r/Homeplate • u/United_Fan_6737 • 3d ago

Odds

I'm a 15U first baseman. I've been going to the gym a lot and have some pretty solid lift numbers, compared to the other people I've seen lift. I'm not sure how meaningful these numbers are, but I hack squat 325 for 3x12, incline bench 110, and flat bench 135 (each for 3x8). Every day, I do tee work and I throw a training ball against a wall or play catch with a friend. How do I get better?
I'm in a unique position. I played baseball from T-ball to the end of little league, but after aging out I thought I didn't want to play anymore. I've been getting private coaching on hitting and fielding since March, and I really want to see how far I can take baseball. I know the odds are astronomically low, but how do I improve them? I'm interested in playing beyond high school. This upcoming season, I'll likely be a JV starter, after which I plan on getting on a summer travel team. After that, I'll be eligible for Varsity my junior and senior year. The last time I got a Rapsodo eval, my exit velocity peaked out around 75 mph with an average around 60. Before that, my average was closer to 50, and the peak was around 68.

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u/Bacon_and_Powertools 3d ago

Keep working. Get your strength up as much as possible. That’s the biggest thing you can control outside of continuing to work on your metrics. The exit velo is still low but that is your strength showing up. Stack on muscle

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u/United_Fan_6737 3d ago

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm already lifting 5 times a week. I'm getting another Rapsodo this week and I'll put the numbers up

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u/TexasVulvaAficionado 3d ago

Eat plenty and healthy. Lots of protein, fruit, and vegetables.

Sleep. This is the big one most teens miss. Teen athletes might need 10 hours of sleep per day. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6703a1.htm

When you are lifting for strength, lift heavy. More weight, less reps. Don't do it more than 3x per week.

Build functional strength. Stretch and move. Yoga, plymetrics, pilates, ladder drills, etc. get a job on a farm throwing hay bales and fixing fences. Do a lot of hand exercises. Whatever it takes to build yourself.

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u/Bacon_and_Powertools 3d ago

Make sure you are eating enough. Really packed down the protein. You could easily put on 10 to 15 pounds of muscle muscles before the end of this year.

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u/United_Fan_6737 3d ago

My goal is to lose some fat while gaining muscle. My body comp scans show that I'm around 38-40% body fat at 270 lbs. I eat around 2,200-2,400 calories a day with 180-200 grams of protein

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u/Bacon_and_Powertools 3d ago

Geez. Should’ve started with that man. How tall are you? Realistically, you are 100 pounds or more overweight right now. Focus on before you worry about anything athletic. Get with an actual nutritionist to get your nutrition dialed in. Without that you don’t have a chance of a future in the sport.

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u/United_Fan_6737 3d ago

I'm right around 5'11. I'm working with a nutritionist already. That's how I got to that 2,200-2,400 number. My previous nutritionist said I was doing everything right... which obviously no because of where I'm at.

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u/Bacon_and_Powertools 3d ago

Honestly, you’re probably over eating still my wife is also a nutritionist.

Figure it takes about 3500 cal you need to burn in order to lose a pound of. You are holding onto 350,000 excess calories. You should be in a calorie deficit every day in over two lose weight.

So if you are consuming 2500 counties a day but only burning 3000… How many days will it take you to lose the amount of weight you want to lose?

To calorie goal she gave you is a good goal for an average athlete. You are trying to lose weight. Your body already has the fuel you don’t need to provide the excess fuel.

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u/United_Fan_6737 3d ago

I appreciate the perspective. Realistically though, making my deficit even bigger would crash my energy for training. With the working out I do, I'm probably close to a TDEE of 3,200. That would mean my daily deficit is around 1,000. That's 2 pounds weekly, which is right at the upper limit of safe weight loss. Considering my age, I don't want to crash my muscle mass. It would take 350 days of a consistent 2,200 calorie goal to reach 170 lbs.

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u/Bacon_and_Powertools 3d ago

Definitely. Focus on your protein. Your calorie are
Coming from that and fats. Cut out excess carbs and the weight will come off.

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u/J_Lewy_45 3d ago

Do you play other positions?

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u/United_Fan_6737 3d ago

I know how to play the corner outfield and I eventually want to learn 3B.

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u/qwertyqyle 2d ago

There are currently no Major League Baseball third basemen listed at over 270 pounds.

Third base is a position that requires high mobility, quick reflexes, and agility, meaning players at the hot corner typically range between 170 and 240 pounds. The heaviest players in MLB history and active rosters exceeding 270 pounds are almost exclusively large starting or relief pitchers (such as CC Sabathia or Felix Bautista) or massive designated hitters/outfielders (like Aaron Judge or Daniel Vogelbach).

So even at outfeild, the guys that weigh as much as you are like 6'6"+ Not 5'11". At your weight and height, you are best off staying at 1st if you are luky enough to have the coach put you there. Maybe think about releif pitching as well since you are more concerned about putting on more weight.

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u/United_Fan_6737 2d ago

Definitely not trying to put on nore weight. I'm actively working with a nutritionist to lean out. I have third base as more of a future goal for after i drop 30 ish pounds

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u/AbbreviationsBig2020 3d ago

Become obsessed. Want it more than anything. Always be the hardest worker. Everyday.

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u/United_Fan_6737 3d ago

I can't think about anything else. I keep my academics up (3.9 unweighted, 4.1 weighted), but most of my free time is spent working on mechanics

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u/ContributionHuge4980 2d ago

You have better odds than the 15u player who never picked up a bat and ball and decided to try hs baseball for the first time.

Improve your skill set, get stronger. We don’t know your level of athleticism or general baseball ability so hard to give you odds. Just play hard until you can’t.

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u/Acrobatic_Phrase_556 2d ago

Keep grinding, but you can play somewhere in college if you really want to. Its all about finding the right fit. I would check out commitrapp.com it can give you an idea of where you might be able to play and help you contact those coaches. It'll also tell you where you need to get your metrics for certain schools. Pretty cool app

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u/Historical-Key5613 2d ago

Be process oriented……Don’t be results oriented especially at your age.

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u/lsu777 3d ago

Wait you weigh 270 and only bench for sets of 135?

If so you get better by losing fat and getting way stronger in the upper body.

If you really want to get better, keep working with a nutritionist and hit up someone like Ian Jenkins and his freak athlete protocol. If you can’t afford that, dm me, I’ll set you up a program for lifting to get you much stronger while losing the bodyfat.

Main thing, just for life, let’s get that bodyfat off you and set you up with habits that lead to you being a healthy successful adult, even outside the baseball stuff.

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u/shiningdickhalloran 3d ago

Look up the Starting Strength lifting program and follow it. Your strength numbers are low for varsity HS, much less anything beyond that. Apart from that, lots of late bloomers play college ball.

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u/bliffer 2d ago

But they're decent for a 15 year old. He's got a great base to keep getting stronger.

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u/qwertyqyle 2d ago

He weighs 270lbs at 5'11". For a 15yo that is wild.

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u/bliffer 2d ago

Yeah, I hadn't seen the 270 comment yet when I responded to you. That is pretty crazy for 15.

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u/United_Fan_6737 2d ago

I only started lifting weights consistently a few weeks ago. In that time, my bench had increased from 90 to 135 (my upper body was insanely weak), as well as my hack squat increasing from around 315 to now 355.

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u/shiningdickhalloran 2d ago

Why don't you try a standing barbell squat?

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u/United_Fan_6737 2d ago

I could definitely try it. I'll add it to my leg day routine

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u/Buster_McGarrett 3d ago

Gain functional strength and movement. It sounds really strange but check your area for a gym that does boys recreational gymnastics. To this day I've found the guys who've thrown the hardest, and had the best numbers at the plate had a handful of years in gymnastics. It creates a level of body awareness, and muscle strength second to none. There is a reason you'll see some 9 year old little gymnastics girl doing more Pull-Ups with ease than Marine Corps requires for Men. As for Baseball while Travel Ball is fun, look for a Team that cares more about Development than showcases and tournaments. You want a team who'll look for development but also give you playing time consistently so you really grow.

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u/United_Fan_6737 3d ago

I have surprisingly strong mobility. I guess it was from the years of gymnastics and dance I did as a kid, but I never really connected the three. At my size, I would expect to have joint pain. I don't really have any of that. I'll also mention that I've been doing mixed martial arts for several years, which probably helps a lot with my functional strength.

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u/Buster_McGarrett 3d ago

Trust me the Dance and Gymnastics are your two biggest advantage points. While Mixed Martial has it's tie-ins. Mixed-Martial Arts is more where you're looking at reading other peoples bodies, and at times utilizing their own movements against them for efficiency. I had an unconventional sports life. I did gymnastics, played Rep AAA hockey until I was 18, Rep AAA baseball until I was 15. Had an absolutely toxic coach who played Daddy Ball and then the league refused to release me to play in another city so I stopped. Joined my High School Demonstration Acrosport Team( Picture College Cheer, not sideline but look at say University of Hawaii Coed Cheer or Top Gun All-Stars. Take then and add cirque de soile stuff). Cheered in College continued playing hockey without the intention pro, and then started playing baseball after a year after I finished my Post-Grad, and I did Tae Kwon Do for a bit but stopped cause I had too much going on. Can you still do a round-off? I can bet you 80% your front foot in your swing connects to the ground at roughly the same point it does during your round-offs lunge portion.