Hijacked from Basketball Board... with a baseball twist

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Exactly the point I've tried to make here for a long time: We see lots of pro prospects and they are the ones that actually make it to the bigs. We umpire in front of really big crowds, with many scouts in attendance, and some of the games are televised. They most certainly are featured on the news at night. I've been on TV plenty of times. And I've worked big crowds at Qualcomm Stadium before. I don't care how big or small a crowd is, or how important a player or a game is, I relish the pressure situations, yet have never worked a D-1 game in my life. There is plenty of drama here in SoCal at the high school level. Baseball here is like football is to Texas.

Very, very well said and very true.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

And you can't compare D1 with the big leagues...and so it goes.

And we never compared it to D-I, because we know we can't.

It's just high-level high school with games that are peppered with high draft picks and major D-I signees.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

And we never compared it to D-I, because we know we can't.

It's just high-level high school with games that are peppered with high draft picks and major D-I signees.

Yup.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Here are two pitchers from the team that won the National Tournament at Cal State Fullerton. I see them both as serious big league prospects. The first guy is an Orel Hershiser clone. His name is Tyler Johnson and he went 20-0 as a varsity starter in one of the most competitive leagues in the country. He's in his first year at D-I NY Stonybrook. The lefty, Ryan Hawthorne, throws 92-94 mph on corners, and has a 68 mph change, a 72 mph bender and a 82 mph bender, with command of all of them. He's sick. He's a freshman at D-I Loyola.


There are many whole states without two pitchers this good and these two guys were on the same team. And they carved up the Nos. 1, 2 and 7 teams in the country in that tournament.

There are indeed high school games that present the same challenges as any you'll find. The best 18-year-olds in California can play with anybody.

[tballump]

Kevin

I believe as the historian you would know that several high school age players that went right to the big leagues. So, it is very possible there are still excellent high school players and competition in certain areas of the country. This kid with both the 72 mph deuce and a 82 mph hook sounds impressive.

Now back to topic. Would the good respected umpires who are known to have a "tight" but consistent strike zone, be the ones who make the ball hit the some part of the white, and the good respected umps who are know to have a more "liberal" zone be the ones who make the ball hit some part of the black? I would assume the ones who start going farther out start getting the reputation of being too liberal even if they are consistent.

[Cub42]

I seems to me that comparing HS players and games to college or pro baseball is getting a little carried away. Many here have worked games in the HS arena where highly touted prospects have played in. But it is still a HS game. With HS players and coaches. It is not College or professional baseball.

[tballump]

Oops

Sorry for the 2nd paragraph in #81 above. It should go on the other post. "That's a balk" on my part.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by Cub42

I seems to me that comparing HS players and games to college or pro baseball is getting a little carried away. ... But it is still a HS game. With HS players and coaches. It is not College or professional baseball.

Where did you get that?

Wow, that's quite a reach.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Cub42

It is not College or professional baseball.

But we do all sorts of leagues that feature former pro players, D-1 players in the off-season, and many wood bat leagues with college players in them, and the level of baseball is very high caliber. Hey, some of us couldn't be as fortunate as you to get jobs in the minors. That doesn't necessarily make a better umpire, having minor league experience. It sure doesn't hurt, but there are plenty of very good and excellent officials who have never worked above the levels I've just described.