How to know if son is high recruit?

If you have the resources, ask him to pick his top 3 of those who have contacted him, call the coaches and ask to visit. Spend a weekend at games and walking around campus.

The things that happen after that (follow-up contact, etc...) will tell you one way or another with regards to those schools.

Sounds like you might have a son that is going to draw considerable interest in July. His Perfect Game score will give you an indication of how he rates. That's solid speed if he truly hits for power and the size is there. Keep doing what you are doing--be proactive! Your son has a nice attitude but at the same time resolve to keep up your end of the recruiting process just in case he doesn't get as many calls as he's hoping in early July. Just remember there is still a lot of recruiting even after that month. Good luck!

Momof1B - welcome to the hsbbweb!

Based on your description, he sounds like a high recruit. I wouldn't put much stock in trying to read the tea leaves however. His phone may ring or it may not ring on July 1st but that does not change whether or not he'll get to play in college.

My best advice is to play the recruiting game backwards. Don't sit around and wait for the phone to ring. Lets assume he has gotten 20 letters from top schools and he is highly interested in 10 of them. There is nothing preventing him from contacting them now to find out what they think. Ask them directly why they sent the letter. That type of information would be of much more value to you than what we can speculate on here.

He can contact any school at any time he likes. They can only contact him after July 1st after his junior year. The best way to find out if he is a high recruit is gauge what they say. If they say we love him and make an offer, that will be the high level of interest you are looking for. If they are more nebulous and say they want him to attend their camp to try out, then you'll have a decision to make as to whether to pursue them or keep looking for more serious interest.

He will be playing for a summer travel team this year and going to TN & GA, for tournaments in July. He got a letter for Junior Day to a college in IN, and the cost of travel to IN, along with the travel teams costs are a lot, so we do not think we can afford to send him to the Junior Day(he is also still in HS the days of this event). He never played travel, so this is all new to us. He was also notified on being on the list for PG Preseason Underclass All American Team. This board has really given me some insight to everything as I have been trying to read all of it...thanks in advance.

Let me give it to you straight, my friend. Power hitter or not, no speed = no play, especially in DI. They would rather have a contact hitter with speed rather than a "power hitter'. My son was no speedster as a catcher, but could hit. Did not matter, the kid with the faster feet got the opportunities first. Saw the writing on the wall rather quickly and converted to pitcher. My suggestion to any parent and son searching for positional opportunities is to match position with speed first, then move on. If between 6 and 7 seconds only option becomes pitcher in DI. Trust me on this. In DIII, you might get by at different position, but only until quicker freshman comes along.

Louisiana Lightning,

I agree that speed is important, but I would disagree with it being as important as you stated.

We could name "many" DI and even "Professional" players who lack running speed, even first round picks. Hitting ability is actually much more important. Obviously, speed or lack of speed, along with other things, might cause a change of position in some cases.

Matt Wieters, Prince Fielder, etc. are not in the Big Leagues because of their speed.

That said there are some programs that value speed more than other programs.

quote:

no speed = no play

You consider a 6.77 no speed ? There are lots of D1 guys slower.
My concern is you refer to him as a 1st baseman and that is very limiting. There are lots of bigger guys who are power hitters and can hit for good average. His bat will be a big determining factor.

I'll try to add to this...I use "powerhitter" because it is what I hear. He is #4 batter, occassionally #5, depending on the coach. He has been told he has the fastest bat ever seen,so slower pitchers he really needs to wait on. (make sense) sorry, it is what I hear people say. Fast bat speed, and also he is 1B, he is a lefty, so it limits him to OF & 1B. His foot speed was timed at a camp. One camp was a 7.03 in Nov. then next camp was a 6.77 in Feb.
This is stuff I hear people say and I prefer to hang with the guys at games, because I like to keep a book for him, and actually like to watch the game, rather than gossip.

If a player cannot hit it doesn't matter how fast he can run---you cannot use the speed if you are not on base---power and speed is a great combination

What was his rating from the PG showcase?

I have to assume his arm isn't that great. You need a great arm to play OF or pitch.
A college coach likes some versatility due to limited roster spots and funds.
You said he didn't play travel ball so where did he learn to play ?

quote:

Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:
I have to assume his arm isn't that great. You need a great arm to play OF or pitch.
A college coach likes some versatility due to limited roster spots and funds.
You said he didn't play travel ball so where did he learn to play ?

Don't assume anything. The fact he is left handed explains first base. He also hits for power. His speed is plenty fast enough to play outfield in college and if he can hit, he can play in the outfield as his speed is an asset.

Coaches look for what they want ideally and what they will accept. If he can hit, they will find a position for him.

That was an assumption which she can deal with.

I've done a little digging and it looks like he could be a kid who threw low 70s from 1b, who ran in the low 7s at the PG showcase and was rated an 8.

Then again I could be completely wrong.

CADad you are correct, he threw low 70's from first as he was going for accuracy at the showcase, didn't realize you were supposed to go for speed. He ran a 7.16 there. He pitched at the showcase, but was way off. He isn't a next level pitcher, altho he pitches for HS, normally a closer. Nice detective work. It was his first showcase.

If he can hit for power and average he has a shot. The thing you have to realize is how many great hitters there are wanting to play college ball.
Where did he play ? An 8 at PG is a decent score.

He has played town ball and American Legion in the summer. He played travel ball this past fall and we got him a hitting coach over the winter. He will be playing this summer for a U18 Travel Team. I figure the travel team will give him some exposure and help him play at the next level. We are from a small town and he will need the exposure to get noticed. We hear many good things about him and he loves the game,but I want to be realistic as well. I am just trying to be selective on showcases, camps etc...I have him answer all emails, send back questionaires, he has called a few coaches and gets we'll be in touch, your on our radar, keep us updated...and stuff like that. I'm just hoping things work out ...

It is important to play against top competition to really gage your potential. Based on what you have told us it is hard to give you a valid opinion. A good travel team does more than play games. They help develop your skills and your strength. His arm appears under developed.
You seem to be doing what you need now but are well behind the development curve. The PG guys saw something they like so there is hope. Keep working at what you are doing but he needs more arm strenght and possibly more skill training. A strong lefty bat can get you a lot of interest if you can hit the college pitching. I have a LH friend who wasn't a strong player but could crush a ball. He was drafted very high out of HS.

Thank you all for your honesty and advice. We will continue to be proactive and follow up on college inquiries and forward his summer schedule to them all. He is very enthusiastic about traveling this summer and is so looking forward to playing at the PG 18U WWBA and Sandlot 18U World Series, as are we. I can not wait to go to Georgia and Tenn. He fits in well with the other boys on this team and they played very well together in the fall. Also, I would like to add that the wealth of info on this site is priceless...thanks again.

This was helpful to me as well.

Just FYI. I signed my son up for a showcase last summer, but a minor injury kept him from playing in it. He still got letters of interest from some smaller schools, even though we weren't within 50 miles of the showcase.