Since the High school season just ended here in Washington it occurred to me the amount of players not recruited or even being looked at by colleges is staggering..I know there seasons are in full swing but they should have some coach who roams the fields looking for kids to help there program..I'd say 90% of HS players don't attend showcases or camps but do play on select teams.I know the time and money restraints but if you ask me area code kids should at least get a look..
Replies sorted oldest to newest
High school baseball varies dramatically by school and state and region. We live in Fairfax County in Northern VA and we are within a few miles of 3-4 baseball powerhouses, including VA state champions. Yet at our school, of 17 kids who just finished the varsity season, with 9 graduating seniors, we have 3 kids who work year-round in the hope of playing baseball in college. Of our 9 seniors, we have two great players (our SS and CF) who did not get into the "college recruiting game" until they were juniors and they hope to play club ball. So that leaves 14 kids who are content to play HS ball and call it a career. A few miles away are schools with 20 kids on the roster and maybe half will play some form of college ball.
Area Code Games are heavily scouted, by colleges and pros alike.
Travel ball became the chief recruiting venue provider largely because the reality is that baseball is often the red-headed stepchild of a college's athletics department. First comes football, then basketball, then Title IX, and then we see if there are any moneys left for other sports. Happily many programs have, in recent years, been able to achieve funding levels previously only dreamed of. But saving money on scouting players is essential.
Not to mention, as you can imagine, a college coach is not always available to roam town to town taking in one game at a time, even if money weren't a factor. He has his own team to run daily during the spring, not to mention a family he'd like to get home to. To do what you would suggest would require a tremendous expansion of the number of funded assistant coaching positions.
It does no good to cry over things that are not going to change. If you want to get recruited, you know the landscape. Either do what you need to do to put yourself out there, or risk getting passed over. Players are not going to learn any younger that you have to pursue opportunities to get them. The parallels to seeking a job are apt, because in many ways, that's exactly what a player is doing.
That's where a website like this is so handy. My son is a 2018, but we already have a recruiting plan mapped out based on the information we've found on this site. Although my son is talented, there are lots of talented kids on his team. Plenty of kids that could play at the next level, whether that is JC, D3, NAIA or D1. However, most of them have no idea what to do.
My husband had a discussion with the father of a Junior earlier this Spring. He told him all about this site and the information available. That dad's reply was to basically say he thought it was the HS coach's job to find places for his kid to play. My hubby tried to educate him, but I am betting he hasn't visited this site at all since the talk.
Kids and parents need to realize this is a marketing game. There are lot of talented kids, but unless you get them in front of the right people and target the appropriate level, a lot of them will end their careers after their senior year. Coaches are chomping at the bit for the highest level recruits, but they don't have time to see every player out there, especially if they don't even know a kid is available. How much work do you think all these unsigned kids have done to get noticed? If a kid really can play and they have marketed themselves, I find it hard to believe that they haven't gotten some level of interest, even at the JC level. We made one of our seniors create a Field Level account. Based on that account alone, he was contacted by multiple JCs and one D2 school. He never updated the profile beyond the original creation, but even that minimal level of action got him some contacts. Based in my 2018's Field Level account (the free version - I am not paying for any of their other services), he already has JC interest. It's a little comical that a JC coach is following a Freshman, but whatever. At least we know his name is getting out there.
Area Code Games are heavily scouted, by colleges and pros alike.
Travel ball became the chief recruiting venue provider largely because the reality is that baseball is often the red-headed stepchild of a college's athletics department. First comes football, then basketball, then Title IX, and then we see if there are any moneys left for other sports. Happily many programs have, in recent years, been able to achieve funding levels previously only dreamed of. But saving money on scouting players is essential.
Not to mention, as you can imagine, a college coach is not always available to roam town to town taking in one game at a time, even if money weren't a factor. He has his own team to run daily during the spring, not to mention a family he'd like to get home to. To do what you would suggest would require a tremendous expansion of the number of funded assistant coaching positions.
It does no good to cry over things that are not going to change. If you want to get recruited, you know the landscape. Either do what you need to do to put yourself out there, or risk getting passed over. Players are not going to learn any younger that you have to pursue opportunities to get them. The parallels to seeking a job are apt, because in many ways, that's exactly what a player is doing.
Since the High school season just ended here in Washington it occurred to me the amount of players not recruited or even being looked at by colleges is staggering..I know there seasons are in full swing but they should have some coach who roams the fields looking for kids to help there program..I'd say 90% of HS players don't attend showcases or camps but do play on select teams.I know the time and money restraints but if you ask me area code kids should at least get a look..
mik,
The NCAA limits the number of college coaches allowed to scout in the way you suggest. With all that a head coach has to do, and the NCAA limit of 3 coaches (paid), combined with limited recruiting budgets in many programs, college baseball does not allow "some coach who roams the fields."
As a practical matter, colleges have 2 coaches who can scout and recruit. Many of them are working 80 hours per week and more in season and 50-60 and more at other times of the year. While most are not paid much, their time per recruit is extremely limited and valuable when one considers the number of players they need to see in order to identify one that they feel can compete, be admitted and has an interest.
For baseball, at its core, recruits need to be where the coaches are. With few exceptions, it will never be the other way around.
I had very little knowledge as to ncaa limits and budgets.I stand corrected, not knowing all the factors as it relates to recruiting..
mik,
No nerve stricken at all. Those of us who've haunted these boards for more than a few years have seen this sort of question come up regularly, though, as new people come and go. Just trying to make sure you, and any other newbies like you, get the benefit of what has already been hashed out here in the past. Sorry if it sounded brusque, but better to drive the point home than to risk soft pedaling it to the point that we don't get through.
Is recruiting missing out?
I don’t think so, at least not in my region. The high level players who don’t understand the recruiting landscape probably do miss out on some opportunities, but most of them still end up playing somewhere if they really want to.
I’ve had the same thoughts when watching high school games. "That kid could play DI." But when you’re realistic about it, you see why the odds are against it. The kid can’t survive academically, or he’s got discipline problems, or he’s missing a tool, or he just doesn’t want baseball as a full-time job in college. And unlike football or basketball, there are very few full scholarships. Some families can’t, or chose not to spend/borrow $10K/year or more for college. I think many JUCOs do a nice job of finding these kids. That can be a great route for kids who might not have the academics or the financial support to play at a university.
Thought it might be fun to add a little real-world color to this topic. Happened to be looking at my son, the college recruiter's, calendar for this summer. The following observations come from it:
(1) In the 11 weeks between 5/26 and 8/2, he is scheduled to attend 14 events. Most run for multiple days.
(2) Destinations include Winston-Salem (NC), Harrisonburg (VA), Mason (OH), Greenville (NC), Scranton (PA), College Park (MD), Cincinnati (OH), Nashville (TN), Emerson (GA), and Durham (NC).
(3) Eight office days in Blacksburg, VA are interspersed throughout the period.
(4) Virtually all travel is by car.
In my opinion, his schedule is representative of the large majority of recruiters. They are virtual strangers to those back home during the "off season."
Clearly, not a lot of time to roam unscheduled fields.
Prepster, I know why he is in Mason Ohio 
. And I have a good bet on 1 of 2 tournaments for Cincinnati Oh
VA Tech has done some really good recruiting in SW Ohio in recent years
