BaseballParent23 posted:This seems to be a dead thread. Maybe we can revive it a little for the 2018 class?
My son was at a showcase last weekend and had a great time, a pretty good showing considering it's Florida and it was very cold and sprinkly/misty the whole time - the coldest of winter days for this neck of the woods. The showcase director spoke to the boys after each day and gave them the opportunity to shake hands with all of the scouts that were there and then they were able to speak to them, in their attempt to get recruited, make a connection. It was really the best showcase he'd been to in that manner that gave the boys that much contact with scouts, aside from just going to a specific school's camp.
Hoping/trying to get recruited is a stressful time. At the showcase, the boys were told not to worry now, but if their not talking to a school seriously in April, then worry. Ha! Praying it doesn't come to that.
The other aspect he was told not to pay attention to is the overload of seeing friends and teammates getting signed. After playing ball for 14 years, the boys tend to meet many players along the way, and social media has helped build those connections, so they usually keep up with each other, especially with spring right around the corner.
One camp we went to at a D1, the coach explained it was more about the grades, and he proved himself truthful when he recruited two of my son's teammates, one who always started behind him in the same position, but has grades that are not just great like my son has, but even higher grades and super high test scores, like genius level. That made some kind of sense. Grades mean a lot and more to D2 , NAIA and D3... limited # of baseball dollars at D2 and none at D3
Sometimes the recruiting doesn't make sense. We see boys who are being chased down by college scouts that are really good players, but have mediocre grades at best, and are social media nightmares. Is there a point where the player is that good that they overlook the immaturity of his actions? There is so much talk about having clean socials, is that just lip service for some? Coaches will always give talent a chance... if it doesn't work out cut him in the fall. He might get 6k in baseball money offered, zero the first semester and 6k the second...
We also see some players getting overlooked. True this happens Some train harder than anyone around, are super athletic, verifiable measurables/stats, this is subjective even with stats have awesome grades, responsible and respectful, their HS coaches love them, HS school coaches are teachers and they tend to have too much connection , almost father like. they are starters on every team they play on (HS and travel and guest), but there's got to be something missing. What is the missing link? Is the kid who is a lesser player better at building relationships with coaches? No he is not... coaches get a new crop every year and do not want to get too close to recruits until the commit and sign. Did he promote himself much earlier and to more schools, Maybe or just get that lucky break? Maybe Is it like American Idol and they just don't have the "X Factor"? Most likely they do not have the it factor There are so many factors. Fighting the urge to compare and over analyze is very difficult.
Honestly, the formula for recruiting sounds good in theory, but none of it makes sense when applied in the real world, at least from our view. It doesn't seem to be going down according to the formula. This being our first time around, it really is a mystery.
If you can offer advice or positivity to these 2018's - or their managers...ugh, I mean parents...please do. The ones we know are casting their wider nets, doing the emails, going to the camps and showcases, filling questionnaires, registered for the eligibility centers, are talking to their coaches, their coaches are talking to other coaches....so if you have something to add that can help, something that helped your player, know of showcases or camps that are better than the rest...please share.
Happy New Year! All the best to the 2018's!
Most D1 schools are finished scouting the 2018 class. Some players get interest from D1 programs, but the coaches are really just stringing them in case their first picks do not get through admissions etc. Mid level D1 take a ton of Juco's so they may have a small class of 2018's if you were to look at the commitment page on PG thank might lead you to think they are still recruiting but they might have some transfers or a Juco they just picked up at the break.
I here a lot of new parents come on the board and say , we have been to this camp and they said they 'liked' said player. Honestly, if they really truly liked the player , the way you want them to like the player, they would start a conversation immediately........and sometimes they do and it doesn't work out and sometimes they don't and it does work out.
You have to get very very detailed with your list. New parents when you are looking at schools dig on that school . go back 10 years, how many coaching changes, does the school fund all 11.7 scholarships, how many players are roster'ed at you sons position. How many freshman were committed and how many made it through the fall? How many sr's do they keep around ? How many transfers? Look at the stats how many players get field time? Unless you are SEC or ACC or PAC10 most baseball recruiting is done regionally. Look a the roster and see how many kids a out of state? are they private schools or public? What region of the country are the schools in?
It's really hard to give advice without knowing the specifics and each recruitment is different. different school , coach, player, grades, year etc....
Good luck , keep asking questions