JCG posted:old_school posted:Do you really want to join a program with a 10% success rate of the freshman class making it to SR year? What are your objectives? I know I would have done everything possible to steer my kid away from that.
That's where a site like this can be valuable, at least as a starting place for research. From what I recall SluggerDad and his son where not aware when he committed how many players entered the program every year, or even that they had a JV squad. I would hope that parents and players do their due diligence and figure out as best they can what kind of situation they are getting themselves into.
We didn't know how many were recruited. We did know about the JV squad. But my son was an outfielder and he was specifically recruited to "win a spot in the outfield" because they regarded left field in particular as open and "for the taking." What we didn't know is how MANY outfielders (freshman and transfers) they recruited that year, telling them all that left field was open and for the taking.
Plus we were also told that that CF and RF were manned by senior all Americans, with no heirs apparent for either (which turned out to be true ... sophomore year there was a Battle Royale among outfielders or playing time in CF and RF (with LF being the one that was sewn up) - which is one of the reasons it disappointed me to no end that my guy hung up his cleats. he would have definitely been in the battle.)
Well, it turns out LF was indeed for the taking ... but it was taken by the incumbent from the previous year. Who, I gather, decided to step up big time over the summer and the fall after being told he was not guaranteed to start again and would have to win his position anew. He actually had a great junior year. Played like a beast.
I wouldn't say we were misled, exactly. We just didn't know how MANY guys were being told the same story -- which was a true story, just an incomplete one.