@DanJ posted:First off - and I’ll probably get pelted for this - I’d argue the “college baseball coaches prefer multi sport athletes” deal is WAY overrated, if not a myth. What coaches truly prefer are players who show up ready to mash and rock on day 1. If being a multi sport athlete in high school helps makes that happen, so be it. But lots here have already gone through the recruiting process and my guess is that almost no one would say their kid ended up with something better because they were multi sport. Raise your hand if your kid was getting 25% offers but they turned into 33%+ offers once the coach found out they’re were multi sport. I won’t argue that being multi sport can’t be a very good thing. It absolutely can. But are coaches factoring it into recruiting and offers? I’ll be almost never. What’s the end result for the recruit? Did playing multiple make him better? Did it cause injuries they need to be concerned about? You were multi sport, you weren’t multiple sport. What are you today right now when I need you? That’s the bottom line.
My 2021 JUCO son was playing 4 different sports by the time he was 8. By middle school, he was down to 3. By high school, he was playing baseball and football and did intramural basketball for 9th and 10th grade. Covid killed 11th grade and that was it for basketball. My son actually had a few D2 football offers (that came to HIM - boy, football is nice!) but he dropped football his senior year. THAT was very difficult for him to do. But he did it to put more time into baseball, not to increase his odds of not getting injured.
Long story short, I don’t think football is a great idea for juniors and seniors in high school who are sure college baseball is the destination. I hate to see kids lose things they love, but with all they have working against them as college baseball players? Why lower your already crappy odds?
No pelting here, only . 100% agreement, especially your last paragraph. I would add wrestling to the mix especially if the kid is a pitcher. I've seen that situation play out, and it didn't end well.