My son is a pitcher. A former coach keeps insisting that committing to a junior college is better than committing to a D1 college. Is there anyone else who believes this is so? Would you advise any high school player, assuming he had offers to a D1 school and JC, to go with the Junior College?
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I think it depends on several factors but has he explained his reasoning at all?
His reasoning was that a freshman on a D1 team will have to compete against much older, more mature players and the chances are high that most freshman see little or no playing time.
He also said that many of the current D1 starters came from the JUCO ranks.
I think it's a bad idea to make a decision based on the label of the school. A freshman might gets lots of opportunities at a D1 or none at a JUCO. As HShuler said, there are lots of factors to consider, including academics.
My 2018 pitcher looked at a couple of JUCOs before committing to a D1. While he was really excited about the JUCO baseball and might have gotten more playing time, once we looked at the classes available we realized there were only about a semester, maybe two, of courses he could take that would actually advance his education.
Look at the whole picture, and know that whatever you choose, you have to be prepared to work for what you want.
The benefit I see of choosing a JuCo over a D1 out of high school is wanting to be eligible for the draft sooner. It gives a potential high draft choice leverage without committing to three years of college ball if he doesn’t sign.
Another would be going JuCo due to not getting into a D1 program on your list. The coach recruiting the player leaving the program might be another reason.
But just like going JuCo may put a player in a better position in the future he could also end up in a worse position.
Go to a few Juco tryouts and come back and tell me there aren't 100 kids there vying for spots on the team. Then wash, rinse and repeat every year. I agree with RJM, Juco is route for kid who wants to be eligible for draft every year and possibly due to missing out on other level of college scholarship. Look into it and don't listen to 1 coach or person on the issue. Do your homework.
It has been my exp that with D1 mid majors, not P5 schools, they do take a lot of juco players. My son went the Juco route and ended up in D1 ball. It was a good move for him. In Juco he threw in the fall and spring and it was very good for his development. As far as the classes , he graduated in 4.5 years with honors. It's all up to what the individual wants, needs etc. I know several Juco programs that would smash 75% of the D1 teams...
Let's see throwing 90+ will player will likely play D1 as freshman. Same player at 85 probably not.
I agree with most here. If you are trying to stay draft eligible or if you didn't get the school you want then JUCO. I would also say it all according to what JUCO you choose as to whether it is easier to earn a spot. Remember, the top JUCO's every year have mostly draft players so the level of play there is sometimes better than at P5 schools. But when you say JUCO you have all levels from the top with draft players to the bottom that has kids that did not play on their HS teams. As you hear here all the time, do what is best for your kid.
Forget baseball for a second. Junior College is a great way to start a college education. It is affordable, has less "distractions" and gives a student time to mature before the "big" investment in State U. Not everyone is equipped at 18 to head off to their "Dream School". And school isn't for everybody.
Want to make a $100,000 a year in your early twenties? Go to trade school. U.S. currently issues 100,000+ EB3 and H1 visas to fill trades. There is a building boom in the US right now. The change in the tax laws has greatly increased capital spending. Welders, electricians, pipefitters, carpenters and other trades have been ignored for 20/30 years. Relatively few have entered the trades in that time. Hence the visa's. Starting pay for the trades in open shop states is @$28 per hour. Plenty of overtime. $85 - $95 a day per diem, paid seven days a week.
As previously stated, it really depends on your individual situation. One item to seriously consider is the fact that in most cases, all of your JUCO credits will not transfer, which could mean spending more time completing your degree at the D-1. This of course translates to more cost, so the savings realized at the JUCO is probably not what you think it is.
This route has turned out great for Ryno, but it hasn't been perfectly smooth sailing also. He has not pitched well so far this Spring, and although I truly believe he is getting close, it has been an adjustment period for him - athletically and scholastically.
In a perfect situation, I would tell a kid to go D-1 out of high school, but not every situation is perfect.
Know a kid (RHP) who graduated in 2016 & went to top 10 ranked Div 1 school down South. He was mid-high 80s. Never saw the field, first year redshirt. Now at a Juco & doing well & next year headed to Atlantic 10 school which is where he fit from the beginning. So, the moral of the story is to be realistic on where you fit & skip the drama. Go where your skills rate & you can play.
2020-RHP-Dad posted:My son is a pitcher. A former coach keeps insisting that committing to a junior college is better than committing to a D1 college. Is there anyone else who believes this is so? Would you advise any high school player, assuming he had offers to a D1 school and JC, to go with the Junior College?
How about some measurables for your son....height, weight, current velo, young or old for his grade?
I don't see any reason to say that a kid should go JUCO over D! without knowing the particular situation. My son was small by D1 standards when he committed. 5'10, 160 RHP...but he was 87-88 pretty consistently. He was 89-90 his senior year. He went to a mid-major and threw 38 innings his freshman year. Some as a starter and some as a reliever. He is a junior now.....they've had freshmen get significant time on the mound every year....heck, this year they have a freshman starting on the weekend due to a couple injuries to older kids. If your son is going to be an 88-90 kid with good control and secondary stuff....he's should have a good chance at getting some pretty significant time on the mound. Keep in mind, colleges play 4 or 5 games/week. Son's team just came back from their spring trip....9 games in 11 days....every kid who could throw got a chance to throw. Every school/situation is different....which is why I think the "juco instead of D1" comment is just tough to go along with.
Go44dad posted:Forget baseball for a second. Junior College is a great way to start a college education. It is affordable, has less "distractions" and gives a student time to mature before the "big" investment in State U. Not everyone is equipped at 18 to head off to their "Dream School". And school isn't for everybody.
Want to make a $100,000 a year in your early twenties? Go to trade school. U.S. currently issues 100,000+ EB3 and H1 visas to fill trades. There is a building boom in the US right now. The change in the tax laws has greatly increased capital spending. Welders, electricians, pipefitters, carpenters and other trades have been ignored for 20/30 years. Relatively few have entered the trades in that time. Hence the visa's. Starting pay for the trades in open shop states is @$28 per hour. Plenty of overtime. $85 - $95 a day per diem, paid seven days a week.
Agree. When I graduated HS almost 40 years ago, the HS counselors generally pushed college unless you were set on going into a trade such as HVAC, Auto Mechanic, Construction, etc. The last thing they encouraged was the military.
So far all of my children (4) have started in Junior College with one (2nd oldest) eventually getting a Bachelor's, another (3rd oldest) with an Associates and is working on his Bachelor's Degree. The oldest is now a mother of three, but she did attend junior college for 2-3 years - somehow life got in the way. The youngest will probably start JuCo this fall.
Steve A. posted:Know a kid (RHP) who graduated in 2016 & went to top 10 ranked Div 1 school down South. He was mid-high 80s. Never saw the field, first year redshirt. Now at a Juco & doing well & next year headed to Atlantic 10 school which is where he fit from the beginning. So, the moral of the story is to be realistic on where you fit & skip the drama. Go where your skills rate & you can play.
About half of D1 baseball recruits transfer within two years. Some of its competition. I’ll bet more of it is over reaching with their first choice/dream school.
i know a 5’10” kid who recently committed to the only D1 mid major making an offer for basketball. He should have been asking himself why every other offer is from a D2. He gets to pound his chest now saying he’s going D1. I predict he’s unhappy in about a year.
I think you've got to consider the particulars of the particular program in depth.
A good thing to do -a thing that in retrospect I wish we had done more of -- is to study historical rosters and playing time, track the trajectory of players over time, see how much roster churn there is in a given program over time. You can tell a lot that way. Some schools refresh regularly with JC transfers every year. This is especially true for reasons I don't fully understand of D2's here in California. Some schools seem to roster a fair number of frosh. But making the roster doesn't necessarily mean you get PT. Teammate of my son's played at a Big 10 school his Freshman and Sophomore year ... but he hardly saw the field at all, though. He finally just got cut, during this, his junior year. Other guys we know sat frosh and sophomore years but are finally starting in this their junior year.
Bottom line. Hard to generalize. It's a multifaceted baseball landscape out there. You should make you decision, to the extent that you can, on the basis of concrete information about particular programs.
Thanks for all the great information. Very helpful.
Here is more specific info on my son.
He's tall and skinny (almost 6' 4" and 165 lbs). Likely not growing much more, but has the frame to put on more weight. My guess is he will put on 15 lbs over the next two years and another 20-25 lbs if in a college training /eating regimen.
His velocity is decent but not great. He threw 84-85 mph as a freshman last year. This year has thrown 86-87 mph I guess. With better technique, weight gain and strength, I can see him hitting 90, maybe 91 by senior year, so not really MLB material but possibly enough velocity to get an offer from a D1 or Juco with a good pitching program. He has pretty good movement I should probably add. I'm sure he could benefit a lot from a good pitching coach.
It's not certain he will even get a D1 offer (or even a Juco offer) but if he continues with steady improvement, I think someone will give him a chance.
If he goes the Juco route I would much prefer it be a school where any classes that he took could be transferred to a decent 4-year college. My older son went to the local two-year college and is now completing his education at a 4-year college.
Thanks again for the information.
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2020-RHP-Dad posted:His reasoning was that a freshman on a D1 team will have to compete against much older, more mature players and the chances are high that most freshman see little or no playing time.
Again... not wise to generalize.
