Baseball is difficult, and every level up there’s a learning curve. It’s the rare kid that can step onto the field and contribute in a meaningful way as a freshman.
I watched my son fail to make JV as a HS freshman, even though the dad at that moment thought he should have, today’s dad knows differently. I watched my son fail spectacularly as a college freshman at a Texas juco – one fall outing, I lost count of how many runs he gave up - glad that game didn’t have official stats…
My son’s junior year at Arkansas, there were several vocal freshman parents upset about playing time – yet 2 years later, their kids were drafted within the first 5 rounds.
Struggling as a freshman in college ball doesn’t mean there will be success over the next 3 years, but most successful college players are not stars their first year.