But in the end it still has to be developed and at best you could argue that one just has to work harder than the other to get there…

If a guy who does now did not ever work at it or try to throw one 90MPH would he?

Talent exists as I said….
Talent is the result of hard work on your physical condition PLUS hard work on the mental learning needed to make the body make the motions that gets that 90MPH Fastball to happen.

Anyone can build the muscles to throw a 90 Fastball….
The talent comes from those who do what it takes to get those muscles there.

Is Talent a genetic gift? Or can anyone be that good with the same Nurturing…

And while there are some genetic differences (everyone is different in some way) Unless your RA Dickey and missing a ligament, for the most part you have the same muscles in the same place and with the same food, conditioning and training could achieve what anyone else who is deemed talented could.

Under the same conditions with the same coaching the end result is based on the individual response to those conditions not so much limited by the genetics.

Someone with a great muscle genetics will be a weakling if he sits at home eating chips all day while some guy with weak muscle genetics who works out daily will be far stronger…

Muscles can be worked and changed for the better….
Minds can be changed for the better as well….

Which should make Talent the product of those two items combined…

You can be a great Opera singer if you work to be a great opera singer you aren’t born with that…..
And therefore they say Talent doesn’t exist as a trait of an individual…
It’s not something your BORN with and those who might seemingly have less talent can still be more successful that those who suuposedly have more but don’t work as hard.

Jimmy Johnson was fond of saying Good is the Enemy of great!
If you think your good you won’t put the work or effort in to being great.
Talent like potential is useless if it doesn’t translate to results.

Talent doesn’t exist? I will never accept that. So everyone is born with the ability to throw a 90mph fastball or run a 6.2 60 yard dash if they train hard enough? No way. Talent=Ability and Hardwork+Ability=Skill. Without ability there is no skill no matter how hard you work.

“I’ve been a big proponent of development being more to blame than draft picks.” Let me rebutt this real quick by reminding you that these are professional ball players. Player development rests about 75% on the player’s shoulders once they are professionals. The coaches are there as guides, but the players are expected to put in maximum effort since it is their job. Coaches point out deficiences and can lead a horse to water, but they can’t force the horse to drink. How hard the player works to correct those deficencies will dictate their development. When player’s stop progressing it is generally a sign that they have hit their ceiling, or just aren’t putting in the work necessary to keep progressing.

At times it seemed like the authors of that study were implying that there is no such thing as “talent,” that what we think of as talent is a is a function of environmental factors (good instruction) and deliberate practice, about 10,000 hours of practice to be exact, if you want to achieve elite levels. It kind of makes sense, I mean I don’t know too many guys who were genetically predisposed to playing second base.

But you keep pressing that point….

It’s the same Deliberate Practice that makes great baseball players, musicians, artists. Yet, most youth sport organizations are interested only in playing games. Very few skill driven practices are held. Rather, even at the earliest points, youth sports leagues are only focused on games.
Recently, I served as a temporary replacement as a high school basketball coach in a program that historically hadn’t been doing well. I tried to get the guys to concentrate on their hoop game during the off-season, first by following an individual skill development plan utilizing Deliberate Practice, and, second, by forming an AAU team to focus on team playing skills. Several joined the team but no one worked on the individual skills.
I watch the B-Mets Double AA team all the time. I’m always looking for sigs that the young recruits have the work ethic I believe they need to succeed. Last year I was high on this kid named Darin Gorski. It became obvious to me Darin was working during throwing sessions and games oin mastering his off-speed pitches, even at the risk of temporarily pitching less effectively during a contest.
I like to sit behind the plate where I can carefully study the pitchers and batters. That’s where the pitchers assigned to chart assemble. Listening in to some of the conversations, I was impressed with Gorski’s attention to detail and overall attitude about the game. He might not have a 97 mph fastball, but I think this kid might utilize his potential well.
Reese Havens is another guy who I believe values Deliberate Practice. On 90+ degree days, the players often don’t engage in too much pregame prep. Not Reese. Haven has a routine that involves some running and some bat swing mechanic work. You can count on his preparation before every game; snow, rain or 90 degree heat. You get all three during a minor league baseball season in Binghamton.
I was worried about Reese last seasonr. His progress has been continually interrupted by injury and I sense he is beginning to struggle with the idea his time is passing. Reese seemed to lack the spark he had during a very successful previous season. I hope someone counsels him this spring, and I hope the baseball minds are aware enough to give him a fair shot in spring training. The kid has something to prove and the grit and fortitude to prove it.

As to the draft, no again. Europeans started being drafted in the 60′s. Europeans hit a high point in 2000 when about 40% of the draft was Europeans and it remains in the 30-40% range to this day.

This was one of the differences noted between Ike Davis and Lucas Duda last season based on some reports.