Skip to main content

Ya'll need something to talk about something besides Corona.

Baseball is all about making the adjustment.  Well we just took a couple huge curveballs for strikes (Corona cancelling HS  & college season, NCAA & MLB increasing # of players through additional eligibility and smaller draft).  2021's gameplan is to attend anything that isn't cancelled, send video to any schools of interest (and probably some a level or two down) it's going to be a bloodbath (as stated in another post). Good luck to any 2021's out there, with or without verbals at this point- swing at anything close

What about the 2022's? Do they need to swing at everything as well? As the parent of a 2022 LHP who is fairly promising but not in that top 1%, I have a vested interest in helping my player, but am fine with the conversation being more general instead of specific to me/him. After countless hours on this site, reading articles and listening to podcasts, we had a gameplan. We were patient and didn't go running around showcasing before he had something to show. We had a, albeit large, list of schools (reach, realistic, reserve) to reach out to, a list of events and camps to attend, were on a known team with a coach that knew people, were scheduled for the June 6 SAT.  What adjustments do you make? The list needs to be adjusted down a tier (IMO).  Do you attend camps at colleges (commonly known as fundraisers)? Mine is HA, so we were deciding between Headfirst and Showball.  Thinking we will go with HF because of the video component, in case travel is limited.  Although there is a SB in my backyard in the fall, so maybe we'll do both-if our finances don't further tank in the next couple months.  

Previously, I had scoffed at the programs that take kids and do "college tours" to scrimmage in front of coaches.  Maybe that will be one of the first things to return and would be worth switching programs for?

Do you hold everything (save training) while the chaos subsides? Seems risky given the increased competition?

Right now I've pulled recruiting off the list of things my 2022 needs to think about.  He works out everyday (with what few weights we have but is doing a lot of bodyweight and running), is doing a Driveline 2 month velocity training, and hits everyday.  That, remote school and studying for SAT is enough IMO.  I would like to do my best to figure out the situation and then, when the time is right, let him know how his plans have changed.  It's just a lot of chaos for a 16yr old.  

 

 

Last edited by LousyLefty
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

FWIW- at this time.....

My player is a LHP with excellent grades and a decent PSAT score (which will hopefully translate to a good SAT score in August(or whenever they get to test)) so he has better options than most.

We are in CA. He previously was looking on the East Coast just because of sheer number of HS opportunities, not so sure he wants to leave the West Coast now.  But finding a team to attend events in Georgia/Florida is no longer something we're looking at.  I am hoping for some small events over the summer.  He needs to do a PBR as soon as one is available to document velocity etc. Thinking July might be a go.  Already registered for Academic tryout for the AZ Fall Classic October 1.  Will probably add the September West Headfirst- there's no way they'll get the June ones in.  

d-mac posted:

I don't think the bloodbath will be as bad at the high academic level.  The best thing a kid can do right now is get bigger, stronger and faster.  If you are not a high academic kid I'd strongly start considering the JUCO route for 2021 and 2022's.  

JUCOs will be impacted for next couple of years as well?  Maybe the congestion will dissipate by fall of 2022. So that could be somewhat of an option that 2021's won't have as much as the 2022's. 

My 1 cents worth since the Corona economy has reduced my ability by 50%.  I will try to cover the areas that I have heard or talked to coaches about but again just my opinion because nobody knows at this point.  I think of all kids the HA kids are better but there will be more in the pool than before.  I think many other than Ivy's will still have an overflow of kids because of the extra year but not as many as others.  Have heard some entrance levels are higher and some are lower than pre-Corona.

P5 for 2021's.  The top 25% of P5 recruits will be okay because they are still the studs.  These are the scholarship kids and strong instate preferred walk-ons that are getting plenty without scholarships.  I do think the next 50% will be okay but may have to redshirt the first year, which is not a bad thing.  Son is a Corona freshman and I think he will be a better freshman next year than he was this year with one year of school behind him, a year of lifting and working out.  But as has been said if they are unrostered redshirts it is a tough "row to hoe."  If not from the south, that means it will be read tough year because you are having to do everything on your own.  The bottom 25% which will be walk-ons could be told sorry find somewhere else because I think even the fall groups will be so big they will not let them come to fall.

Other D1's I think fall in the same categories to some extent but the problem is there will be the bottom 25% of P5 guys and some of the middle 50% will drop down a level to compete freshman year rather than redshirt or be non-rostered.  D2, D3, and NAIA will be the same way but they will have mid-major D1's drop down also.

JUCO will be different.  They will recruit their tails off for the P5 guys and D1 guys probably telling them the doom and gloom stories of what this will do to their chances.  All levels of baseball will be good but I think the JUCO ball will be better for several years.   There will be some HS guys who were thinking draft this year that will run to JUCO to be able to be drafted next year.  That will happen more often over the next several years.

For the 2021's, I would be ready when it starts this summer.  I hear guys say their kids are not throwing and shut down because they aren't playing spring and maybe won't play summer.  Please don't take this to the Corona arguments, there are plenty of those on other threads.  But I have heard a lot of guys who run tournaments, showcases, and travel teams who think when the doors open hopefully in a few weeks in certain places they will be doing all the things and more they had planned this summer.  Some of the big boys may not and the colleges may not be able to but I know several that have negotiated to get fields for tournaments and showcases in May near me.  They would normally be on college campuses but will be on softball fields and the likes of private schools and such.  So the 2021's for sure that are uncommitted need to be ready to go.  Because I think once things open the timeline before showcases start will be very short.

Some will say that college coaches can't come but they can send other guys with video cameras, phones, stopwatches, and radar guns on their behalf.  The rules will get very blurred if baseball opens up and NCAA does not release college coaches to recruit.  I think some recruiting service guys and guys who have respect in the baseball community will make a lot of money real fast. 

Just my thoughts.

I agree with d-mac and Pitching fan that the HA schools won't have nearly the bottleneck that the other schools will see. Fewer seniors will come back that graduated, Ivy not allowing the fifth year, and a number of HA schools don't carry the maximum rosters to start. If their squads are bigger in number, they likely contain  a couple of walk-ons that made it through admissions.

A lot of this depends on if the NCAA extends the roster and scholarship allowances beyond next year.  If they don't, the whole thing will wash out after next year, and things will be mostly normal for 2022s.  But I think we're in for a few more paradigm shifts.  Even if campuses are reopened, a lot of parents aren't going to send their kids this fall.  It looks like football is likely to be affected and schools are already slashing budgets.  Many schools have poor balance sheets and will have a hard time surviving as is.  Could be in for an entirely new landscape that we aren't currently envisioning.

LousyLefty posted:

FWIW- at this time.....

My player is a LHP with excellent grades and a decent PSAT score (which will hopefully translate to a good SAT score in August(or whenever they get to test)) so he has better options than most.

We are in CA. He previously was looking on the East Coast just because of sheer number of HS opportunities, not so sure he wants to leave the West Coast now.  But finding a team to attend events in Georgia/Florida is no longer something we're looking at.  I am hoping for some small events over the summer.  He needs to do a PBR as soon as one is available to document velocity etc. Thinking July might be a go.  Already registered for Academic tryout for the AZ Fall Classic October 1.  Will probably add the September West Headfirst- there's no way they'll get the June ones in.  

LL, NorCal or SoCal?

Too soon to tell for 2022s. 

My guess would be that for the next four years there is going to be a surplus of talented players at the juco level. Coaches will scoop them up knowing they can get more mature, game ready guys and won't have to commit money for four years. 

Until the draft has a regular annual pattern again there really isn't a way for coaches to know what they're losing each year aka what they need to recruit. I would suspect a lot of the 2021s-2023s are going to be brought on as walk-ons with the understanding that once they know what money is leaving (draft, graduation) some will likely open up for them. 

Side note - those college tour scrimmages hosted by schools are actually very good for both programs and the college. It's essentially a vetted showcase. The coaches are there to watch the program while the club coach is in their ear saying hey I think Jimmy #26 can play here. He's a 6'3 shortstop with power to all fields. These other schools are interested in him, you might be too. Now they know who to look for.

Even if nothing comes of it, if the coach of the travel team has half a clue as to what he's doing that's a free easy connection he made right there that can be used towards younger guys coming up thru the program. The relationship is more important for the program than it being worth it for everybody on the team. Half of joining a program is to reap the benefits of those who laid the groundwork before you - as odd as it may seem. 

JCG posted:
LousyLefty posted:

FWIW- at this time.....

My player is a LHP with excellent grades and a decent PSAT score (which will hopefully translate to a good SAT score in August(or whenever they get to test)) so he has better options than most.

We are in CA. He previously was looking on the East Coast just because of sheer number of HS opportunities, not so sure he wants to leave the West Coast now.  But finding a team to attend events in Georgia/Florida is no longer something we're looking at.  I am hoping for some small events over the summer.  He needs to do a PBR as soon as one is available to document velocity etc. Thinking July might be a go.  Already registered for Academic tryout for the AZ Fall Classic October 1.  Will probably add the September West Headfirst- there's no way they'll get the June ones in.  

LL, NorCal or SoCal?

I asked because there is a local NorCal event that draws nearly every 4-year college program on the left coast. It's a great way to be seen without traveling.  I hope there are similar SoCal events.

for 2022 or any year, baseball advocates working on your players behalf are critical until scouting events start back up.   Video would follow closely behind.

Bigger,faster, stronger, and better is constant. Don't let up on grades during this nightmare.   Hard to gain ground back in the few remaining years of high school.  

and when events restart you will be ready to stand out from those who didn't take this time to improve.

My better and much smarter half got my 2022 kid SAT/ACT prep books when they went into distance learning. I am not sure when he will be able to take the test. He has not reached out to schools yet, he may be over analyzing it, at least he is thinking about is a victory imo. Not to be glib, but this is still an evolving sitch so I am relying on his summer travel program to help (they have connections to local colleges and host their own showcases). The kid barring injury will do fall ball now he used to skip it to bulk up and work on things but it looks like he will have 8 months of it.

JCG posted:
JCG posted:
LousyLefty posted:

FWIW- at this time.....

My player is a LHP with excellent grades and a decent PSAT score (which will hopefully translate to a good SAT score in August(or whenever they get to test)) so he has better options than most.

We are in CA. He previously was looking on the East Coast just because of sheer number of HS opportunities, not so sure he wants to leave the West Coast now.  But finding a team to attend events in Georgia/Florida is no longer something we're looking at.  I am hoping for some small events over the summer.  He needs to do a PBR as soon as one is available to document velocity etc. Thinking July might be a go.  Already registered for Academic tryout for the AZ Fall Classic October 1.  Will probably add the September West Headfirst- there's no way they'll get the June ones in.  

LL, NorCal or SoCal?

I asked because there is a local NorCal event that draws nearly every 4-year college program on the left coast. It's a great way to be seen without traveling.  I hope there are similar SoCal events.

I think not? Probably because we have statewide and national events down here?  We have Area Code games, MLB something in Compton. And I guess the PBR state games count?  Really wish we had built a relationship with a scout before all of this to get an invite to the AC games in case they are a go this summer.  
We had hoped to create some noise this spring with HS and build momentum from there.  He had a great start, but not enough starts to create buzz. 

Travel organizations do their own showcases; ours did, and they got all the in-state schools, and some from out of state.  I would imagine those will become more important, happen in mid-late summer, and being broadcast by PBR, ProspectWire, etc.  I imagine travel organizations are in trouble right now too, with parents out of work, events being cancelled, and refunds being a question, this would be a way for them to offer something to their players.

Parent of a 2022 RHP/MIF, HA route.  We are assuming most tournaments in June and early July will be canceled.  We are committed to a HF showcase in August and may also add a Showball in the Fall depending on feedback after September 1.  He is planning on taking the ACT/SAT in the November or December timeframe (assuming the schedule stays consistent) and plan on a busier summer of his rising senior year.  We live near several Patriot League schools, so we plan on having him attend school camps when/if they have them.  Don't know how else to proceed.  Travel coach is less worried about his HA 2022 kids, but he doesn't know what the trickle down will truly be.  

Until then, the boy is hitting every day, doing what he can to get stronger while we wait for all of the backordered gym equipment we ordered, and throwing to keep his arm engaged.  He worked very hard to make sure his arm was ready for his HS school season, but isn't on that same ramp plan now.  

Thanks for starting a string on the 2022 kids.  We all need to help each other understand how they'll be affected.

Add Reply

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×