2020's Where should he be?

Get him an invitation to the Underclass Area Code tryouts in your area.  This will require the endorsement of an MLB scout, so figure out how to get that. Your HS coach, travel ball coach, or private instructor may have a connection.

looks like he is upper tier for sure,   have yall hit any college camps or plan on it over the next few weeks?  I'm assuming you still have a month until your season starts?

I guess that answers some of my question.  I was told that I should be emailing colleges that he has interest in then by his Jr. year we should be going to camps of those schools.  Should I be sending him to college camps this year?

Cls posted:

I guess that answers some of my question.  I was told that I should be emailing colleges that he has interest in then by his Jr. year we should be going to camps of those schools.  Should I be sending him to college camps this year?

You are wasting your time and money going to any college camps if the coaches don't already know who he is before you go to the camp.  That assumes that your purpose for going to the camp is to get recruited. The first thing you need is someone with credibility in the baseball world that will endorse your son as someone that should be recruited. Find that someone and work with him to get your son on the radar of your schools of interest. Then go to camps.

adbono posted:

Cls posted:

I guess that answers some of my question.  I was told that I should be emailing colleges that he has interest in then by his Jr. year we should be going to camps of those schools.  Should I be sending him to college camps this year?

You are wasting your time and money going to any college camps if the coaches don't already know who he is before you go to the camp.  That assumes that your purpose for going to the camp is to get recruited. The first thing you need is someone with credibility in the baseball world that will endorse your son as someone that should be recruited. Find that someone and work with him to get your son on the radar of your schools of interest. Then go to camps.

And that someone Adbono mentions is not a recruiting service that wants your money. This would be a trusted independent third party, such as an MLB scout or a well respected Coach. 

And by the way, the opinion of the person endorsing your son as a good player will carry much more weight if its not someone that you are paying for this purpose - which eliminates most recruiting services, scouting services, and travel ball coaches. This is not true across the board - there are a couple recruiting services that have proven results & same is true with some travel ball coaches.  But by and large, the more impartial the opinion the better.   

thanks guys.  Should he be reaching out to these coaches/recruiting coordinators?

We started sophomore year by sending video to about 200 schools that looked like potential fits. He also attended a PBR showcase, which gave us numbers to provide coaches along with the video.

He also attended his first college camp — it was at a bigger D1 that we attended for two reasons. One, the volunteer coach's dad had provided us with good recruiting advice and coaching, so we wanted to help his son out by supporting his camp. Two, it WASN'T a school son was deeply interested in, so if things went badly, it wasn't a huge deal.

It worked out well as that was the first coach to say to my 2018 RHP "you should go D1." Before that, we really were shooting in the dark on where to target.

I would work on getting some good video and reliable third-party stats (which means a PBR or other showcase type place), then email links to that to coaches he's interested in along with a game schedule.

Remember, coaches can't talk directly to your son at this point, so you'll get a lot of camp invites out of it. But you'll also start to see who might be interested.

a mutual friend who has a talented 2021 had a conversation with a 20 yr coach at an SEC school asking advice for his son and other friends talented sons.   He was told they would really like to get them at their prospect camps during the winter.   The summer camps are typically not as important to him and he has seen that the players are worn out from a long summer of competing.    He then recommended several good travel teams in our area that he respects.  I cant tell you what they would be everywhere but I agreed with the ones he said.    He then mentioned a few coaches that if they call and tell him you should see a certain player he respects them enough that he will see the player quickly.   luckily for me the coach he mentioned is my son's pitching coach.   When I relayed he was flattered and said yup that's why I don't recommend kids to college coaches unless they are no brainer offers,  just 1 bad rec and he feels like he would lose their trust.   our pitching coach is still trying to rap his head around 9th graders getting offered,  realizes its the new thing.   tough to make that call on a kid throwing 83-85 but coaches are projecting now and of course its just a verbal commitment.  

Hey CLS,

Just based on the little info provided, he certainly will have the opportunity to play in college but I would guess it is still TBD as to which level.  Some numbers and achievements are good but others aren't stand-out or are tough to read.  77mph position throw is not stand-out but not a red flag for a rising soph - it just indicates that he is not yet a D1 stud prospect and thus there is no hurry.  POP times look great but that is one number that often comes into question as far as how it was measured/ how much "cheat" allowed.  The HS accomplishments at an early stage are great but what is the level of competition?  

I also recall his swing video from last year... lots of good parts but still developing strength and explosiveness.  

I know you are also a coach and ex-catcher so you know a lot of this.  But to answer your question, don't worry about other sophomores being recruited.  Your player will be ready when he is ready and when he has enough to show to the level he will be capable of reaching.  As others have suggested, I wouldn't be in a hurry to get in touch with coaches/RC's as much as I would suggest finding good connected instructors and travel organizations that are known to play in the right events and otherwise help with the exposure plan.  But even at that, keep in mind that it will still be primarily the player's (and parents) responsibility for putting together the specific recruiting plan.  When the time comes, don't rely on others to push the buttons.

Is he with a reputable travel program that can properly expose him on the summer circuit?

Is he playing in high exposure tournaments like the 16U WWBA this summer?

Guys thanks for all the information.  Cabbagedad thanks for the advise. I just find it strange to offer Freshmen.  Seems like a gamble.  Any additional information would always be appreciated

My 2020 has been emailing coaches, and going to one at least one PG and one PBR showcase since summer before freshman year.  He has also been  attending  camps where he wants to go to school.  He emails before he attends.  He is now talking almost weekly to 5 schools.  They started by contacting our club or HS coach and asking my son to call them, from there they set up a calling schedule.  He will text them in the morning telling them what time he will call that night, then he sends them a 10 minute warning before he calls.  For us camps were important, he started weekly calls with 2  of the schools after camp.  One coach saw him at a showcase, one at a PG event. The last coach said he had heard his name being mentioned and wanted to get on his radar and set a time to come watch him pitch this spring. He does not play for a high profile team.  We played only one PG event with our summer team.

cabbagedad posted:

Hey CLS,

Just based on the little info provided, he certainly will have the opportunity to play in college but I would guess it is still TBD as to which level.  Some numbers and achievements are good but others aren't stand-out or are tough to read.  77mph position throw is not stand-out but not a red flag for a rising soph - it just indicates that he is not yet a D1 stud prospect and thus there is no hurry.  POP times look great but that is one number that often comes into question as far as how it was measured/ how much "cheat" allowed.  The HS accomplishments at an early stage are great but what is the level of competition?  

I also recall his swing video from last year... lots of good parts but still developing strength and explosiveness.  

I know you are also a coach and ex-catcher so you know a lot of this.  But to answer your question, don't worry about other sophomores being recruited.  Your player will be ready when he is ready and when he has enough to show to the level he will be capable of reaching.  As others have suggested, I wouldn't be in a hurry to get in touch with coaches/RC's as much as I would suggest finding good connected instructors and travel organizations that are known to play in the right events and otherwise help with the exposure plan.  But even at that, keep in mind that it will still be primarily the player's (and parents) responsibility for putting together the specific recruiting plan.  When the time comes, don't rely on others to push the buttons.

As an added note to this...

I have a 2019 SS in our program who is definitely a D1 kid.  He and dad panicked all through the soph year because he wasn't getting offers.  Everyone told him to relax, be patient.  Finally, he got a very good offer over the holidays from a school that was high on his list.  Now that they have a taste and an offer (and other schools in his ear), they want to slow it down and hold off on a decision.

That's great advice 

I would not worry about others committing. You have to work your game plan and that includes getting an honest assessment, third party verified metrics and an honest evaluation. Get the best grades you can. Hopefully your son will also get bigger and stronger over the next couple of years. Control what you can control.  Getting better, getting good grades. Getting in front of the coaches at venues where they have coaches that value his skill set.  So much is out of your control. you can't control a coaches position needs, scholly allotment, other catchers competing for the same school etc.  I would also add don't get caught up in the NCAA level. Most of the colleges and universities in this country are not top tier D1 or even D1at all. Add the D2's, D3's, NAIA's and independents and there are a lot of schools still trying to fill 2018 or committing 2019's so you still have a lot of time to work your plan.   Find the right school and program. In the end your son will find a place. 

As a for what it is worth, younger son was a 6' 0" 175 lb catcher, pop time 1.92 PG and PG ranking 8/10 National high follow with room to fill as he was still growing.  etc  solid B student so academics were out. C. Didn't hear anything until early fall of Sr. year from D3's and some JUCO's and a few NAIA. Still had NAIA and Juco contacting him through the spring and into late July after after Sr. year.  Only the true studs had anything in Jr. year. 

CLS, there are a lot of parents of 2020's on here, me included.  While it is freaky to see other 2020's and even 2021's committing I can assure you it is a rare thing.  There has been a lot of talk on here and twitter about these early commit anomalies.  What I have taken away is that not only is committing early rare it is also a gamble.  The truth is until your son hits his junior year and even the summer between 11th and 12th you won't really know where he is skill wise. 

So you spend all this time contacting D1's and going to camps and sending emails and by 12th grade your kid is actually more of a D2/D3 guy....whoops!  My point is, these early commits are either already at D1 level, OR the coach is gambling that they will get there.  If the kid doesn't get to D1 level by 2020 then what?  Ugh, there are heartbreaking stories about that scenario, and coaches leaving, all over the internet.  From what I have seen lately, even the super studs are holding off on committing.  They have offers but aren't pulling the trigger because the parents and kids want to know

they really fit in with the school/team/coach/other. 

What you can do, in my opinion, is:

1. Talk to your son about what kind of school he sees himself in.  Is it in downtown where he has to take a subway/bus to get to another class, or more of a small college town with 2 pizza shops that the college kids hang out in?  I took my 2020 to Manhattan on the way back from Cooperstown, he HATED the city, lol, it was pretty funny how much he hated it, so check all inner city schools off the list for him!

2. Get on a travel team that plays in the heavily scouted tourneys.  For us in GA that would be PG at Lakepoint, but maybe there is another one closer to you?

3. I like my son going to college camps. for one it lets him look at the facilities and the coaches.  Is the coach yelling at kids, or is he more laid back? Is the field 100 years old, made of rubber, held together with duct tape?  All of those are telling.  My son wants to play on dirt, and doesn't care if it's 100 years old and held together with duct tape :- )  But some kids might.

4.  If you do go to a college camp, make sure the coach is going to be there and it isn't being run by the assistant to the assistant coach.  An email from your sons account should be sent to the head coach just prior to the camp.  If that comes from him writing it or you writing it, you guys can decide.  Some 15/16 year olds are articulate and well spoken in word and writing...that's not MY kid, lol!

5.  Make sure he's giving you something to go by.  He needs to care what kind of school he wants to go to, team he wants to play for, distance from you he wants to be.  If he's just shrugging and letting you figure this out it's not going to work.  He has to want it, and want it bad.  Playing a sport in college really is like working a full time job while going to school.  It's hard, very hard, the hardest thing he's going to go through and if he doesn't truly want it then he won't make it and all of this work is pointless.

It's easy for parents and kids to get anxious when they see other kids , Freshman or Sophomores commit . My son who was a 2016 and now plays at a D1 program played on one of the top travel teams ( ranked #5 in country by PG ) as a sophomore. There were guys on his team committed as Freshman to Pac12 and ACC schools. My son wasn't one of the top guys on that team. He was an LHP and worked primarily out of the pen and indeed helped them win . He also got a ton of exposure . But there was that question, what's  with the early commits ?

A couple years later I found out the answer. A Pac12 asst coach told me that they only recruit guys that have the skill set to play for them NOW. It doesn't matter if it's a Jr or Sophomore . It's about the skill set. And there is certain amount of projection involved . But not much. If an RHP is sitting 91 as a Freshman that plays in the Pac12 Now

Also, every kid has their own path. It sounds like a terrible cliche but it's true. The bitter truth is that the kid that got offered before you is a better player. Period. Tracy Smith ( HC Arizona State ) say's it best :

"The key to recruiting is finding the right fit.....not just for the University but the player. I see a lot of guys that aren't right for us but that doesn't mean they're not right for college baseball"

As far as the OP's inquiry on what to do: This summer your son will be a rising Junior . It's time to get busy. Contrary to other opinions , I would get him on campus at a school for camp. Not a big 10 school or anything like that . Just a mid level school. Camps have a certain rhythm and schedule . It's really great experience for him to deal with waiting around all day and having to turn it on for 10-15 minutes and then wait another hour. Get him on campus somewhere .

Some general unsolicited advice:

The biggest mistake parents and kids make is that they chase the same 6-10 dream list schools. And those schools rarely if ever offer. There is no dream list....haha. The school picks the player , the player doesn't pick the school .

The second biggest mistake parents and kids make is they target exclusively D1 schools.

The third biggest mistake is that they don't contact or get seen by enough schools . A proper recruiting strategy targets 25-30 schools all over the country and at all levels D1, D2, D3 .The trick to recruiting is to cast a WIDE NET.

Never go anywhere unannounced . If you are planning to attend on campus camp. Send an advanced email a week in advance with the Vitals: Height , Weight , age , GPA , Test scores , HS coaches cell phone number / email, Travel ball coaches number / email. Current baseball stats and a short introductory about why you like their university . Send to the recruiting coordinator ( RC )  . NEVER the head coach.

Get good grades and Start prepping for ACT/ SAT testing NOW. The first thing a RC asks a player he's interested in is : " What are you grades like , tell me your test scores" . Don't listen to HS counselors who tell kids they have time. Baseball kids are 1 year in advance . NLI 's ( for D1 commits )  go out Nov Junior year. At that time the school has to of already received test scores , grades . The target date is a final solid SAT / ACT score going into Summer before senior year ( Rising senior) that is the baseball timetable

Get on the BEST travel team available. If your kid is one of the top 3-4 players , you picked the WRONG TEAM. Kids get better by playing w/ kids better than them not the other way around. And College RC's don't waste time at a big event looking at rinky dink squads . They all go to the games where the top teams are playing .

Hire a track coach. Foot speed is huge in NCAA baseball . Even for catchers . You gotta break a 7.0 in the 60 to get offered at the D1 level.

HIT. THE. BALL. HARD.  Don't be taking a bunch of pitches when you're showcasing . RC's want guys that are aggressive and hit the ball HARD. On base percentage , plate discipline gets you ZERO attention. It works against you. Better off banging a ball off the wall in your 1st AB and  striking out the next 2 AB's then hitting a  weak opo single or anything on the ground .

From a parenting, planning and budget perspective , Everything in recruiting is way in advance. If you want your son to get exposure this summer by attending camps or being on a good travel team, tryouts for those teams and sign ups for the big summer events are happening NOW......A friend told me Stanford opened up registration for 2018 summer camp 3 weeks ago and there is already a wait list for middle infielders !

Lastly, NEVER forget the facts  : Only approx 4-5 % of the HS players play at the NCAA level......only 2% at the D1 level

Hopefully some of this helps. Take what you can and disregard what you can't . Good luck

StrainedOblique posted:

It's easy for parents and kids to get anxious when they see other kids , Freshman or Sophomores commit . My son who was a 2016 and now plays at a D1 program played on one of the top travel teams ( ranked #5 in country by PG ) as a sophomore. There were guys on his team committed as Freshman to Pac12 and ACC schools. My son wasn't one of the top guys on that team. He was an LHP and worked primarily out of the pen and indeed helped them win . He also got a ton of exposure . But there was that question, what's  with the early commits ?

A couple years later I found out the answer. A Pac12 asst coach told me that they only recruit guys that have the skill set to play for them NOW. It doesn't matter if it's a Jr or Sophomore . It's about the skill set. And there is certain amount of projection involved . But not much. If an RHP is sitting 91 as a Freshman that plays in the Pac12 Now

Also, every kid has their own path. It sounds like a terrible cliche but it's true. The bitter truth is that the kid that got offered before you is a better player. Period. Tracy Smith ( HC Arizona State ) say's it best :

"The key to recruiting is finding the right fit.....not just for the University but the player. I see a lot of guys that aren't right for us but that doesn't mean they're not right for college baseball"

As far as the OP's inquiry on what to do: This summer your son will be a rising Junior . It's time to get busy. Contrary to other opinions , I would get him on campus at a school for camp. Not a big 10 school or anything like that . Just a mid level school. Camps have a certain rhythm and schedule . It's really great experience for him to deal with waiting around all day and having to turn it on for 10-15 minutes and then wait another hour. Get him on campus somewhere .

Some general unsolicited advice:

The biggest mistake parents and kids make is that they chase the same 6-10 dream list schools. And those schools rarely if ever offer. There is no dream list....haha. The school picks the player , the player doesn't pick the school .

The second biggest mistake parents and kids make is they target exclusively D1 schools.

The third biggest mistake is that they don't contact or get seen by enough schools . A proper recruiting strategy targets 25-30 schools all over the country and at all levels D1, D2, D3 .The trick to recruiting is to cast a WIDE NET.

Never go anywhere unannounced . If you are planning to attend on campus camp. Send an advanced email a week in advance with the Vitals: Height , Weight , age , GPA , Test scores , HS coaches cell phone number / email, Travel ball coaches number / email. Current baseball stats and a short introductory about why you like their university . Send to the recruiting coordinator ( RC )  . NEVER the head coach.

Get good grades and Start prepping for ACT/ SAT testing NOW. The first thing a RC asks a player he's interested in is : " What are you grades like , tell me your test scores" . Don't listen to HS counselors who tell kids they have time. Baseball kids are 1 year in advance . NLI 's ( for D1 commits )  go out Nov Junior year. At that time the school has to of already received test scores , grades . The target date is a final solid SAT / ACT score going into Summer before senior year ( Rising senior) that is the baseball timetable

Get on the BEST travel team available. If your kid is one of the top 3-4 players , you picked the WRONG TEAM. Kids get better by playing w/ kids better than them not the other way around. And College RC's don't waste time at a big event looking at rinky dink squads . They all go to the games where the top teams are playing .

Hire a track coach. Foot speed is huge in NCAA baseball . Even for catchers . You gotta break a 7.0 in the 60 to get offered at the D1 level.

HIT. THE. BALL. HARD.  Don't be taking a bunch of pitches when you're showcasing . RC's want guys that are aggressive and hit the ball HARD. On base percentage , plate discipline gets you ZERO attention. It works against you. Better off banging a ball off the wall in your 1st AB and  striking out the next 2 AB's then hitting a  weak opo single or anything on the ground .

Everything in recruiting is way in advance. If you want your son to get exposure this summer by attending camps or being a good travel team, tryouts for those teams and sign ups for the big summer events are happening NOW......A friend told me Stanford opened up registration for 2018 summer camp 3 weeks ago and there is already a wait list for middle infielders !

Lastly, NEVER forget the facts  : Only approx 4-5 % of the HS players play at the NCAA level......only 2% at the D1 level

 

Hopefully some of this helps. Take what you can and disregard what you can't . Good luck

 

This is a golden post. 

StrainedOblique posted:

It's easy for parents and kids to get anxious when they see other kids , Freshman or Sophomores commit . My son who was a 2016 and now plays at a D1 program played on one of the top travel teams ( ranked #5 in country by PG ) as a sophomore. There were guys on his team committed as Freshman to Pac12 and ACC schools. My son wasn't one of the top guys on that team. He was an LHP and worked primarily out of the pen and indeed helped them win . He also got a ton of exposure . But there was that question, what's  with the early commits ?

A couple years later I found out the answer. A Pac12 asst coach told me that they only recruit guys that have the skill set to play for them NOW. It doesn't matter if it's a Jr or Sophomore . It's about the skill set. And there is certain amount of projection involved . But not much. If an RHP is sitting 91 as a Freshman that plays in the Pac12 Now

Also, every kid has their own path. It sounds like a terrible cliche but it's true. The bitter truth is that the kid that got offered before you is a better player. Period. Tracy Smith ( HC Arizona State ) say's it best :

"The key to recruiting is finding the right fit.....not just for the University but the player. I see a lot of guys that aren't right for us but that doesn't mean they're not right for college baseball"

As far as the OP's inquiry on what to do: This summer your son will be a rising Junior . It's time to get busy. Contrary to other opinions , I would get him on campus at a school for camp. Not a big 10 school or anything like that . Just a mid level school. Camps have a certain rhythm and schedule . It's really great experience for him to deal with waiting around all day and having to turn it on for 10-15 minutes and then wait another hour. Get him on campus somewhere .

Some general unsolicited advice:

The biggest mistake parents and kids make is that they chase the same 6-10 dream list schools. And those schools rarely if ever offer. There is no dream list....haha. The school picks the player , the player doesn't pick the school .

The second biggest mistake parents and kids make is they target exclusively D1 schools.

The third biggest mistake is that they don't contact or get seen by enough schools . A proper recruiting strategy targets 25-30 schools all over the country and at all levels D1, D2, D3 .The trick to recruiting is to cast a WIDE NET.

Never go anywhere unannounced . If you are planning to attend on campus camp. Send an advanced email a week in advance with the Vitals: Height , Weight , age , GPA , Test scores , HS coaches cell phone number / email, Travel ball coaches number / email. Current baseball stats and a short introductory about why you like their university . Send to the recruiting coordinator ( RC )  . NEVER the head coach.

Get good grades and Start prepping for ACT/ SAT testing NOW. The first thing a RC asks a player he's interested in is : " What are you grades like , tell me your test scores" . Don't listen to HS counselors who tell kids they have time. Baseball kids are 1 year in advance . NLI 's ( for D1 commits )  go out Nov Junior year. At that time the school has to of already received test scores , grades . The target date is a final solid SAT / ACT score going into Summer before senior year ( Rising senior) that is the baseball timetable

Get on the BEST travel team available. If your kid is one of the top 3-4 players , you picked the WRONG TEAM. Kids get better by playing w/ kids better than them not the other way around. And College RC's don't waste time at a big event looking at rinky dink squads . They all go to the games where the top teams are playing .

Hire a track coach. Foot speed is huge in NCAA baseball . Even for catchers . You gotta break a 7.0 in the 60 to get offered at the D1 level.

HIT. THE. BALL. HARD.  Don't be taking a bunch of pitches when you're showcasing . RC's want guys that are aggressive and hit the ball HARD. On base percentage , plate discipline gets you ZERO attention. It works against you. Better off banging a ball off the wall in your 1st AB and  striking out the next 2 AB's then hitting a  weak opo single or anything on the ground .

From a parenting, planning and budget perspective , Everything in recruiting is way in advance. If you want your son to get exposure this summer by attending camps or being on a good travel team, tryouts for those teams and sign ups for the big summer events are happening NOW......A friend told me Stanford opened up registration for 2018 summer camp 3 weeks ago and there is already a wait list for middle infielders !

Lastly, NEVER forget the facts  : Only approx 4-5 % of the HS players play at the NCAA level......only 2% at the D1 level

 

Hopefully some of this helps. Take what you can and disregard what you can't . Good luck

 

This post has a ton of info.  I hope it is true that every kid has his own path because we have done so many of the things you caution against.   I thought we were in a pretty good spot, but my son doesn't have any firm offers yet.  One school has said they are ready to offer but we haven't made the trip back yet.  He has only targeted his "top choices" right now and since several have expressed interest, I've made the assumption that if these 4-5 don't pan out, other programs would likely want him but maybe that's not how it works.  Should he be contacting school that aren't as high level even if right now he doesn't think he would want to go there?  Should our net be really big even if he's talking to schools regularly?  I don't want to mess this up and I know anything can happen. He also chose not to play for a top team.  He wanted to stay with friends.  I was hoping  we could balance that by getting him seen at showcases.  I think he projects for a power D1 at this point, but there are never guarantees. Since he's young, will we have time to change course if things don't pan out before next  Fall?

If you want to help his recruiting chances the first thing you should do is get him off of the "friends" team & get him onto a top travel team.  You can recover from some of your other "mistakes" if you can accomplish that, but you need to get busy right now.  

baseballhs posted:

StrainedOblique posted:

 

This post has a ton of info.  I hope it is true that every kid has his own path because we have done so many of the things you caution against.   I thought we were in a pretty good spot, but my son doesn't have any firm offers yet.  One school has said they are ready to offer but we haven't made the trip back yet.  He has only targeted his "top choices" right now and since several have expressed interest, I've made the assumption that if these 4-5 don't pan out, other programs would likely want him but maybe that's not how it works.  Should he be contacting school that aren't as high level even if right now he doesn't think he would want to go there?  Should our net be really big even if he's talking to schools regularly?  I don't want to mess this up and I know anything can happen. He also chose not to play for a top team.  He wanted to stay with friends.  I was hoping  we could balance that by getting him seen at showcases.  I think he projects for a power D1 at this point, but there are never guarantees. Since he's young, will we have time to change course if things don't pan out before next  Fall?

I've made the assumption that if these 4-5 don't pan out, other programs would likely want him but maybe that's not how it works

----Do not make any assumptions.  Things never work out how you think they will during the recruiting cycle.

Should he be contacting school that aren't as high level even if right now he doesn't think he would want to go there?

----He should be targeting the schools he wants to attend.  The question is are those schools targeting him?  Remember his baseball status is up to the school, not your son.  The question he needs to answer is which is more important, playing baseball or going to a school he wants to attend.  From experience I can tell you the answer is "going to a school he wants to attend".  Even if that means not playing baseball.  I know of many kids who went to the wrong school (either to play sports or not) and end up transferring out after the first semester or year. 

 Should our net be really big even if he's talking to schools regularly?  

---yes, min of 25 schools, more then that is better.

He also chose not to play for a top team.  He wanted to stay with friends.

---Mistake, at this point you/he needs to stop thinking about baseball as a fun sport and more about it as a career.  Top teams have good college coaching contacts and can be vital to the recruiting process.

 I think he projects for a power D1 at this point

--- Do you think or do you know?  Get an independent evaluation and see where he projects.  The number of kids who actually project power 10 is a lot smaller then you think.  If he is projecting there now you should already be hearing from these guys.

joes87 posted:

baseballhs posted:

StrainedOblique posted:

 

This post has a ton of info.  I hope it is true that every kid has his own path because we have done so many of the things you caution against.   I thought we were in a pretty good spot, but my son doesn't have any firm offers yet.  One school has said they are ready to offer but we haven't made the trip back yet.  He has only targeted his "top choices" right now and since several have expressed interest, I've made the assumption that if these 4-5 don't pan out, other programs would likely want him but maybe that's not how it works.  Should he be contacting school that aren't as high level even if right now he doesn't think he would want to go there?  Should our net be really big even if he's talking to schools regularly?  I don't want to mess this up and I know anything can happen. He also chose not to play for a top team.  He wanted to stay with friends.  I was hoping  we could balance that by getting him seen at showcases.  I think he projects for a power D1 at this point, but there are never guarantees. Since he's young, will we have time to change course if things don't pan out before next  Fall?

I've made the assumption that if these 4-5 don't pan out, other programs would likely want him but maybe that's not how it works

----Do not make any assumptions.  Things never work out how you think they will during the recruiting cycle.

Should he be contacting school that aren't as high level even if right now he doesn't think he would want to go there?

----He should be targeting the schools he wants to attend.  The question is are those schools targeting him?  Remember his baseball status is up to the school, not your son.  The question he needs to answer is which is more important, playing baseball or going to a school he wants to attend.  From experience I can tell you the answer is "going to a school he wants to attend".  Even if that means not playing baseball.  I know of many kids who went to the wrong school (either to play sports or not) and end up transferring out after the first semester or year. 

 Should our net be really big even if he's talking to schools regularly?  

---yes, min of 25 schools, more then that is better.

He also chose not to play for a top team.  He wanted to stay with friends.

---Mistake, at this point you/he needs to stop thinking about baseball as a fun sport and more about it as a career.  Top teams have good college coaching contacts and can be vital to the recruiting process.

 I think he projects for a power D1 at this point

--- Do you think or do you know?  Get an independent evaluation and see where he projects.  The number of kids who actually project power 10 is a lot smaller then you think.  If he is projecting there now you should already be hearing from these guys.

I will have to talk with him on this.  We already signed a contract for this summer, so he isn't going to be able to change that.  I don't know that this team won't be good, they just aren't a well known travel team.  We will play 4-5 V Tool and two big out of state tournaments this summer.  He is also set to go to two of the bigger invitational showcases.  If we don't do well this summer, he could change for summer after Junior year, but I realize that's late.

25 schools is a lot.  We are in a competitive state, so most of the D1 in our state are powerhouses.  At this point I would say he's reached out to 10-15 schools.  We will have to sit down and talk about where else we might want to pursue.

I wasn't confident that he projected to a power D1 until recently.  He made the top list for FB (88) now hitting 89, IF (87), and Exit velocity (90) at both the PBR and PG showcase he went to this fall.  His stats are all in the high 90% for PG 2020s.  Again, I realize things aren't guaranteed and they can change on a dime. He is talking to 4 schools that are ranked in the top 20-30 depending on the poll.  Two of the schools were probably 1-2 on his "dream" list.  I realize this is dangerous in terms of disappointment and where do we go from here feelings if they don't end up offering him.  I have told him that until he commits, he should be open to talking to anyone and be open minded about the programs.  That said, we have only sent things to the top programs that he really wants.   On PBR, all but two kids above him in ranking for his position are committed and about 20 immediately below him.  I think a lot of this is that he hasn't been seen a lot (not on a top travel team).  The only way a college coach would have seen him to date would be at a showcase or a camp, or through video he sent.

I appreciate all the advice and I do think we need to reach out to more schools and try to get him in front of more coaches.

baseballHS, another option is a guest spot on a power team.  If he has the data you say there are teams all over the place that have hired guns (so to speak) come in for the big tourneys.  East Cobb Astros come to mind. 

My son is a 2020 but he plays 15u, I thought it was important for him to be in a 2020 this past fall.  He called up an old coach and asked if the 16u team could use a pitcher, and poof, guest spot.  He had the chance to pitch against a really tough team, in front of some impressive people, and he did well.

There are teams that would take your kid in the BCS, WWBA....etc big tourneys.

baseballhs posted:

joes87 posted:

baseballhs posted:

StrainedOblique posted:

 

 That said, we have only sent things to the top programs that he really wants.   On PBR, all but two kids above him in ranking for his position are committed and about 20 immediately below him.  I think a lot of this is that he hasn't been seen a lot (not on a top travel team).  The only way a college coach would have seen him to date would be at a showcase or a camp, or through video he sent.

 

Wish I had more time to type up a longer reply, but its very busy at work today...

Do a search on this website.  It sounds to me like there is not a recruiting plan in place.  There is lots of info on hear about how to approach this.  Your son needs to be actively marketing himself to schools at all levels.  You need to approach this with a very wide net.  If it was me, I would shoot a video, put together an athletic resume and an email template that I could send out.  I would then target about 100 schools sending them an email with the resume and a link to the video attached.  Out of that 100 schools you will probably get a serious bite from 20 of them (in general camp invites are not serious interest).  Once you have your list of 20 have your son (not you) start a dialog with those coaches through email or over the phone.  My guess is out of those 20 you will find about half of them are really interested.  You will need to find a way to get in front of those 10 coaches.  Either through camps, showcases or them coming to see your son play.  After that you will hopefully have 5 or 6 schools who are really interested in your son.  From that point forward those are the schools you should concentrate on, but at the same time you need to keep the other schools updated and marketing your son to other programs as well.

baseballhs posted:

 

I... We already signed a contract for this summer, so he isn't going to be able to change that.  I don't know that this team won't be good, they just aren't a well known travel team.  We will play 4-5 V Tool and two big out of state tournaments this summer.  He is also set to go to two of the bigger invitational showcases.  If we don't do well this summer, he could change for summer after Junior year, but I realize that's late.

....

Just in regards to the summer team commitment...

it is January.  He is signed with a travel team that is not well known and may not be attending the events your son should be attending.  He is already getting interest from some D1 schools.  If he needs to change travel organizations to accomplish his recruiting goals, he should.  First, talk to the travel org he signed with.  Explain that your recruiting goals don't match up with the events they are attending.  If they can't see that a change is what is best for the player, then you are definitely in the wrong organization.  Isn't that what they are there for?  They have plenty of time to fill your son's slot.  I am very much against backing out and not holding true to your word.  But, sometimes, the situation is such that a discussion and working things out should be an option to be explored.  This sounds very much like such a situation.

Beyond that,  there is a ton of very good information being exchanged in this thread.  But I would caution... some is being presented as hard and fast rules.  Often, it is not at all hard and fast rules as much as, perhaps, what the poster has experienced in his or her circle.  It can be different for every player.  i.e. - myself and others have shared plenty of stories where D1 players are recruited well after sophomore season (as I mentioned elsewhere in this thread) .  

joes87 posted:

baseballhs posted:

joes87 posted:

baseballhs posted:

StrainedOblique posted:

 

 That said, we have only sent things to the top programs that he really wants.   On PBR, all but two kids above him in ranking for his position are committed and about 20 immediately below him.  I think a lot of this is that he hasn't been seen a lot (not on a top travel team).  The only way a college coach would have seen him to date would be at a showcase or a camp, or through video he sent.

 

Wish I had more time to type up a longer reply, but its very busy at work today...

Do a search on this website.  It sounds to me like there is not a recruiting plan in place.  There is lots of info on hear about how to approach this.  Your son needs to be actively marketing himself to schools at all levels.  You need to approach this with a very wide net.  If it was me, I would shoot a video, put together an athletic resume and an email template that I could send out.  I would then target about 100 schools sending them an email with the resume and a link to the video attached.  Out of that 100 schools you will probably get a serious bite from 20 of them (in general camp invites are not serious interest).  Once you have your list of 20 have your son (not you) start a dialog with those coaches through email or over the phone.  My guess is out of those 20 you will find about half of them are really interested.  You will need to find a way to get in front of those 10 coaches.  Either through camps, showcases or them coming to see your son play.  After that you will hopefully have 5 or 6 schools who are really interested in your son.  From that point forward those are the schools you should concentrate on, but at the same time you need to keep the other schools updated and marketing your son to other programs as well.

We have a website with video and a basic email that he personalized to each school with stats and achievements .  I've been looking at other schools to send to.  The  schools he is talking to currently do seem to have real interest. They talk on the phone weekly and have invited him for UV. They have spoken to his coaches and asked for his schedule. I just want to make sure we have backups.  

baseballhs posted:

joes87 posted:

baseballhs posted:

joes87 posted:

baseballhs posted:

StrainedOblique posted:

 

 That said, we have only sent things to the top programs that he really wants.   On PBR, all but two kids above him in ranking for his position are committed and about 20 immediately below him.  I think a lot of this is that he hasn't been seen a lot (not on a top travel team).  The only way a college coach would have seen him to date would be at a showcase or a camp, or through video he sent.

 

Wish I had more time to type up a longer reply, but its very busy at work today...

Do a search on this website.  It sounds to me like there is not a recruiting plan in place.  There is lots of info on hear about how to approach this.  Your son needs to be actively marketing himself to schools at all levels.  You need to approach this with a very wide net.  If it was me, I would shoot a video, put together an athletic resume and an email template that I could send out.  I would then target about 100 schools sending them an email with the resume and a link to the video attached.  Out of that 100 schools you will probably get a serious bite from 20 of them (in general camp invites are not serious interest).  Once you have your list of 20 have your son (not you) start a dialog with those coaches through email or over the phone.  My guess is out of those 20 you will find about half of them are really interested.  You will need to find a way to get in front of those 10 coaches.  Either through camps, showcases or them coming to see your son play.  After that you will hopefully have 5 or 6 schools who are really interested in your son.  From that point forward those are the schools you should concentrate on, but at the same time you need to keep the other schools updated and marketing your son to other programs as well.

We have a website with video and a basic email that he personalized to each school with stats and achievements .  I've been looking at other schools to send to.  The  schools he is talking to currently do seem to have real interest. They talk on the phone weekly and have invited him for UV. They have spoken to his coaches and asked for his schedule. I just want to make sure we have backups.  

Your son's pitching measurables are similar to my 2020 son.  If multiple coaches are answering his call every week or so, there is real interest.  One of the questions they will ask is "do you have a offer yet?"  As soon as he gets one, the news will travel quickly (you can help that/his travel coach should help that).  An offer from a school that is too far/not right etc is still very helpful in gauging the level of your son from college coaches eyes AND getting other schools to take a look sooner rather than later.

The V-Tool circuit in Texas will be well scouted this summer for the 2020 class.  Son will play some of them, play PG and other big events.

The guest pitcher/big deal tourney (WWBAs etc) is good advice.  Can be risky if you don't know any of the coaches/situations, but worth it if it works out.  That was the path for my son last summer and things worked out well.  He did well and met some great people.  Take your videos/stats and reach out to some of the top travel teams that play WWBA.  Get on one.  Fly in and eat steak.  Enjoy it.

Just like to add, it's rarely the wrong course to play the best competition possible.

Good luck!

I have a 2020 RHP with aspirations to play in college. He attended the Stanford camp last summer (between freshman and sophomore year).  It was a great first experience in learning to communicate directly with college coaches and I thought the level of competition was really good. He will be there again this summer - it fills up quickly for certain positions so if you're interested, plan ahead. He has a list of schools that he is interested in based on location, majors offered, etc. We're only doing on-campus prospect camps at those schools and the in-state D1 universities.

I have little to add to this as my son will almost certainly be playing football and not baseball in college but the one thing I always take a little exception to is the stats of how few kids are able to play college baseball (or football or basketball etc).  Those raw numbers, which I have always seen more as 6% but no matter, are entirely misleading.  Take my son for the first example.  He could definitely find his way on to some D3 roster maybe even D2.  But instead he is probably going to get a free education from football (knock on wood).  This is just one of many reasons kids opt not to play in college, cause they go for another sport instead.  If you have some ability and a desire to 'play' college baseball or just be on a team your chances are much nearer 100%.  It is a known fact at some lower D3's they will routinely trade a uniform for tuition dollars.  So don't sweat it if your son wants to play there will be a place for him somewhere!

2020dad posted:

I have little to add to this as my son will almost certainly be playing football and not baseball in college but the one thing I always take a little exception to is the stats of how few kids are able to play college baseball (or football or basketball etc).  Those raw numbers, which I have always seen more as 6% but no matter, are entirely misleading.  Take my son for the first example.  He could definitely find his way on to some D3 roster maybe even D2.  But instead he is probably going to get a free education from football (knock on wood).  This is just one of many reasons kids opt not to play in college, cause they go for another sport instead.  If you have some ability and a desire to 'play' college baseball or just be on a team your chances are much nearer 100%.  It is a known fact at some lower D3's they will routinely trade a uniform for tuition dollars.  So don't sweat it if your son wants to play there will be a place for him somewhere!

Yes, it just how many sacrifices is a young man willing to make to play. There are many schools, not just D3 that use sports as an enrollment driver. If you want to play bad enough, there is a school that probably has a roster spot. You may have to travel across the country, go to a school that does not have the academics desired. And many others. 

High school Baseball players (probably all high school Athletes) fall into several categories. 

1. Those who want to play at the next level and put in the Academic, research, and athletic work to find a place to play.
2. Those that say they want to play at the next level, but do not put i the work required, Either academically or Athletically. 
3. And those who have no interest in playing. 

If the NCAA removed groups 2 and 3 from their equations, the percentages would be much higher. 

JMO

CLS, there has been a lot of good info above, but I'll add my 2 cents anyway.  If he's all you mentioned on your high school team and still isn't getting much exposure, then it seems to me he should be focused on getting exposure through a travel team.  You can't do much about the high school exposure (other than change schools) but you CAN try to make up for it by finding the best travel team around that will give your son reps and has a track record of its players obtaining scholarships.  There is plenty of time to between now and summer to get that lined up so that he is guaranteed some good summer exposure after his sophomore year.   My son and many of his 2020 teammates have received D1 attention, visits, and/or offers directly from summer travel ball despite their high school teams situations because the travel team is high level, plays high level competition, and has a well-connected coaching staff.  

Hope that helps.