Midwest Mom posted:Parents of student athletes who have successfully gone through the baseball recruiting process: as you look back, what would you say are your top 3 key learnings for those of us in the thick of it right now? We see bits and pieces of your wisdom in different threads, but would be great to see what you think matters most. Thanks in advance.
Great post! I like every comment shared... I'll preface my comments with: I have a 2016 that went through the process and opted to be a student at the end - it hurt initially, but I respected and loved him more for the maturity of his decision. He's thrived in college, still loves the game, and has no regrets. My 2018 just committed to high academic D3 and there was a ton more learned. A few mechanical steps that are important:
1. Find a way to be realistic about your son's baseball capabilities. You can do this without being a dream killer, but get a skill assessment, get some measurables, know where he's at physically and athletically with regard to his recruiting class. It will serve as an excellent benchmark and give your son something to work towards. Talk to his club coach and hire an instructor to get his measurables before going to a high profile showcase where the results will be publicly available to coaches.
2. Understand there is more money available academically vs athletically. Being a good student early in the process will yield more recruiting opportunities.
3. The recruiting process is slightly different for position players vs pitchers especially if the player is targeting higher academic schools. He needs to be seen getting reps at his position and a chance to show his game actions. A coach can see you at a high profile tourney like WWBA, and he still may watch an entire game and not see you get a ball hit your way, or see you go 0 for 3 plus a Walk. At a showcase, it's very difficult for a position player; less chance of balls hit your way and you're facing less than top competition mix teams. So how does he see your skills? I suggest complementing your showcase circuit with going to your top targeted individual college fall camps the fall of the HS junior year. You'll have 2 full days in front of all the coaches to show your stuff, plus they'll get to know you, they'll remember you when you email them to tell them you'll be at the AZ Fall Classic, PG Academic, HF or ShBall. You won't be a number; you'll have recruiting momentum going into the summer of your senior year.