2014 Anxiety

Bacdorslider,

You have my sympathy!  I cannot imagine two straight years of this!

PG rankings can be very useful as door openers.  But you still have to walk through the door yourself.

When college coaches get reliable information indicating someone is worth looking into, they tend to follow up.  That info may come from a trusted high school coach in a particular area.  Or it might come from a PG ranking and profile.

Coaches know you can't snow your way into a PG ranking. 

But if, upon coming to look into a player more deeply, they don't like what they find, then the ranking merely provided an opportunity that was squandered.  This is why a player must understand, he has to bring it every day, every play, every pitch.  Someone is watching you on the field.  And someone is looking at your grades and SAT's as well.  And someone is asking about how you behave yourself, are you a problem, are you a leader, etc.

Midlo i think you give them too much credit sometimes..i am not sure they work that hard...well not all of them.

The rankings can be misleading as i saw the list thru a paid account and a kid thought he was ranked 4th in the state..well guess what..there were about 10 kids 4th in state at that position and more than that at 5th etc etc...Rankings are good and useful to market yourself if you have a high one but most all coaches know they are very suspect and trust their eyes. But if you have a high ranking use it in all your emails to open any doors and eyes you can for sure...

The thing about squandered opportunity is true and the sad thing is if a kid looks bad for an inning a coach may never come back but if they look good they come back 2 or 3x to make sure he always looks good...they rarely come back 2-3x to see if a bad inning corrects itself...pitchers not withstanding..velocity always gets 2nd and 3rd looks 

Wally L great post, I have forwarded to my son and wife, as it puts on paper exactly the scenario most of us have been facing. The fact fenway agrees makes it a slam dunk, he is one of the most informed on this board.

Thanks for the comments!  I do strongly believe that there is opportunity out there and that everything can work out relatively fine in many instances but that can take a very concerted and informed effort from players and parents alike, plus the willingness, as hard as it may be at times, to shift gears when the time comes or to pull the trigger when opportunity knocks.  Just today, a player who I'm tutoring may have missed the boat on a legitimate Division I opportunity; he was contacted by the HC a few weeks ago after two showcase events which the HC had seen the player perform at.  The HC wanted the player to schedule a campus visit almost immediately but the player (despite my counsel to get his tail on campus before the ship sailed) declined as he had a few other exposure events on the horizon and wanted to pursue these first and not disrupt his schedule too much; he asked the HC if he could plan a visit in a few weeks, and the coach agreed (it seemed).  The player eventually scheduled the visit and, just a day before that visit, the HC contacted him to advise that two other players had just committed, and that no scholarship money was currently available---if he wished, the player could come to the school as a walk-on next year and battle for scholarship money later.  Was a scholarship offer guaranteed if the player scheduled the visit a few weeks earlier as the HC requested?  We'll never know for sure, but the ship has sailed and, unless you are truly a top recruit, you may want to seriously consider jumping on an opportunity when the door is open (even a crack). 

I would never tell a player to sign on the dotted line if he wasn't excited about an opportunity; the college-selection factors that are important, maybe vital, to him and his family should be satisfied of course, at least nominally.  But this example illustrates the uncertainty and lightning fast swiftness of the recruiting process; an opportunity here today can easily be gone tomorrow.  And, as much as you want to be loved, some coaches want to be loved too.  Again, I'm not talking about the elite prospects, they have choices, but I am talking about the rest of us mortals.  I say to players all the time "if you tell me that you have a Top Ten list of schools that you are pursuing, then you are telling me that you have ten #1 choices, and you better be prepared to get the deal done when any one of them comes calling" or risk the opportunity passing you by, maybe forever.  I'm a pretty conservative guy, not a gambler; if a family wants to roll the dice, it is up to them but there is a huge talent pool out there and they aren't making any more college baseball programs---supply and demand, and coaches are in the driver's seat for the most part, don't ever forget that.   

My son Chris had a number of offers (thanks in part to his participation at several major Perfect Game events during the first two years of his high school career) at the beginning of summer 2002 (summer just after his junior year of high school).  One of those offers, from a top program (ACC), was very substantial, and we were told, unequivocally, that he had until November to decide (and we were reminded of that again and again throughout the summer).  Come early fall however, the coach, arbitrarily and without warning, pulled the offer from under us, no recourse on our part whatsoever, and simply indicated that, due to Chris' growing MLB draft status, he couldn't afford to waste a scholarship on him (we immediately canceled an official visit to Louisiana State, and committed to Florida State that evening). If this stuff can happen to the #5 draft pick in the nation, it can happen to anyone. 

Possibly my all-time favorite recruiting "horror" story...a player I was working with a couple years ago had signed up for a regional showcase, an event that I highly recommended to him.  The showcase was on a Sunday.  On Monday, he received an email from a Division I HC indicating that the coach had seen him perform the day before, liked what he saw so far, thought the player could be a fit for his program, and invited the player to his upcoming showcase camp, the camp scheduled just before the next NCAA Quiet Period; on paper, not only did the coach sound very genuine about his interest in the player but it even seemed like he was doing the player a favor ("I really like what I see so far but I need to evaluate you again and I won't be able to after next week" or something to that effect).  Only one glaring problem...the player who had signed up, registered, and paid for that Sunday showcase NEVER ATTENDED the event, he committed to a college several days earlier and decided not to participate in the event.  He wasn't there!!!  So, what did this coach seem to do?  Get the showcase roster, send out a bunch of emails, and, very likely, most players wouldn't know any better, instant camp rosters!  The dad that this happened to said to me "Wally, you have to use this example when you are working with folks, this sums up what the recruiting process can really be like, and families better be prepared!!!"

Buckle up for the ride, it can get pretty bumpy...but, believe it or not, you can take more control of the recruiting process, and get to the finish line knowing that you did everything you could, and were likely smarter about it than many others.  The saddest words I hear from families are "Wally, why didn't anyone tell us all of about this stuff a lot sooner?" 

Don't keep us in suspense. Did Chris play at Florida State or back out of his NLI to go pro?

(Great story about the camp invite to the showcase no-show. I always suggest that players who are unsure whether these post-showcase camp invites are legit, ask whoever sent it what they liked about the performance and the biggest areas for improvement. That can usually smoke out the fakers)

Chris was the 5th pick in the MLB draft in 2003, always wanted to begin his professional career out of high school, so opted out of his NLT with the Seminoles.  He earned All-Star honors at every level of professional baseball he competed at including Triple A in 2010 but injuries in 2009 and 2010 (not career-ending but terrible timing as he was on the brink of a MLB callup each year), regime change in Kansas City in 2006, and some less-than-ideal choices (agents) we may have made as a family squashed the dreams of an MLB career.  In addition to his signing bonus, he did negotiate a generous college scholarship package, and he is now a full-time student at Villanova University and an Associate Scout witht he Philadelphia Phillies; Chris had opportunity to return to MLB-affiliated ball in 2012 having been approached as late as January of that year, but decided that, at least as an active player, the business of baseball wasn't for him any longer.  And yes, it does make me cringe when I see players in the big leagues taking PED's; I'm fairly certain that Chris was as clean as you could be as an athlete after being raised to take no shortcuts but get there through hard work, sacrifice, and production alone.  Some may thinks that was stupid, may have cost him an MLB career since he was neve willing to cross that line, but we all have are own values and must live with our conscience.  I'm just a crazy biased parent like many others, but I think he would have been a heck of an MLB role model.

I'll keep my mouth shut now. 

Some of the best stuff I've ever read on this site! WallyL you have done a great job with your son Chris. I was told once, but not 100% sure its true, that in the 150 year history of MLB ball, that only 18,500 players have made it to the show. What your son accomplished is amazing!  Please keep contributing here.

Great story!

As it pertains to the specific topic at hand......and the "brutal process"...... when Chris signed with Florida State, the coach (I guess) scratched off the player who had previously been next man up on his list. Who knows if FSU had been that player's dream school. Whoever that kid was, I hope he landed on his feet. Point is, good chance he went thru a lot of disappointment as a result of nothing he did or failed to do.

And if Chris' #1 college choice had not pulled the offer because of his rising draft status, Chris probably would have signed at that school, and the next-man-up at FSU would have got his offer there.......round and round it goes.

Can make you crazy if you don't go into it knowing it is a brutal process.

For all of those that are not familiar with who WallyL is, he is the father of Chris Lubanski.

My player also was very close to the show, in 2010 he was placed on the 40 man roster, but that fall had his 3rd operation since being drafted in 2007. Not major  but enough to keep him from not being able to show off his stuff in spring training in 2011 in front of TLR and Dave Duncan, and lost his 40 man spot as the cardinals were on their way to the WS and needed spots by trade deadline.

He's been trying to get back since, and it's not easy. That's why I tell people over and over, unless you get a nice bonus that will sustain you, go to college and get your education paid for as much as possible, because you most likely will never see very much from pro ball in the way of really nice comfortable life changing $$.

I think that the big issue here is that many players set their standards too high to begin with, they never really get evaluated correctly and over shoot for the larger programs when these programs just are not a good fit for them to begin with.  Didn't we have a parent here that said they asked their son to make a "list" of the schools he would like to play for, and after contacting those schools he realized, eventually that these were not programs that would ever have any interest in his son to begin with.  He never thought that he had to "showcase" his son because he was good and got people out.

My son had a great recruiting experience with great opportunities,  he was ranked pretty high, but reality was that he learned eventually that his dream school wasn't a very good fit for him as were many top programs (ACC,SEC) that recruited him.

I am not sure that most people really understand what it is like to attend a top 10-25 program.  My son also had a  great college experience but there were times that he wanted out, he ended up being a high draft pick but still struggled at times his first few years in college.  Those were the days when there were no roster limits (though the ACC had limits) for D1, so you had a chance to grow up a bit. Now, my understanding is freshman might have to contribute asap, so there is no grow up time available and reshirts don't exist at the larger more successful programs (exception is medical waiver).

To avoid all of this get an evaluation from a reliable source early in HS and work on what you have to so you can have more opportunities when your junior year rolls around. Don't give up,  recheck and double check to make sure that you are on the right path, which is different for everyone. 

No one ever said it was easy, things still remain the same in the sense that you have to get someone's attention, and it might not (usually isn't) the guy you want to notice you the most. Don't take it personally, the above scenario with Chris is just one example of how brutal it can be.

I do remember the other OF that FSU signed that year, Shane Robinson...had a HUGE career with the Seminoles and now plays in the big leagues with the Cardinals (I think Shane was a fifth round pick out of FSU, maybe in 2006).  I was remiss not to mention that FSU was always Chris' first choice but, going through the process for the very first time a decade+ ago and knowing very little at that point, I was intent on Chris taking several official visits that fall before he made up his mind; in Chris' mind at the time, his college goal was achieved but I wanted him to "dot the i's and cross the t's" a bit more thus the other visits were scheduled---once that other college I mentioned earlier pulled the plug, we cut our "thinking time" dramatically and made the FSU call later that evening.  I remember Chris having to call the LSU recruiter to cancel his upcoming official visit and advise the coach that he had chose FSU; thinking the coach would not react very well (this particular coach had actually been following Chris for several years) to his decision, Chris was pretty nervous but the coach was very amicable commenting to Chris "I don't care who you sign with, no one is going get you anyway after the draft next year." 

And the school that pulled the offer from Chris thinking they wouldn't get him?  Well, they did go after another high school OF of course, signed him (likely a very big scholarhship) thinking that this young man would definitely go to college first despite the fact that he was a pro prospect but not likely a First Round pick ...this player got drafted in 2003 as well and turned pro out of high school, so the school ended up getting neither player!  I actually ran into the recruiter a few years later at a basebal conference, I had brought my son Mike to the event; the recruiter was not a Head Coach at another program, and he seemed a bit remorseful and apologetic, emphasized again that he "had to do what he had to do" at the time regarding Chris...and then began to recruit my son Mike!  Needless to say, we did not bite, and Mike ending up earning a baseball scholarship to Wake Forest (he had early offers from Duke, East Carolina, and North Carolina State as well). 

The Wake Forest decision  turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made as we embraced the "focus on the education" mantra, and Mike's goal was to compete in the ACC as well; he had a strong second half in the conference as a freshman but tore his throwing shoulder at the beginning of his sophomore campaign (surgery, rehab) then injured the same shoulder days before the start of his junior year wat WFU, more surgery and more rehab!!!  By the time his senior year rolled around, Mike was at a crossroads; after much consideration, he opted to relinquish his roster spot (WFU still honored the scholarship of course), turn his full attention to his studies and the job market, graduated on-time (four years), and accepted an offer from Pepsi where he is now beginning life after baseball (he just started a softball team at Pepsi, must be in the blood!). 

Chris and Mike's exploits helped us target my youngest son Joe's college journey even sooner, and the plan that we developed for him was uniquely his, different than the older brothers; Joe was a good Division III candidate and we were focusing on several strong DIII academic programs (Swarthmore was at the top of that list) but he blossomed later in his junior year, brought it "every day, every play, every pitch" as Midlo Dad so correctly suggested is needed in this process, and generated Division I interest; he committed to Yale in June after his junior year, and now plays outfield for the Bulldogs (studying Economics, just finished a summer  internship at Penn on a Think Tank project). 

It's been a great ride for sure, some very special people to thank for their guidance along the way, but a lot of mistakes were made too, and our successes and failures have allowed me to help families even more so than I could have years ago.    

Well, things are getting more heated up both literally and recruiting wise down here in Texas.  Son is getting calls from schools not even on the radar a week ago, and we are visiting schools next week in the Northeast.  I have a couple of key incites that I read on here that I am prepared to impart to son, such as:  (1) go to school that you would have gone to even if you were not playing baseball, and (2) go where they really want you.  These coaches are really good at filling him up with information that makes them re-think (1), and I'm not sure what he is potentially hearing related to (2).  Not sure what my role is on these points other than make sure he is asking right questions and getting the answers he thinks he is getting.   

Congrats and good luck!

And if you are paying part of the bill...you get a very big vote on this.  Perhaps the deciding vote. 

Heating up in TX.  Great!  I think you have it covered, and you are underselling your value to your son.  Understandably, most kids get big eyes when they visit well known schools or meet legendary coaches.   Sometimes keeping them focused and looking at the big picture is a tough job.  You'll do great.  Good luck!

This is great news.

Don't worry about him, he will know the difference between a coach who REALLY wants and needs him and a coach who just wants him.  After he tours the campus, he also will get an idea of the other things to consider . And you are allowed your opinion in the decision, in fact when the time comes he should ask you how you all feel.

Narrowing down two schools, we did the pro and con thing, actually the school he DIDN'T choose was the one with more pros.  He just had this gut feeling.

best of luck!!!!

Heating up for some. Queue the sad trombone.

Still early I guess.

Anxiety is building as son waits to hear from top choices, but those colleges are waiting on other commitments as my son is not their first option.  We are blessed as son has got a few offers, but none yet from any college with combination of academic and baseball success hoped for by all interested parties.  As with most things, most likely one will have to be sacrificed, and that has created some tension in our house about the way to proceed.  In addition, those programs that have extended offers will need an answer in the next few weeks, as they are making decisions based on whether my son commits or does not.  Interesting times indeed.