5-year-old tyke can hit 85 mph pitching, take infield

Huggy Jr. played t-ball for two years. In his second year he was able to field the ball and throw it although the kid at the other end often couldn't catch it. At that level they are better off just blocking it and few of them could throw at all.

Watching this video, I wish my kid - an aspiring second baseman on a rep team - moved his feet and positioned himself like this kid does. His coach is always after the infielders to move their feet, not just reach for the ball. We were watching the Jays - White Sox game last night and Pat Tabler was saying the new Astro Turf at Rogers Centre played quicker than the other stuff they had forcing the Jays' fielders' to move their feet more. I told the kid if the Jays have to move their feet so does he!

 

They might be able to use him this year.

 

don't want to start the clock to early on his arbitration or free agency rights

 

Sports Illustrated examined this kid in this week's issue. Good read. Lower middle class family. The dad is a baseball nut, who has instilled it into the kids. They boy comes off as bratty and potty mouthed, but he has two older brothers so that explains a little. (I was the youngest of four, and could swear like a trucker by age five) However, the ending is kind of inconclusive. The machine was throwing 75 mph, but they come up with some explaination that it was really throwing 119 mph if done at 60 feet.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1173629/1/index.htm

 

God, so much can happen between the age of 5 and 17 years old. It's impressive, but this fucking coach, with dollar signs in his eyes, is already calling a fucking toddler the greatest baseball player of all time.

Meanwhile, the kid just picked a dandelion in left field and popped it's head off, giggling like a, uhh, 5-year old.

 

The kid has an early start and shows great talent.

I'm sure that he'll end up being one of the game's best players.

That is until he ends up driving his car into a fire hydrant and his angry wife breaks out one of the windows with a baseball bat.

Then, he will rue the day that he didn't wait to get married until his professional career was over.

 

No more calls, please ... WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!

 

Scott Boras is already making cupcakes for the kid to take to his kindergarten class for his birthday.

 

So his father is Sidd Finch?

 

It took me a second on that one. Not bad.

 

My boy does okay with a 65 mph batting cage. He just turned 7. He misses plenty of pitches, but we've only been to the cages a few times. I doubt that he'd be able to hit an 85 mph pitch. But why the hell are you having your kid hit a pitch like that anyway at that age?

Another kid on the Little League team I coached last spring had a 45 mph heater. He was 6. The damn kid threw it that speed even if you were 5 feet from him. He almost ruined my sex life on a few throws during practice.

 

I remember the first time I made contact in the 75 mph cage. I was probably 9 or 10.

If you start your swing early enough, it's doable at a young age. Hitting is timing. It's not too difficult when the pitch is the same speed and same location every single time.

To do it at 5 years old is 99th percentile, for sure. But I'm not convinced it's a sure sign we've got the next Pujols on our hands.