Gap post grad

What have other people in baseball (travel coach, high school coach, scouts, college coaches, any people you trust) said about your son's skill level?   From your post it appears he can do a lot of different things....switch hit, switch pitch, play multiple positions but what does he do extremely well or what is the specific skillset that is going to take him to the next level that is going to grab a coaches attention?   Being devil's advocate....why not just go straight to JUCO, and start his education and development w/o the NCAA 5-year clock ticking?

Chasing the dream is great, but I think it needs to be somewhat realistic and a path clearly defined.  I understand you are just kicking the gap post grad idea around based on the offers your son has received.   What is it about those offers that is leading you to consider the gap post grad idea.   You said the offers were okay not great.  Clearly these offers did not meet you/your son's expectations.   Specifically, what are those expectations?   I just think you need to back up a little bit before heading down the rabbit hole.

As always, JMO.

Thanks Fenwaysouth.

Travel/ HS Coaches say mid major D1 pitching. Has been at same hs 4 yrs and same travel since 13u.
MLB Scouts - pitching if velo gets up (fb 87 top, steady 85).  

Reality is D2 offers. In his brain he is a 2way. Works more on hitting than pitching. Because he is 5’10” and feels pitching will be a dead end. Considering going back to catcher - as a switch hitter thinks will be more attractive (hasn’t caught since 13u!?!) Plate =full.

I guess reason for not JUcO is purely playing time. At post grad will play. Not sure about JUcO. Of course in his brain he is D1. Objectivity so hard as a parent. Trying to stay back and let him drive and he is intent on gap year. Can take 9 hours each semester during gap year and keep eligibility.

He is sure that since surgery recovery can get to better offers. Offers he has still there and the coaches have been very patient with him and keep talking and coming to his games. Offers are for 2way as long as he can keep up grades, training, etc.
My thought is he can come to terms with pitching vs hitting in a pg environment seeing how he stacks up. Versus less playing time college/JUcO to work it out.

Those 4 years of eligibility are extremely valuable

I don’t see a ton of downsides with a gap year, and perhaps right now it’s an even more of a logical decision (considering the roster logjams coming out of the pandemic)

Just my quick 2 cents

Herewego,

I guess where the rubber hits the road is.... how much does your son think he is going to improve his recruitment position with a gap post grad year?  He's playing at 95% after knee surgery, and getting offers.   Is that extra 5% going to get him where he wants to go (D1?) without a coach raising a red flag on knee surgery?   Playing college baseball at ANY level is an incredible accomplishment.  It kind of sounds to me that he is hung up on Division labels, and maybe he doesn't fully understand the full spectrum of college baseball talent just yet.  Every kid that wants to play college baseball goes through the same thing as they want to play for a known D1 media brand that is playing on TV in the CWS.  There are many excellent D2 and D3 teams that don't get the media attention.   I just think he needs to look a little deeper to see the value in playing for those team that offered, and evaluate his situation.   The grass is not always greener elsewhere.  It may be that he gets picked up by a D1 school but doesn't make the starting lineup.  Is that better than being a 2-way player starting at a D2?  Only your son can answer.  I can tell you what my son's answer would have been.   If he wasn't starting/playing then he was going to drop baseball and focus on his studies.  He felt his time was too valuable to sit on the bench.

So, I think if you do a search on this site you'll find an abundance of people who thought their son was going to be a two-way college player.  Of course there are differences in the number of two-way players between D1, D2 and D3 with less being at D1 level and more at the D3 level.   Every kid (all D1 recruits) on my son's national travel team that won the 16U PG WWBA in 2008 thought they were going to be a two-way D1 college player...they had no idea.   The reality is very different from the perception which is why I asked the question about what makes your son stand out or separate himself from other recruits.  It is very possible your son has that two-way ability at the D2 level which is where he is getting his offers.   I'd double click on that some more.   If he wants to be a two-way, D2 may be his best option now and in the future.

Seeing where he stacks up against the competition is a great place to start.  A bunch of years ago, my son had an off day at the PG WWBA and we walked around to see some games.  There was a guy throwing a bullpen off to the side for scouts and college coaches.  My son's eyes bulged as this kid was hitting 100mph with his fastball.   For my son, that experience (watching someone else light up the radar gun) really put things in perspective and he realized that perhaps he was barking up the wrong tree for D1 P5 recruitment.  There was so much talent at these events that I think my son had a new found appreciation for his team, and some of the interest that he was getting from D1 and D3 academic schools.   It was an aha moment.

Just my experiences and thoughts.

My son was very similar to yours in many ways, travel coaches said "could be mid-major" as a pitcher, got some interest, but he had a lot of D3 love as a 2-way.  He went to a D3, has been on the field since freshman year (although not 2-way for most of it), with good summer leagues.

How is this gap year program, playing against D2, D3, juco, going to show that he can be D1, especially as a hitter?  JUCO would do that better, I would think - he has to face D1-type pitching.  If he's a D1 prospect, why is he afraid he wouldn't get playing time at a JUCO?

What is the dream he’s chasing? Does he expect to become a pro prospect? Otherwise, he should be looking for the best combination of best education possible combined with a quality baseball experience regardless of the level.

If he wants to be a two way he’s better off going D2 or D3. It doesn’t mean it will happen. It just means the odds are better.

A friend’s son made all state as a pitcher and outfielder. He got to Tufts (D3) and never touched a bat. He played outfield in a semi pro summer league during college.

I was a two way for one year of D1. It was a lot of work. My BA was .300+ and ERA -3.00 in limited at bats and situational relief. I was recruited as an outfielder. Injuries put me on the mound. At the end of the season I was told the coach preferred I only pitch. Of course. I was a lefty. He was using me for situational pitching. I told him I preferred to hit as recruited and never pitch again. I got my way. While I would have done what was best for the team I didn’t want to be a twice a week, two innings per week pitcher.  Good thing I won a position or I would have looked stupid.

In high school it was fun dominating on the mound. But I didn’t like how pitching fatigued me for hitting and running the bases.

This is very anecdotal, but between the players both my kids played with (especially the 2022), I've probably seen a dozen kids re-class, take a gap year (either attending a a place like P27 or IMG), etc. And it didn't seem to dramatically move the needle.

You give up nothing for a gap year - whether you're an athlete or just a regular HS grad.

You get maturity, development physically and mentally and insight into yourself (i.e., for an athlete is it fun or a grind to play 100 games, plus conditioning and skill development - but without the added burden of academic college).

It took me 10 years to finish my undergraduate degree; I wasnt ready to actually learn, but it took a few years to recognize that. Fate offered a chance and I wound up traveling to distant places, met interesting people, did hard things (mentally and physically).

Returning to school was a breeze because I really wanted to learn; grad school was a breeze because no matter how difficult, those gap years were more difficult.

I'm retired now; retired at 65. No one cares if you graduated college a year late.

A gap year has no real downside; I wish my kids had taken me up on my offer to gap year them. NBD, but it was a lost opportunity for them.

Based on everything you said, draft status should not factor into any of your decisions.

@fenwaysouth posted:

What have other people in baseball (travel coach, high school coach, scouts, college coaches, any people you trust) said about your son's skill level?   From your post it appears he can do a lot of different things....switch hit, switch pitch, play multiple positions but what does he do extremely well or what is the specific skillset that is going to take him to the next level that is going to grab a coaches attention?   Being devil's advocate....why not just go straight to JUCO, and start his education and development w/o the NCAA 5-year clock ticking?

Just to clarify, his 5-year clock will start ticking if he goes to JUCO and is taking a full-time course load this Fall. 

Thank you all. Much food for thought. He had a great pitching outing last week and more offers. Good problems but now he’s more conflicted than ever. He sees the gap program as dream world - train 5hrs a day and games every weekend with guaranteed playing time. Best thing ever. Going on some site visits this week and meeting with travel coach for advice.
My knowledge of JUCO limited. Haven’t really explored much. I fear the D1 route for no playing time.
Fun times!