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Friday Five Tool Five (Dec. 10)
12/10/2021

Friday Five Tool Five (Dec. 10)

Introducing the Friday Five Tool Five. National Scouting Director of Five Tool Drew Bishop gives out thoughts and information on Five Topics on his mind. This new segment will be a weekly occurrence.

In today’s installment of the Friday Five Tool Five we talk about college baseball players’ schedules, Oklahoma baseball, two uncommitted 2023 players, and the Five Tool Academic Showcase.

1. Recapping Episode 25 of the Five Tool Podcast about a day in the life…

One of the biggest adjustments for incoming student-athletes, whether it a freshman or a transfer, is time management. There are countless stressors on every student but the demand on a college athlete’s schedule is often something that is neglected. Dustin and I talked through topics in our Tuesday podcast episode 24 that affect a college baseball player’s schedule. First, we broke down how a Division I schedule is constructed:

  • There are 132 days in a calendar year that can be used for team practice and/or competition. These 132 days fall under the 20 hour a week Countable Athletically Related Activity (CARA) guidelines. This includes skill instruction, practice, games, and strength and conditioning activities. In a 20 hour-per-week phase, you must take at least one day a week off where no CARA is allowed. To complete our schedule, when I was at Texas, we would always work backwards starting with the last possible day of the conference tournament and count back all the way to the first day of spring practice. Every week with the exception of some days during finals, would count as six days whether you used them or not. Once you arrived at day one of spring practice, you would be left with the number of days in the fall that you could practice within the allotted 45 day window explained below.
  • Once calculating the number of fall practices you would be left with, you can then determine the 45 day window you want to use to accomplish those practices. In this window, you are operating under the 20 hour-per-week timeframe with one required off day. Different programs choose to use that window in different fashions, but a good chunk of teams like to spread out their allotted practices to make their window stay open the entire 45 days. This period is typically used to scrimmage and get a feel for what kind of team you have. There are varying opinions of whether or not to use that window right off the bat when school starts, somewhere in the middle, or to wrap up your fall. That is typically dictated by the makeup of your team, pitching availability, and weather.
  • If school is session and you are not in one of your 20 hour-per-week phases, you will be in an eight hour-per-week phase. Of that eight hours, only up to four hours can be used for skill instruction with the rest typically devoted to strength and conditioning. For a long period of time, the skill instruction activities were limited to only four athletes at a time with a coach. Luckily, that constraint was lifted which led to more efficient scheduling. When you are in an eight hour phase, you are required to have two off days.

Within these phases, there are quite a few variables that will dictate their daily and weekly schedules. Below are some examples of some things that might affect their schedules:

  • What are their off days? Is it the same each week or does it change?
  • Class/study hall schedule
  • What time is their groupwork/practice/weights?
  • During the season, what days will they be traveling and how do they handle missing class or tests?
  • Can they walk to class from where they live? If not, do they or their roommate have a car or take the bus? Parking?

It was always interesting to me how people structured their classes in the fall vs. the spring. Some people liked to load up on classes/hours in the fall, while others kept their workloads the same. A great deal of that from person to person can deal on your academic goals so we won’t wade too far into that. To me as a player, I felt like the fall was busier and more difficult to navigate because there was less routine built in. Once we got to the season, you always knew what your schedule was going to be and it was pretty close to the same every week.

There are a large number of complexities that go into a student-athletes schedule but I wanted to provide some basics for people to just somewhat be able to understand what a college baseball player’s schedule might look like. The players that took the time to be intentional with arranging the components of their schedule that they could control typically ended up more successful and prepared. This is always a topic worth bringing up on a recruiting visit or when talking to coaches at various schools because not every program does this the same.

2. Recapping Episode 26 of the Five Tool Podcast with OU’s Clay Van Hook

Oklahoma coach Clay Van Hook joined us on Thursday’s episode to talk about the OU team and how Skip Johnson runs his program. A common theme that we have repeatedly heard that was echoed by Coach Van Hook is the emphasis put on attitude and how guys handle themselves outside the lines at games. There are talented ballplayers across America and they can separate themselves both positively and negatively with how they handle failure. For example, a helmet toss with the right audience could cost you opportunities pretty quickly.

Coach Van Hook elaborated on the family atmosphere at OU and I can echo his sentiment having played for Skip Johnson when he was at Texas. There is a definite premium placed on development of their players both on and off the field and any parent should feel confident dropping their son off in Norman. A strong staff comprised of men invested in the success of their teams and especially their players, Oklahoma is poised to have a good run over the next several years.

3. UNCOMMITED SPOTLIGHT

Samson Pugh | 2023 SS/OF/RHP| Lake Creek HS | Twelve Baseball

If you walk by a field without knowing who is playing, Samson Pugh will stick out because of his hair. If you stop to watch the game, Samson Pugh will stick out because of his talent and how he plays the game. Pugh is a do-it-all player who profiles to a number of different positions on the field and you can bet on him being successful wherever he lands. Although I see him landing somewhere on the left side of the field at the next level, he has flashed on the mound having been up to 92 at times already. On a team full of stars, Samson’s grittiness and demeanor screams glue guy. He shows a calmness at the plate and in the field that doesn’t ever come across as rushed. His feel for the game allows him to bounce around the field to different positions with ease. Athletically, Pugh runs well and his game speed plays faster than his 6.9 60. Whoever ends up with a commitment from Samson will be getting a known winner from a great organization and the type of player you can’t have enough of on your roster.

4. UNCOMMITTED SPOTLIGHT

Logan Myers | 2023 SS/3B/OF | Arlington Martin HS | United Baseball Club

Logan Myers is a player with a great deal of upside and power potential in his bat. At 6’2 195, the 2023 from Arlington Martin has the ability to play a number of positions at the D1 level and should find a home in a power production spot in a college lineup. His ability to make a ballpark look small to all fields is something that will definitely catch your eye along with consistent 100 mph exit velocity readings in game action. To go along with the power, Myers has run in the 6.7 range showing his athleticism for a player his size. Myers is good enough defensively at multiple spots to play early even if it is not his final landing spot in the field.  A guy known as a team first player, he will have opportunities across the country available to him due to his academic prowess.

5. Five Tool News-Academic Showcase January 8,2022

Five Tool will be hosting an Academic Showcase on January 8, 2022 in Melissa, TX. We have invited college coaches from academically strong schools that are not in the D1 dead period. This showcase will serve as an identifier for spots on our Five Tool Academic teams in the Arizona Fall Classic in September. The event schedule is below and for more information please go to our website events page.

8:30am Check In Pitchers/Catchers – D-BAT Melissa

9:00am – 11:00am Bullpens/Catchers Receiving – D-BAT Melissa

10:30am Position Player Check In – D-BAT Melissa

11:00am – 11:30am Academic Recruiting Discussion/AZ Fall Classic All Academic Teams – D-BAT Melissa

12:00pm – 1:30pm Shuttle Run/Broad Jump/Defense – Z-Plex

1:30pm – Exit Velocity/Live Batting Practice – Z-Plex

Also, don’t forget that we’ve added new items to the Five Tool Shop. Visit www.fivetoolshop.com for some newly released gear including Nike long-sleeve dri-fits, Nike and a Jordan Jumpman hoodie.

If you missed out on anything in the Fall or are looking for a great holiday gift, be sure to check out our site!

Drew Bishop
Five Tool Baseball
National Scouting Director
@drewhbishop
[email protected]

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