'26 Baseball Recruting

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I am assuming the "SPL" is a split-fingered fastball. I do love guys who throw that pitch effectively producing grounders and double play balls frequently.
 

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That was a slick play by Millington.....but what a dumbass decision by the runner to do whatever the hell that was. That was more a belly flop onto first base than a slide......and I have never thought you should dive head first when trying to beat out an infield play anyway. You are better to stay on your feet for a possible advancement to second and to avoid getting stepped on the head/neck area with metal spikes. Dumb.
 
That was a slick play by Millington.....but what a dumbass decision by the runner to do whatever the hell that was. That was more a belly flop onto first base than a slide......and I have never thought you should dive head first when trying to beat out an infield play anyway. You are better to stay on your feet for a possible advancement to second and to avoid getting stepped on the head/neck area with metal spikes. Dumb.
Definitely more interested in the play by our recruit than the base runner. Plus, he's probably a 15-year old kid still learning the game. I'm sure his coach talked to him afterward.
 
Definitely more interested in the play by our recruit than the base runner. Plus, he's probably a 15-year old kid still learning the game. I'm sure his coach talked to him afterward.
I said it was a slick play......because it was. However, if the runner had stayed on his feet he likely beats that out. Doesn't take away from the fact that Nate made a hell of a play, though. Sorry i brought something up other than our recruit.....won't happen again.
 
Mainly I just thought you were being a rough on a random high school baseball player for playing hard, but I'm probably being oversensitive.
 

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Mainly I just thought you were being a rough on a random high school baseball player for playing hard, but I'm probably being oversensitive.
Perhaps that came across more aggressively than I was intending. I was also going for a collective, "Why do guys do that still" type of comment. I understand playing hard, but it isn't a smart play and hopefully coaches are teaching that. If they are being coached to do that, then all my dumbass comments need to go to the coaching staff.
 
I think the dive intuitively feels faster to a player. You are already positioned leaning forward as you run. Track runners lean farther forward at the tape to arrive a millisecond faster do they not? At nearly 6' tall plus the length of one's arms, it is logical to conclude that your fingers will reach the bag in less time than will your feet.

I read a couple of articles after seeing this. Brett Gardner is a leading proponent of diving into first. He slides with wrists in contact with the ground and fingers up to avoid injury when contacting the bag. He times his dive to only 'slide' one foot before contacting the bag; therefore limiting speed loss due to friction with the ground.

In any event, the time differences are minuscule and the consensus is that the risk of injury outweighs any tiny advantage that may accrue to a dive into first.

Also, it does seem logical to me that a slower runner would benefit more from the dive as he lunges forward and then slides, his relative advantage would be larger compared to his running speed.
 
Speaking of Rex, I know this isn’t really ISU related, but how far has the Prospect League fallen. Used to predominantly be D1 players, now predominantly D3 or worse
 

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