Multi Sport Athletes

A couple of thoughts:
Successful multi-sport athletes tend to be good athletes in general. This athletic demeanor means something to both college recruiters and pro scouts - perhaps more "upside."
Also, multi-sport athletes get good cross training from participating in more than one sport. This develops more muscle groups and perhaps avoids some common overuse injuries that might occur if a player just trains for one sport.

cbg:

Great post. I must admit that I am extermely prejudiced on this matter so you are not getting an objective opinion. My son is a 3 sport athelete at a Rural West Virginia High School [800 students in Grades 9-12]. He started on the varsity baseball team as a freshman and a sophomore, started on offense and special teams varsity football as a sophomore and a junior, was the sixth man on the varsity basketball team as a sohpomore and is the only junior starter on the varsity basketball team this season. He enjoys all three sports but baseball is his favorite and the only one he wants to play in college. It is also the only one he practices in the summer and the only sport we send him to camps and showcases to play.

I think the scouts you overheard are the exception and not the rule. I believe there is a prejudice against 3 sport athletes [or for that matter 2 sport atheletes] who do not choose to devote their full time to baseball. There is a prejujdice among scouts, but an even greater prejudice among college coaches. Tony Gwinn tells the story about his experience getting into college and playing baseball. He had all kinds of schools interested in him playing basketball but no one was interested in his baseball ability. This after he ran the 60 consistently under 6.9" and batted over .700 his senior year [according to him]. San Diego State was the only school that would even allow him to play both sports. Maybe that is why he is giving so much back to that school today.

Yes, I agree with the scouts you overheard. If my son did nothing but baseball 24/7 he would be a much better player than he is now. He comes home from football practice and he is too sore to do much of anything and certainly not pass or hit a baseball. He comes home from Basketball practice and he is to tired to do anything involving videos, reading, visualizing, or any other things 24/7 baseball players do in the winter months. Does that mean he has a larger "upside" than a 24/7 baseball player of equal talent at this moment. Yes, I would say so. Do I have anything to back that up? No.

I hope this gets everyone fired up and you get some more objective answers.

Thanks again for the post.

My son plays basketball, football and baseball. I am very prejudiced towards advantages of being a multi-sport athlete. We quickly got a sense that some coaches had just the attitude you are describing - they saw a real up side and potential in his athleticism and believed that he would gain polish once he dedicated himself full time to baseball. Others just wanted him to play more baseball - fall leagues, fall camps, etc. We have actually heard more of the negative from those who chose a different path - as in you'll never get noticed if you don't quit one of the sports and go to more showcases or play in a fall league.

I am a real believer that there is more than one path to a goal. My son's worked for him - and I just got home from a wonderful night at a great basketball game!

My son also plays 3 sports and I sometimes wonder if maybe he shouldn't drop basketball to give his body time to recuperate and work towards baseball in the spring...he does manage to play ball in the fall but had one occasion this past season where he was scheduled to pitch at a Sunday showcase and couldn't because of soreness..do I think there's more of an upside...YES...in fact at a recent camp ( he went to break the winter monotany of no baseball) a scout commented to another on how fluid he looked on the mound even though he hadn't been throwing because he was a basketball player...I'm glad he's playing 3 sports because you only get 1 chance to play for your high school and it would be terrible to look back later in life and say "I wish I would've"...I know from experience of concentrating on baseball in HS and now not being able to know what it felt like on a cool autumn nite or a cold winter nite in a hot gym. Somethinga college coach recently told me was " we look at a kid who can balance sports and achieve academically, when we find them we know we won't have to worry about him/her maintaining that academic standing at our school" with 11.7 scholarships that carries a lot of weight.

I just recently read a story about Charlie Ward and two sport standouts becoming almost non existant on the college campus.
My take from the article is that with sports overlapping and practice/season almost covering the entire year for most sports (along with classes) it is almost impossible to concentrate on two sports. College sports is business and players are the labor. Most prominent multi sport athletes play or have played football and with football driving the athletic programs, coaches don't like sharing. Coaches now want total commitment and as salaries and pressure rise, chances of being a two sport athlete diminishes.
I didn't know that Jackie Robinson was a 4 sport standout at UCLA. You learn something everyday!

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My two (One is still a senior)played two sports in HS ((baseball and basketball). In basketball collected a nice assortment of All leagues, MVP's, all counties, all sections, yada, yada, yada.

In the end I would say that it was a definate DISadvantage to both their baseball careers and their recruiting opportunities. Missed winter oportunities, no year round baseball, less exposure, less skill development, focus refocus issues. And no college coach cared, or even mentioned it in recruiting.

Like others we got heavy pressure not to play hoop. Tons. From travel team coaches, from school coaches, from other parents...all the agruments mentioned above.

However IMO in the long run though they may bloom later than they would have otherwise, it made them better atheltes. And they had a heck of a good time, and earned some great memories.

Now, IMO should they have given up hoop if we had it to do over again. No way. They loved it.
Had a great time playing a sport without the pressure of a college future riding on it. benfitted from the break. The college one still plays it regularly and it is great cross training.


44

O'44, I would agree with you that playing multiple sports in high school can be a disadvantage, especially from a recruiting perspective.
On the developmental side, I am not sure how that could ever be proven. I know for our son, those that saw him in high school and have never seen him since are puzzled by his apparent success. Those who have seen him play after he became a year round player can hardly recognize him as the same player. I heard Billy Beane a few weeks back and he was talking about how baseball is such a "skill" game and that repetition is critical to development and improvement. That would support one view.
On the other hand, Andy Suiter, who I think you are aware of was a very high quality two sport athlete. Very deservingly, Andy got plenty of baseball recognition, a scholarship to UCLA, and was not in the least impeded in his development from what I can tell.
And then there is Jeff Francoeur. Multiple high school sport player who excelled and excels at everything.

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IFD...

I really think what your post highlights is that it really depends upon the individual athlete. I believe that the general rule is that most players could really use and benefit from the extra work and exposure and singular focus...from both a developmental and exposure standpoint. Heck from a competitive standpoint as well. You have spend money and play year round to "keep up with the Jones's" now...

But I also know for a fact - having made it happen with young athletes - that you can turn many a 16 year old into a 18 year old if you push him hard enough...and make him desireable to a college coach...but you cannot raise genetic ceilings, and so may be doing him a disservice in the long run.

We are a instant gratification society, we want our recognition and we want it now. I think this reflects in the younger and younger ages of heavy travel and specilaization. I am not sure that we have the patience or the apetite to play a number of sports enjoy the ride and wait to develop at a little later date in a single one.

I think your son is a great example of the upside of multisport players....I think it's sad such stories are not valued more by coaches...I think it will be very interesting to see what affect year round work for the first time will have on a player like Suiter...or my son for that matter.

44

I guess I don't buy that it's not valued by college coaches. We heard over and over that they saw it as a plus and look through a list of signees at many schools - they often played more than one sport.

The "coaches" we got pressure from were the travelling team baseball and fall baseball leagues coaches and the AAU basketball coaches - my son was recruited in both sports. They all argued that their way was the only way. Luckily it worked out for us. And - in our neck of the woods the kids who have signed D1 scholarships in the past few years were all multi-sport athletes.

Many schools like the two sport athlete, especially if they play football. Reason being, football has a lot more scholarships to give out than baseball. The football or basketball scholarship is given before baseball.
There was a two sport player on my sons team, football and baseball. It didn't last long. Guess which one he gave up first?

I think a lot depends on the program. You will not find too many of the big schools these days with two sport athletes. And when you do, those players far surpass the abilities of your average player.

If your son desires to play two sports in HS and will never go beyond playing a sport in HS, that's great. But if you think that by playing two sports will make him more attractive to a coach, that's not reality, unless he is a top ranked HS two sport player.

wisbb, not sure if it is just different experiences or perhaps some geography issues..or both. We live very close to O'44 in CA. While there are a fair number of DI programs in CA, the number of players they have to choose from is vast. I would almost be willing to guesstimate that every DI in CA could fill their roster from a place like Orange County and be competitive nationally.
I think what we are saying is when you play multiple sports in CA, your skills in baseball may not be as advanced on a comparative recruiting basis as the year round. Additionally, playing two sports impedes the ability to showcase and obtain that type of visibility, which has become a major recruiting tool for CA DI's.
Finally, with so many talents available to them in CA, some coaches do not, won't, or don't feel there is a need, not sure which, to try to project where a player might be if they concentrate solely on baseball when they have right in front of them the skills of multiple very talented players who have had a singular focus.

TPM:

Very well said and the true reality. I have yet to have a college coach ask and I never bring it up.

infielddad:

Could not have said it better. Most college coaches never go behind the talent they see in front of them. And I do not think that this viewpoint is limited to California but is everywhere, I am sorry to say. The best thing is, my son is playing all 3 sports with the guys he has grown up with and loves it.

For all you college coaches out there, leadership can be learned and demonstrated in other sports too . . . if that is what you are looking for.

And what does it say about the team first mindset of these athletes that, knowing their potential for baseball skills will not be valued as highly as those competitors who only play baseball, they nevetheless make the decision to play for their high school teams [plural] because they know they can help their teams [plural] achieve their respective team goals?

I think that for many this is a regional warm weather issue. Up until 1999, my kids (boy and girl now in high school) grew up in the midwest and as grade school athletes, they played multiple sports...You couldn't play baseball from October -March anyway. However, baseball/fastpitch softball was their first love although they also excelled at basketball. Since we have moved to California, the opportunity to play baseball year round was offered to them and my kids jumped on it...as did many others. Through middle school, basketball became something extra to do, but if it interefered with a baseball or softball tournament, they opted for baseball/softball...I have observed the talent on their HS teams and the difference between the guys and girls that are playing year round versus the ability of those that don't are very apparent...And in CA, year round baseball and softball is huge...I would assume it is the same in Florida, Texas and arizona.
Interestingly, in a bit of a twist...since my son was already established on his high school baseball program, he decided to go out for the HS basketball team this year...his thought process was that he always knew he was a pretty good basketball player...but mostly he just wanted to have fun and fully enjoy the HS sports experience...Although, he was superior in athletic ability to many on the team, they cut him because they didn't think that he could dedicate enough time that others on the team were putting into the sport especially in the summer...So for the very same reasons, we played baseball year round, the same off-season requirements are being pushed for basketball and other sports such as s****r, swimming, golf etc... And, with High Schools hiring strength and conditioning gurus and with our great weather, even year round football work-outs are becoming mandatory here as well. Recently many kids got cut from the Varsity and JV programs of many HS's in my area...The guys that got cut? You guessed it..The guys that are starting really have never stopped playing.

My son recently verbally committed to a Midwestern DI school. The coach specifically said to him that although we haven't seen you play a lot we have seen enough of you to know that you are the type of athlete we are looking for.

By the time he graduates this spring he will have earned 10 varsity letters in three different sports at a large Division I high school and he has never played on a freshmen or JV team. The only reason I say this is because I think his athleticism in multiple sports helped him get recruited over others for baseball. Granted, everyone's situation is different but if you are an exceptional athlete and have demonstrated it through various sports I think it enhances your market value.

Rounding3rd - your son's background sounds very familiar. It mirrors our experiences.

He's also in great shape, is definitely used to running and we've never had to pay a speed coach! Football and basektball workouts were full of speed drills.

I think we all have to remember that just like we look for a "fit" - the college coaches do too. They use many different venues and methods in recruiting. Maybe we tend to hear from schools whose methods led them to learning about our son and attending lots of showcases leads to programs that emphasize that method. Playing well at a HS state tourney might attract a different school. A little Old school but they're still quite a few around who see beyond the "lists" - or who look at different lists - and appreciate 10 varsity letters and honors in more than one sport.

It's been an extremely busy 4 years for my son - but he's had a ball, learned different things from each sport. It is definitly not for every kid, but I hate to see so much pressure saying that it can't work. At our basketball game last night there were two D1 athletes playing roundball - both have signed with Big Ten schools - one in football and the other in baseball!

Roundingthird

I agree with your comments completely!

Roundingthird,
I agree with you as well.

However jmo, key word is exceptional.

TPM

Almost every baseball player we know from way up here...LOL... who went on to play college baseball was at least a two sport athlete.
They respresented their schools in other sports and may not have been the star of that sport or exceptional in that sport, but most coaches in the recruiting process appreciated the extra competitive edge that say, football or basketball gave them.

If you're able to tryout and make another team and start or make significant contributions in high school, I say go for it!

Chill,
Maybe linedrives' comments are true about where yu live. Here with year round ball, I don't know of any two sport athelete who got into school, but I don't know EVERYONE...lol. Baseball players who play other sports here eventually have to make a decision which sport is more important. Competition is just too much, too many tournies and showcases in the "off" season.
By the exceptional athlete, a good coach may feel because of players exceptional athleticism, he can advance quickly in a sport.
QUACK!

TPM, You hit the nail on the head...competition...so many kids are playing year round baseball in our warm weather climate...many players risk being at a huge disadvantage if they do play multiple sports...Our baseball team has already played three games and starting this Saturday (Feb 25), they will play 8 games in 10 days. The varsity basketball team is still playing, so the kids that also want to play baseball (there are two pitchers (6'5", 6'4")that still have to try out) could miss up to 10 games or so...Our varsity needs pitching, so these guys will be given a chance...JV basketball ended last week and one kid who is a pitcher only, missed a few scrimmages and a whole lot of practice...But, he's a 6'5" lefty...an exception...My son didn't think it would hurt him to play JV basketball, but since he is a starter and big contributer at baseball, the coaches evidently did. As it turns out, it probably was the right decision.

Well now. I am beginning to think that maybe, perhaps, the slim possibility exists that I might have been mistakenslightly offincorrectdead wrong in my first post on this thread. After reading the experience of others, it appears that some college coaches at least seem to favor the multi-sport player for all the reasons previously mentioned. Finding the right fit; that truly is what it is all about. Thank you HSBBW patrons for opening up my mind.

Just to add 2 cents here. My sons both play 3 sports. When my older son switched high schools last year he played only baseball. What we came to realize is that, I thought, he wore down a bit during the summer due to the lack of (cross traing) conditioning as a result. This year he has gone right from s****r to hoops and will jump right to the diamond. His high school baseball program is not big on conditioning so he will rely on his drive and the opportunity to push his younger brother. He is probably in the best shape he has ever been.

The point that we all need to keep in mind is that regardless of what other sports they participate in, if they are baseball players, then they can not stop working on their game. This is tough, but for mine, through the entire basketball season, he has taken the time to hit twice a week, jump rope before practice and throw (long toss) with a teammate as the weather has permitted. Add the study time and running to the weight room any time he had the late practice.

Excellent point Coach Merc. I neglected to mention that my son works at baseball from mid Nov. till his high school season starts here in Ohio then plays until Aug 1st when football practice starts soon after.

The few months off at the end of the summer has really helped him recharge his batteries and he always comes back ready to start hitting again (albeit indoors)in November. I feel that even for multi-sport athletes some downtime is essential for physical and mental well being. Just my opinion.

Again, the multiple sport athlete may be just fine where you live, but in the warm weather states, it's very hard. By the time varsity basketball is over, the varsity baseall team will have played 10-12 games already...We start playing our first games/scrimmages in early to mid February..."official" practice starts outdoors in January. Football in the warm weather states is about the only other sport that a player can play along with baseball, yet the demands of high school coaches make that kind of hard as well. Football coaches want their players to condition year round and make it mandatory to work out with the strength and conditioning coaches throughout the summer. Many baseball coaches encourage their players to play fall ball to stay fresh as well as work out with the strength and conditioning coaches. Not every school is like this, but the powerhouses...the kind of teams you see ranked in Baseball America, don't have too many if any two sport athletes that are also contributors...
I wish it was different, but as I said before, it's a regional issue...some areas can accomodate teh multiple sport athlete, some can't.