII Baseball Programs up north. However, it is no secret
that overall, the better baseball schools are those located
in warmer climates. The Minimum Requirements by
position are as follows:
RIGHT HAND PITCHERS
• Height: 6’0’ (Preferably taller)
• Weight: 175 lbs
• Averaging about 1K per inning pitched • ERA below 3.00
• Velocity: 85 MPH
LEFT HAND PITCHERS
• Height: 5’10’ (Preferably taller)
• Weight: 165 lbs
• Averaging about 1K per inning pitched • ERA at 3.00 or
below
• Velocity: 83 MPH
4
DIVISION III
Some DIII programs are stronger than others, but there
seems to be more continuity with the physical
characteristics of DIII players than there are for DII or
NAIA. Certain DIII programs, such as Wisconsin
Whitewater or George Fox, play at a superior level.
However, for the most part, the range of physical
characteristics was slim. The Minimum Requirements by
positions are as follows:
RIGHT HAND PITCHERS
• Height: 5’8”
• Weight: 155 Pounds
• 1 or less than 1 K Per Inning Pitched • ERA below 4.00
• Velocity: 81 MPH
LEFT HAND PITCHERS
• Height: 5’8”
• Weight: 155 Pounds
• 1 or less than 1 K Per Inning Pitched • ERA below 4.00
• Velocity: 79 MPH
NAIA
The discrepancies in characteristics are very severe when
it comes to NAIA baseball. Some NAIA schools are
playing at a DII level, while others are competing at a
lower DIII level. A mix of D2 criteria and D3 criteria
make up the recruiting guidelines for this league.
5
JUNIOR COLLEGE
Unlike NAIA, junior colleges do have 3 divisions for the
purpose of separating stronger JC programs from the
weaker ones. While there may be somewhat of a drop off
in talent between Division III junior college and Division
I and Division II junior colleges,
there is little difference between DI and DII junior
colleges. Many of the junior college players lack the
‘polish’ to be considered DI players coming out of HS,
but they already possess the necessary physical tools to be
successful at the DI level. All they need to do is harness
and polish those skills. The GPA’s of most of the junior
college athletes are lower than those attending 4 year
schools, suggesting that these athletes need to two years
to mature academically as well.
PREFERRED GRADES FOR ALL DIVISIONS
3.0 GPA +24 ACT + 1000 SAT (out of 1600) (No scores
needed for underclassmen)
nsr-inc.com National Scouting Report | 128 Total Solutions Way |
Alabaster, AL 35007
Want to be more desirable to college and pro scouts?
Increased Velocity can be taught and it is currently being
implemented at the Grind House Baseball Gym. The Arm
Authority Program is a Customized Pitching Program that
encompasses every need of the pitcher for example, full body
assessment, mechanical evaluation, velocity training, mobility
protocols, arm care protocols, throwing program, corrective drills,
recovery protocols, and Strength and conditioning. Based on your
assessment we can put together a comprehensive program dedicated to your needs. There has been a paradigm shift recently
and people now are starting to understand that through programs
such as Arm Authority can fast track development and bring you to
the performance that people didn’t know was possible. The old
school thought process was that velocity couldn’t be taught and
that guys who throw hard are “born with it.” That clearly has been
debunked from many sources. Arm Authority has seen pitchers
jump as much as 11mph on fastball velocity. The only thing getting
in the way of development is laziness and excuses. Hard work is
definitely required and for most it doesn’t happen right away and
could require several months of dedication. The challenge I see
often is the senior in high school who waits until its spring and
wonders why he hasn’t got any phone calls from schools and now
wants to start development. The point is you want to be proactive
and be on a customized program early in your high school years as
a freshman or sophomore to start developing with no time
restraints so you can optimally train and make positive changes
over time.
Here at the Grind House we take pride in providing a high energy
environment that breeds a culture of hard working talented
baseball players. If your serious about your development sign up
for a free evaluation and to learn more about our programs (Arm
Authority, Arm Authority Youth, Swing Authority, Swing Authority
Youth, Catching, and Performance Training)
Email Us to set an Appointment:
