Camp Invites for 2022s

Plot Twist - they don't care about your kid, they just want your money. They didn't care about 2022s on the email list during the beginning of their 2022 recruitment.

The only 2022s, 2023s, 2024s they care about are the ones they are getting texts/calls about, the one's that light up a radar gun, or the "almost" guys with good size.

They didn't invite your kid to their camps a year ago because he was talented, they invited him because they know you have a checkbook.

@Francis7 posted:

My son is a 2022. I'm guessing between PG and PBR selling their databases, he's on the mailing list for 750 college camps. Everyday for several weeks now, he gets what seems like 4 or 5 emails PER DAY "inviting him" to attend some college camp SOMEWHERE (at D1, D2 or D3).

Everyday. Several per day. For many, many, weeks - maybe months? And it's still going on...got some today already.

Now, I get it. Everyone is an unpaid assistant and this is how they feed their family and pay their rent. And, I am totally sympathetic to someone trying to make it as a coach in baseball.

But, honestly, at this point, it's obvious that most schools are done with their 2022s, all things considered. And, there is almost no chance that a 2022 attending a camp as a result of getting one of these mass mailing campaigns is going to get an offer to play at a school.

If you want to go after the 23s or 24s now, I get it and that's less exploiting than going after the 22s.

Isn't it sort of shameful for these schools to be preying on those 22s who don't get it?

This is why it's a good idea for the kid to set up an email address for baseball recruiting only and just ignore it once that process is over.*  Also, Gmail does a really good job of separating the wheat from the chaff.

*make sure college coach has his "real" email.

I attended many of these camps when I was going through the recruiting process. I was fooled into thinking it would get me seen. Even as one of the best players at these camps I never once got pulled aside to talk or even got a follow up email. My recruiting came down to personal connections and emails. "Prospect" specific camps are a good place to compete, but not necessarily to be seen/recruited. I don't blame the coaches for still targeting your son, but I'm glad you have the sense to not fall into the trap.

If your son has a true dream school, it is worth writing a very strong email expressing his interest in their school/program and even maybe attending a camp in hopes of being seen. If it isn't his dream school, it is not worth it in my opinion.

The ability to tell the difference between a real invite and the mass invites is valuable. I’ve got a few friends who take the bait every time. Then they complain about the camp being waste. Then I explain HSBBW to them for the hundredth time. Then I get a text an hour later “Big State U is interested in my boy and he’s going to their camp in 2 weeks”. Rinse, repeat, over and over.

During his junior year, my son attended a few college camps. We had a budget, so he was limited in the camps he could attend. He attended only those camps where one of the coaches from that school were already in e-mail/phone contact with him and/or had made it a point to already see him play with his travel team.

FWIW - he committed to a university several months later....never attended their camp.

Once again, the best way to be “discovered” is playing for a travel team with contacts who can presell the player to the college program.

@RJM posted:

Once again, the best way to be “discovered” is playing for a travel team with contacts who can presell the player to the college program.

I am convinced this is true and the best way to get a college offer. All the other stuff is hail mary attempts.