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An actual recruiting question

S Scotty835,000+ posts
I don't really need to know this for a few years (hopefully) but it's just something I was really curious about. I never went through any baseball recruiting. I early committed for football. One thing about football recruiting was really getting to know your position coach. Since a player may play 4 years for a head coach and only have a few actual conversations with him. However your position coach will be a friend, a mentor, a parent figure, and everything in between.

So my question is does this apply at all to baseball. The only position I can think of would be pitcher. For example when being recruited I might talk to the head coach once a week or every couple of weeks but talked to the position coaches two or three times a week. Would a baseball player that's a pitcher need to make sure he speaks as much with the pitching coach as he does the head coach?
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rynoattackrynoattack10,000+ posts
Originally Posted by Scotty83:
I don't really need to know this for a few years (hopefully) but it's just something I was really curious about. I never went through any baseball recruiting. I early committed for football. One thing about football recruiting was really getting to know your position coach. Since a player may play 4 years for a head coach and only have a few actual conversations with him. However your position coach will be a friend, a mentor, a parent figure, and everything in between.

So my question is does this apply at all to baseball. The only position I can think of would be pitcher. For example when being recruited I might talk to the head coach once a week or every couple of weeks but talked to the position coaches two or three times a week. Would a baseball player that's a pitcher need to make sure he speaks as much with the pitching coach as he does the head coach?

I would think that is a good idea, and a lot of times, you may be communicating with the recruiting coordinator.  The coordinator at a lot of schools may be the pitching coach.  My son committed to Air Force, and the majority of his conversations have been with the head coach.

TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
Originally Posted by Scotty83:
I don't really need to know this for a few years (hopefully) but it's just something I was really curious about. I never went through any baseball recruiting. I early committed for football. One thing about football recruiting was really getting to know your position coach. Since a player may play 4 years for a head coach and only have a few actual conversations with him. However your position coach will be a friend, a mentor, a parent figure, and everything in between.

So my question is does this apply at all to baseball. The only position I can think of would be pitcher. For example when being recruited I might talk to the head coach once a week or every couple of weeks but talked to the position coaches two or three times a week. Would a baseball player that's a pitcher need to make sure he speaks as much with the pitching coach as he does the head coach?

Most if not all of sons communication was through the pitching coach. They have formed a bond that will be for a lifetime. You have to really make sure that you like the guy you will be working directly under. He actually didn't really get to know the HC until after he signed and he called son on several occasions after that. But not before that. Now my sons pitching coach is a HC, so therefore the pitchers at UF know the pitching coach as well as the HC!

 

Most of the really good HC leave their assistants to do their own thing.  My son's HC was all about taking care of baseball business, practices and games. And making sure they went to class.

fenwaysouthfenwaysouth10,000+ posts

Scotty83,

 

Good question and an important one IMHO.  Yes, the position coach for any recruit is incredibly important.  My son is a pitcher and he's developed a great relationship with his pitching coach over 5 years.  However, he wasn't the same coach who initially recruited him.  It is also important to understand how these coaches work together.  In my son's program one coach takes the West coast and another coach takes the East coast.  But, if my kid was a position player I would look for a similar strong relationship with the hitting coach or defensive coach.  There are different philosphies with regards to talent development.  Some coaches like to mold the recruit in their image.  Other coaches take what you have to offer and make it better.   Whichever it is, I would want to feel comfortable with the relationship and what the position coach has to offer in terms of  his style of development.  JMO

PrepsterPrepster10,000+ posts

Affirming here that knowing the position coach is extremely important.

 

With respect to the pitching coach: Talk with current players about him. 

 

Some possible questions about him:

(1) What's his approach to player development, and do they consider it effective? To what extent does he tailor his approach to the individual being coached?

 

(2) What do they respect and regard highly about him? If they were a pitching coach, what qualities would they try to emulate...or not? 

 

(3) Are they motivated by him? Is he someone they'd want to go to war with?

 

(4) Is he committed to growing in the role; and, along with that, how current is he with the ongoing analysis that's being done about pitching?

Last edited by Prepster

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