I think there is a communication problem of epidemic proportion regarding the recruiting process. The recruitment of a player used to go thru the HS or JuCo HC of that player - and the HC would protect his players from being taken advantage of. That doesn’t happen much anymore. With the “advancement” of technology, and every player having a cell phone and social media accounts, the players are now directly accessible to any coach that wants to contact them. Combine that with all the outside influences (scouting services, over-zealous parents, etc.) and you have a system that overwhelmingly favors the recruiters. Now, add in the fact that a market imperfection exits with the supply of good players exceeding the demand (# of roster spots available) and you have a process that is brutal for the player being recruited. Coaches recruit for a living and do it every day. They are way better at the recruiting game than an 18-20 year old kid that does it once or twice in his life. In most cases nobody is holding the RCs accountable, so they are free to communicate only when it’s to their benefit, string kids along w/o giving honest feedback, etc. All of this combines to make many people feel like they have not been treated fairly or honestly. It is a harsh reminder that college baseball is a business and some conduct it in a cold, hard manner while smiling and shaking your hand along the way. About all you can do is adopt a business mindset yourself and proceed accordingly. It’s a fine line to walk. The first critical thing is to not get married to any one school - especially early on. You also have to be realistic about which pond to fish in and this is where I see players make a mistake. The next key (if you can do it) is to create competition for a players services by obtaining mutiple offers that you are willing to take. And then negotiating in a gentlemanly manner. I know that everyone is not that fortunate. No matter the circumstances you have to be very determined in doing your homework.