2020 Gameplans to get recruited

I think your plan is dead on perfect.  At this point, travel teams should take a back seat to getting in front of the coaches you are targeting and schools that are realistic.  Travel ball is fun...but if there is a conflict then an appropriate college camp wins.

Camps can be good, but in our experience, coaches want to see you (especially position players) in a game. And several times, I might add. And hitting against legite pitching. 

RoadRunner posted:

Camps can be good, but in our experience, coaches want to see you (especially position players) in a game. And several times, I might add. And hitting against legite pitching. 

I can imagine that, but not every school is in the position to be at national events. And if a school wants to get better they may have to bring in recruits outside their general area where they can attend HS games. Some colleges hold 2 day camps with multiple schools. Day 1 is drills, Day 2 live games. Some do both in the same day. So that may be a better format where games are involved. I would imagine though that a coach can tell a lot just watching a days worth of drills. I guess there's no perfect answer.

I'm not a fan of camps as a way to be discovered.  The kids that I know that got offers out of camps went specifically because the coach saw them play at a tournament, liked what they saw, and hinted that an offer would be coming.  Otherwise I think you're just wasting your money.  JMO.

Smitty28 posted:

I'm not a fan of camps as a way to be discovered.  The kids that I know that got offers out of camps went specifically because the coach saw them play at a tournament, liked what they saw, and hinted that an offer would be coming.  Otherwise I think you're just wasting your money.  JMO.

I think that depends.  Smaller schools (D3's/JUCO's) often do use their camps as a big part of recruiting.

Smitty28 posted:

I'm not a fan of camps as a way to be discovered.  The kids that I know that got offers out of camps went specifically because the coach saw them play at a tournament, liked what they saw, and hinted that an offer would be coming.  Otherwise I think you're just wasting your money.  JMO.

If you live in the North East and all the Huge tournaments are down south, many of those schools are not making the trip. My son isn't focused on just the big D1 schools. If one of those comes calling great. If a D2 with good academics finds a way to put a better package together then great. But that's why I started my post with "your region may affect your gameplan. If you're from Gerogia or South Carolina then every college and their mother from the area will be at LakePoint and that kids life is much easier. If you want to go to Nichols College in Mass. because you want to major in Finance I don't think you'll see them at PG in Fort Meyers. So you need an alternative gameplan.

We have PG tournaments here in the NE but it's not something coaches are driving 5 hours to get to. Then we have Diamond Nation in North Jersey. You'll see some coaches milling around but it's just throwing dart with your eyes closed.

At this point you need to focus on where he can realistically land. Make a list of conferences you believe he could play. Then make a list of around fifty colleges from those conferences that are baseball, academic, financial, social and cultural fits. Don’t worry how large the list gets. You will lose interest in some as you learn more. Some will not be interested in you. 

Write to the head coach and assistant in charge of recruiting. Express interest in the college and the baseball program. Ask what showcases they will be attending. Don’t fall for camp invites unless it’s a prospect camp. 

Good showcases I know of are SelectFest in NJ, Atlantic 100 in PA and PG New England. There’s another in Lynn, MA I don’t know the name. It’s held at Fraser Field. If he’s a good student he should do Head First on Long Island.

Check All Star Baseball in West Chester PA to see who they are bringing in for showcases.

i would write coaches and target schools rather than hope to be discovered at a showcase. Is there a travel coach with credibility with college coaches who can promote and presell his potential? 

Cebu have you done a PBR event and received a profile?  They're pretty strong in the NE and a lot of coaches are in contact with them.

If he has good measurables, you can include a link to his profile when emailing coaches.

One of the things I would have done differently if I had a do-over for the summer season, would be to encourage my son to go to a PBR event - he was invited and had a pretty good chance to make it to the Futures Games but tournaments with his travel team got in the way. Will definitely do one this fall.

I second the PBR. It’s too late for Futures but they are a good recruiting tool.  I disagree that camps are a waste of time. I’d do both.  There were several coaches at the localPBR event we went to. It was well worth it.

2020-RHP-Dad posted:

One of the things I would have done differently if I had a do-over for the summer season, would be to encourage my son to go to a PBR event - he was invited and had a pretty good chance to make it to the Futures Games but tournaments with his travel team got in the way. Will definitely do one this fall.

One of the teams from his organization is going to a PBR event Sept 22nd/23rd. This is a good suggestion because he measures very well at the events he's been to bat speed/velocity and 60 but how would anyone else know it? I'll have him call the owner and ask if he can go.

RJM, thanks. Lots of great info in there for everyone. I need to get a 12 foot whiteboard for the living room!

cebu75 posted:

Smitty28 posted:

I'm not a fan of camps as a way to be discovered.  The kids that I know that got offers out of camps went specifically because the coach saw them play at a tournament, liked what they saw, and hinted that an offer would be coming.  Otherwise I think you're just wasting your money.  JMO.

If you live in the North East and all the Huge tournaments are down south, many of those schools are not making the trip. My son isn't focused on just the big D1 schools. If one of those comes calling great. If a D2 with good academics finds a way to put a better package together then great. But that's why I started my post with "your region may affect your gameplan. If you're from Gerogia or South Carolina then every college and their mother from the area will be at LakePoint and that kids life is much easier. If you want to go to Nichols College in Mass. because you want to major in Finance I don't think you'll see them at PG in Fort Meyers. So you need an alternative gameplan.

We have PG tournaments here in the NE but it's not something coaches are driving 5 hours to get to. Then we have Diamond Nation in North Jersey. You'll see some coaches milling around but it's just throwing dart with your eyes closed.

I'm not sure you are disagreeing with my my main point ("not a fan of camps as a way to be discovered").  My point is your strategy should include venues to get discovered by the schools on his list - AZ Fall Classic, Headfirst, etc.  Email the coaches ahead of time, send them video, get seen at one of these venues, then go to their camps if you see some interest and a potential fit.

RJM posted:

w of are SelectFest in NJ, Atlantic 100 in PA and PG New England. There’s another in Lynn, MA I don’t know the name. It’s held at Fraser Field. If he’s a good student he should do Head First on Long Island.

http://www.thelynninvitational.com/
One of the biggest independent showcases in the Northeast.
Might be a good option, but you would want to  reach out to coaches first.
Initiate a dialog. Gauge interest. Let them know you will be there.

Recognize the majority of aid will come from academics.
Google "[college name] total cost" to figure out what you will expect to pay after avg aid pkg.
Google "[college name] gpa sat prepscholar" to learn avg acceptance criteria. 

Narrow your choices based on what you'll be able to afford and academic fit from the research above.

Email coaches and express interest. Ask if they are hosting camps or attending showcases.

Go where they show the most love.
Get recruited!

I thought I sort of had a handle on how to begin the recruiting process, but I'm not sure what to suggest my son do from here:

Son is a 2020 RHP.  Goal is HA.  He emailed introductions to about 40 schools at the start of the 2018 summer.  Since then he played in the WWBA, went to Headfirst...  He has heard from some D1 and D3 coaches via emails or texts.  Always responded to those who contacted him directly (but not to mass-emailed camp invites).  He has updated all 40 schools on his list at least once via email since the first contact to provide some updated stats, and traded multiple emails with a few schools.

What now?  His travel team will play WWBA in Ft. Myers in October.  Current plan is to go to HF or Showball Academic in FL at the beginning of Nov.  Otherwise his travel team will play tournaments in the Carolinas.  The schools son is targeting are mostly in the NE and Mid-Atlantic, so they won't be attending those games.

Should son email all 40 schools on his list with his fall schedule?  Send stats when he has a good weekend?  Just contact the schools that have shown an interest?

Yes to everything in your last paragraph.

Someone mentioned most of scholarship money will come from grades. You can’t receive athletic and academic money unless your grades are at a certain level. It’s to prevent coaches from giving undeserved academic money to athletes. The required GPA can vary by school. But it’s around 3.5 unweighted. 

I would find a team in NJ, NY, or PA that has connections to some of the more local schools and start from there. Look at previous club rosters, see where some of their players have gone recently. Look at the rosters of schools you are interested in, often times they have the name of the club team in the bio. Many programs have abandoned the traditional website and moved towards twitter and instagram. Do some digging there.

If you don't think the current travel team can do anything to help your son find a school he is interested in then there is no point of staying with this team. If he's looking for smaller higher academic D1s (Patriot, Big East, etc) they will be busy this fall and early next summer. If he is looking for D3s, there won't be a ton going on until July of next summer and will end around October. 

I think playing for a club team with some high academic contacts will be more beneficial when it comes time to head to camps. Going into a camp without coaches knowing who you are usually gets you nowhere unless you can really really stand out. Even if the new team might not get you an offer, it might get you a foot in the door

My son is a 2019 who didn't commit till this summer so don't panic! PBR is fantastic so is Grand Park in Indiana, prospect league a ton of scouts were there The Music City Classic in Nashville TN is also heavily recruited! Going to camps without Coaches having seen you at a big tournament competiting against top competition is a shot in the dark at best. Position guys normally get followed for awhile before hearing from schools, but that was just our experience 

Catchdad44 posted:

My son is a 2019 who didn't commit till this summer so don't panic! PBR is fantastic so is Grand Park in Indiana, prospect league a ton of scouts were there The Music City Classic in Nashville TN is also heavily recruited! Going to camps without Coaches having seen you at a big tournament competiting against top competition is a shot in the dark at best. Position guys normally get followed for awhile before hearing from schools, but that was just our experience 

These are wise words.  It does seem really important to play for a travel team that plays the best tournaments that get scouted.  It makes sense that position players generally need to be seen multiple times.  I'm a bigger believer in camps than many, and think college recruiting is trending towards a stronger emphasis on camps, but they need to be a supplement to the tournament play (in my opinion)

Camps can be a little random.   Maybe your only at bats at the camp are against the kids throwing 72.  Coaches want to see how you perform against top flight competition, and that is going to happen at WWBA, Wilson Premiere, the Cincy Flames' top tournaments, YABC at Grand Park, the Music City Invite etc etc

To me the wise approach is:

1) Verifiable measureables from a Showcase such as PBR or Perfect Game that you can email to coaches.
2) Playing on a strong travel team that plays the best scouted Tournaments (make sure to keep college coaches updated on your team's schedule week to week)
3) Attend the colleges' prospect camp when personally invited (not a mass generic invite)

If a travel coach or travel program director has credibility with college coaches, all the better.

By the way, somewhat random but speaking to the increasing importance of being on a strong travel team:  anyone notice that the Program Director of the Indiana Bulls Travel Program just got hired to be an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for Indiana University?   Connections matter...

Edited to add:  I left out perhaps the most important aspect of getting recruited.  Keep on working extremely hard on getting Bigger/Faster/Stronger and improving measureables.  For a 2020 just beginning his Junior year of High School, a ton of physical maturity can happen between now and the next 12-15 months.  A faster 60 time, higher Exit Velo, and stronger throwing velocity will open more doors, for everyone.

3and2Fastball posted:

Catchdad44 posted:

My son is a 2019 who didn't commit till this summer so don't panic! PBR is fantastic so is Grand Park in Indiana, prospect league a ton of scouts were there The Music City Classic in Nashville TN is also heavily recruited! Going to camps without Coaches having seen you at a big tournament competiting against top competition is a shot in the dark at best. Position guys normally get followed for awhile before hearing from schools, but that was just our experience 

These are wise words.  It does seem really important to play for a travel team that plays the best tournaments that get scouted.  It makes sense that position players generally need to be seen multiple times.  I'm a bigger believer in camps than many, and think college recruiting is trending towards a stronger emphasis on camps, but they need to be a supplement to the tournament play (in my opinion)

Camps can be a little random.   Maybe your only at bats at the camp are against the kids throwing 72.  Coaches want to see how you perform against top flight competition, and that is going to happen at WWBA, Wilson Premiere, the Cincy Flames' top tournaments, YABC at Grand Park, the Music City Invite etc etc

To me the wise approach is:

1) Verifiable measureables from a Showcase such as PBR or Perfect Game that you can email to coaches.
2) Playing on a strong travel team that plays the best scouted Tournaments (make sure to keep college coaches updated on your team's schedule week to week)
3) Attend the colleges' prospect camp when personally invited (not a mass generic invite)

If a travel coach or travel program director has credibility with college coaches, all the better.

By the way, somewhat random but speaking to the increasing importance of being on a strong travel team:  anyone notice that the Program Director of the Indiana Bulls Travel Program just got hired to be an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for Indiana University?   Connections matter...

Edited to add:  I left out perhaps the most important aspect of getting recruited.  Keep on working extremely hard on getting Bigger/Faster/Stronger and improving measureables.  For a 2020 just beginning his Junior year of High School, a ton of physical maturity can happen between now and the next 12-15 months.  A faster 60 time, higher Exit Velo, and stronger throwing velocity will open more doors, for everyone.

 

This is a great list.  The only thing I'd add is to make sure you are doing outreach to coaches.  As has been said on this board many times, make sure you let coaches know where you are playing so they have a chance to see you play.

His plan is based heavily on our location, which is 25 minutes from Lakepoint and 10 minutes from East Cobb in GA.

Son is playing on a 17u team for the fall, which includes 2 local PG events and 1 in Ft. Myers. He is also going to 2 college camps with coaches he has already been in contact with and doing a strength training program. 

Over winter he will be emailing every coach he's interested in playing for, the list is around 20.

Then school ball, which has its own following due to churning out D1 players and draft picks.

Followed by Summer on a 16u team, as yet to be determined.  If none of that yields results he will have to do a showcase.

My 2020 is an outfielder.  He has just upgraded from a good, well traveled local team, to an organization with a 2020 national team located in neighboring state with MLB alumni. He has played at Lakepoint this year and last.   Has done well at most PG tournaments, 7 of 10 All Tournament selections.  He played all summer in front of random coaches at All star baseball academy showcase games. I like this format, 4 coaches at every game of all divisions. Went to the I95 showcase at Brooklyn Cyclones in July. The very strong cyclone winds blowing in off the ocean into the batter's eyes is a bad place to show off your hitting.  Last winter he worked on getting bigger, stronger, faster.  It helped 6 mph faster arm velo and he is hitting the baseball hard.  I think he fits mid level D1, others seem to agree.  He was a Freshman starter in HS but batted only .200, but crushed it sophomore year .420 in 21 games which earned him all conference (only 1 in conf drafted 10 round). Went to one mid D1 camp after freshman HS season and showed well, stole a base, hit a triple and single in a game.  The RC saw him play 3 times this summer.  He talked to 2020 and gave out fist bumps after good plays or hits.  Went to a different mid D1 camp last week.  I heard one coach yell "get out ball" when he was batting.  It hit the top of the fence.  Sent out 33 emails last night with a 60 sec video of him hitting and fall schedule with new team.   Mostly 18u tournaments.  The team is heading to Ft. Myers PG WWBA Underclass World Championship Oct 4.   We are sending him alone to save money.   Will be his first flight on his own.  Four schools replied to his emails today.  One camp invite and 3 schools telling him to keep in touch.  However, still waiting on the two camp schools to say something.  He is too shy to make phone calls.  Not sure what to do next.  New coach thinks he will get attention in FL, but I expected he would say that.  We will see.

kio posted:

My 2020 is an outfielder.  He has just upgraded from a good, well traveled local team, to an organization with a 2020 national team located in neighboring state with MLB alumni. He has played at Lakepoint this year and last.   Has done well at most PG tournaments, 7 of 10 All Tournament selections.  He played all summer in front of random coaches at All star baseball academy showcase games. I like this format, 4 coaches at every game of all divisions. Went to the I95 showcase at Brooklyn Cyclones in July. The very strong cyclone winds blowing in off the ocean into the batter's eyes is a bad place to show off your hitting.  Last winter he worked on getting bigger, stronger, faster.  It helped 6 mph faster arm velo and he is hitting the baseball hard.  I think he fits mid level D1, others seem to agree.  He was a Freshman starter in HS but batted only .200, but crushed it sophomore year .420 in 21 games which earned him all conference (only 1 in conf drafted 10 round). Went to one mid D1 camp after freshman HS season and showed well, stole a base, hit a triple and single in a game.  The RC saw him play 3 times this summer.  He talked to 2020 and gave out fist bumps after good plays or hits.  Went to a different mid D1 camp last week.  I heard one coach yell "get out ball" when he was batting.  It hit the top of the fence.  Sent out 33 emails last night with a 60 sec video of him hitting and fall schedule with new team.   Mostly 18u tournaments.  The team is heading to Ft. Myers PG WWBA Underclass World Championship Oct 4.   We are sending him alone to save money.   Will be his first flight on his own.  Four schools replied to his emails today.  One camp invite and 3 schools telling him to keep in touch.  However, still waiting on the two camp schools to say something.  He is too shy to make phone calls.  Not sure what to do next.  New coach thinks he will get attention in FL, but I expected he would say that.  We will see.

Stay the course as he is a position player and mid D1 talent, most teams will follow him till midsummer that is the norm at least from our experience . This upcoming summer will be huge keep working and perform when it counts against the same or better and all will be fine!!

KIO, sent you a PM.  Check the upper right hand side of your screen, find your name, click on it, go to private messages.