NJCAA Ruling - What The Coaches Are Saying!

@Josh Rudd (@JRudd_Scout) posted:

This is the best social media community I’ve ever seen. 😂 I didn’t know it was possible to have an internet site where people can have reasonable conversations on polarizing issues.

Personally, my “day-after reaction” is somewhat different to the responses I’m reading here. I’m still trying to process it, though, and get feedback from coaches on the information provided by Dr. Parker.

Well, if you searched this site for any of the many threads that got railroaded by Covid bickering it might change your opinion a bit. But by and large we do pretty good on here.

@Josh Rudd (@JRudd_Scout) posted:

This is the best social media community I’ve ever seen. 😂 I didn’t know it was possible to have an internet site where people can have reasonable conversations on polarizing issues.

Personally, my “day-after reaction” is somewhat different to the responses I’m reading here. I’m still trying to process it, though, and get feedback from coaches on the information provided by Dr. Parker.

I enjoyed the interview.  I thought Dr. Parker did a very good job of explaining their thought process and why they made their decisions.   He also talked about the ramifications.  The reality is that there aren't many correct answers.  We are just making the best out of a bunch of bad options. 

@d-mac posted:

I'm expecting a great purge over the next 6 weeks.  JUCO's and D2's will also purge players to make room for the kids who are getting dropped at the top D1's. There will be some very tough conversations take place over the next few weeks.

I have an opinion on purging. I don't think that you are going to see a huge purge. If next baseball season is anything like fall practice, teams need enough players to successfully field a team, because when 1 tests positive, the roommates can't play either. 

I think a lot of coaches are giving next spring a long hard look as to the best way to utilize their rosters with their allowed budget.

JMO

They can't keep unlimited rosters forever.  They will have to scale back next year.  We have 46 on our current roster,  20 in the 2021 recruiting class.  There is no way around huge cuts for next year.  After watching the Fall World Series for my son's school the last couple of weekends, the talent is ridiculous.  Not sure how they are going to do this.   Lots of really talented kids aren't going to play.

@TPM posted:

I have an opinion on purging. I don't think that you are going to see a huge purge. If next baseball season is anything like fall practice, teams need enough players to successfully field a team, because when 1 tests positive, the roommates can't play either.

I think a lot of coaches are giving next spring a long hard look as to the best way to utilize their rosters with their allowed budget.

JMO

Barb, you have to remember that Mac doesn’t over-recruit and what goes on at Florida Atlantic isn’t representative of what goes on at almost every other ranked D1 program. Baseballhs has a kid at TCU and her comments are on target for most every program like that. Texas State currently has 30 pitchers on campus this fall.  Ten of them will be looking for a new home in 30 days. And so on and so on....

@adbono posted:

Barb, you have to remember that Mac doesn’t over-recruit and what goes on at Florida Atlantic isn’t representative of what goes on at almost every other ranked D1 program. Baseballhs has a kid at TCU and her comments are on target for most every program like that. Texas State currently has 30 pitchers on campus this fall.  Ten of them will be looking for a new home in 30 days. And so on and so on....

Maybe you misunderstood my point. If you can't get thru a full weeks practice because you are short staffed with pitchers especially due to Covid, even with larger than normal rosters what will coaches do next spring when players get sick? Will coaches have to cancel like football teams have had to do?   

There is no cap on rosters, so I think that many programs with 40, maybe 45 will think about not purging too much, I am not talking about programs like you mentioned that have much, much more than needed on the rosters.

Sadly, the comments from Dr. Parker bought me zero comfort/relief.  Again, my 2021 is verbally committed to a JUCO.

Josh says “This decision was made with this goal in mind…"

Dr. Parker says "This was completely made to support the student-athlete.”

Allow me to more accurately say what he means.  “This was completely made to support the CURRENT COLLEGE student-athlete.  Not the student-athletes that have already committed to a JUCO program or who have/had trajectories to play JUCO ball in 2021, 2022…  Being on campus and heading to campus are completely different privilege levels.  Some were born a year or 2 too late." 

But we need not worry.  Dr. Parker offered up some great advice for 2021s, 2022s, etc?  "Keep grinding."  Ah, nothing like the mother of all coaching clichés to give you a warm fuzzy.  Again, please allow me to translate.  "Keep doing what you've been doing this entire team but pray more and hope even harder."  Thanks, Doc.

Lots of kids will now play 0 years of college baseball just so all the current ones can keep all 4 years of their eligibility.  Feast or famine, I guess.  #famineblows

@DanJ posted:

Sadly, the comments from Dr. Parker bought me zero comfort/relief.  Again, my 2021 is verbally committed to a JUCO.

Josh says “This decision was made with this goal in mind…"

Dr. Parker says "This was completely made to support the student-athlete.”

Allow me to more accurately say what he means.  “This was completely made to support the CURRENT COLLEGE student-athlete.  Not the student-athletes that have already committed to a JUCO program or who have/had trajectories to play JUCO ball in 2021, 2022…  Being on campus and heading to campus are completely different privilege levels.  Some were born a year or 2 too late."

But we need not worry.  Dr. Parker offered up some great advice for 2021s, 2022s, etc?  "Keep grinding."  Ah, nothing like the mother of all coaching clichés to give you a warm fuzzy.  Again, please allow me to translate.  "Keep doing what you've been doing this entire team but pray more and hope even harder."  Thanks, Doc.

Lots of kids will now play 0 years of college baseball just so all the current ones can keep all 4 years of their eligibility.  Feast or famine, I guess.  #famineblows

I watched the interview too and my reaction was the same as yours.

Well adbono, this topic full agreement on. The whole system is going to be clogged up with 26 year old juniors by the time this is over. What a mess.

Age 19 plus 4 years plus 1 redshirt/injury plus 2 covid = 26

Enough time to earn a doctor degree or a triple major in parks and rec/ sports management/ university studies.

Also enough time to rack up 250k of student debt, or blow thru a college fund down to zero.

When the dead period was getting extended in the Spring/Summer, it was a no brainer that student/athletes who didn't make a verbal commitment before Covid, then their choices would be a D3, NAIA, or a JUCO.  All 3 of these levels are going to be better than they were before because they are going to get more talent that hasn't been seen/evaluated or that they couldn't touch.  It is pretty scary that this year will not count towards eligibility and what it will do to roster sizes.  I know that people commented on the draft, 4 year schools, etc. but my worst fear is that there won't be any room for some of these student/athletes.  For example, do we know how many rounds the MLB draft will have next year?  Also, with the reduction of Minor League teams, this will have an effect as well.  This is going to be a rough stretch for 2020s, 2021s, 2022s - I hope that they can fulfill their dreams of playing college baseball (4, 5, or 6 years) while getting their education.  I am fearful that it will be a numbers game and some student/athletes will be forced to just be a student in my opinion.

@6-4-3 everything I've heard is 20 rounds for the draft. So bigger than last year but nowhere near the previous years.

MLB draft has to be at least 20 rounds this year.  The memo sent out says that it is expected to be 20-30 rounds.   

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com...-star-week-july.html

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story...anta-all-star-events

I think that TPM is onto something.  There are so many guys testing positive and we are wondering how many are true positives and how many are false positives.  Rumor has it that they will start testing over in January so even if you were positive in the fall you will have to start testing again in January.  Plus many are still making you quarantine even if you have tested positive so unless they are going to redo rooming in January if your roommate/apartment mate tests positive then you are out for 14 days.  That means that you may lose 4 or 6 guys for two weeks which could greatly change a season.  Plus if they have been around many guys then you could lose more.  The problem is a lot of pitchers room together so if you lose 6 pitchers for two weeks you are definitely going to need a lot more guys.  I know coaches are even thinking now how to make the spring work so they don't lose a large group of guys at one time.  Some are talking about making sure only certain players are around each other in the spring so that if you lose a player you don't lose all your pitchers or middle infielders.  It will be interesting.  So understand it can greatly affect a team.  There are football teams in Mississippi that missed so many games they are not eligible for the playoffs when they only had to play 6 of 10 games but they will only get 5 games in due to quarantining.

Thank you Baby Jesus... 20-30 will help unclog this mess...

@PitchingFan posted:

Some are talking about making sure only certain players are around each other in the spring so that if you lose a player you don't lose all your pitchers or middle infielders.  It will be interesting.  So understand it can greatly affect a team.

Our school is already mixing the guys up for workouts to eliminate losing an entire group of pitchers and or catchers.

@d-mac you are completely right! I meant to write 20...correcting now.

See...that's how rumors start.

@PTWood posted:

@d-mac you are completely right! I meant to write 20...correcting now.

See...that's how rumors start.

Everything I have heard suggests 20 rounds from now on

@adbono posted:

Everything I have heard suggests 20 rounds from now on

The key will be raising the undrafted signing cap.   20k is too low.  I know it is locked at 20k for the next draft but have you heard anything about the future? 

They don't need to.  Why would they?  I agree they should, but there is no motivation.  Guys take what they get or they walk away from baseball.

@PitchingFan posted:

I think that TPM is onto something.  There are so many guys testing positive and we are wondering how many are true positives and how many are false positives.  Rumor has it that they will start testing over in January so even if you were positive in the fall you will have to start testing again in January.  Plus many are still making you quarantine even if you have tested positive so unless they are going to redo rooming in January if your roommate/apartment mate tests positive then you are out for 14 days.  That means that you may lose 4 or 6 guys for two weeks which could greatly change a season.  Plus if they have been around many guys then you could lose more.  The problem is a lot of pitchers room together so if you lose 6 pitchers for two weeks you are definitely going to need a lot more guys.  I know coaches are even thinking now how to make the spring work so they don't lose a large group of guys at one time.  Some are talking about making sure only certain players are around each other in the spring so that if you lose a player you don't lose all your pitchers or middle infielders.  It will be interesting.  So understand it can greatly affect a team.  There are football teams in Mississippi that missed so many games they are not eligible for the playoffs when they only had to play 6 of 10 games but they will only get 5 games in due to quarantining.

Thanks for helping to clarify my position on comments about purging.  The virus certainly isn't going to go away, and if a player has had mild COVID, there is no guarantee you won't get it again.