Moving on to the 23s and 24s?

SMH.

@russinfortworth posted:

SMH.

Why?

Just relax and let the information flow in. You will hear some by word of mouth. You find out a lot when all the signings hit the papers. If nothing else collectively someone at the games will know where everyone signed by next spring.

I just feel terrible for the 22s.

I know more than a few 22s who can play that have nothing going on now.

Granted, some of them are either "very good all around, solid, but not one eye popping exceptional skill or tool" or "one exceptional tool (i.e. speed or bat) but undersized or challenged in other areas (i.e. speed or glove)."

I think these are the kids who would have still made it somewhere in normal years but got squeezed out with the roster saturation issue.

@Francis7 posted:

I just feel terrible for the 22s.

I know more than a few 22s who can play that have nothing going on now.

Granted, some of them are either "very good all around, solid, but not one eye popping exceptional skill or tool" or "one exceptional tool (i.e. speed or bat) but undersized or challenged in other areas (i.e. speed or glove)."

I think these are the kids who would have still made it somewhere in normal years but got squeezed out with the roster saturation issue.

I've seen kids with solid offers but are holding out for specific opportunities...they are choosing to double down on themselves which is their right and the end they may opt for the least desirable choice or take gap/reclass option if time runs out.

Gap year academies are going to be a big business for the next few years.

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

Gap year academies are going to be a big business for the next few years.

After a year of PG these players will mostly go play where they should have gone in the first place.

There is no question that times are tough for remaining uncommitted 22s, but I think the brighter lights on the 23s and 24s right now has more to do them being the cream of the crop of 23/24s.  While there are still plenty of really good uncommitted 22s out there, they're what I call waves 2 and 3.  The 23/24 wave 1s/potential wave 1s are going to be more interesting/sexy than what's left of the 22s.  That's always the case around this time of year.

The door is definitely not closed on 2022s even though some 22s (and their parents) might argue it's closed because D1s aren't offering 22s much more at this point.  The smartest uncommitted 22s have let go of the D1 dream at this point (at least for now) and are focused on finding the best/right fit for their immediate future.

My 2022 is currently uncommitted.  He is a pitcher, not a position player, so take his experience for what it’s worth.

Recruiting is definitely not over for him.  He is getting interest from all levels, Juco, NAIA, D3, D2, D1 mid major and P5.  He has two mid major offers and has a couple of other mid majors and a couple of P5 schools who are waiting to see him throw in person this fall.

He has told one mid major that it’s not a good fit due to some very unique aspects of the school.  He thought  about it very hard before turning down the offer.  They offered after following him around all summer and him talking to all of the coaches multiple times.  They showed a lot of love before they offered.  Their responses when he turned it down was, “the offer stands, let us know if something changes”.  The other offer came out of the blue at the end of summer. Apparently they watched him through the summer without any communication.  RC set up a call through his summer coach and made a substantial offer to him the first time they spoke.  RC told him no time limit on the offer and they would love to get him on campus in September for a tour.

This may not be typical but there are definitely spots to be filled at all levels still for 2022’s, at least for pitchers, including ranked P5 schools.

Not being committed at this point is nerve wracking, probably more for me than for my son.  He has said he wants to commit before November 1st and sign during the early signing period. It’s crazy to think at this point we still have no idea where he will land, he could end up across town or across the country next fall……the next 60 days  are going to be an interesting ride for all of us.

Seeing quite a few 2021s that re-classed after not getting the offers they wanted, who are.....still not getting the offers they want as 2022s.

@Francis7 posted:

I just feel terrible for the 22s.

I know more than a few 22s who can play that have nothing going on now.

Granted, some of them are either "very good all around, solid, but not one eye popping exceptional skill or tool" or "one exceptional tool (i.e. speed or bat) but undersized or challenged in other areas (i.e. speed or glove)."

I think these are the kids who would have still made it somewhere in normal years but got squeezed out with the roster saturation issue.

This is my kid for sure.  I think of him as just "not quite."  2-way player, RHP, left batter who hits but not a speed merchant.  It is crickets vs. a very active winter pre-COVID. He went to a D2 school camp and was told 80% of the players they will bring in will be from the transfer portal.  So he went from a kid with a D1 offer pre-COVID to thinking D3 or JUCO.  It's sad - his club team is not even doing anything with 2022s - they are focused on '23 and '24 kids.

@nycdad posted:

Seeing quite a few 2021s that re-classed after not getting the offers they wanted, who are.....still not getting the offers they want as 2022s.

Yep. Wonder if the 2022's will see the lack of success with the 2021's and think differently. I have seen a 2022 re-class to 2023 and got a P5 CWS team offer within a couple days. But that will likely turn out to be an exception rather than a trend.

Sorry to hear it @MuskyShane

My kid is also deep in the conundrum that is the "very good but..." 2022 baseball players. To add insult to injury he has been injured (like some other kids on here) or unable to be close to his best most of the spring and summer. I can really see it wearing on my kid and the adversity and challenge I have seen him deal with has made me very proud and at the same time made my heart hurt for him. My kids #1 tool is his bat but having been unable to work on that tool without significant pain has affected him a lot. See the chronic hamate pain (not broken) thread for more details on that.

I was at a prospect camp at a school he is interested in this weekend and spoke with several 2023 parents. I encouraged them and reminded them that they are very fortunate to be able to attend many of these camps (especially if you are in a baseball rich area for D1/D2 baseball like most of the East Coast, Cali, and from the Mid-Atlantic to Texas). The class of 22 had nothing in the summer/fall/spring of 2020/2021 to attend and zero in person D1 recruiting at the same time.

The full blown new reality of the transfer portal in all of its F-ed up glory is taking a dump on the class of 2022 with many schools taking 80% or more transfers and the balance HS kids. It is absolutely going to impact 2023's and 2024's but most likely not to the extent of 2022s. Or at least post 21/22 school year there will be more data on the transfer-portals impact on rosters.

Thank goodness for a community like this to be encouraged (sometimes a little depressed) and be able to be excited for those who have great things happening and also have somewhere to just read/discuss/think about these things other than with our kids and significant others!!!

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

Yep. Wonder if the 2022's will see the lack of success with the 2021's and think differently. I have seen a 2022 re-class to 2023 and got a P5 CWS team offer within a couple days. But that will likely turn out to be an exception rather than a trend.

I don't want to be all doom and gloom, I also know a few 2021s that re-classed and it worked out well for them. From P5s to HA D1s. And I know of a few 2022s who were offered if they re-classed to 2023s. Not very different than what many 2020's were told. Basically go away for a year.

My 2022 was never destined to be a P5 recruit.  Likely he is good enough to have gone mid major D1, and the idea has always been to go somewhere that he would play, so he may have opted for D2 anyway.  We recognize that option is no longer realistic, and honestly are just happy he is getting strong interest from a few different JUCOs.  He has also never been a HA prospect, but worked diligently to achieve a 4.25 GPA with a 1220 SAT.  In going through the application process at one of those JUCOs I came across this:

Everyone is Accepted. School X has an open admissions process, which guarantees that everyone who applies to the AA degree program is accepted, providing they have:

• A traditional high school diploma
• A high school diploma earned by passing the GED Test
• The ability to demonstrate success in college coursework

Hmmm.  That doesn't sound like the most challenging academic environment, and I can feel my son thinking I didn't know what I was talking about as I preached academics were the most important part in maximizing his opportunities to play baseball beyond HS.  I will continue to tell him that this opportunity will be what he makes of it, and continue to stress the importance of his grades, but after reading that statement in the admissions application I wonder where my credibility now sits with my son.

I don't think it is something that will be the right fit for my son, but can someone briefly explain the process of re-classing?

In a similar spot in a lot of ways @2022Wildcat. Son had conversations with HA-D1's and JUCO in the same week. Have said the same thing about academics to son as you and it certainly has opened some doors but it really does feel like the JUCO education piece might be a challenge. Almost feels like a gap year (not a post-grad) with spending extended time at a Driveline facility along with lifting and doing some educational things (not so much to burn a year of eligibility) might be a viable strategy. Still trying to figure out what baseball games/showcases/opportunities might be available for him to be seen by coaches would look like. I have heard rumors of opportunities and tourneys for gap/post grad type kids but have not seen a ton of specifics on them. Sort of a re-classing...

Re-classing from my perspective is figuring out somehow/someway to be considered a class of 2023. That can be done by doing a post-grad year at a prep school or IMG, in some cases changing schools in your area from public to private and redoing a senior year of HS, or potentially what I mentioned above in doing a sort of a gap year. I think in the case of a gap year I think that having some fairly certain plans or roadmap would be key in this. It certainly feels like JUCO is the easy fallback if all else fails in the above scenarios. One must really know their kid/player and where they fit now and where they project after a bonus year.

I mean what incentive do the showcasers have to promote 22s? At this point a lot will not be playing college baseball anywhere or trying to walk-on. The showcasers have nothing to gain when they essentially say "look at all these uncommitted guys we have coming to our events" and have people keep checking in and realizing many go uncommitted. Well why would I go to a showcase where they can't help my kid.

What looks better...

A. Uncommitted 2022 - 5'10 160 80-82 T83 or

B. Uncommitted 2024 - 6'1 165 85-87 T89

Seeing a real uptick on the 22s verbally committing in the last few days. A few very low D1s - like schools that would rank between #210 and #250. But mostly a lot of D3s. It feels like the D3s are filling up.

That's pretty typical even in the BC (before covid) era.

The guys committing to lower level D1s were typically "talking" to some better programs and they either never had their calls returned or had a deadline the lower level D1s needed to know by.

The guys committing to D3s around this time are typically guys who wanted the HA route and Patriot/Ivy ball didn't work or guys who were talking to some of those lower level D1s until they weren't. Happens every year like clockwork.

The only guys committing to D1s in mid Sept to Nov were either late blooming pitchers, guys who missed summer ball with injuries, or guys who are coming in due to a coaching change.

Sitting here w/ fingers crossed.  Seeing lots of kids less talented being talked to and/or verbally committing.

Need someone to be healthy to get back to where he was in the pecking order 2 years ago.

So frustrating, but I totally understand it.

I do feel like this year there is more activity at 9/1 for 2022s. It's almost like schools want to be done ASAP to get to the next class.

Last year seemed to drag well into fall, and I understand that was because of Covid, but 2020 seemed to go pretty deep into the fall as well.