September 1 has come and gone so it is officially recruitment time for us 2021s. I thought it might be good for us 2021s to have a dedicated thread where we can share our experiences and ask questions. Hopefully this will help us all gain a “big picture” of the recruiting scene as it unfolds. Good luck to all the 2021s as we begin the adventure.
If you are new here, welcome! Just be mindful of what details you share because this is a public forum and baseball is a very small world.
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Thanks for starting this. Count me in...
Sure thing, in. Broad details...primarily invitations to camps.
Hi Wechson, if you are comfortable sharing some more broad details...
Are those individual camp invites sent specifically to your son or the mass email invites? If they are individual invites, how did he get on their radar? (Just to be clear, I'm talking in broad terms such as you emailed the coach or he saw player at a tourney, not asking for any type of identifiable info.) Knowing how other players are getting on a school's radar could be helpful.
All we have received is the generic email invites. We did respond back to 1 of them with basic measurables because it is a school he would be interested in exploring. We have not contacted any other schools yet.
For my kid, the one camp that he attended last month (Mid Major D1) was after they saw him play at a Perfect Game WWBA tournament in Iowa (we noticed one of the coaches watching a couple of his games). He received an email the next day saying they liked what they saw, & could he come to camp. The coach mentioned a couple of specific at bats from the tournament. My son really liked the camp, he got a positive evaluation afterwords and they said they want to stay in contact & follow him.
The other camp invites we've received have been a part of a response after he's sent out emails to recruiting coordinators. In the emails he includes a video (usually of a BP swing or Game swing) & his updated measureables & GPA. Several of the coaches have expressed interest in staying in touch and being updated more in the future, even when he has said he can't make it to the camp.
I get the picture that the coaches like his size, & his swing, and the travel program he is a part of lends some credibility. Everyone wants to see what happens with his measureables over the next 6-12 months to see where he's at, so he's focusing on getting Bigger Stronger Faster.
In general (at least at this stage of the game for my kid, where it is more about getting on the radar of coaches), I like the camps/showcases where a lot of coaches attend. He did one of those in early August, where he met an RC from a different mid major who emailed him right after the camp saying they are interested and to stay in touch. That Coach has said he'll be coming out to a couple of Fall Tournament games this month to see him play.
@Zia2021 - of course. My son attended HF in August. Primarily a pitcher, although he does hit and measured a 88 exit velo. In fact all of his measurables during the combine like program they did for pitchers were great, he either was top of chart or top 5 (other than 60). So they get that he’s big, strong and an athlete.
As for pitching he did very well, struck out over 1/2 the guys he faced. His velo is still not off charts so that’s the main thing for him to work on and probably main reason he’s not in deeper conversations yet. Still, a lot of HA D3 attention and a few solid HA D1 Ivy/Patriot as well.
Follow up was a mix of generic camp invites and responses to my Son’s emails saying they liked what they saw at HF and encouraged him to come to their camps. Lots of those exchanges. He has told them he wants to focus on prepping for his standardized test and refining his mechanics/getting more explosive. So essentially he’s telling coaches to keep him on their radars and let’s all reconnect in the spring when he’s a bit further along. Coaches have been mostly responsive to that approach.
@3and2Fastball - feels like are guys are in a very similar place
Wechson posted:@3and2Fastball - feels like are guys are in a very similar place
Sounds like it, yes...
So here’s my dilemma. Maybe someone will have some advice. When should he start reaching out to coaches? His speed is his only measurable that’s where it needs to be. He’s got a 6.6 60, but his OF velo is 75 and exit velo 80. He got off track from training the past year and was already the youngest in his class. So he’s got some ground to make up this fall. I’m worried that if he sends those measurables out it will look bad. Thinking maybe he should wait 2-3 months (right before winter camps) to contact them when his measurables are hopefully a little better.
We're finding that many of the mid-major D1's and lower tier D1's are not done with their 2020 class, let alone their 2021's. Plenty of time left to find a good fit. A lot of the Power Fives are still working on their 2021 class, too, especially outside of the SEC.
Zia - he should contact coaches right now. The 6.6 will draw interest, and they will want to follow him & stay in touch.
This summer was a big season for my C to get noticed, he has about 9 D1 schools he is talking to now. Sorry I'm unclear on what constitutes a P5 or mid D1 but the schools seem to be sprinkled over different leagues and varying success in playoffs.
Most of these schools had started the conversation with him before 9/1 but a few more contacted on 9/1 or a few days later and we have school visits in the works for a few. A few others asked him to go to their winter camp even though he's been to their summer camps the past 3 years so not sure of the true interest or wanting to fill out a camp.
A few of the things I think that helped him:
- His measurables were already at or near what folks on this board have said D1's are looking for as a HS sophomore.
- He played on a good travel team in our area with coaches that are respected in the baseball community (a few of the coaches are former MLB and now scout for MLB teams etc... so good connections).
- The team has a history of players committing to colleges, that also helps with the connections.
- The team played in tournaments were lots of college coaches attended.
- A pitcher on the team was touching 90's so that drew many of the CC to the games. And my son caught for this pitcher most of the time in game.
- He played on a few regional teams that went to heavily scouted tournaments.
- He hit well at tournaments. Always made top 20 in the PG all tournament list when playing those tournaments.
- He received AC tryout and call back for the 2020 class. Amazed at how many scouts and CC were at those.
- He has a great personality:-) I don't think this gets mentioned much but have those good interpersonal skills that can leave a good impression with a coach when they interact with you can really help.
@Catcher-in-the-Rye - 1st off, great handle. And to your last point, thats a BIGGIE. Coaches want the talent of course. But they are looking at having kids on their team who they know will be adults, leaders, and fit into their culture. If your son has more of an outgoing personality, that certainly doesn't hurt, as lots of kids can be shy or intimidated by the process. From my pov, the interaction with coaches at Head First was one of the great components of that event..lots of practice interacting with coaches. Highly encourage parents to work on this with their kids, literally practice interactions, this will be valuable for them.
Catcher - that sounds fantastic. Congrats! It sounds like he is well on his way. There is definitely a certain "threshold" of measureables that schools are looking for, and once you are within or above that range, a lot of doors open...
by the way: The Power Five (P5) conferences are the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Zia2021 posted:So here’s my dilemma. Maybe someone will have some advice. When should he start reaching out to coaches? His speed is his only measurable that’s where it needs to be. He’s got a 6.6 60, but his OF velo is 75 and exit velo 80. He got off track from training the past year and was already the youngest in his class. So he’s got some ground to make up this fall. I’m worried that if he sends those measurables out it will look bad. Thinking maybe he should wait 2-3 months (right before winter camps) to contact them when his measurables are hopefully a little better.
Zia, your son and my son are very similar! He has gone ahead and started to reach out to coaches, highlighting his positives. My son knows he needs to get bigger and stronger, and he will work on that over the fall and winter. The goal is to get on their radar with the 60 time (and any other good things) and hopefully by next summer, his other less than D1 measurables will be a little more in line with his speed.
2021- Getting ready to go down to AZ for the Senior Fall Classic. Alaska combines juniors and seniors on one team. The talent pool is not at the same level as the lower 48.
He has started to fill out recruiting questionnaires for the colleges he would like to attend. A couple of DII and Juco's. Dream School is Cal Baptist. Building a video.
RHP/SS
60: 6.6
Infield velo 86
Outfield Velo 89
FB 86 Sits 83-84 CB 72 CH 73
Exit Velo I've seen as high as 94 but avgs 88-90.
Working on strength and getting bigger. 21 is only 6'1" 155 lbs soaking wet....
Wechson posted:@Catcher-in-the-Rye - 1st off, great handle. And to your last point, thats a BIGGIE. Coaches want the talent of course. But they are looking at having kids on their team who they know will be adults, leaders, and fit into their culture. If your son has more of an outgoing personality, that certainly doesn't hurt, as lots of kids can be shy or intimidated by the process. From my pov, the interaction with coaches at Head First was one of the great components of that event..lots of practice interacting with coaches. Highly encourage parents to work on this with their kids, literally practice interactions, this will be valuable for them.
Boy, this can make for another great topic... I mostly agree but lots of exception scenarios come to mind. There is a big difference between a great personality and a big personality 
Both are outgoing. One is almost always a positive. One can really go either way, often a big negative. I also agree with helping kids with their social skills but, as it applies to the setting among teammates, I think most often, they are going to learn that lesson far more from being among teammates than from the encouragement and/or advisement of parents. That's part of the beauty of team sports, particularly at a competitive level. They are with each other for hours every day. The shy, talented player will eventually have his hidden personality pulled to the forefront. Those kids often end up being the favorites among teammates and coaches. Love it when that happens!
Sorry, slightly veering off topic maybe.
ALASKAN : sounds great. Your son is in a great place with his measureables. Should get a lot of attention moving forwards. I have heard great things about the Arizona Fall Classic!
My 2019 got a offer there and alot of attention while there as well last year. One of the best experiences/tournaments I've witnessed. Hoping for the best for 2021. The Academic game is something to watch as well.
Lots of great info here already! There are many aspects of the recruiting journey we can’t control, but the more info we have the better off our kids will be.
Can you cite to measurables taken by his HS coach? Or should we only use those taken at an event?
Zia2021 posted:Lots of great info here already! There are many aspects of the recruiting journey we can’t control, but the more info we have the better off our kids will be.
Can you cite to measurables taken by his HS coach? Or should we only use those taken at an event?
We cite the top measureables he's had, that we are reasonably sure he can reproduce at a camp etc...
my kid hasn't done a PBR or Perfect Game showcase yet, he is planning to next spring, when he does he'll include those links in communication to college coaches. In the meantime he's done enough tryouts & camps & had his measureables taken by his travel team that we know his measureables...
We are also finishing up a recruiting video, and my son is beginning to fill out online questionnaires. He has been getting emails with camp invites, but nothing that seems directed at him personally. They seem to be coming mostly from colleges going to HeadFirst in Florida, so I'm guessing they're doing email blasts to kids who've signed up for that showcase, maybe based on reported academics?
Anyone else a little surprised at how detailed the college questionnaires are? Some have asked for parents' employment and education, AP classes, academic honors, and hobbies. They have all asked for a picture and an unofficial transcript.
We were a little flummoxed by the picture request, and spent some time discussing what kind of picture to upload (probably overthinking it). We ended up going with a waist up in baseball uniform shot (like the ones Perfect Game takes), thinking it would help the coaches recognize him.
One thing I'll suggest is that if you go to a showcase like Head First, it's worth it to take them up on purchasing the video (even though it's a bit pricey). The video is authenticated, and often has multiple angles, so the video is clear and coaches know where it came from/what kind of level competition they are facing. We edited together a video from our son's session at HF and have been getting good responses to to it.
I'm not sure where you are but if you are a cheap flight away from the NW checkout BaseballNorthwest.
For $200 you get measurables and a video included. And you can access the info for free no other hidden costs.
I check PG before and they wanted $650 just to attend and then they hide the content behind a paywall you have to subscribe to.
Perfect Game is $699 now. PBR Showcases are $175. We plan to have my Kid do both this spring, and both again next Fall if still unsigned. We didn't spend as much $$$ on travel ball when he was younger, knowing that if he still loved the game that Junior & Senior years would be more expensive. It's "Go Time" now!
In the meantime, the biggest thing for him is training with a proven strength/speed trainer who specializes in working with Baseball players....he's doing that twice a week...
What content is hidden? You can see all of your son's metrics and the video which is included with the showcase price. Of course you can purchase "extra" video but I don't thinks its necessary. Plus you can see all of the metrics for all other players AND their video. This is all for free!! You won't get any rankings. But of course we are all told we should not pay any attention to rankings because they don't matter. And in the end they don't. Strangely enough the primary sources of the "rankings don't matter mantra" are travel organizations! Funny how they all crow about team rankings like giddy teen players! Whoops, I got sidetracked...
My point is there is a tremendous amount of info available on the PG site. It's a great way to see real data collected in a uniform manner. Start with the "workout results" of the showcase your son has attended. Then check the previous year's results for the same showcase. Then check some of the national level showcase results. You can get lost in the "data" available to you for free. And if you REALLY want to know rankings without paying for it just navigate to the "Awards" tab on a player's profile. If they have a national ranking you will see it there. No state rankings though... Of course it may take you a while to determine the top 100 for a given class this way! ;-)
You can see PBR rankings if your kid has participated and has an account. You can't see them if you're not logged in. Can't see PG rankings unless you have the premium sub.
Re: college questionnaires. 2020 never filled one out. Just sent emails.
nycdad posted:You can see PBR rankings if your kid has participated and has an account. You can't see them if you're not logged in. Can't see PG rankings unless you have the premium sub.
Re: college questionnaires. 2020 never filled one out. Just sent emails.
You actually can see PG national rankings by looking on an individual player's profile (as I stated above). Just look at their "Awards" tab. You will see either their numeric ranking (1-499), Top 500, or Top 1000. The absence of one of the aforementioned means they are not currently ranked.
ABSORBER posted:nycdad posted:You can see PBR rankings if your kid has participated and has an account. You can't see them if you're not logged in. Can't see PG rankings unless you have the premium sub.
Re: college questionnaires. 2020 never filled one out. Just sent emails.
You actually can see PG national rankings by looking on an individual player's profile (as I stated above). Just look at their "Awards" tab. You will see either their numeric ranking (1-499), Top 500, or Top 1000. The absence of one of the aforementioned means they are not currently ranked.
Sorry, not "Top 1000", just "Top 500" which includes 1-499 and the other 1800 or so "Top 500"'s!!
I have accounts with both and will look them up for you if you PM me.
This thread is about to make my head explode. All this focus on measurables, camps, emails, etc. That’s all well and good but none of those things are what will get your kids recruited. What will get them recruited is being really good ballplayers. 1. The first thing that all of you need to do is find someone with credibility in the baseball world that will advocate for your kid. It can be a travel ball coach, private instructor, HS coach, MLB scout, etc. But that person has to be able to pick up the phone and call college coaches and tell them that they need to look at your kid. And the coach on the other end of the line has to have enough respect for your advocate to listen. This is way more important than shaving a tenth of a second off your 60 time. 2. If your kids are 2021s they are now in their junior year in HS. By now you should have a good idea what level of college ball your kid can play. This defines what pond you should fish in and it also defines (to some extent) how you should go about doing it. If you don’t know what your target is you have very little chance of hitting it. The first thing you need to decide is if you are targeting HA schools. If so, the process is different than if not. 3. Emails are effective only with schools that have limited recruiting budgets. College coaches get hundreds of emails a day. They only open them if they have to. If your son is getting calls and texts on his cell phone from a RC then that is real interest. Anything else is not. Camp invites are by and large money grabs. Not saying don’t go, just saying go with eyes open. 4. Understand that the recruiting process is different for pitchers and position players. It is way easier for a good pitcher to get recruited than a good position player. Comparing the recruiting journey of a pitcher to that of a position player is comparing an apple to a banana. A pitcher has a chance to really raise his stock at a high profile event. For a position player to do that he would need to have the event of his life. 5. Rankings are nice but nobody is recruiting a kid because they are the 15th ranked 2B in NJ. Rankings are used by college coaches as a cross- check to justify in their mind what they have seen with their own eyes. Rankings are not the basis for any kid to be recruited. Don’t chase. 6. Regarding the almighty measurables..... kids are smart and they cheat in order to achieve a better measurement. When recording pop times catchers start standing up when the pitch is 10’ away from them in order to get rid of the ball quicker. This doesn’t translate to in game performance. Same with Exit Velo off the bat. Kids are generating a number with a ridiculous swing that would never be used in a game. When running the 60 they jump the start to shave a little off their time. Straight line 60 yd speed doesn’t directly translate to baseball ability anyway. College coaches know all this. Parents and players are putting WAY more stock into these numbers than college coaches are. Fastball velo is the only number that warrants all this attention. The importance of all the other numbers has been puffed up by the people putting on all the Showcase events in order to get people to show up and pay $600 apiece. 6. Regional differences are huge. What is true in NE is probably not true in Texas. It’s great to share information (as that is one of the very best things about this site) but there is not a one size fits all recruiting hat for everyone to wear. Everyone needs their own plan base on what their target is. What works for one may not work for another. I’m done. My beer is getting warm.
ADBono: Absolutely agree. We have only made contact by emails with colleges that have seen 2021 play, contacted him, or he would like to attend. As far as the measurables, I had alot of questions with 2019 because of the relation of where we live and comparable players in the lower 48. And alot of that was answered in this forum. His numbers where done at a camp in which college coaches run here in Alaska in the summer. 2021 is following the same route as 2019 in ability, but also getting alot more opportunities. While playing at the next step is the dream, the education is the goal. I know he can play at the next level (college)-don't really care what level, as long as he is happy with the school.
ADBONO, thanks for the input. Some of us on this thread already know each other personally, and are well aware of the things you said and agree with them. So we started from a point where all that was assumed and moved forward into some specifics. But you did a good job of summarizing a lot of valid points from many other threads for new people who stumble upon this thread.
Zia2021 posted:ADBONO, thanks for the input. Some of us on this thread already know each other personally, and are well aware of the things you said and agree with them. So we started from a point where all that was assumed and moved forward into some specifics. But you did a good job of summarizing a lot of valid points from many other threads for new people who stumble upon this thread.
Gotcha. If that’s the case have you thought about a group PM?
ABSORBER posted:nycdad posted:You can see PBR rankings if your kid has participated and has an account. You can't see them if you're not logged in. Can't see PG rankings unless you have the premium sub.
Re: college questionnaires. 2020 never filled one out. Just sent emails.
You actually can see PG national rankings by looking on an individual player's profile (as I stated above). Just look at their "Awards" tab. You will see either their numeric ranking (1-499), Top 500, or Top 1000. The absence of one of the aforementioned means they are not currently ranked.
Yes, I meant easily on the front page.
Be warned sometimes you have to look deeper, just because a kid has a numeric ranking for state, it can be a place holder. For example my 2022 has a 14 Overall and 5 RHP ranking for state....But that's not his actual standing, that is a place holder for about 50 players, with the cutoff for the actual ranking being 13 and 4.
Honestly the PG ranking other than the very top have always been confusing to me.
adbono posted:1. The first thing that all of you need to do is find someone with credibility in the baseball world that will advocate for your kid. It can be a travel ball coach, private instructor, HS coach, MLB scout, etc. But that person has to be able to pick up the phone and call college coaches and tell them that they need to look at your kid. And the coach on the other end of the line has to have enough respect for your advocate to listen. This is way more important than shaving a tenth of a second off your 60 time.
This seems to be neglected by a majority of people who post about recruiting. I get that many people who post are looking at D3 schools (because D1 solves itself?), and many hs/travel coaches have less familiarity with D3 (and high academic) recruiting and schools. That was the case with our organization. But a good advocate (instructor, coach, etc.) should be willing to contact whatever college coach you tell him about, to give a recommendation. Ours did that, and it was definitely a boost.
nycdad posted:ABSORBER posted:nycdad posted:You can see PBR rankings if your kid has participated and has an account. You can't see them if you're not logged in. Can't see PG rankings unless you have the premium sub.
Re: college questionnaires. 2020 never filled one out. Just sent emails.
You actually can see PG national rankings by looking on an individual player's profile (as I stated above). Just look at their "Awards" tab. You will see either their numeric ranking (1-499), Top 500, or Top 1000. The absence of one of the aforementioned means they are not currently ranked.
Yes, I meant easily on the front page.
Be warned sometimes you have to look deeper, just because a kid has a numeric ranking for state, it can be a place holder. For example my 2022 has a 14 Overall and 5 RHP ranking for state....But that's not his actual standing, that is a place holder for about 50 players, with the cutoff for the actual ranking being 13 and 4.
Honestly the PG ranking other than the very top have always been confusing to me.
Actually, it works like this:
PG National rankings 1-499 (recent ranked classes have few than 500; they increase the total count at every rankings update so let's assume we are talking about 2020's) are listed as is, 1-499. "Top 500"'s are actually nationally ranked BY POSITION. For example, if you choose a position such as LHP will will see that each "Top 500" has a different national ranking for their position. "Top 1000"'s all share the same national ranking for their position which is the next number after the lowest "Top 500" position ranking. If you are the lowest ranked "Top 500" LHP and your national position ranking is 320, every "Top 1000" LHP will be "Top 1000" overall and #321 LHP). State rankings are different. You can be listed #9 in the top 10 for your state (check the recent 2023's) and yet be a Top 1000 nationally and share the same national numeric ranking as the #10 ranked LHP pitcher in your state. Of course, as I stated earlier, you will only see top 1-499 or "Top 500" on the awards page if you don't have an account. Of course you can see the rest as I defined if you have an account and won't need to select every profile's award page!
ADBONO - definitely agree 100%. Great post. One of the biggest reasons my Kid joined the travel organization he's with now is because the owner has a ton of contacts with college coaches at all levels and has a proven track record over many years of getting dozens of kids placed in college programs. I agree that is essential.
My posts about measureables reflect the comments that my kid has received from college coaches, "we like a lot about what you bring to the table, if you can get your 60 time to X and your throwing velocity to X than we would be really interested..."
3and2, “ we like a lot about what you bring to the table and if you can blah blah blah” is standard coach speak when they have minimal interest but don’t want to say that. Would love to be wrong about that in your case, but I wouldn’t put a lot of stock in comments like that if I were you. Especially if those comments came from a D1 coach. Comments would have more validity IMO if coming from a D3 coach.
ABSORBER posted:nycdad posted:ABSORBER posted:nycdad posted:You can see PBR rankings if your kid has participated and has an account. You can't see them if you're not logged in. Can't see PG rankings unless you have the premium sub.
Re: college questionnaires. 2020 never filled one out. Just sent emails.
You actually can see PG national rankings by looking on an individual player's profile (as I stated above). Just look at their "Awards" tab. You will see either their numeric ranking (1-499), Top 500, or Top 1000. The absence of one of the aforementioned means they are not currently ranked.
Yes, I meant easily on the front page.
Be warned sometimes you have to look deeper, just because a kid has a numeric ranking for state, it can be a place holder. For example my 2022 has a 14 Overall and 5 RHP ranking for state....But that's not his actual standing, that is a place holder for about 50 players, with the cutoff for the actual ranking being 13 and 4.
Honestly the PG ranking other than the very top have always been confusing to me.
Actually, it works like this:
PG National rankings 1-499 (recent ranked classes have few than 500; they increase the total count at every rankings update so let's assume we are talking about 2020's) are listed as is, 1-499. "Top 500"'s are actually nationally ranked BY POSITION. For example, if you choose a position such as LHP will will see that each "Top 500" has a different national ranking for their position. "Top 1000"'s all share the same national ranking for their position which is the next number after the lowest "Top 500" position ranking. If you are the lowest ranked "Top 500" LHP and your national position ranking is 320, every "Top 1000" LHP will be "Top 1000" overall and #321 LHP). State rankings are different. You can be listed #9 in the top 10 for your state (check the recent 2023's) and yet be a Top 1000 nationally and share the same national numeric ranking as the #10 ranked LHP pitcher in your state. Of course, as I stated earlier, you will only see top 1-499 or "Top 500" on the awards page if you don't have an account. Of course you can see the rest as I defined if you have an account and won't need to select every profile's award page!
So my 2020 is a top 500, but his ranking shows up as 561 for RHP, shouldn't he be top 1000 and not top 500?
