1st preference home states?

I am also very curious about this. My son is in a very similar position with PG as the OP. Pitchers and catchers seem to be going first in the 2016 class--I can understand that, but we've heard next to nothing either. I'm thinking it's because colleges are in the midst of/completing their fall practices and that things will pick up afterwards...does that seem right? Coaches and scouts that have chatted with him say he'll be very much in demand--perhaps that's next summer and fall?

Your answer is found in the current and past rosters of your son's targeted schools.

Some/many(?) schools baseball are budgeted for a certain number of out of state scholarships. That would tend to make it less likely they would go out of state on any one player.

Other schools have an overall budget for scholarships that make it "expensive" to take out of state players

So yes. This could be an issue in some cases.

The roster is a great suggestion. Some of the adjoining states to GA have the SREB, an education board allowing neighboring states kids to go there for "in state" tuition since the major isn't offered locally. Those out of state schools fish in our pond and the others. Other schools have lower tuition and can get more out of state kids. Then, you have the endowment schools and others that have plenty of money, other than baseball to augment the scholarships with and land out of state players. I'm not sure about the PG rankings or tournament teams. I was told, and mind you i have a RHP, that Ps and Cs go 1st, corner guys need to hit for power and everyone else are looked at the same-OF are interchangeable-IF the same. I'm sure there are nuances, CF speed and 2nd with power etc being game changers, but on the whole the needs are as listed to make a D1 school. Are your sights set to the correct types/sizes of schools, have you had an evaluation from other coaches, do you have video/game and other that you send with your emails? I'm sure you will get better advice or comments but figured i would add .02

Jim T,

 

In our experience it sure seemed like state schools were primarily focused on state residents.  Private schools didn't matter as much.  One private school in particular went out of their way to recruit my son because he was local and they had no local players.  

 

The devil is always in the details, and I think you'll get a lot of info by looking at the current and past roster as previously suggested

 

With all due respect, I wish I had a dime for every recruit/parent of recruit who said "I'm puzzled about the lack of interest in my son from the schools we've contacted"  or "We've reached out to schools who have kids on their current 2016 commit list who have less velo and less of a stick."  Recruiting can be complicated.  Your son sounds like a very talented young man, but I think it would be worthwhile in looking at your approach, methodology, marketing & exposure strategy if you are not getting the intended results.  I can't tell you how many times we had to change the way we were doing things because we were asking ourselves the same questions you asked.  

 

Good luck!

 

PS.   Recruited = passion + skill + exposure + persistence + luck

You are experienced in the recruiting process (via your older son), so none of this is breaking new ground, but from an objective outsider, food for thought:

- Appears from your bio that you are in FL....that, my friend is a "crowded market", so your son may need to promote himself more, further develop or look more out of state

- As Fenway says and has reminded me often, this really is hard work (for the vast majority of families who aren't raising the next MadBum)

- Ask yourself the hard questions, answer them honestly, then the path forward may be clear

1. Does he have the size that these schools desire, or will he be a fallback in case the 6'4", 220lb kid turns them down?

2. How are his grades? (It really does matter, moreso for baseball than football)

3. Does he really project?

4. Are his skills (primarily - but not only - velo if P) trending up and to the right?

5. Is he playing on the right travel team, in the right events? (sounds like he is)

6. Has he attended any individual showcases (or school camps) where he knows the coaches from his target schools will be there, and reached out (aggressively, if need be) to let them know he'd be there?

7. Even if he is a hard thrower, does he display the FB command and movement and quality offspeed pitch(es) that these coaches need to see before they get aggressive?

8, Does he promote himself hard enough and often enough with these coaches (emails, phones calls) to update them on his progress, results and interest?

9. Has he done anything off the field or carry any sort of reputation that would cross him off someon's list? (highly doubt it)

 

One thing I've learned in a short couple of years is that if he is in PG's top 200, the likelihood that he is unknown or not on people's radar is very slim.  You may have a handful of schools watching, asking about him and you don't even know it. We've all heard of this often; we experienced it this fall....we heard through the grapevine that such and such school saw my son pitch at a big event (but no one there remembered seeing this coach near the backstop, but he was there with specific commentary on son's performance).  No doubt your son deserves more attention if PG thinks that highly of him (or maybe that statement is just a function of how highly I think of PG).

 

Good luck!!

 

Florida is a tough market. I am guessing more Florida players go to school outside the state than out of state players come to Florida. My son was from Florida and went out of state.

 

One of his HS summer, then college teammates (Jon Lucroy) never got one in-state offer (D1, D2) out of high school and was named to the NL All-Star team this year.

 

Florida is chest deep in ballplayers.

Thank you for all of your comments and input!  I learned a lot. The one thing I've come to realize is that football is a lot easier than baseball relative to recruiting.  I had no idea the partial baseball scholarships use the out of state pricing model so therefore it impacts a team's budget or the attractiveness of the offer. 

 

I appreciate the direction as well in terms of buckling down and make a greater effort.  He projects well with the exception of his speed.  That won't hurt him as a pitcher but he's a good hitter with power and average so it will likely impact his value as a two-way guy.

 

We'll keep at it.  Thanks again everyone!

Something that has surprized me also was/is the lack of really no interest from our state schools.While we are no Fl.I feel our state does represent.(Il.) well when it comes to athletes.I realize things go in cycles but one would think any state college would be most competitive in its own state.

As a HS coach I can repeat to you what I was told by a college coach.  "If I offer an out of state Scholarship that takes up 2 players because of out of state costs.  I have to offer him more to get him."

Jim T As the dad of freshman in college who was considered a 2 way prospect. At least at most D1 and for the most part everyone. Two way is a myth. It happens, but not as often as you would think. Kind of like a HS football player being 2 way then in college does only offense or deffense. My son came in as a 2 way player, within a week of fall ball he knew he was a pitcher only.  It is what he does best. The coaches explained to he and I early in process of recruiting  that they thought he was capable of doing both, but that almost always one is stronger than the other (pitcher or position player) and when faced with other very good athletes, you go with what will get you on the field. They said that MOST 2 way players cannot progress as quickly because of time constraints on what is expected of both. So they either do part of each work out and then don't progress as quickly as others, or they try to do after practice work on one or other and that becaomes impossible from a time point of view.

 

They were right in Jeremy's eyes and he quickly realized he could make an immediate impact as a pitcher but would not as a position player. So he is focusing completely on pitching.

 

One of the huge advantages of being a 2 way guy prospect IMO is you will get opportunities in one or other. If you come in as a position or pitcher only and that doesn't work out, then you are sunk. But as a 2 way prospect, if one doesn't work out. then you have the other to try to compete for playing time.

 

3 of Jeremy's college teammates have done both position and pitch. they tried one, didn't work out and they are now doing the other and contributing.

 

As far as expectations, my son called his HS basketball coaches and thanked them for all the work they expected of players. When he got to the actual working out part of college baseball it was tough, tougher than he had ever done, but not exponentially. But that was because of his basketball coaches, not baseball. He said most of other freshman and the 2 transfers from juco, were "dying" at all the workouts at the beginning    

Jim T:

I would make sure that his top 5 choices knew that he was graded at 9.0 by PG. That is an unbiased view. After that... good luck

Besides the reasons that ChefMike gave for many two way guys quickly becoming one way guys in college, something like what happened to my son's former team this Fall can make a coach gun shy about two way guys. Last year besides playing left field one guy also pitched 5 or 6 innings and looked good last season on the hill. This fall the coach was really working him as a potential starting pitcher or as a main reliever, as well as being an outfielder most of the time. So he blows out his elbow in the middle of the Fall and now the team loses their .380 hitting full time left fielder to Tommy John. That hurt!

 

Florida has many players that fit the 9 PG rating. The in-state schools can only take so many kids.  I can name dozens of kids that have committed early, gone to the state school only to transfer the next year.  Where do they transfer…out of state or D2.    As it is said many times on this site “GO WHERE YOUR WANTED”