Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

It makes perfect sense, at least to me, for every aspiring college baseball player to get out and actually watch college baseball games. Simple, I know, but I don’t think many young players see much more than what comes on television.

I get it though, who wouldn’t want to play at Texas or LSU or any of the other perennial College World Series teams? It is very important to realize, however, that these teams represent a very small and very elite slice of college baseball. Most people that lace it up after high school WILL NOT play at this level, and trust me on this one – if they are interested in you, you’ll know.

The rest of us need to do our research, both on schools and baseball programs. It just so happens that North Carolina is a great college baseball state. With about an hour of digging on the Internet, I came up with a menu of college baseball games within about a two hour drive from my Raleigh area home. I wish I would have done this when I was in high school, it certainly would have been an eye opener for me.

If you live in Central or Eastern NC, then feel free to pick a game or two from my list below. If not, get online and start looking for college baseball games in your area. Make sure to try and hit all levels from Division I to Junior College. Not only will you get to see the different levels of play (DI isn’t always the best), but you will also be able to see the different campus settings and college towns. The only way to know what is right for you is to get out and take a look.

North Carolina College Preview: Friday 2/19 – Sunday 2/20

Division III

North Carolina Wesleyan University
- Saturday 2/20 vs. Emory University (GA, D3) @ 3pm
- Sunday 2/21 vs. SUNY Cortland (NY, D3) @ 11am
- Sunday 2/21 vs. Emory University (GA, D3) @ 3pm

Methodist College
- Friday 2/19 vs. Farmingdale State College (NY, D3) @ 4pm
- Saturday 2/20 vs. Huntingdon College (AL, D3) @ 1pm
- Saturday 2/20 vs. Frostburg State University (MD, D3) @ 4pm
- Sunday 2/21 vs. Roanoke College (VA, D3) @ 4pm

Guilford College
- Saturday 2/20 vs. Neumann College (PA, D3) @ 12 pm (DH)
- Sunday 2/21 vs. Case Western Reserve University (OH, D3) @ 12pm (DH)

Greensboro College
- Saturday 2/20 vs. Stevenson University (MD, D3) @ 3pm (DH)
- Sunday 2/21 vs. Neumann College (PA, D3) @ 3pm

Division II

Barton College
- vs. Shippensburg University (PA, D2): DH Sat & Sun @ 12pm

Mount Olive College
- vs. Anderson College (SC, D2): Sat DH @ 12pm, Sun 12pm

UNC Pembroke
- vs. Bloomfield College (NJ, D2): Sat DH @ 1pm, Sun 1pm

Division I

North Carolina State University
- vs. La Salle University (PA): Fri @ 3pm, Sat @ 2pm, Sun @ 1pm

University of North Carolina
- vs. George Washington University (DC): Fri @ 3pm, Sat @ 2pm, Sun @ 1pm

East Carolina University
- vs. University of Virginia: Fri @ 3pm, Sat @ 2pm, Sun @ 1pm

Elon University
- Friday 2/19 vs. Towson University (MD) @ 1pm
- Saturday 2/20 vs. Ohio University @ 12pm
- Sunday 2/21 vs. North Carolina A&T @ 4pm

Wake Forest University
- Friday 2/19 vs. Army @ 4pm
- Saturday 2/20 vs. University of Dayton (OH) @ 12pm
- Saturday 2/20 vs. Army @ 4pm
- Sunday 2/21 vs. University of Dayton (OH) @ 1pm

High Point University
- Friday 2/19 vs. UNC-Charlotte @ 4pm

UNC-Greensboro
- vs. Cleveland State University (OH): Fri @ 4pm, Sat & Sun @ 1pm

Campbell University
- vs. UNC-Asheville: Fri @ 4pm, Sat DH @ 1pm

North Carolina A&T (@ Elon University Tournament)
- Friday 2/19 vs. Ohio University @ 4:30pm
- Saturday 2/20 vs. Elon University @ 4pm
- Sunday 2/21 vs. Towson University (MD) @ 4pm

North Carolina Central University
- Friday 2/19 vs. Iona College (NY) @ 1pm
- Saturday 2/20 vs. Delaware State University @ 4pm
- Sunday 2/21 vs. Navy @ 3pm

Junior College

Louisburg College
- Sunday vs. Wilkes CC: 1:00pm DH

Wake Tech Community College
- @ Pitt Community College: Sat & Sun DH @ 1pm


Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

Prospects: College vs. Pro

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

In my last entry, I wrote about the range of ability. This time, I would like to build on that and illustrate how different portions of each player’s range are of interest to college coaches and professional scouts.

Scouts, college coaches and otherwise educated baseball people realize that over time a player will establish a range within which he will perform. They like to see a player at the top of his individual range (or at his potential), but most of the time he will be somewhere in the middle (or at the usable portion of his ability range).

For the most part, college coaches are more interested in usable ability while professional scouts are more interested in potential. I’ll explain that a little further, but a simple example may help to start with.

Pitcher XYZ threw his fastball between 82 and 87. Most of them clocked at 83-84, making that (on that day at least) his usable fastball. He hit 87 a few times, making that (at least for the purposes of this example) his potential fastball.

The report turned in by the college focused on Pitcher XYZ’s usable fastball. It would say if he had control, command, movement, and if those things helped him get outs at present. Though the college coach would like to believe that Pitcher XYZ will develop further, he has to recruit pitchers (and players) that can help his program win games as soon as possible. Why recruit a pitcher that is a few years away from impact than a guy he could plug in right away?

Meanwhile, the professional scout is looking at the top end of his fastball range (87 in this case) and trying to determine if that is his potential or if he has more. He will look at Pitcher XYZ’s body, both in terms of his present frame and potential for physical development and added strength. He will evaluate his arm action, both in terms of the specifics of his actual arm stroke and the speed or power with which he works it through release. He will evaluate his delivery, both to identify potential flaws and potential areas for improvement that may eventually enhance Pitcher XYZ’s fastball in terms of velocity and/or command.

The report turned in by the professional scout focused on Pitcher XYZ’s potential. If he didn’t think he had any potential, he wouldn’t even write a report – since he wouldn’t be a pro prospect in that case. If he had potential, the scout would assign a grade to the pitch to express what he thought it would be when the pitcher reached his potential.

I should point out that there are many college programs with excellent track records of developing players. There are many fine junior varsity situations that players can find if they do their research.

It should also be pointed out that no player can reach his potential without time and effort spent on development – this is the primary concept that minor league baseball is built on. As such, scouts find players with tools to play in the big leagues, assuming they will go through the development process in the minor leagues.

At the same time, college coaches find players with tools to play at their program, assuming whatever level of development they know a player will be exposed to in their program – among other things, this is one of the main reasons why one college will recruit a player while another one chooses to pass.


Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

The Range of Ability

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

Baseball players, especially amateurs, are not robots capable of repeating physical movements exactly the same way each time. Instead, they are human beings that have to work and practice to try and achieve some level of consistency.

With most skills, we accept the fact that the difficulty of the game does not allow us to always be successful. Whether it’s at the plate, in the field, or on the mound, we realize that even the best and most talented do not perform to their potential every time.

However, when it comes to hot button measures of skills like running times and pitch velocities, most people think they are robots. Before we get more into them however, let’s look at a couple of other scenarios.

Hitters should be somewhat familiar with a back panel tee drill. Tee up a high strike in the middle of the plate, and take ten swings with the goal of producing ten line drives into the back panel of the cage net. If you haven’t done this before, you should. After working on it, think about how many you can get out of your round of ten. Assuming you don’t change the tee height or position, the only thing that changes with each pass is your swing. How well can you repeat it?
Pitchers should be familiar with throwing to very specific locations during bullpen sessions - fastballs low and away, in and off the plate, along with similarly appropriate locations for secondary pitches. Much like above, if you don’t push yourself in your workouts you never really get better. Think about your ability to throw up to five consecutive fastballs to a particular spot, then think about breaking balls or changeups. As long as the target stays the same, the only thing that changes from pitch to pitch is your delivery. How well can you repeat it?

Most players, and pitchers alike, will have varied success. Sometimes they can go 8 for 10 on the back panel drill, or throw 5 fastballs in a row low and away. Other times they back panel 4 of 10, or hit their spot no more than twice in a row. However, we accept this and try to get better. Hitting and pitching are both difficult after all.

Now, think about running times. What’s your best 60-yard dash? Do you think you run that time regularly? What’s your worst? Having stood at the end of the 60 track with a stopwatch and/or a clipboard many times, I can tell you that most players (and parents) are shocked if the time is less than what they know to be their (or their son’s) best. The timer must have started early, or stopped late, or the track is slow, or we ran into the wind…

Same thing with velocity. The radar gun must not be working right, or it was at too much of an angle, or it must have been read wrong…

Why? If we can’t repeat ten swings off a tee, why do we think we should run 60-yards the same every time? If we can’t hit a spot five times in a row with a fastball, why do we think we should throw it the same speed every time?

We need to realize that these things vary, just as everything else does. Just like with the back panel drill, or execution of pitches in a bullpen session, players will perform within a range of ability. Sometimes they will be at the top, sometimes at the bottom, but most of the time somewhere in the middle.


Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

There is No Off-Season: Part 3

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

THROWING

Any throwing plan, regardless of the season, must take into account two important aspects: arm care/health, and arm strength development. In what we are calling the “opportunity season”, arm care/health is not quite as important as it is in the playing season – simply based on the fact that you are not playing games.

In other words, you can focus on arm strength development more this time of year – though you always must be smart about it, and realize that arm health is always important.

That being said, many players will go out now and recklessly long toss and end up hurting themselves. You need to come up with a plan that allows you to gradually build up your throwing workouts, you can’t just go all out from the start – just like with your workouts in the gym, you have to allow the strength gains to happen gradually.

If you don’t have a throwing partner, don’t worry. A bucket of baseballs and some space is all you need. I used to take a bucket of balls and a tee to a park near my house growing up – I hit first, and then used the tee as my throwing target. It takes a little extra time to pick all the balls and put them back in bucket, but for most of us it’s either that or do the best with whatever arm strength we were born with.

5 Keys to Productive Workouts

1. Incorporate the footwork, exchange and arm action specific to your position into your throwing program. This is important in order to effectively gain usable arm strength.

Catchers & Infielders
* Do not lengthen your arm action coming out of the glove – keep your arm action realistic
* Do not pump, pop or re-grip the ball in your glove. Get it out and keep it out – keep your exchange realistic
* Step through with right foot (left if you throw left), do not step behind – keep your footwork realistic

Outfielders & Pitchers
* Make sure your arm action is long enough out of the glove (remember “thumb to thigh, fingers high” for proper arc)
* Use a crow hop (drive arm side leg forward and through as shoulders align with target and glove meets throwing hand)

2. You should start out making throws of about 60 feet, then move to 90 feet, 120 feet, etc. Increase the range of your target by about 30 feet at time. Your maximum range should increase a little with each workout. You should reduce the target range gradually as you cool down – always end your workout at close range, around 60 feet or so. Workouts should be in the range of 20-30 minutes, with somewhere between 5-10 throws at each distance.

An example of an early workout may look like this (target distance in feet): 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 120, 60. If you start here, increase the 180 (longest target) to about 200 feet after a couple of weeks, etc. I can see no reason for your longest target to ever be more than 250-300 feet away – your throws will have too much loop at such a long distance, at a time when you should be working on increasing carry and strength on the ball while keeping a realistic trajectory. (SEE ILLUSTRATIONS)

3. It is my opinion that your shoulders should remain parallel to the ground, and that you should carry the ball as far as you can on a realistic trajectory. (SEE ILLUSTRATIONS)

4. You should absolutely have a defined target, and should focus on hitting the target as you increase and decrease your range. Ideally, your target is vertical (like a pole) – it is acceptable to miss high or low, though not acceptable to miss left or right. What good is arm strength without accuracy?

5. Develop a weekly plan that builds on itself. For most players, I would recommend only one long toss session in weeks 1 and 2 (Monday for example). Give your arm plenty of rest, and if you feel good add another session in week 3 or 4 (Monday and Thursday for example). If you feel good after 6 weeks or so, work up to where you long toss / take two days off / long toss. Make sure to give your arm days off, where you don’t throw - instead stretch and do Jobe exercises (bands and/or light weights to strengthen shoulder supporting muscles).

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

There Is No Off-Season: Part 2

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

Remember, it’s the “opportunity season”…not the off-season. Treat it as such if you have aspirations to play baseball in college or beyond. If not, stick with texting and Guitar Hero like everyone else.

Last week we covered ACADEMICS and STRENGTH & AGILITY TRAINING.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

There aren’t any big leaguers that don’t work to improve at least one skill between the end of their last game and the start of spring training. In fact, you’d probably be amazed at how hard 95% of them actually work on all facets of their game. Sure, it’s their job to be a baseball player…but I seriously doubt that guys all of the sudden start working once they get to the big leagues. You have to learn how to learn and learn how to work in order to get anywhere at anything.

Most hitters would benefit greatly from tee work. A particularly helpful drill for most is what we call the “high tee drill”. Raise the tee so that the ball is about chest height, and position the tee so the ball is about even with your front hip. Work to stay on top and hit backspin line drives (ideally down the length of a batting cage, we call this a “back panel drill”). This series of drills will force you to deliver the barrel to contact on a proper angle, and will help you extend the barrel properly through contact – thus creating backspin.

Infielders and catchers can always work to improve their exchange (the move to get the ball from your glove into your throwing hand). This should be a simple and compact action, and it should take place basically as soon as the ball enters your glove. However, most young players hold the ball in their glove too long and then make way too big of a movement to actually transfer the ball. As a rule (at least in my opinion), infielders should exchange the ball below knee level while catchers should exchange the ball on the second base side of the middle of their chest and only slightly below chin height. Go through some dry repetitions at your position and examine your action. Mirror work starting at a slow speed will help you feel the proper action.

Pitchers would benefit from learning to break their hands in sequence with their delivery. A lot of young pitchers break their hands too high (up near chin level), which makes their arm path much longer than normal and requires a very early separation of the hands (in relation to the stride leg beginning towards home plate). The goal is for the arm path to have fully completed at the same time as the stride (front) foot lands – when done properly, the pitcher would arrive at what we call a “power T” position (weight favoring back leg = power, elbows parallel with the slope of the mound and in direct line with the mitt = T). Mirror work will help you determine the sequence of your delivery. You can adjust both the height at which your hands break, and at what point you break your hands (before or simultaneous for most, very rarely after) in relation to the stride leg beginning towards the plate.

These are just examples, and certainly do not represent the only things you can work on. The first step is to evaluate your own abilities, for more on this topic please read (or hopefully re-read) Steve Bernhardt’s Plan of Action series: (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).

Coming next week: THROWING (Sorry…I originally planned throwing as part of this entry, but skill development got a little long)

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

There Is No Off-Season

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

While there are still a few competitive team events around, the vast majority of players are done with their 2008 baseball season. For some, this time of year also signals football playoffs and/or the beginning of basketball. For others, the countdown to the first day of 2009 practice is on.

In any case, this is the beginning of the season of opportunity – not the off season. You have the opportunity to better yourself as an aspiring college baseball player - without the constant games, travel, showcases, travel, tournaments, travel and more games. Keep in mind that as an aspiring college baseball player, you have a lot of things to work on…so you shouldn’t have any trouble staying busy.

Over the course of the next several weeks, we will identify and review areas in which you should focus your “opportunity season” efforts.

ACADEMICS

If you think it’s tough to stay on top of your school work now, spend a couple of weeks as a student-athlete in college. And no, not just because of bus rides and weekday night games during the Spring semester/season. How about 6:00 am workouts, afternoon swimming and/or running, early work before practice, or extra time on the tee/extra flat ground work after practice…all while trying to handle a 15 or 18 hour course load during the Fall semester.

Take the time now to try and improve your academic standing. You don’t have as many demands on your time – you really need to take advantage of that. Get some extra help on a subject you are weak in, and make it important to prepare for the SAT and/or ACT tests.

Remember, ACADEMICS MUST BE CONSIDERED FIRST. You have heard it a million times, but you have to understand that student always comes before athlete. Ever heard of anyone being called an athlete-student?

STRENGTH TRAINING

There are very few, if any, high school age players that have any real amount of physical strength. To be fair, it is hard to actually get stronger over the course of the 500 or so game schedule it seems most play between March and October. However, that isn’t the case from November through the beginning of high school practice.

Skip the bench press (unless you are willing to keep the weight low and the reps high), and spend time instead on improving the strength in your legs and your core. You don’t want bulk in your upper body, so spend time strengthening the smaller muscles in your shoulders (Jobes) and work hard on your forearms. Jobe work can be done with a sand filled tennis ball can and/or elastic band, and forearm work can be done with rope connecting a weight to a small length of PVC pipe – simply roll the weight up, then back down. (For more information on these excercises, please feel free to email me at andy@baseballfactory.com.)

Baseball players must maintain range of motion while improving strength - flexibility is vital. Make sure to stretch often – whether you are lifting or not, you can make gains in your flexibility. I see so many players that are stiff and muscle bound, which makes it so hard to play a sport that requires quick and compact movements. It is so easy to do, it just requires time, effort and commitment – something most are not willing to give. For more on this topic, please read (or re-read) Dana Cavalea's entry on static stretching methods.

Coming next week: SKILL DEVELOPMENT, THROWING

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

3 Common Pitching Faults

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

While the task of retiring hitters with today’s metal bats is not an easy one, it is made more difficult all too often. Wood bats tilt the scale in favor of the pitcher certainly, but still most high school pitchers struggle. Why? Aside from generally poor throwing mechanics (which I think is one of the most common traits of players today in general), I think there are a few main tendencies that hinder success.

1. Tendency to overthrow

Likely a product of the showcase era, we all want to measure ourselves by how hard we throw. But does the hitter care? Throw either 65 or 95 and it will matter, otherwise probably not. Ask around, would a hitter rather face 75 or 85? I think you would be surprised at the answer.

Hint: is it harder for hitters to be quick enough, or to wait?

Instead, stay within yourself. If you can touch 80 mph, then you should probably be pitching around 77 or so – with that 80 available for when you need to reach back for a little more. By working within your abilities, it is reasonable to expect that you:

A. Will be more consistent
B. Can work deeper into games
C. Can recover faster, and will have a generally healthier arm

2. Tendency to nibble

The plate is 17 inches wide, and some umpires will give another 2 or 3 inches on either side. But for some reason, that just isn’t big enough. After all, we wouldn’t want the hitter to make contact would we? Nah, there are only 7 guys behind you with gloves that work hard every day to catch it and throw it – remember, practice is fun but they like to make plays in games too.

Instead, make it important to throw more strikes. I’m not suggesting you throw it right down the middle, but rather to divide the plate into realistic pieces based on a combination of the situation and your capability to execute:

A. Halves: Early in the count, behind in the count, and probably in even counts too, you should be working to the outer half most of the time. If you work towards the inner half, you better get it in and be willing to miss off the plate – misses back to the middle don’t usually work out to well in your favor.

B. Thirds: As you progress you can begin to eliminate the middle third, if you are working at this level you need to stay out of that area. The outer third will likely be your bread and butter, with the inner third again used mostly for effect.

We’ll cover this more in a future posting, when we look at working up and down in addition to in and out.

3. Tendency to throw too many off speed pitches

Maybe I’m wrong here, but I would rather not show the hitter all the pitches I have until I absolutely have to. Not only are off speed pitches shown too early and too often, but rarely are they setup properly or even at all. Let’s face it, most pitchers don’t have good enough action on their curve, or enough deception on their changeup to make hitters flat out swing and miss – there has to be some element of surprise, or change in speeds and/or location involved as well. If all the hitter ever sees is off speed pitches, how are you going to fool him?

Instead, establish your fastball and hold back something – if you can. You don’t want to show the hitters too much too soon – neither the one in the box, nor the ones in the dugout watching you and trying to figure out your stuff and what you are doing with it. I think going fastball/changeup early is ideal, but many young pitchers don’t understand how valuable a changeup is – therefore, they don’t spend the time learning and developing the feel needed to throw it well.

So, the formula for success is really pretty simple. Stay within yourself, make strikes more important that miles per hour, and try to hold a pitch back for as long as possible.


Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

Walk That Way

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

Last week, we looked at what I think are some key stats for hitters. This week, let’s take a look at some key pitching stats.

By my count, 24 pitchers won 15 or more games during the 2008 Major League regular season. I should point out that I am not claiming this group to be the best pitchers, I only chose this group in order to point out statistical similarities among pitchers that were successful in 2008.

Much like with hitters, I like to look at walks and strikeouts.

WALKS (BB)

Among the group of 15+ game winners, only six averaged less than 2.0 walks per nine innings
(BB/9).

BB/9 – Pitcher – Position, Team
1.37 – Cliff Lee – LHP, CLE
1.39 – Mike Mussina – RHP, NYY
1.43 – Roy Halladay – RHP, TOR
1.67 – Dan Haren – RHP, ARI
1.78 – Ricky Nolasco – RHP, FLA
1.93 – Ervin Santana – RHP, LAA

Ever heard of any of the following scouting terms?
* Challenged hitters
* Attacked the zone
* Strike thrower
* Control
* Command

Well, they all apply to the group above. It is pretty impressive to be able to go right after Major League hitters, issue as few bases on balls as they did, and still win over 15 games.

Among the same group, only three pitchers averaged more than 3.50 BB/9.

BB/9 – Pitcher – Position, Team
3.59 – Chad Billingsley – RHP, LAD
4.27 – Edinson Volquez – RHP, CIN
5.05 – Daisuke Matsuzaka – RHP, BOS

In Game One of the ALCS against Tampa Bay, Daisuke Matsuzaka walked four and struck out nine in 7.0 innings of work. Though he gave away four free bases in only seven innings, he still gave up no runs and got the win in a 2-0 victory (so far, their only victory of the series).

On the same day, Chad Billingsley walked three and struck out five in a short 2.1 inning outing. The combination of free bases, extra base hits and RBI’s by the pitcher sealed his fate in an 8-5 loss to the Dodgers in Game Two of the NLCS.

The pitchers in this group had an approximate average BB/9 range of 2.5-3.0.

STRIKEOUTS (SO, or K)

Of the top 20 pitchers in strikeouts during the 2008 regular season:
* Only two had less than 10 wins
* 12 had 15 or more wins (representing half of the 15+ win group)
* Only three had losing records
* Only four had an ERA greater than 3.99

While strikeouts aren’t necessarily an indicator of a quality pitcher, they are a near sure fire indicator of quality stuff. The two usually work hand-in-hand, but not always.

Back to our group of pitchers with 15+ wins, among that group only four averaged over 9.0 strikeouts per 9 innings (K/9).

K/9 – Pitcher – Position, Team
10.51 – Tim Lincecum – RHP, SF
9.46 – Edinson Volquez – RHP, CIN
9.39 – A.J. Burnett – RHP, TOR
9.01 – Chad Billingsley – RHP, LAD

Just to clarify, striking out at least one Major League hitter an inning on average is absurd…and requires impressive, near top of the scouting scale type stuff.

Among the same group, only three averaged less than 5.50 K/9.

K/9 – Pitcher – Position, Team
5.36 – Kyle Lohse – RHP, STL
4.68 – Joe Saunders – LHP, LAA
4.09 – Aaron Cook – RHP, COL

The pitchers in this group had an approximate average K/9 range of 6.5-7.5.

SUMMARY

On average, this group walked about three and struck out about seven per nine innings. The walks are more telling than the strikeouts to me, a realistic goal for a young pitcher at any level should be to allow only one walk every three innings on average.

Strikeouts help, but I think too many times young pitchers already try to strikeout every hitter – and end up overthrowing, nibbling corners, and throwing too many off speed pitches to do so. All of this is taxing on a young arm, and usually results in high pitch counts and potentially short careers. Instead, I think young pitchers should focus on efficiency. Plus, if you can stay around the zone with your pitches you will get more calls from the umpire, and you will keep your fielders more involved and on their toes.


Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

Walk This Way

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

Let’s talk stats a little. First, let’s be clear. I don’t want to hear that you hit .738 during your 18 game season, or that you hit eight home runs over the 250 foot left field fence. That really doesn’t mean much to me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that you produced for your team but I still can’t really deduce much from those numbers.

I know what you’re thinking. What? Why not? I got hits in nearly three of every four at bats, and eight home runs means I am a power hitter. Maybe, I say.

Once again, I will use myself as an example. Over my last two years of high school, I hit over .400 with around six or seven home runs in 20 or so games. Our home park was a band box, as were most parks we played in. I don’t have the exact numbers, but over my career at NC State I hit somewhere in the neighborhood of .175. I may have scared .200 briefly once or twice, but it didn’t blink.

Quick review: pretty good high schools stats, couldn’t hit my way out of a paper bag in college…but wait, wasn’t it supposed to be the other way?

There are a couple of exceptions though. First, I struck out a lot in high school. Like many so called “power” hitters, it kind of came with the territory. I didn’t take a lot of pitches, instead choosing to take viscous hacks at anything near the strike zone. Worked OK at that level, but not when the pitching got better at the college level. A look at my strike out to walk ratio would have probably told a little better story.

Ideally, a hitter will walk more than he strikes out. Keep in mind I said “ideally.” It doesn’t happen that much. In fact, a quick look at the 2008 Major League Baseball stats found that only 14 players (with more than 40 walks) did it. They are listed below in order of best BB to SO ratio.

BB/SO – Name – Bats, Team
104/54 – Albert Pujols – R, STL
84/50 – Joe Mauer – L, MIN
87/52 – Brian Giles – L, SD
44/28 – Doug Mientkiewicz – L, PIT
90/61 – Chipper Jones – S, ATL
50/35 – Luis Castillo – S, NYM
73/58 – Ryan Theriot – R, CHC
61/50 – Todd Helton – L, COL
44/38 – Carlos Ruiz – R, PHI
50/45 – Jason Kendall – R, MIL
46/42 – Craig Counsell – L, MIL
90/83 – Russell Martin – R, LAD
58/55 – Jimmy Rollins – S, PHI
97/93 – Mark Teixeira – S, ATL/LAA (combined stats)

That is truly impressive to be able to walk more than you strike out at the Major League level. I am particularly impressed that a left-handed hitter could do this. There are not many left-handed hitters that can effectively handle left-handed pitching, and during a 162 game season there is simply no way to avoid that. Some other left handed hitters that were close to a 1:1 ratio:

79/80 – JD Drew – L, BOS
41/43 – Luis Gonzalez – L, FL
70/74 – David Ortiz – L, BOS

Albert Pujols walked nearly 2 times for every time he struck out. Mauer, Giles and Mientkiewicz (all left-handed hitters) walked over 1.5 times for each strike out. Just to illustrate the point, I did a little research to try and find the worst performances…

23/139 – Kevin Kouzmanoff – R, SD (roughly 6 strikeouts per walk)
25/142 – Carlos Gomez – R, MIN (over 5.5 strikeouts per walk)

As for the “Greek god of walks” (of Moneyball fame), Kevin Youkilis walked 62 times, struck out 108. Maybe it’s time for a new nickname?

Another player I expected to be among the best in this statistic: Ichiro. He was close, but didn’t make the grade. Walked 51 times, struck out 65.

So, understand that certain stats can be more telling than others. For me, walk to strikeout ratio is tops while batting average is at the bottom. As with most things, it just takes a little reading between the lines.



Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

Learning How to Learn

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

I have overheard many times statements such as: “Any little league coach knows that,” or, “That’s nothing new,” or, “I could teach him that myself.“ I somewhat agree...but what I have watched and witnessed over my time around baseball says that what people say is simple, apparently is not. Why do players in general have such bad throwing mechanics? Why is base running so abysmal at the high school level? These are just two examples, but if anyone can teach it, or it’s nothing new, or you could do it yourself, why isn’t it better?

The answer, in my opinion, is that many players (and parents too) think that simply showing up at a camp or clinic or practice is going to be enough. While they all certainly help, I doubt anyone that runs any of these events would claim that they could completely cure any shortcoming while at that particular event. The goal should be to gather information and learn drills that will help you learn how to develop your skills. As such, “player development” is an ongoing process, and one that must continue as long as a player plays the game.

With that in mind, the player development responsibility falls on the shoulders of the player – either he is willing to regularly work and get better or he is not. All the coaching in the world is worthless without an honest and ongoing effort from the player. This is all too often overlooked. Mom and dad often care more than the player does, which is very disappointing for us as coaches – and I am sure even more disappointing for parents, who work hard to provide the opportunity for the player. One of the first things I learned, and it still rings true, is that you cannot teach someone who doesn’t want to learn.

The key concept here is aptitude. It is very important in determining the potential for a player to get better. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, aptitude is, “a tendency, capacity, or inclination to learn or understand.”

It should make perfect sense why this is important. In order to improve a skill, first the correct technique and/or fundamentals must be taught. Then they must be drilled and worked on, with repetition being the most important thing. The player with “a tendency, capacity, or inclination to learn or understand,” is certainly more likely to pick up the correct techniques and/or fundamentals – therefore making it far more likely that he will be able to take the drills and repetitions and use them to actually develop and improve. In other words, a player with aptitude has the potential to learn how to learn – which sets him on the ideal player development path.

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

Take Control of Your Actions

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

When I get home from one of our Baseball Factory Player Development events, I am usually completely exhausted. We work extremely hard over long hours to try and produce a first class and memorable experience for each player. We are on the field early to prepare, keeping things moving during the day, planning for the next day in the evening, laundry and lineups at night, curfew checks and the occasional ER visit late night. The hours add up quickly.

I’m not complaining, it’s all part of the job. The only thing I ask in return is that each player gives an honest effort and behaves himself. That’s fair, isn’t it? Someone made an effort to get the player to the event, and the staff is making every effort to deliver a quality experience…the player has the easiest job doesn’t he?

Most of the time we have no trouble at all. Players show up, work hard, behave, learn and get better. However, a small number of players at some of the last couple of events I was involved with have left a bad taste in my mouth.

The two most common trouble areas are:

1. Lack of effort
2. Lack of discipline

Why wouldn’t those two things always be among the most important for each individual player? If you really think about it (specifically from a baseball player’s point of view), what else do you actually have control over? Nothing else, in my opinion.

You can have a great swing, but you can’t control whether or not you get a hit – sometimes they fall, sometimes you get robbed. You can throw a great pitch, but you can’t control whether or not you get an out – sometimes you get by with marginal stuff, sometimes you get lit up with great stuff. You can perfectly approach a ground ball, but you can’t control the hop – sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don’t.

So, what’s the moral of the story? Simple.

Wake up on time. Be on time. Make an effort. Look people in eye. Speak up. Don’t mumble. Follow instructions. Be responsible for your actions. Make an adjustment. Try to understand. Ask a question if you don’t. Treat others with respect. Respect yourself. Realize that at all times you represent yourself, your family, your team and/or the organization you are a part of. Be careful of the company you keep. I could go on, but hopefully you get the point.

You control all of these things. Someone may help you with certain ones now, but there will be a time when you will be on your own.

None of the items above have anything to do with baseball. However, they are all very relevant to life and to learning to be a quality human being and eventually a productive member of the work force. Keep in mind that only a very small percentage of baseball players will play professional baseball, and only a small percentage of those players ever make it to the Major Leagues.

Guess what. Late for stretch at camp may be no big deal, school may even be the same way a couple of times, but do it too many times at work and you’ll be in the unemployment line. Same thing with effort, and following instructions, and respect, and on and on….


Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

Common Faults Are Not Commonly Worked On

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

From my desk in my office at home, I can see the tee box of the 14th hole of my neighborhood golf club. Fourteen is kind of a double dogleg par 5, with trouble on both sides off the tee. The tee shot is tough, but it is a three shot hole most days so you would think more people would hit 3 wood or even a hybrid off the tee.

But no, that is not the case. I watch people hit driver all day, and I can tell by their body language that most balls are lost to the right over a fence and OB. In fact, my dog Sammy and I walk down the right side of that hole most mornings. Most days, we find at least one golf ball. There have been days where I have pocketed as many as five balls, all in pretty much the same place.

Before you check the URL at the top of your screen, yes this is a baseball blog. I like golf, and I love my dog...so what's so wrong with throwing them in my blog every now and then?

Watching golfers all day got me thinking about the most common things I see baseball players do. Anyone that has spent any time at all around golf knows that most right handed players hit some kind of a slice (left to right ball flight). It is the most common fault by far. There are other common faults, like leaving putts short of the hole, and using too much wrist action on chip shots…both of which I am guilty of.

Now, with that in mind, back to baseball. Though we primarily focus on abilities (things that players can do) when evaluating players at our events, part of our job is to also take a look at fundamentals and mechanics. Below are some of the most common fundamental shortcomings I see in players:

ALL PLAYERS
- Lack of flexibility
- Poor throwing mechanics

INFIELDERS
- Poor footwork and angles to the ball
- High rear end, straight arms, hands too deep to play the ball

OUTFIELDERS
- Lazy with feet, do not get positioned enough behind play on ball
- Poor crow hop or use of body and momentum in throws

HITTERS
- Poor weight transfer, either too much stays back or it goes forward too early
- Lack of pre-pitch movement or rhythm

PITCHERS
- Poor sequence of pitching delivery, most often hands break too late
- Poor glove side action (front shoulder, elbow and wrist)

CATCHERS
- Receiving stance too rigid, does not permit glove arm to cover all parts of strike zone
- Overly upright on throws, with excess length in arm stroke and wasted motion in exchange

I realize that most players don’t know any better, and I am certainly not pointing the finger at high school or travel team coaches. I think more than anything the culture of today’s high school baseball has contributed to this lack of solid fundamental play. More importance is placed on playing and showcasing, while we let learning and improving and player development slip. Steve Bernhardt’s Lost Art of Player Development entry has more great information on this topic.

The scary part is that this particular approach is a pretty big gamble. At some point, the game will pass every player by. For the lucky ones, that doesn’t happen until the twilight of a long Major League career. For most, it happens when the last out of your last high school game is recorded.

By taking your current skills and simply throwing them out there to play umpteen games and to put them on display at this showcase and that showcase, without any attention or effort to furthering yourself as a player, seems like less than an educated approach to me. This is not a shameless plug for Baseball Factory Player Development events, but instead a recommendation to make sure you never lose sight of the fact that you must always continue to improve. For even more information on this topic, make sure to read Rob Naddelman’s Balanced Attack series. It offers a great road map for you to follow on your journey to play college baseball.

If you are having trouble figuring out where to start in your own quest to become a better player, I suggest evaluating your own abilities first. Start by ranking your own tools from best to worst. For help, read one of my previous entries called The Most Honest Evaluation.

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

Power Outage

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

The last two S.C.R. and Under Armour National Tryout dates I worked both featured ballparks with a short porch down at least one foul line. In Fairfax, VA the fence was a little over 300 feet down the left field line. Last weekend in San Antonio, TX the right field fence was 299 feet away and the left field fence measured 312 feet. Needless to say, both ballparks sure made it a good day to be able to lift a ball to the pull side.

However, the biggest problem with this type of situation is an inaccurate perception of raw power. Not by our scouts, since we know that most (not all, but most) balls leaving these band box ballparks would be routine outs at most college parks, but instead by the players and parents. I’m sure that many people were surprised to hear their raw power grades from their Player Development Coordinators in the days following these two events.

I was part of a few of these conversations, which usually started with something like, “but he hit two balls over the fence, how can you rate his power as average?” The answer is that raw power has nothing to do with where the fence is in any given ballpark. A ball that is hit 300 feet to the pull side is going to indicate the same power whether it hits the top of the light tower in a tiny yard or breaks up a tea party of pitchers hanging out in the outfield of a large park.

Last Sunday in San Antonio, I was evaluating hitters with fellow Baseball Factory scout Ernie Ramirez. In the afternoon session, there was a string of about five or six left handed hitters in a row that were just launching balls over the right field fence (299 feet to right field, 371 to center field, so figure about 340 to right center). While it was somewhat captivating to watch, we both looked at each other about the same time and said, “when I see a guy hit an oppo bomb in this park, I will be impressed. Until then, we need to get someone to go round up those baseballs.”

The same thing happened later in the BP session with a string of right handed hitters, only this time there were some opposite field home runs. There were even a few guys that clearly mishit balls, and they carried easily over 350 feet the other way. In this case, they were home runs, but even if they didn’t hit the warning track in a particular ballpark they still indicate above average raw power. Why? Because when compared to the average hitter it takes a better swing, the ability to hit the ball deeper in the zone, and more bat speed or physical strength to drive balls from center field to the opposite field.

So, remember, it just isn’t that impressive to see a hitter yank balls over the fence to the pull side. It simply does not indicate anything that may differentiate you from any other hitter. If you want to impress someone with your power, drive balls up the middle and to both gaps. If you don’t have the strength or ability to do that yet, then hit line drives and hard ground balls up the middle of the field. That type of contact indicates skill and ability to deliver the barrel to contact on a good route, along with the ability to get some extension through contact – both components of any good hitter, let alone power hitter.

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

Get a Grip On Release Times

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

Last time I was working out catchers at one of our events, I heard plenty of stopwatches beeping in the stands. The dad cross checkers (or maybe mom cross checkers) were out in full force, filing away their own reports of the catcher release times. There isn’t anything wrong with that, though usually one of us has significantly lower times recorded than the other....

By now you probably know I am down on the standard measurable that most people like to live and die by. If not, just read back a bit – I have denounced both the 60-yard dash and fastball velocity over the last couple of months. Well, maybe not denounced…how about, I have been trying to put them into a meaningful context.

So, this week I would like to look into why catcher release times (I also hate the term “pop times”) are important. Since we all know the most basic reason in this case, I will skip that part and move on.

Lets do a little math to help this make sense. But first, I’ll introduce the term “steal time.” A steal time is the amount of time it takes a base stealer to reach second base from about a 12 foot lead. The watch starts on his first move, and stops when he reaches the bag.

Our first example will look at Major League standards. An approximate average steal time at the Major League level is 3.30 seconds. At the Major League level, the pitcher is expected to get the ball to the catcher in 1.3 seconds or less. The watch starts on his first move (in the stretch) and stops when the ball hits the catcher’s glove.

Now for the math (don’t worry, you shouldn’t need a calculator).

3.30 seconds = average Major League steal time
1.30 seconds = desired Major League pitcher release time
=
1.90 seconds = desired Major League catcher release time

I know there are 2.0 seconds leftover in this example, the 1.90 is an approximate desired release time at the Major League level. It just goes to show that if the pitcher and catcher both do their jobs, runners with solid average or maybe even above average steal times can be caught regularly.

It is important to note, the leftover 2.0 seconds above must include the throw and the tag. Any throws that are off line must reach the bag quicker in order to accommodate a tag.

Now, hold on a minute before you panic and run to the ballpark with a bucket of balls and a stopwatch. Remember that the above example was based on Major League standards. There are not too many guys running 3.30 at the high school level, and it is still pretty rare at the college level.

Below are similar examples*, with more realistic numbers for each level.

HIGH SCHOOL

3.70 seconds = steal times of 3.70 and up can be regularly caught
1.50 seconds = pitchers maximum release time
=
2.20 seconds = time remaining for throw and tag

COLLEGE

3.50 seconds = steal times of 3.50 and up can be regularly caught
1.40 seconds = pitchers maximum release time
=
2.10 seconds = time remaining for throw and tag

*As usual, I should point out that the examples above are simply my opinion. You will most certainly find different interpretations of average, and I only share mine to help explain the relationship between the factors.

I strongly believe that an ACCURATE throw of around 2.05 will result in more out calls than safe calls. I really don’t care what level either. If the pitcher gives you a chance, and you come out and throw 2.05 right on the money and the guy is safe…blame it on the pitcher…just kidding. There isn’t much more you can do. That’s why base stealers are so valuable, they require us to execute beyond our normal expectations in order to keep them from changing the game in the favor of their team.

Though I know everyone loves to talk about throwing from behind the plate, I have to finish with a reality check. If you can’t catch, you can’t catch. If you can’t block, you can’t catch. If you don’t understand the game, you can’t catch. If you can really throw, but can’t catch, you should pitch. If you can really catch, can throw a little, but can’t hit a lick, look into coaching....

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

Tool Talk: Fastball

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

Throughout my travels, I always try my best to take some time and catch up with each tool. It is always interesting to learn about players from the point of view of the tools themselves. Some have more to say than others, not only about their own particular importance and value, but also about the relationships they have with other tools.

Most recently, I sat down for a chat with Fastball. While there is not really one tool that defines position players, the Fastball tool defines most pitchers...though not always for the right reason. Fastball had a few things to say about that, among other things.

Fastball: First, let me apologize for Hitting. I know you spoke with him previously, and sometimes he can get a little hot under the collar. Oops, Hitting hates it when I use the term “collar” around him.

Andy: Oh, I’m used to it with him. Who knows what Power will have to say though…

Fastball: Don’t worry about him, he’s not so tough. If a pitcher can do a good enough job of establishing me on the inner half, my friends Curveball and Changeup can keep Power on the bench all day long. Heck, Hitting too for that matter.

Andy: I certainly couldn’t disagree with you there. However, you and I both know that young pitchers today are most often concerned with only one of your components.

Fastball: Yep, they all want velocity. Why not movement, or command? One component alone certainly does not make a fastball. Though in reality, the only one with even a chance to stand alone would be command.

Andy: Thank you. I have been trying to get the same point across about Running. A 60-yard dash alone most certainly does not constitute a Running grade. It is simply one component of the eventual grade.

Fastball: Running and I, we both often get judged too quickly – both good and bad. Just because a pitcher throws 78 miles per hour for example, doesn’t mean he has a poor fastball. He may throw me with late movement, or be able to move me around the zone – in, out, up, down, move the hitter off the plate. On the other hand, the pitcher that throws 88 doesn’t necessarily have a great fastball. Sure, the velocity is pretty good, but what if it is straight and he either can’t throw strikes or just throws it down the middle all the time? What about that will get hitters out?

Andy: Let me build on that quickly, using the 20-80 scouting scale to help. First, let’s take our 78 mph fastball. On most scales, 78 mph would grade out at 20. Let’s say that fastball has pretty good movement, we’ll give that 40. The command, in this example, is even better. We’ll make that average by Major League standards, which is 50.

So, we box it out like this:

Fastball Velocity = 20
Fastball Movement = 40
Fastball Command = 50

What was certainly a 20 fastball if you only looked at velocity, could end up at least at 30 (maybe higher for some) when all components are considered.

Just to prove the point, we’ll box out our 88 mph fastball like this:

Fastball Velocity = 45
Fastball Movement = 35
Fastball Command = 30

In this case, what could have been a 45 fastball based on velocity has likely fallen down to around a 35.

People weight components differently of course; there are no hard and fast rules. In our examples, the two pitches ended up only a half grade apart when all components were considered. Remember that if we only looked at velocity, they would have been two and a half grades apart.

Fastball: Well, thanks for stealing my thunder. And also, that wasn’t a quick explanation. But…hopefully at least a few people will read this and it will help them realize that there is more to me than most people think.

Andy: I hope so too. Thanks for your time Fastball, I know you are very busy. After all, you are by far the most important pitch for any pitcher to have.

Fastball: Aw shucks, thanks. Oh, I gotta go. I think I hear the phone ringing in the bullpen.

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory.

Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

Tool Talk: Hitting

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

Throughout my travels, I always try my best to take some time and catch up with each tool. It is always interesting to learn about players from the point of view of the tools themselves. Some have more to say than others, not only about their own particular importance and value, but also about the relationships they have with other tools.

Recently, I had a chance to chat with the tool Hitting. Hitting’s job is defined by the ability to get base hits, but as people have begun to look at the statistics that support Hitting a little differently, his job description is beginning to change as well. He is particularly outspoken about his fellow tool Power, and how Power can’t truly exist on its own.

Andy: Hitting, good to see you again. It’s been a while hasn’t it? Thanks for spending some time with us today.

Hitting: No problem. You and I didn’t spend much time together while you were playing, that’s for sure, but now that you are scouting you have been spreading my good word. Always a pleasure.

Andy: Thanks for pointing out that I wasn’t a very good hitter…AGAIN. I am sure everyone knows that by now. If you keep it up, I may go and try to make friends with Running – even after all my comments about how the 60-yard dash is overrated.

Hitting: Oh, all right. I’m sorry. My cousin, Five O’clock Hitter, said you and he got along real well. That’s gotta count for something huh?

Andy: Well, he's right. I certainly could hit in batting practice, just not when the game started...but enough about me. I wanted to talk to you today about your relationship with one of your fellow tools, Power.

Hitting: Oh, him. He always gets all the credit. Oh, look! A homerun! Blah, blah, blah. I’m so sick of hearing about him. He’s nothing without me, at least that’s what I’ve been trying to tell everyone for years.

Andy: Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I didn’t realize it was such a sore spot for you, but since it seems to be on your mind, why don’t you tell us about it?

Hitting: Now we’re talking! First of all, just so we all are clear, players use me to get base hits – not just singles, but any kind of base hit. That counts doubles, triples, homeruns, and heck even walks too. Players that can really use me well go to the plate with a good plan, they swing at strikes, and they make a lot of hard contact.

Andy: Yeah, yeah. We know all about that. Matt Schilling has been saying a lot of good things about you in his blog entries.

Hitting: Really? I’ll have to check those out. Running told all us other tools that all he ever heard Matt talk about was 60 yards this, 60 yards that. After all, he did coach at Coastal Carolina you know.

Andy: Of course I know that, and believe me...we have all heard his claims about runners. Back on task please?

Hitting: Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. As I was saying, if a player doesn’t have a good enough grasp on how to use me, he may be able to use my friend Power in batting practice but he sure won’t be able to use him in games consistently. He won’t be able to make good enough contact, especially on good velocity and off speed pitches, to be able to get to Power.

Andy: Can you give us an example? Maybe a Major League player that we would all know?

Hitting: Just use my friend Ryan Howard as an example so far this year. He’s struck out 38 times in 96 at bats, or almost 40% of the time. He only has 17 hits so far this year, of which 5 are home runs – nowhere near the pace he has been on for the last couple of seasons. Bottom line: he just isn’t making enough contact for his power to matter. His start to 2008 reminds me of how a lot of high school players try to come to the plate with only Power, it just doesn’t work. Don’t worry, Ryan Howard will come around. I’m not making fun of him, he and I get along real well. As for young hitters with these kind of numbers, they need to realize that all players must first be hitters and then worry about power.

Andy: Thanks Hitting, that’s good stuff. I know all of us in the scouting community realize this, but it's clear that young players don't understand that yanking and jerking balls out in batting practice just really isn’t all that impressive.

Hitting: Glad to be of service. As I always say, “any day, any hour, hitting is always a lock. If you only have power, you better have fun at five o’clock”. By the way, is that a haiku?

Andy: Uh, no. Not a haiku. Too many lines, too many syllables and it rhymes. Close though... Thanks again for your time.

Hitting: One more thing. You think you could skip the double play for me today? We, uh, don't get along very well.

Andy: No problem. Something tells me I won't get that request from your friends Fastball, Curve, Changeup or Control...

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory.

Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

The Most Honest Evaluation?

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

A couple of weeks ago, Steve Bernhardt urged players to create an honest evaluation of their abilities as their first step in a player development plan of action. In an effort to better arm players and parents to do just that, I wanted to expand on that concept a little bit.

Just as Steve mentioned, players need to identify both their strengths and weaknesses. I think one of the best ways to do this is to try and get your tools in order, from best to worst. Though my playing days have been over for some time, I will use myself as an example to help illustrate how to work through this process.

First, let me give you a little background information.

When I was younger, I could run a little bit and was a good enough athlete to play shortstop and center field. I was very fortunate to play summer ball under former University of North Carolina and current Cotuit Kettleers (Cape Cod Baseball League) skipper Mike Roberts – also father of Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts. I guess he did most of the evaluation for me back then, and determined that I would outgrow both shortstop and center field (plus Brian played shortstop then, and was WWWAAAYYY better than me there), so he moved me behind the plate when I was about 15.

I only bring that up to point out the value of the insight that an experienced baseball person can provide. I realize we don’t all have access to such people, but I urge you to seek an unbiased opinion of your abilities. You may not like what you hear, which of course I didn't when I got moved, but it just may work out for the better in your case...just as it did for me.

OK, back to self evaluation. Here are how my tools would have lined up in high school.

POSITION PLAYER
1. Power
2. Arm strength
3. Hitting ability
4. Fielding ability
5. Running ability

PITCHER
1. Control
2. Fastball
3. Curveball
4. Changeup

As is the case with many high school players, even though my personal best position was catcher, I played a lot of first base my sophomore and junior years. That was where my name got written into the lineup, so that's where I went. I caught my senior year, but only because our regular catcher hurt his throwing shoulder and was out for that season.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S DOUBLE PLAY
The best double play combo I played with during my career

What I was doing on this club, I still don't know for sure. I had already finished my redshirt year at NC State, and was still just 18 years old - the same as most recently graduated high school seniors. The 1995 Ohio Warhawks had four players that made it to the Major Leagues. Two are household names: Brian Roberts and Pat Burrell. Two other players bounced up and down and between a couple of teams: Brent Butler (2B with Rockies, most recently with AAA Tampa Bay) and Jon Adkins (RHP with the Padres, White Sox and Mets. Now in AAA with the Reds).

1. Brian Roberts
Played shortstop then, and through college before moving across the bag in professional baseball. Could really throw, so much so that he would take pre-game infield from darn near shallow left field - and still threw missles to first base. A relentless base stealer and sparkplug at the top of the lineup. During this summer he began to hit for more power, a trend that would continue through college and into professional baseball.


2. Brent Butler
Played second base at the time, but would flip flop across the bag every other game or so with Roberts during the 95 Warhawks season. He absolutely raked, just hit everything hard and all over the ballpark. Had right around the same home run total for that summer as Pat Burrell. Signed with the Cardinals as a third round pick in 1996, made it to the big leagues with the Rockies in 2001.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

It is important to look at how your tools, and the order you put them in, “profile” at your position. Profile is a scouting concept that essentially outlines what players at each position ideally have in their “tool box.” You may read “tool box” and think of it literally, but in scouting terms “tool box” is the little box on the scouting report where the tool grades are written.

In my case, my tools didn’t fit the catching position particularly well back then. They probably fit first base better, but still not a perfect fit. Actually, some other schools that recruited me wanted to consider me at third base as much as behind the plate.

Now, we will begin to look at tool importance by position. First, if you have any interest in the exercise, you should try to rank your tools in order from best to worst.

Position players: tools are hitting ability, power, arm strength, fielding ability, running ability

Pitchers: tools are fastball, curveball, changeup (if you have it), other pitch (like a slider, splitter, etc., if you have it), and control

Now that you have your tools ranked, let’s look and see how they fit at your position. I should point out that these tool importance charts are just my opinion, and they most certainly vary from person to person, team to team and school to school.

PITCHER
There really is no order for pitching tools, at least not like there is for position players. Generally, pitchers are split into two groups based on the tools they have: Starters & Relievers.

The biggest difference is the quality and quantity of their secondary pitches. Often times pitchers with quality stuff but lack of consistent control, or with questionable pitching mechanics, are considered better bullpen guys.

Starting pitchers are expected to get around a lineup two or three times, which gets tougher as hitters get better – the ability to throw strikes, and to do so with several different pitches is eventually a necessity.

CATCHER
1. Fielding ability
2. Arm strength
3. Hitting ability
4. Power
5. Running ability

FIRST BASE
1. Hitting ability
2. Power
3. Fielding ablity
4. Arm strength
5. Running ability

THIRD BASE
1. Hitting ability
2. Power
3. Arm strength
4. Fielding ability
5. Running ability

SHORTSTOP
1. Fielding ability
2. Arm strength
3. Hitting ability
4. Running ability
5. Power

SECOND BASE
1. Hitting ability
2. Fielding ability
3. Running ability
4. Arm strength
5. Power

CENTER FIELD
1. Hitting ability
2. Fielding ability
3. Running ability
4. Power
5. Arm strength

RIGHT FIELD
1. Hitting ability
2. Power
3. Arm strength
4. Running ability
5. Fielding ability

LEFT FIELD
1. Hitting ability
2. Power
3. Running ability
4. Fielding ability
5. Arm strength

Not to jump back on my favorite soapbox, but you will notice (at least on my personal tool importance chart) that running ability is never higher than third most important at any position. There are without a doubt certain college programs that value running ability very much, and I don’t entirely disagree since usually guys that can run are pretty good athletes. However, I believe that either hitting ability or fielding ability should be number one, depending on the position, since those tools are among the most basic components of any baseball player.

Performance vs Ability

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

“Why are all the scouts here to watch ______ (insert that guy on your team’s name here)? I’m hitting .500, and he isn’t even hitting .300. They should be watching me instead.”

Answer? Tools (no, not those over there...)

Having a .500 batting average does not necessarily mean a hitter has exceptional hitting ability. Now, don’t get me wrong, that is pretty darn good…we’d certainly all like to have guys on our team hitting .500.

This is basically the performance versus ability debate. I don’t have any interest in boring you with this, you’ve heard it before I'm sure. Instead, we’ll make it as simple as it really is. Tools are the ability, production is the performance. Ideally we would have both, but that doesn’t happen very often. There, easy as that. Make sense?

Though the ability to produce in games is the ultimate goal, the ability to produce at the high school level alone is not a sure sign that a player can or will produce at the college level (and certainly not at the professional level).

There is simply no way to account for a standard level of competition at the high school level. Since there is no baseline, there is really no way to compare players using most statistics (like batting average and earned run average). Thus, arguments based on these numbers are not even worth having.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
TODAY’S DOUBLE PLAY
Two more baseball pet peeves (I have lots...)

1. When outfielders throw to the wrong base, don’t know where to throw it, or throw over cutoff men.
Come on, let’s be honest here. All you really have to do as an outfielder is listen, and you’ll know where to go with the ball. Sure, it helps to have some feel for the game – that is always ideal – but in most cases, just throw it to the cutoff man. Trust me, he is there for a reason. Oh, and one more thing. On a sac fly (or any other do or die type throw) if you can’t carry it there in the air (most guys can’t, it’s OK), at least give your teammate a long hop to work with.

2. Striking out looking on fastballs away.
Maybe it’s just how I was taught, but I just don’t get how it happens so often. I know there are differing opinions, but I am of the theory that it is best to “look away, react in”…ESPECIALLY WITH TWO STRIKES. In other words, make sure you can handle pitches on the outer half, and simply react and try to fight off pitchers on the inner half.

A two strike approach should also involve choking up on the bat, and widening the stance – both help to shorten and simplify the stroke, making it easier to simply put the ball in play. If a pitcher can run a fastball across the inside corner and freeze me that way, I’ll tip my cap and have a seat – but seriously, think about it, there are just not that many pitchers that pitch inside AT ALL, let alone with two strikes. If I am looking away, it allows me to track the ball longer – since I am trying to hit the ball out of the back of the strike zone. That way, I have time to recognize spin on a breaking ball or at least fight off a pitch I think has a chance to be called a strike.
------------------------------------------------------------------

But if not stats, then what else do we have to compare players with?

Answer? (Hint: same as last time) Tools.

I know what you’re thinking…“but what about that guy on my team that hits balls over the lights in batting practice? He hasn’t done much of anything in games this season, but scouts and coaches are always coming to see him play. Same with the pitcher on our team that throws 90. He doesn’t throw a lot of strikes, and gives up quite a few runs in each outing. If they can’t help our team win games, why would scouts and coaches want them for theirs?”

Answer: (Seeing a pattern yet? If not you will if you read the next word) Tools.

There simply are not that many guys walking around that can hit balls over the lights. Tools like that are rare, and give players potential to impact games in a big way.

For example, if that light tower power ever ends up in the same package with a good swing and hitting approach, that player has potential to hit a lot of home runs in the Major Leagues.

Back to production (we switched to that term instead of performance earlier) one last time before we wrap up. It is important to note that the ability to play the game is considered particularly important to most college recruiters (compared to professional scouts, who are looking more into the future). They do not have the luxury of letting players learn how to use their tools in the minor leagues before calling them up into action.

So, while we cannot deny production and performance as ideal for any player, ultimately the players with more in the tool box are always going to be scouted more. They may look a little crude now, and maybe they aren’t having all that much success right now, but those big tools give them more potential to play the game longer and against better players in the long run.

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory.

Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.