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Reply to "Where is the self-assessment?"

The short answer is no, not for most.  And in most cases, the root problem is the parents.  Told too often and too long how special and great they are.

I have a close friend with an uncommitted 2022 1B.  The kid and the dad absolutely KNOW that the kid is special and capable of D1 ball.  With every bone in their bodies, they believe that.  In the fall, the kid got one NAIA offer after a school saw him play in one game as a DH.  They visited, didn't like it (they consider NAIA where players go to "die" - that NAIA is a "dead end") but strung the coach along until December when the kid declined.  The school was done waiting.  The kid did a Juco Route showcase 2 weeks ago and generated some interest.  Visited a Juco Monday, at an NAIA as I type this, and have plans to visit another Juco and NAIA next week.  Obviously due to the calendar, none of these programs are juggernauts.  Literally no one (outside of their DNA pool) has said the kid has D1 potential. Yet they feel he does.  The kid will almost certainly choose one of the Jucos because they believe it leaves the door open for D1.  And it technically does, but in the same way buying a lottery ticket leaves winning the jackpot open.  The kid can hit pretty well, but he just ran an 8.35 60.  I'm not sure an 8.35 kid can play 1B in the field at any college level, but I also can't imagine how well an 8.35 kid will have to hit at the college level to even be able to DH.  The dad is a great guy and so is the kid.  But they see something that no one else does.  I've tried ad nauseum to explain to the dad that the market - not the family - sets the value of a kid.  But it's fallen in deaf ears.  The kid played football in the fall and completely shut down all baseball activities, so they're wrapped up in the premise that the kid would have been identified by higher levels had he been out there with regard to baseball.

I think a big problem for this family and LOTS of other players and parents is the eye ball comparison test.  They played ball with Jimmy Doe since age 8 and Jimmy got D1 offers.  They might admit that Jimmy is somewhat better, but not by much.  So it's reasonable to presume that they'll get offers somewhere near what Jimmy did.  Of course most here understand how flawed and silly that logic is, but many do not.  And never will, because when the game ends for them, the kid will have gotten "screwed."  If you hang on to the "overlooked/undervalued" mantra with a death grip, you can never truly lose.  So you're chasing a ghost in this case @Francis7.  What is obvious to you, can be completely avoided by others if they want to bad enough.

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