POLL~ .600 Batting average

[Cannonball]

Very interesting. That's why stats are 1 data point, not the end all be all. One thing that I have seen in this thread that is bothersome to me is the opinion on what level of play girls "should" be playing. There are a multitude of reasons for girls to play at whatever level they are playing at - can't travel due to family issues, financial constraints, multiple children in sports or other activities, they themselves do other activities, academics come first, etc. We should be very careful about suggesting that if a girl was any good, they "should" be on a national or higher level team playing the best of the best. I think there are a ton of girls that "could" succeed at that level but choose not to (for the reasons mentioned above). There are girls dominating on the Hittin Kittens that could succeed on a B level team, girls dominating on a B team that could succeed on an A level team, girls dominating on and A level team that could succeed on a regional team, and so on.

Perhaps this is why some players are invited to camps that are limited in participation. My DD attended a couple of those types of camps where the numbers were 40 or less. I agree that there are very talented players playing at every economic level. However, few mid to upper-DI schools are going to recruit someone who is not playing top-level competition. I might include most, but not all, lower DI and upper DII.

 

[Chilixa]

I am always skeptical when I see an absurd statistic for a player because we all know stats can be manipulated. But in some cases those players are exactly as advertised. We have one girl that hit right at .600 this summer against very good competition. She hits for power and has speed, just one of the best players I have been around. Her numbers aren’t inflated at all. She is over .100 points higher than anyone else on the roster and we have a pretty good roster.

But I don’t know if she will ever need to advertise her batting average in travel ball. When coaches watch her hit in showcases or camps that is about all they need to see to be convinced. She will play at a much higher level in college than the rest of the team if I were to guess.


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[Northball]

Yep, she leads our team in fewest strike outs every season. She had 0 strike outs this past Spring/Summer in 120 at bats. No batting cage in her yard though

God given abilities count too! Speed to leg out infield hits, incredible hand-eye coordination/proprioception, great vision, ability to quickly process what you see, etc... All part of the package.

 

[NJZoo]

Nothing wrong at all with being the best hitter on a lower level team. My comment (since you referred to the Hitten Kittens comment I mentioned) is directly related to getting a college coach out to see the player if they include that specific stat in their profile. It was mentioned in the OP that this particular or hypothetical player’s goal *is* college ball. If the player is going to post that specific stat in their profile then playing on a high level team which consistently plays top competition is going to draw a college coach’s attention much more than if the player was on a team college coaches are unfamiliar with.

Is it fair? Is it unbiased? No. But it is what it is, unfortunately. If the goal is college ball, then suggesting playing at the highest level *possible* for a player is not wrong.

All good, I just used "Hittin Kittens" as the default example of a lower level team (because it's awesome), wasn't referring to your post. Agree with you points.

 

[Lobster Birch]

A whole thread about my DD? I'm flattered.

 

[SoftballDadDave]

Stats are a tool, but the player has to pass the eye test - Video tells a better story. And I say that as someone with a DD with a stat line of .561/.586/1.525/.939 (30 singles/8 doubles/1 triple/7 HR/3 BB/5 K) this past summer. The stats are nice but if you don't look good in front of college coaches, they aren't doing you any good.

 

[RADcatchers]

Stats are a tool, but the player has to pass the eye test - Video tells a better story. And I say that as someone with a DD with a stat line of .561/.586/1.525/.939 (30 singles/8 doubles/1 triple/7 HR/3 BB/5 K) this past summer. The stats are nice but if you don't look good in front of college coaches, they aren't doing you any good.

Video adds a huge piece to the equation. Seeing what the pitcher is doing really helps.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Stats are a tool, but the player has to pass the eye test - Video tells a better story. And I say that as someone with a DD with a stat line of .561/.586/1.525/.939 (30 singles/8 doubles/1 triple/7 HR/3 BB/5 K) this past summer. The stats are nice but if you don't look good in front of college coaches, they aren't doing you any good.

The 5 Ks bother me and could be a red flag. LOL That stat line is very impressive.

 

[SoftballDadDave]

The 5 Ks bother me and could be a red flag. LOL That stat line is very impressive.

LOL, thanks! If you aren't doing that live in front of college coaches, it's fun to watch as a parent but it probably doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things (she hasn't been terribly engaged in getting her information out to colleges thus far).

Hopefully she can continue to make consistent contact this season under her new coach. He was hired away from a competing program and wants to do a bunch of college showcase tournaments, apparently has a lot of college contacts, and believes that as a second year 16U team, win or lose you should be doing it in front of as many college coaches as possible. Fingers are crossed.

 

[BillyB]

My NUMBER 1 rule, is get someone who knows how to score an F'ing game, detailed and properly on Game Changer! I NEED true data to put my teams in a position to win. This goes for hitting and defensive tracking...Drives me bonkers when I see stupid shirt on stat tracking or book.