2021s

If you asked me a couple months ago, I would have unquestionably leaned towards a "sky is falling approach" to 2021s.  But since then, I've seen nothing to substantiate it.  I was so worried that many good players would be left with no offers.  Boy, was I worried for nothing.  We are still seeing 2021s in our area (frankly, quite a few that I never considered college-caliber) committing.  Not every day, as it's slowed down some, but it's still regularly happening.  But the "stature" of the programs is certainly heading downward - generally speaking.  Mostly seeing D2 JUCOs and NAIA commitments at this point.  We're in Omaha - without question the "epicenter" of NE baseball in terms of population/players.  For reference, Kansas City is 3 hours away and Des Moines is 2.

My son's buddy committed to a stronger D2 JUCO program just a couple weeks ago, but we know it involved no money.  My guess is that anything coming in now involves zero athletic monies or very close to it.

So why does all seem fine/normal?  My best guess is that a good portion of it of is too good to be true.  I am predicting what I call "delayed carnage."  I think xmas break of 2021 could be much darker for many than it normally is.  The bubble bursts and cuts and transfers become pervasive.  I'd love to be wrong; I just don't know how the system can hold up the surplus weight for very long.

One piece of good news I'll share.  My 2021 is committed to JUCO where the coach genuinely likes to run small/smaller rosters.  30-35 guys and never above 35.  When my son toured there in July, the coach told us he was reluctantly going to run with 39 due to Covid this season.  But that didn't come to pass.  He's moved 8ish guys (6 to D1 4-years and 2 to D2) on over the past 2 months.  A really great surprise because my son MIGHT actually stand a shot of being on a 35 or less roster this fall.  I'm not counting chickens before they're hatched, but it's been awesome to see the coach moving guys on this fall all things considered.  Again, mostly D1 4-year schools.

Happy for your son Danj!

Commitments still happening. Friend of my son just committed this week to a D1 in TX. Don't know how long he held the offer, but there are still schools looking for talented kids. My son is a 2022, so I don't know when it's too late by division.

Some 2021’s on So-Cal scouts teams are still committing to top D3 schools and still some D1’s. One 2021 committed to UNLV last week.

@chazball not sure if it’s the same kid but one of my son’s classmates also just committed to a P5 D1 in TX.

@chazball posted:

Commitments still happening. Friend of my son just committed this week to a D1 in TX. Don't know how long he held the offer, but there are still schools looking for talented kids. My son is a 2022, so I don't know when it's too late by division.

Anyone that is committing to a D1 in Texas right now is almost certainly getting no baseball $.  That means they are a walk on - and they will be competing with 5 recruiting classes of guys on scholarship. The chances of that working out are slim and none. IMO that’s the worst possible decision a 2021 can make unless they will be content not playing baseball.

In general, I would guess that any 2021 committing NOW to anywhere is not getting any athletic scholarship.

@Francis7 posted:

In general, I would guess that any 2021 committing NOW to anywhere is not getting any athletic scholarship.

But you still get to splash a big announcement on Twitter!!                           #blessed

@adbono posted:

But you still get to splash a big announcement on Twitter!!                           #blessed

Respect my decision.  Oh wait, that is just for transfers.

@Francis7 posted:

How much is left to the school year? At most, five months?

At this point, kids have either signed a NLI or not.

If not, they either have an offer that's yet to be accepted or they have no offers.

For the kids with no offers, are they out of time - given the pandemic situation and where college rosters are now? (Note that this year is not like past years where maybe there was some time...perhaps.)

For the kids with offers and they haven't yet accepted, when is it going to be too late to accept...again, given the pandemic situation now and the college rosters overflowing?

The regular signing period for D1/D2 is in April. November was only the early period.

Bunches of 2021's here in MN committing to JUCO's...primarily in IA but also some in MN. The D2/D3 commitments seem to be slowing. Many D3's to the biggest D3 conference here called the MIAC. The most known schools in the MIAC are Carleton, Macalester, St John's, and St Thomas (after having been kicked out of the MIAC they are moving to D1 for 2021).

Side note that the #8 ranked PBR kid in MN/ND/SD is Josh Kingery, a LHP who has verified 90 in the left wing and has NOT committed anywhere yet. I am guessing that he will be committing somewhere sooner than later...probably D1.

I think some D3's and JUCO kind of look at position players all the way through the spring.  My 2021 is seeing a lot of more activity with D3 and JUCO that we were a bit surprised by.  Maybe they were waiting on budgets or approvals from college administrators. If you go the smaller college route I think it would just be prudent to do lots of research(I know others have mentioned this before) on their financials at this point and not just for athletics. 

if you're a 2021 or have one, you must follow @JRudd_Scout. Huge opportunity and gift here connecting players and coaches with needs and spots to fill.....

https://twitter.com/JRudd_Scou...509664195678211?s=20

I’m happy to help! Come follow along on Twitter as we prepare to turn over a comprehensive list of colleges looking for 2021’s.

https://twitter.com/jrudd_scout?s=21

@Francis7 posted:

In general, I would guess that any 2021 committing NOW to anywhere is not getting any athletic scholarship.

Oh, I’m sure they’ll find athletic money for a pitcher who throws 95+

I would bet that the lefty referenced in this thread earlier that throws 90 will get athletic money.  

My son was offered verbally by a Juco, but they said they didn’t have any athletic money. Is this typical? Should I be worried that the offer isn’t serious if they have no skin in the game? Thank you would appreciate your feedback

I’m not real familiar with JuCos. This is a general answer. Is it they don’t have athletic money available? Or they do but not for your son? If just not for your son he’s probably insurance if recruited players of higher priority, who will get a better shot don’t pan out. If they don’t provide athletic money do they have other money available? You have to understand the big picture to understand your son’s position.

There are 3 categories of JUCOs - just as there are in 4 year NCAA schools: D1, D2 & D3. If fully funded (and many aren’t) D1 JuCos can offer 24 full scholarships which can (and often are) be split into half’s. D2 JuCos also offer scholarships but can only offer books, tuition & fees - roughly 50% of the annual cost. D3 JuCos don’t offer any athletic scholarships. Some, but not all, JuCos have on campus housing. As far as the situation with your son goes, the JuCo in question has either already given away all their scholarships or they are only interested enough to offer a walk on opportunity. Even when schools say they are out of money, most of them hold a scholarship or two back in case a hard throwing pitcher shows up out of nowhere at the last minute. My advice would be to keep looking. A walk-on offer can be accepted at the 11th hour. No need to jump at that.

@adbono posted:

There are 3 categories of JUCOs - just as there are in 4 year NCAA schools: D1, D2 & D3. If fully funded (and many aren’t) D1 JuCos can offer 24 full scholarships which can (and often are) be split into half’s. D2 JuCos also offer scholarships but can only offer books, tuition & fees - roughly 50% of the annual cost. D3 JuCos don’t offer any athletic scholarships. Some, but not all, JuCos have on campus housing. As far as the situation with your son goes, the JuCo in question has either already given away all their scholarships or they are only interested enough to offer a walk on opportunity. Even when schools say they are out of money, most of them hold a scholarship or two back in case a hard throwing pitcher shows up out of nowhere at the last minute. My advice would be to keep looking. A walk-on offer can be accepted at the 11th hour. No need to jump at that.

I would suspect that many JUCO's are holding some scholarship $ back for the rather large amount of D1 drop downs that will be available next year.

@Go44dad posted:

I would suspect that many JUCO's are holding some scholarship $ back for the rather large amount of D1 drop downs that will be available next year.

Yes, they absolutely are.

My 2021 was just accepted at our state's public ivy school with honors and travel abroad.  No baseball but he is pretty excited to try and play club.  2021 was a tough year for HS recruits and rosters are over the top full, but I think things worked out for the best.  I appreciate everyone's encouragement on TEST PREP and grades toward HA D3. It was his goal to have a 4.0UW when he applied to all schools and a high ACT and he did both.  (thank goodness, cause this full online learning has been tough on grades)  Hang in there 2022's, hopefully, we knock out this virus soon and your path is a bit clearer.  Thanks again to those that posted long before me, you have been more than helpful!

Congratulations!  Nice to hear about kids moving forward, whatever the direction.

Congrats!  Great to hear of these success stories and terrific outcomes during such a challenging year.

Congratulations @Hookslide!!

@adbono posted:

There are 3 categories of JUCOs - just as there are in 4 year NCAA schools: D1, D2 & D3. If fully funded (and many aren’t) D1 JuCos can offer 24 full scholarships which can (and often are) be split into half’s. D2 JuCos also offer scholarships but can only offer books, tuition & fees - roughly 50% of the annual cost. D3 JuCos don’t offer any athletic scholarships. Some, but not all, JuCos have on campus housing. As far as the situation with your son goes, the JuCo in question has either already given away all their scholarships or they are only interested enough to offer a walk on opportunity. Even when schools say they are out of money, most of them hold a scholarship or two back in case a hard throwing pitcher shows up out of nowhere at the last minute. My advice would be to keep looking. A walk-on offer can be accepted at the 11th hour. No need to jump at that.

how do the California JUCOs fit in to this system? I don't believe they are in that usual division system.  They're also, mostly, public community colleges, so financial aid isn't usually much of an issue and, at least the ones in the bay area, are mostly commuter schools so i'm not sure there's student housing.

@mattys posted:

how do the California JUCOs fit in to this system? I don't believe they are in that usual division system.  They're also, mostly, public community colleges, so financial aid isn't usually much of an issue and, at least the ones in the bay area, are mostly commuter schools so i'm not sure there's student housing.

As in so many other ways, California is different and has their own system - which I’m not very familiar with. I do know that no California JuCos offer any kind of baseball scholarships.

@mattys posted:

how do the California JUCOs fit in to this system? I don't believe they are in that usual division system.  They're also, mostly, public community colleges, so financial aid isn't usually much of an issue and, at least the ones in the bay area, are mostly commuter schools so i'm not sure there's student housing.

Due to Covid, it looks like the 2021 season will start around March 26.

Check out www.keepplayingbaseball.org for recruiting guidance.

It will be important for you to review their JUCO Pipeline.

For Example In 2020, Butte College had ~17 alumni playing at 4 yr schools.

My Grandson is a 2021 1B/OF from California, who was just name Pre-Season All-America by Rawlings Perfect-Game, and while he has several colleges interested in him he is still waiting for an official Scholarship offer. Schools have told him they need to see what Seniors are returning and how much money their school is allotting this year. Covid-19 really messed up his exposure, they cancelled his Junior season and pushed back his Senior season to April this year. He earned All-American based on the 2 showcases he attended where his testing results were excellent. Stats: 6'3"/210,  Throw from OF: 91mph, Exit Velo: 104mph off Live Pitching, and 60yards: 6.90

Hopefully he'll get an official offer soon.

@Peach49 posted:

My Grandson is a 2021 1B/OF from California, who was just name Pre-Season All-America by Rawlings Perfect-Game, and while he has several colleges interested in him he is still waiting for an official Scholarship offer. Schools have told him they need to see what Seniors are returning and how much money their school is allotting this year. Covid-19 really messed up his exposure, they cancelled his Junior season and pushed back his Senior season to April this year. He earned All-American based on the 2 showcases he attended where his testing results were excellent. Stats: 6'3"/210,  Throw from OF: 91mph, Exit Velo: 104mph off Live Pitching, and 60yards: 6.90

Hopefully he'll get an official offer soon.

I have seen your posts over the past months and I have seen the video of your grandson that you have posted. I’m going to give you my opinion based on my own personal experience and I deal with this stuff a lot. First of all, Preseason All American honors are handed out like donuts. Unfortunately it doesn’t mean much. Four year schools have crowded rosters and (for the most part) have already recruited the 2021s that they are really interested in. There is all the difference in the world in “we want you” & “we are willing to take you.” You don’t want to be in the latter category. IMO your grandson is a JuCo prospect and that’s the path I would recommend. I hope you are pursuing that option.

Thanks for your input.  He's looking at all his options. We just want him to get a good education and enjoy his college experience.

@Peach49 posted:

Thanks for your input.  He's looking at all his options. We just want him to get a good education and enjoy his college experience.

You’re welcome. I can imagine that my comments aren’t what you want to hear but I hope you take them in the spirit I intended. I’m trying to help. I’m a baseball guy and I see HS kids make bad decisions more than they make good ones.

@adbono posted:

I have seen your posts over the past months and I have seen the video of your grandson that you have posted. I’m going to give you my opinion based on my own personal experience and I deal with this stuff a lot. First of all, Preseason All American honors are handed out like donuts. Unfortunately it doesn’t mean much. Four year schools have crowded rosters and (for the most part) have already recruited the 2021s that they are really interested in. There is all the difference in the world in “we want you” & “we are willing to take you.” You don’t want to be in the latter category. IMO your grandson is a JuCo prospect and that’s the path I would recommend. I hope you are pursuing that option.

@Peach49

2021 Roster insights are pending.

Here are some data points:

In 2020, there were 73 California freshman (primary position 1B) that were on college baseball rosters.

*** Colleges might list 1B as Infielders

Here are the states they were located.

Most played in the California JUCO (CCCAA)

Western State Conference had the most freshman 1b

2019 Insights

2018 Insights

Your grandson should check out the Pipeline of the JUCO Program.

Good luck

Covid-19 has crowded the field for 2021's but my Grandson can play multiple positions 1B, OF, 3B, and while he doesn't like to pitch he has thrown up to 91mph at his training center. Hopefully he'll find a college that's a good fit for him.

@Peach49 posted:

Covid-19 has crowded the field for 2021's but my Grandson can play multiple positions 1B, OF, 3B, and while he doesn't like to pitch he has thrown up to 91mph at his training center. Hopefully he'll find a college that's a good fit for him.

Didn’t your grandson commit a few weeks back? Thought I had seen you post something about him committing to a D2 on another thread.

He has not received his official Scholarship offer yet. Coach told him he will definitely be getting an offer, how much depends on funding. He really likes the Coach & it is close to home ,but until he gets that official offer he still talking to other coaches. He has a call with another D2 this week. Hopefully everything will be officially rapped up very soon.

Peach ... Your grandson is very low priority to this coach. If the coach has any money he’s holding it back for preferable options. Chances are he’s going to tell the kid to come on his own dime. Don’t do it. He third string insurance. The goal is to have a legitimate opportunity to get on the field, not on the roster. Rosters change from year to year. Find a place where he’s loved. Not where he’s the last option.

@Peach49 posted:

He has not received his official Scholarship offer yet. Coach told him he will definitely be getting an offer, how much depends on funding. He really likes the Coach & it is close to home ,but until he gets that official offer he still talking to other coaches. He has a call with another D2 this week. Hopefully everything will be officially rapped up very soon.

Peach I have to say I've always admired and appreciated your Grandparental pride and enthusiasm.  I was very close with my Grandfather and even in my 50's there isn't a week that goes by that I don't think about him.  

As for your Grandson, I suspect things will work out if he's open to being flexible.  It's stuck me that's there's been something of a disconnect between his high metrics and his recruitment status.  I'm not sure why, it could 100% be attributable to Corona, or maybe he's just got a lot of raw talent that hasn't fully translated to the field.  Either way, it remains a very tricky time for 2021's and even 2022's.  I suspect that's what the group is trying to express, everyone wants your Grandson to succeed.  He may just have to consider some alternative routes to get to the final goal, given the remarkable and unique challenges of the moment.  Please keep us informed.

I think the scouts at PBR may have landed on the issue that is holding him back.  This makes it all the more important that he goes somewhere that he will play right away so he can keep developing the baseball skills to go with his physical metrics.

“Bay Area World Series 2020 - Taken into full context, the run tool, the arm, the power & bat speed are all plus tools and put him into some pretty exclusive company. Usability of the abilities is the key and he's getting closer to putting it all together.”

I believe the real issue with not getting an official offer yet is that he lost his Junior year to Covid-19 and was only able to go to 2 showcases, that he did very well in. So he's had near zero opportunities for schools to see him. The schools that have seen him are all D2's from California that have been impacted by Covid-19 and had last season cut short and this season cancelled. All these D2's said they will be making scholarship offers soon. I'm sure it will all work out. If not he has 2 JC's calling him a couple of times a week.