Is something wrong with my son? I feel like I'm missing something

@Giff posted:

He's on a top of the line travel team (maybe too good as they have several of the top 2024 catchers so he doesn't get much time behind the plate, he DH's every game) that team includes a catcher committed to LSU and one committed to Vandy who are both ranked in the top 50. option right now.

Seems to me you just answered your own question. Coaches want to see a kid play and they aren't seeing yours do that. And, I'll just say it, the first thing that came to my mind is why on earth would this guy let his son sit the bench behind two top 50 players.

Your son sounds like he is a very talented player.  I think there are many here who have been in your shoes, and wonder what is going on here.     Based on what you shared, I'm questioning the outbound communication by your son to these programs that have seen him.....you didn't mention anything there.   It appears he is attending many showcases and tournaments but not getting traction based on your post.   How is he introducing himself to these coaches, attending the showcase/camps and then following up?   Is his travel/high school coach involved in the process or reaching out on your son's behalf?

There is a big difference between marketing and sales.   Your son is marketing his capabilities, but it appears he is not really selling himself to these coaches.   Selling is the grunt work, on-going communications, and operations that needs to happen to close the deal.   I didn't get the sense your son was constantly selling himself to these programs, nor any mention of a travel coach helping sell your son's skills.   It is possible he is doing these things, but you didn't mention it so that was my first thought.

JMO.  Good luck!

Thanks JMO! I can say we have been sending out e-mails and have just recently hired an agent from Elite Sports Advising. Maybe that's the way to do this. It just didn't seem like many of our emails were being read (although I cant prove that, of course). I'll stay at it on that front.

As far as the travel team, I think it is accurate to say we should have gone in a different direction. It feels pretty late to switch teams now, but it is a team where most of the guys were in the top 300. And anytime I think to switch teams, I worry about any fallout from that move--it happens. This team was competitive to win the whole WWBA each of the last few years, but this seems to be the down-side of the "stacked" travel team, lots of talent at each position.

Have you had a conversation with the travel coach or head of organization about this?  That is essential; they are the people who should be able to tell you what is going on.

I think that is the real problem "anotherparent", we're having communication issues with the travel coach. I generally like him, but we're in crunch time and need help. The agent we hired has actually been very responsive thus far. Maybe I'm just so used to failing to get a response that I'm just happy to get one-- it is nice to have him around.

As a retired Marine and combat veteran I sometimes wonder where we find all the fake tough-guys in this travel ball world. As a father, I'm looking for a good human being that loves the game to Coach my son and hopefully teach him the skillset and passion for the game necessary to succeed. That seems to be a hell of a lot to ask for in the modern travel ball world.

Giff:

As the "founder" of the Area Code games [1987 to 2004], during our 12 tryouts from California to Texas to East Coast, I attended every tryout to observe the players, pro scouts and College Coaches. Never did I receive this question from the parents.

Why DO YOU NOT CHARGE THE PLAYERS?

The College Coaches are NOT interested in Showcase "ranking"!

They are interested in players, who know how to "win" games with their bat, glove, feet, arm and above all their brain. What catchers glove, Wilson or Rawlings?

Does he have the 6th tool?

Bob

@Giff posted:

and have just recently hired an agent from Elite Sports Advising. Maybe that's the way to do this.

OK, any one here will tell you that I have always loathed others that were willing to call out someone for being "that parent". I got the vibe after the first post, the above confirms it for me. The problem most likely isn't your kid, it's you. My son didn't have the metrics yours apparently does coming out of HS, but he had 7 offers his jr year, including some from highly ranked schools, ended up going to P5. No agent needed.

It's Akums Razor. Your kid hits all the marks but nobody wants to deal with him. Not trying to be a dick. I do understand the desire to help your child. Sometimes one just gets caught up in it.

Recruiting classes are shrinking as D1’s are still dealing with roster logjams coming out of the pandemic, and also utilizing the transfer portal more than ever.

Most likely, that is a large part of what is going on.

@Giff posted:

As a retired Marine and combat veteran I sometimes wonder where we find all the fake tough-guys in this travel ball world.

thank you, sir, for your service!  

Hopefully things will pick up.  If not, a JUCO might be something to look at.  If he was All District in Texas there will likely be several JUCO’s that would want him.  

“Somebaseballdad” —thanks for the help. You seem like you’ve got this nailed down. You reminded me why I left this site before. thete are several nice people on here trying to help others out, unfortunately surrounded by “experts” like you with an axe to grind. Bizarre posts with inferences out of nowhere.

Thank you 3and2! Juco is definitely on the table for him, we’ll see.

@Giff posted:

“Somebaseballdad” —thanks for the help. You seem like you’ve got this nailed down. You reminded me why I left this site before. thete are several nice people on here trying to help others out, unfortunately surrounded by “experts” like you with an axe to grind. Bizarre posts with inferences out of nowhere.

I knew that wouldn't go over well but I tried. If your kid is so good, why isn't he getting offers? Either he's not that good or.... The whole baseball world didn't get together in a group text and decide to f*** your son.

Recruiting for HS players has been getting more difficult every year since 2020. And the recruiting timeline has been getting a little later each of the past few years too. Texas, as you know, is full of good players and a lot of really good 2024s don’t have offers yet. But I have noticed that very few of them have adjusted their sights in light of all the events that have negatively impacted recruiting - the most obvious being the trifecta of extra years of eligibility, the transfer portal, and the reduction of the MLB draft to 20 rounds. All these things have had the combined effect of keeping players in college longer. Rosters are full of older guys that have enough experience that a kid straight of of HS rarely has a chance to take playing time away from them. My first comment is to forget about the metrics. Metrics alone don’t make any player a D1 guy. Coaches need to see your son play. Maybe he could guest play on another team that will put him on the field more often. My second comment would be to cast a wider net. If you aren’t looking for JuCo opportunities you should be. There is a JuCo showcase in Dallas on July 13 that I will be attending. If that doesn’t work for you look for other events on JuCo campuses. JuCo baseball in Texas is very good and is the best route for the majority of non HA players coming out of HS. Feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk specifics.

My son got offers later than a lot of guys in his cohort. I do think your son is being impacted by the transfer portal and last year of COVID seniors. I also think he might be in that space where mid majors might not think he's interested.... What kind of support is his travel coach providing?

@SomeBaseballDad posted:

I knew that wouldn't go over well but I tried. If your kid is so good, why isn't he getting offers? Either he's not that good or.... The whole baseball world didn't get together in a group text and decide to f*** your son.

Tequila? Vodka? What we drinking!

You mentioned you've had contact with Pepperdine. I personally know a 23' who committed to Pepperdine in January of his Senior year, and got athletic money. So it looks like maybe they recruit a bit later than most D1s, and you may have some time with them.

@IAmThatGuy posted:

Tequila? Vodka? What we drinking!

Nothing. Coaches don't pass on talent for no reason. Either the reason is he's not as talented as stated or he is but there is a big red flag. Maybe that red flag is he hits to all fields with power while batting .197 and k'ing 75% of the time, but there is something there. The #3 ranked catcher in TX doesn't get recruited by the Naval Acadamy, because they would know they don't have a chance. My son's former team, that made it to a super regional, would jump all over him, given the stats stated. Or KY, or IU, or NC, or TCU. I could go on...

adbono— awesome advice, thank you! We are spoken for on that July 13 date but I’ll reach out. JuCo in Texas is really good from all I hear and want to make sure my son is aware of all those opportunities. Here locally, the JC has reached out and he really liked the Coach. But yes, you hit on so many important issues changing the landscape. The top of the top don’t seem to be affected but those underneath, the “mid major” types are feeling these changes.

947– yes sir! He’s heard from Coach Worth and Hirty. That seems like an amazing opportunity but some of the communication fell off the last few months. I’m glad to hear that this may just be the ebb and flow of the recruiting process.

Thanks to all for preaching patience. It’s stressful for me and I am trying to maintain distance through this process so it’s his recruiting. I get that, I just need some advice now and then on when and where to be. Also the “sales” vs “marketing” above is excellent advice. Thank you

@IAmThatGuy posted:

Tequila? Vodka? What we drinking!

Iced tea. Now it’s up my nose after reading your post. Cheers!

@adbono posted:

Recruiting for HS players has been getting more difficult every year since 2020. And the recruiting timeline has been getting a little later each of the past few years too. Texas, as you know, is full of good players and a lot of really good 2024s don’t have offers yet. But I have noticed that very few of them have adjusted their sights in light of all the events that have negatively impacted recruiting - the most obvious being the trifecta of extra years of eligibility, the transfer portal, and the reduction of the MLB draft to 20 rounds. All these things have had the combined effect of keeping players in college longer. Rosters are full of older guys that have enough experience that a kid straight of of HS rarely has a chance to take playing time away from them. My first comment is to forget about the metrics. Metrics alone don’t make any player a D1 guy. Coaches need to see your son play. Maybe he could guest play on another team that will put him on the field more often. My second comment would be to cast a wider net. If you aren’t looking for JuCo opportunities you should be. There is a JuCo showcase in Dallas on July 13 that I will be attending. If that doesn’t work for you look for other events on JuCo campuses. JuCo baseball in Texas is very good and is the best route for the majority of non HA players coming out of HS. Feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk specifics.

This (above). At this point of the process if a major program steps forward you’re son is the extra, fill the recruiting hole recruit. Getting on the field could be difficult. If might be better at this point to head for a competitive JuCo he believes he can get on the field.

Just curious, why wasn’t the travel team coaching staff selling him to potential programs perceived to be good fits. My son gave his coaches a list of P5’s he felt were academic fits. The coaches agreed they were baseball fits and presold him before events.

@RJM posted:

This (above). At this point of the process if a major program steps forward you’re son is the extra, fill the recruiting hole recruit. Getting on the field could be difficult. If might be better at this point to head for a competitive JuCo he believes he can get on the field.

J

At how many major programs is the #3 RATED catcher in Texas going to be an extra. In Texas, a baseball state, not like Montana. I guess I've been out of the loop here, but back in the day the #3 rated catcher from TX was worried about where he'd be drafted, not a lack of offers from the college ranks.

@SomeBaseballDad posted:

At how many major programs is the #3 RATED catcher in Texas going to be an extra. In Texas, a baseball state, not like Montana. I guess I've been out of the loop here, but back in the day the #3 rated catcher from TX was worried about where he'd be drafted, not a lack of offers from the college ranks.

IMO that’s more a reflection of the current times than an indication that a parent or player that is overvaluing their ability. Times have changed more than most people realize

@adbono posted:

Recruiting for HS players has been getting more difficult every year since 2020. And the recruiting timeline has been getting a little later each of the past few years too. Texas, as you know, is full of good players and a lot of really good 2024s don’t have offers yet. But I have noticed that very few of them have adjusted their sights in light of all the events that have negatively impacted recruiting - the most obvious being the trifecta of extra years of eligibility, the transfer portal, and the reduction of the MLB draft to 20 rounds. All these things have had the combined effect of keeping players in college longer. Rosters are full of older guys that have enough experience that a kid straight of of HS rarely has a chance to take playing time away from them. My first comment is to forget about the metrics. Metrics alone don’t make any player a D1 guy. Coaches need to see your son play. Maybe he could guest play on another team that will put him on the field more often. My second comment would be to cast a wider net. If you aren’t looking for JuCo opportunities you should be. There is a JuCo showcase in Dallas on July 13 that I will be attending. If that doesn’t work for you look for other events on JuCo campuses. JuCo baseball in Texas is very good and is the best route for the majority of non HA players coming out of HS. Feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk specifics.

@PTWood posted:

My son got offers later than a lot of guys in his cohort. I do think your son is being impacted by the transfer portal and last year of COVID seniors. I also think he might be in that space where mid majors might not think he's interested.... What kind of support is his travel coach providing?

These two!

It sounds like your son is a bench player on a national-level team so he doesn't get to show his defensive skills all that often and the team is geared towards Top 25 recruiting...not a great setup for him. And maybe the two of you are giving off vibes of "Top 25 or bust" - ? Did you have a certain school in mind that you are holding out for, but it hasn't materialized and you're having trouble moving on? How many schools is he interested in and has he attended their camps?

I think you are doing the right thing by hiring an outside adviser. Hopefully he's told you to adjust your sights a bit, widen the scope, start considering mid-majors and Jucos. Guest playing on another team is a great idea.

Opportunity is opportunity. Take it and run with it, whenever it comes.

When I read posts like these I always question the reliability of the parent assessing the talent. But I am going to go in a different direction here. Your son getting an invite to PG National is proof that he's legit, that is a great event where I'm sure he will generate interest.

I'd also say that he should probably switch summer teams unless one or both are getting drafted in the next week. Nothing wrong with leaving for more playing time, I'm sure somebody would be very happy to have him, but yes he needs to play. Especially at a premium defensive position.

@Giff posted:

I think that is the real problem "anotherparent", we're having communication issues with the travel coach. I generally like him, but we're in crunch time and need help. The agent we hired has actually been very responsive thus far. Maybe I'm just so used to failing to get a response that I'm just happy to get one-- it is nice to have him around....

Travel programs of this caliber typically have more than one coach/person of influence.  Has your son asked other coaches (assistants), trainers or coordinators in the program for feedback and direction?  Also, these programs want to see as many on their rosters get placed as possible.  Someone in the building should be able to shed some light that will explain why it seems those efforts aren't being made and/or communication isn't happening (I'm not suggesting those questions are to be asked that directly).

Is there a possibility that there are issues off the field (grades, legal, social, choice of major, etc.)?  Does he have difficulty communicating?

Something you said in another post has merit. He has to be careful about bouncing around travel teams or coming off as a malcontent.  It is likely that any interested school will want to contact his primary travel orgs to ask questions about him and it is important that he maintain a good relationship.  But it shouldn't be that difficult to respectfully ask what steps are being taken on his behalf and if there is more he should be doing on his part.  Other questions that should be asked, whether inwardly or outwardly - At this late hour, how frequently should he be checking in with whoever in the org is driving those efforts, etc.?  Is the HC definitely that person?

The agent you hired may provide some value but won't likely be the first choice for a college to reach out to when doing due diligence.

Best to you both!

You're not the only one. I too have a 2024. I would agree about feeling like emails that son sends are completely ignored.

From what I can tell the overload of players in conjunction with the transfer portal is definitely pushing the recruiting timeline back for 2024s. I get the feeling schools are waiting to see who they can get from the portal before turning their eyes toward the HS players. Maybe I'm just telling myself this to not go crazy.

I know we're targeting the right schools. Took son to a school's camp and he came away with strong interest. Now it's a matter of taking him to other camps. Seems like the schools he's interested in have camps this month and next. Hoping they'll react the same way the coaching staff did at the interested school.

By the way, the school that has expressed interest in him was one that he had contacted earlier. They had only responded with a generic "please come to camp" response. It was if they didn't actually look at the stuff he sent them. Son overheard the coach at the camp say, "This kid hits with this much power and has that 60 time?! How is this kid not already committed somewhere?!"

I often ask myself the same question, but deep down inside I know one of the big reasons is a lack of exposure. I don't believe or have the means to pay for PG/PBR showcases. We live in a fairly rural area. His travel team doesn't travel far. There were no scouts at tourney games last summer. He didn't have much playing time for his HS team and his HS stats aren't reflective of his ability. His HS coach doesn't reach out to college programs on his behalf. His travel coaches are younger and don't have nearly the clout of someone that's been involved with baseball for years. Had a lot of parents within the state see my son play for the first time recently and comment that they were blown away with his abilities. They had heard he was a good player, but didn't put much value into it since he wasn't getting much playing time for his HS team. So I would definitely say your son needs to be playing. The more he plays the more people can evaluate his ability.

There's a kid in our area that has participated a several PG/PBR showcases and throws up solid measureables. However, I don't actually know if those numbers translate to an actual game because he hasn't had much playing time for HS or for travel. He's already indicated that he's transferring HS, so maybe he'll get enough playing time this next school year for me to actually find out.

I’d rethink his travel team. The reason you play is to showcase and have an advocate out there (the coach), for your kid. If you aren’t getting that, you need to change teams or put more emphasis on camps and showcases where coaches can see him and interact. I know a lot of schools that typically over recruit have smaller freshmen classes this year. More portal.

@Momball11 posted:

You're not the only one. I too have a 2024. I would agree about feeling like emails that son sends are completely ignored.

From what I can tell the overload of players in conjunction with the transfer portal is definitely pushing the recruiting timeline back for 2024s. I get the feeling schools are waiting to see who they can get from the portal before turning their eyes toward the HS players. Maybe I'm just telling myself this to not go crazy.

I know we're targeting the right schools. Took son to a school's camp and he came away with strong interest. Now it's a matter of taking him to other camps. Seems like the schools he's interested in have camps this month and next. Hoping they'll react the same way the coaching staff did at the interested school.

By the way, the school that has expressed interest in him was one that he had contacted earlier. They had only responded with a generic "please come to camp" response. It was if they didn't actually look at the stuff he sent them. Son overheard the coach at the camp say, "This kid hits with this much power and has that 60 time?! How is this kid not already committed somewhere?!"

I often ask myself the same question, but deep down inside I know one of the big reasons is a lack of exposure. I don't believe or have the means to pay for PG/PBR showcases. We live in a fairly rural area. His travel team doesn't travel far. There were no scouts at tourney games last summer. He didn't have much playing time for his HS team and his HS stats aren't reflective of his ability. His HS coach doesn't reach out to college programs on his behalf. His travel coaches are younger and don't have nearly the clout of someone that's been involved with baseball for years. Had a lot of parents within the state see my son play for the first time recently and comment that they were blown away with his abilities. They had heard he was a good player, but didn't put much value into it since he wasn't getting much playing time for his HS team. So I would definitely say your son needs to be playing. The more he plays the more people can evaluate his ability.

There's a kid in our area that has participated a several PG/PBR showcases and throws up solid measureables. However, I don't actually know if those numbers translate to an actual game because he hasn't had much playing time for HS or for travel. He's already indicated that he's transferring HS, so maybe he'll get enough playing time this next school year for me to actually find out.

Son overheard the coach at the camp say, "This kid hits with this much power and has that 60 time?! How is this kid not already committed somewhere?!"

Why didn’t they offer?

@RJM I believe this particular coach likes to check all the boxes. We are aware he has called son's coaches to check on his character. He has chatted with my son about his academic/career interests. We also believe historically they invite a recruit for a visit to better determine fit. This is a program that typically takes HS players over transfers. They have very few players transfer out.

@RJM posted:

Just curious, why wasn’t the travel team coaching staff selling him to potential programs perceived to be good fits.

@cabbagedad posted:

Travel programs of this caliber typically have more than one coach/person of influence.  Has your son asked other coaches (assistants), trainers or coordinators in the program for feedback and direction?  Also, these programs want to see as many on their rosters get placed as possible.  Someone in the building should be able to shed some light that will explain why it seems those efforts aren't being made and/or communication isn't happening (I'm not suggesting those questions are to be asked that directly).

In our (pre-pandemic) experience, travel coaches and organizations are obsessive about where their players commit, often encouraging them to commit to higher-level programs than they will be able to actually play.

On PG, the national travel team with a catcher committed to LSU has every single one of its players committed to top schools, except two (not catchers).  They are clearly very concerned with getting their players placed, and I'm guessing that "playing time" is not an issue.  If your son is on that team, his coaches can surely tell you what's up.

I see a couple of other teams on PG with players who are highly-ranked TX catchers.  A few of the players on these teams are committed to in-state D1s, most are not committed at all.  That is no doubt due to the backlog/transfer jam that adbono and others are talking about.  But you still have to have a conversation with your coaches about what they think you should be doing with your son.

It sounds as though you are aiming at mid-majors on a national level, and in that case I would think that the PG National ought to be helpful - but only if your travel coaches are in contact with schools of interest.

Most (but not all) schools (especially top 100 D1s) have the following priorities in how they are currently recruiting: 1) transfer portal; 2) JuCo players; 3) HS players.  Some schools are only signing a handful of HS players each class. Four years ago it was 3 to 4 times that amount. The most competitive D1 programs are recruiting fewer HS players than EVER before. That is a fact. Not an opinion.

I listened to a D1 coach on a podcast last week who said his incoming class is 50% portal/JUCO and 50% HS players.  Of the portal/JUCO players- 70% ate position players, 30% pitchers.  Of the HS players- 70% are pitchers and 30% position.

Another in the camp of "Have Patience" (draft is this weekend so expected loses become real).  But I also think he should change teams, especially if the two catchers in front of him haven't been recruited yet, because they will continue to get significant time to show their skills first.  If they have been recruited, then the coaches should be shifting to show off your son at events, if not, there is something wrong with that program.   Catchers need to be seen playing, it's arguably the most important position on the field [other than The Pitcher, :-) ]   And the value of a catcher can't be read in metrics.  Being vocal, in command, a leader, always good body language, how his teammates respond to him, how his pitchers do... all these things need to be seen in game.  (and they all need to be seen when he's on the bench too).  I'm sure he is that kid, just needs to be able to show it in games.  All those things also make it why I think being recruited out of HS as a catcher when more mature players can be found, is a tough road now.

Don't be afraid to cast your net a little wider, you know your son can also take advantage of the portal a year or two from now to move from mid-major to top 50, if that's where he belongs.  Potentially saving you lots of money in the meantime.

PS.  Make sure any social media/ recruiting sites are up to date with recent data and photo's, etc.

Best of Luck

@Giff posted:

I've posted periodically for a while and just need a sanity check. My 2024 has really good metrics: He's 6'2, 210, runs a 6.98, 101 EV, 1.95 POP, hits to all fields with power, frames, blocks, etc. He's done really well and is ranked within the top 250 of PG for 2024. He was a Preseason All-American for PG and All-District here in Texas. It's just, he is simply not being recruited, certainly not with any urgency. He's on a top of the line travel team (maybe too good as they have several of the top 2024 catchers so he doesn't get much time behind the plate, he DH's every game) that team includes a catcher committed to LSU and one committed to Vandy who are both ranked in the top 50.

I played D1 at Cal so have some sense of how this all works but with this being the summer between Jr/Sr year I know the timeline is getting short. I thought some school would come along by now.

Last week we went to the Stanford camp. 30 coaches, my son played well, even hitting a GS in a live game in front of Coach Esquer and many on the staff of other schools.  They told him they liked what they saw but then...well I'm not sure? No one reached out to him or spoke with him at camp re: recruitment. I just want to help him find a place to play and time/money is short. He has the PG National Showcase next week at Chase Field in AZ and then the WWBA in Georgia the following week. I should say we have had limited contact with Pepperdine, AFA, and the Naval Academy. Tulane called one time last year but no f/u.

Lastly, he tried out for Area Codes but just cant seem to make it. Texas is pretty well stacked with catchers but he is the PG ranked #3 catcher for Texas and played well at the tryouts. The Rangers roster just came out...nothing.

I'm just a little bummed on a few fronts and perhaps I'm not seeing some "fatal flaw" in his game--but I don't think its there. Maybe it's because he is not super flashy? Not sure. Is there someone out there with helpful thoughts? I barely know what to tell him anymore--the "just keep working hard and good things will happen" phrase is wearing thin but it seems to be my only option right now.

1) He shouldn't be on a travel team sitting behind two top 50 catchers.

2) What are the two of you doing to reach out to schools that he has a legit shot at being signed?  Are you sending film to realistic colleges and Universities?   

3) Have you had a conversation with his travel coach to see if they are doing anything on his behalf?

4) This is a new era of College baseball recruiting.  There aren't going to be as many high school kids recruited now that the transfer portal is available to coaches.   I know for a fact that this was a factor in my 2024 RHP not getting an offer from a school he had targeted.   They told his travel ball coach that in years past they wouldn't have passed upon my son, but that now they want to hold onto the spot for possible transfer portal players they are considering.   

I would let the summer play out now.  Recruiting tends to happen all at once in the summer before senior year!  Plus, your travel coach will probably put him in if a team wants to see him; my son pitched on a high-profile travel team for about 4 weeks in June/July and had an offer by August.  Let us know what happens. 

Let me add something to this thread.   I mentioned in an earlier post that coaches are not recruiting as many  high school players due to transfer portal.   I spoke with my son's travel coach a couple of weeks ago, and he shared with me that he had a conversation with a head baseball coach at a Mid level D1 school that was recruiting my son and then after four weeks of recruitment ghosted him.   The travel coach called them to see what was up with that, and the head coach told him that they didn't want to fill up all of their spots with high school commitments, and then be in a position to get someone out of the transfer portal and not have room.    He told the travel coach that they had intended to circle back around to my son if they didn't find anything in the portal, but he has now already committed to another school. 

I suspect that by the end of summer when the Transfer portal carousel stops, that there will be a lot of D1 schools that just didn't find anything in the Transfer portal that they liked.   Thus they will resume filling their roster with high school recruits.   I don't think that the window for 2024 has closed.   I anticipate that there will be a lot of 2024 kids that get offers at the end of July and August when these D1 schools don't find what they want in the transfer portal.

@Ster posted:

Let me add something to this thread.   I mentioned in an earlier post that coaches are not recruiting as many  high school players due to transfer portal.   I spoke with my son's travel coach a couple of weeks ago, and he shared with me that he had a conversation with a head baseball coach at a Mid level D1 school that was recruiting my son and then after four weeks of recruitment ghosted him.   The travel coach called them to see what was up with that, and the head coach told him that they didn't want to fill up all of their spots with high school commitments, and then be in a position to get someone out of the transfer portal and not have room.    He told the travel coach that they had intended to circle back around to my son if they didn't find anything in the portal, but he has now already committed to another school.

I suspect that by the end of summer when the Transfer portal carousel stops, that there will be a lot of D1 schools that just didn't find anything in the Transfer portal that they liked.   Thus they will resume filling their roster with high school recruits.   I don't think that the window for 2024 has closed.   I anticipate that there will be a lot of 2024 kids that get offers at the end of July and August when these D1 schools don't find what they want in the transfer portal.

I believe that outlook is overly optimistic

Adbono;

Can you imagine the increased talent level of the California and Texas JC's?

The "red shirt" year will be very important to the player and the Coach.

Bob

@HSDad22 posted:

Another in the camp of "Have Patience" (draft is this weekend so expected loses become real).  But I also think he should change teams, especially if the two catchers in front of him haven't been recruited yet, because they will continue to get significant time to show their skills first.  If they have been recruited, then the coaches should be shifting to show off your son at events, if not, there is something wrong with that program.   Catchers need to be seen playing, it's arguably the most important position on the field [other than The Pitcher, :-) ]   And the value of a catcher can't be read in metrics.  Being vocal, in command, a leader, always good body language, how his teammates respond to him, how his pitchers do... all these things need to be seen in game.  (and they all need to be seen when he's on the bench too).  I'm sure he is that kid, just needs to be able to show it in games.  All those things also make it why I think being recruited out of HS as a catcher when more mature players can be found, is a tough road now.

Don't be afraid to cast your net a little wider, you know your son can also take advantage of the portal a year or two from now to move from mid-major to top 50, if that's where he belongs.  Potentially saving you lots of money in the meantime.

PS.  Make sure any social media/ recruiting sites are up to date with recent data and photo's, etc.

Best of Luck

This ^^^

You need to have patience while at the same time aggressively contacting programs where you (and by you I mean your son) have interest.

While there may be some college programs that recruit well the vast majority can't recruit sh@^. Why do you think they end up hitting the transfer portal?

Your son's best bet is the PG National Showcase. This is the real deal. There really aren't very many college coaches that attend because most players are already committed. That being said there are hundreds of scouts but they are of the pro variety.

My son was in the same boat as yours. He showed up to the PG National as one of the very few uncommitted prospects. He finished top 2 in velo (catcher) and top 5 in pop time at the event.  While his hitting was not great (1 for 4 with 2Ks and a 2b if I remember correctly) I think he played pretty well as he is a defense-first catcher. Not a single college program contacted him after this event.  But he did receive questionnaires from 15 MLB teams via the Draft Prospect Link website.

My son did eventually commit later that summer after attending an event where D3 coaches probably outnumbered D1 coaches 5 to 1 but you know what? Not a single D3 coach contacted him! So perhaps some programs don't bother and set their sights lower? Or perhaps my comment above regarding recruiting is way closer to the truth.

So in closing... have your son prepare for the PG National and show up with a chip on his shoulder. He really has a great opportunity to show what he's got in from of many already-committed players and MLB scouts.

Disclaimer: my son had received one mid-major offer during his junior year but declined (as in said he wasn't ready to commit) as it felt too close to home for him.