'08 Got 1st Call - Need Advice!

Your son should be upfront with the coaches and let them know about the TJ surgery when they call. From what I hear, there is a good recovery rate with TJ surgery and hopefully your son will come back strong for his senior year of high school.

I don't believe coaches will be discouraged. Your son is working hard and doing his best to get back. That is a good quality to have. Learning how to deal with obstacles at a young age will only benefit him down the road.

Good luck to your son on his rehab.

Thanks EaglesDad! He is working hard and very determined to come back stronger for his Sr. year. Another question - Should he go ahead and call the coaches that had prior interest or wait and see if they call him after July 1?

Quite a unique situation. Common sense should apply since there seems to be no established set of rules. Like eaglesdad says your son needs to be upfront with those coaches he talks to. Honesty is crucial for a successful end to the recruiting process no matter what the circumstances! I don’t know if the coaches will be “discouraged” but one would have to believe that the TJ surgery would have to modify his recruiting process IF scholarship money is involved. If no scholarship money is involved then the coach wouldn’t be taking a risk (as I see it) and may not have an effect on your son's baseball future at all.
I would continue to be proactive and contact those programs he is interested in. Listen to what the coaches say. Feedback from those coaches could modify your approach in this unique situation.
Good Luck,
Fungo

Was the college coach contacting you in response to something you sent him? What was his motivation? Did he see your son play sometime before the TJ?

PopTime - He saw my son this past Jan '07(before the TJ) at a prospect camp that was hosted by another college. He sent a letter saying he liked his perfomance at the camp. My son filled out the questionaire and returned it promptly.

Keep in mind that your son will have plenty of time for college coaches to see him before NLI signing day. He'll probably begin his throwing program in late July, and should be throwing pretty well by October. I'd expect that while a few coaches might have serious concerns, most will look past his surgery if his throwing is going well and his rehab is on track.

My son had TJ surgery in late September, began his throwing program in mid-January (exactly one year, to the day, of his injury) and we expect him to get back behind the plate in about 4-6 weeks. His rehab has gone very smoothly, and he's on track to begin playing juco ball that starts the day after Labor Day.

Your son has a 6 month head start on this example, so while he may not be ready to pitch when HS tryouts begin, he'll likely be able to pitch during the season and should be very close to full strength by the time he enters college.

Thanks CatcherDad for sharing your son's experience. Your timeline on throwing late July is what Dr. Andrews told him. Did your son have his injury Sept of his senior yr of HS? And if so, did he sign early despite his injury?