Leaderboards Don’t Tell the Whole Story

I love lists. I love structure and order and everything that comes with it. So when my son (a pitcher) was starting his college recruiting journey, I often looked at those leaderboards from the big ticket showcase events to see how he was stacking up against others in his grad year.

And I would think… “there’s really a 14 year old who is 6’3 throwing 87mph?”

The short answer is yes. There is a giant 8th grader somewhere throwing 87 mph. But what those leaderboards don’t tell you is the REST of the story.

That 8th grader is big. He throws hard. But maybe he re-classed and is a 15 year old 8th grader. Maybe he also has trouble locating his spots. Maybe he walks or hits batters. A lot. Leaderboards and radar guns won’t tell you that part of his story.

Metrics are important, but so is your performance in a game situation, facing live batters. How do you handle yourself when you have bases loaded? Can you properly field a bunt play? Do you hype up your teammates and keep a positive attitude? Do you hustle on and off the field?

Leaderboards do serve a purpose, but they only give college coaches one piece to a very large puzzle. Your job as a parent is to keep everything in perspective and remember that there are thousands of schools looking for players in your child’s grad year. Yes - I said thousands.

Playing in college is a privilege, whether it’s for a D1 school, a quaint D3, or a powerhouse JUCO. Don’t get hung up on leaderboards, and look for a recruiting advisor who can help navigate these uncharted waters that are full of sharks.

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