From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Tom wrote:
I help coach my son’s 12u travel team. I was working with one of the boys on the tee when the head coach came over to add some advise. I was having the player stop the bat at impact so I could evaluate where the barrel was making contact. The head coach stop the player and adjusted the tip (barrel end) of the bat up……stating that this was the proper angle of attack. I haven’t found a single picture or video that backs him up. Later I told him he was mistaken, but he insists that the proper angle of the bat tip is up not down at impact. I don’t know how this is even physically possible. He said it’s what he’s learned at camps. Can you help to straighten this out?
Thanks!

From the Baseball Pro:
Tom,
Many people/coaches teach just what your coach is stating. But unless the pitch is shoulder height, it is almost impossible to do. Without getting to complicated, the idea behind his theory is to use the top hand. Many players dominate the bat with their bottom hand, thus pulling it through the strike zone. So in order to use the top hand more, people teach theories such as this one. But in reality it is impossible to consistently do, especially on a pitched baseball. So common sense tells us we probably need a compromise and use both hands equally.
Your Baseball Pro, Steve Holm

From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Agnetha wrote:
My son has always been a fantastic “slugger”. And his team as well, he is 14. Now a batting Coach is in the picture and changing just about everything about his batting. Now his at-bat is not very good at all, the team as well. The boys ground the balls to short or second throughout a whole game. Very painful. It’s been going on since October 07. This Coach is “the best batting coach around”. My Question: Do you mess with a natural hitter ?
Mom
From the Baseball Pro:
Agnetha,
If your son is a natural hitter then I would say no, do not mess with him. Many times when coaches start messing with a hitters mechanics they forget what they are trying to do, simply hit the ball. The hitter becomes so worried about their hands or feet that they forget to use their hand eye coordination. So I would recommend that you tell your son to just try and hit again and not worry about his mechanics. I hope this can help.
Your Baseball Pro, Steve Holm

P.S. This is always difficult. Any possibility of changing coaches? Each has his own style.
Host Mom, Jean

From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Luann wrote:
My son attends a private school that continues to the 12th grade. I would prefer him to stay here for high school to get the best education possible and he wants to be able to play baseball at the college level. Our school just started a baseball team and he is concerned that this will hinder his ability to play baseball in college. What can we do?

From the Baseball Pro:
Luann,
The way you make it sound to me is the baseball program at the current school is not nearly as good as others in the area. I am not sure if that is the case but I will assume it is. One of the ways to get a scholarship is to be a very good baseball player and everyone hears about you. Everyone wants you and everyone comes to see you. This is something very few players are capable of. The other way is to play on a good team where there are other good players. The coach comes to see some players and he also gets to see you at the same time. This is the category most players fall under. This situation also happens at high profile tournaments, such as the Easter tournaments for high schools. The coaches can come to one field and see 6 teams, all with good players. If it were me I would have to weigh how much better the baseball was going to be and how much worse the education would actually be. But in my experience, education is what you make of it. You can skate by in a private school or work hard in a public school, what you get out of it is up to you.
Your Baseball Pro, Steve Holm

P.S. Also consider the fit of the high school and type of college your son would like to attend. Achievement in high school and a high GPA can help!
Host Mom,
Jean

From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Bill wrote:
My son had Tommy John surgery in August, 2006. As a result he “lost” his High School Junior year and has just begun to regain his strength during summer ball. He’s just entering his Senior year, but he has no stats from his Junior year. His high school Varsity coach wants to video tape him and send the tapes to college coaches. Does this work?
Thanks.

From the Baseball Pro:
Bill,
College coaches have one way of improving their team and that is to have better players. The reason they build these monstorous facilities is to bring in better in recruits. So to answer your question. Yes, it should work. But you also have to understand that you are not the only parent in the country thinking of this. So my suggestion would be to have someone the college coach knows or respects, to send the video for you. Maybe a scout or the high school coach himself.

The only thing I would be afraid of would be the coach not even having the time to see the video. If there are a few schools you are really interested in maybe you can contact the coach before hand, then send the video after he knows who you are.
Your Baseball Pro, Steve Holm

P.S. Don’t forget high school grades! If your son has a 3.0 GPA or better, AND athletic skills, he’ll get a better shot.
Host Mom, Jean

From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Carson wrote:
I’m fourteen playing little league allstars in Calgary, Canada. I’m the kid who is giving 110%, I hustle on and off the field and give it my all at practices. I also have the 7th best batting average on the team I have made an since the beginning of the season (5 games) and I have sat every game except one. I’m just wondering do I confront my coach or just play out the season.

From the Baseball Pro:
You must be careful when you confront your coach about playing time. You do not want to come across too bold and make the situation worse. But if you do it right there is nothing wrong with asking him a few questions. Maybe you could ask him if there is something that you need to improve upon in order to play more. Explain to him that you are doing everything you can to play your best and maybe he has some advice for you. I would start with a conversation such as this and see where it goes. I hope it helps you out.
Your Baseball Pro,Steve Holm

From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Ryan wrote:
How old can you start playing minor league baseball?

From the Baseball Pro:
If you are from outside the US you can sign at the age of 16. If you are in the US you must have a high school diploma. To my knowledge that is the earliest you can sign.
Your Baseball Pro, Steve Holm

P.S. As a parent, I wouldn’t want a high school player travelling with a professional baseball team. There are too many long days on the road, and an underage player shouldn’t be hanging out in bars. It’s best to get experience in high schools and colleges, particularly community colleges.
Team Mom, Jean

From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Kim wrote:
My son is 9 first year of kid pitch travel ball and really struggling. Coach wants to keep him- sees lots of potential, but its really hurting his confidence. Should we go back down for a season in rec. ball? Not to mention its killing me to watch him. Thanks!

From the Baseball Pro:
This is a tough situation. The easy thing to say would be that they are 9 years old and it is supposed to be fun. But if you are a competitive person you do not have fun while struggling. One thing I do know is that when you struggle you really struggle with your confidence as well. So one thing you could do to build that confidence might be getting some sort of coaching. Maybe it is some hitting lessons at the local batting cage or pitching lessons whatever it may be. Other than that you know your son the best and if he is starting to not like playing, its not worth his time.
Your Baseball Pro, Steve Holm

P.S. How many 9 year olds are ready for travel ball? Kids mature at different rates, so another year in recreational ball and some coaching could make a world of difference. Also, playing another sport season can make a difference–soccer players make good baseball players, but there are other sports (my son plays volleyball as well). It’s key that he enjoy the sport and feel good about competing!
Host Mom, Jean

From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Jernard wrote:
Hey, I’m center fielder in 11th grade school and want to get scouted to play division 1 baseball. I know I have the talent and potential. It’s just my coach really doesn’t promote me and really doesn’t put me out there. So my question to you is how do I go about getting scouted? Do I contact coaches my self or is that too eager so please give me your input.

From the Baseball Pro:
If there is a school that you want to play at, you should write their coach and tell them that you are interested. Another thing that you could possibly do is to see if that school has a summer baseball camp. If you were to attend that camp and show them how good you are and that you were interested in their school then they would probably be interested in you.
Your baseball pro, Steve Holm

From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Ben wrote:
I am working on getting some statistics on how many kids playing little league actually make it to high school, college, and professional teams. I was just wondering if you had any of this information. Thanks and any information would be of a great help.

From Host Mom:
For this type of information, I suggest you contact Little League itself at http://www.littleleague.org/ to see if they have the statistics. There is also Pony League at http://www.pony.org which is active in our area. You may be able to find some information doing a Google search and searching for statistics. The numbers do get smaller as the player moves up the chain. We had 300 Little League players, ages 5-15, but there are under 20 players on the high school baseball team.
Host mom, Jean

From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Stacey wrote:
My son plays 10 year old competitive baseball. During any tournament, he can be found at any position except 1st base. Is being a utility player ok at this age or should he ask his coach to put him in a particular position and leave him there? His team is really good and he is just very versatile and can play any position well. Thanks for any advice you can give me.
From the Baseball Pro:
It is very good for you son to play all the positions he can. I was a short stop all the way through college. In fact I was a Division I baseball All-American in 2000 as a short stop. Yet when I signed my first pro contract the first thing I did was put on catcher’s gear. So no matter what position you play today you might not be playing that position tomorrow.
Your baseball pro, Steve Holm