No attention out of HS? Good example to follow.

Once these players are in high school and they got some talent and want to play at the next level, these are the guys that will eventually get found that fall thru the cracks for whatever reason like being a late bloomer or labeled too small etc.

Maybe these guys work a little harder at their craft because they want it bad coupled in with nobody's noticing. Meanwhile, they get a little bigger, stronger and refine their skills then with some luck and timing, they get noticed.

quote:

Longoria graduated from Bellflower St. John Bosco in 2003 with no college scholarship offers. Nor was he drafted."

I guess for every Longoria there a few cant miss that miss. go figure

I don't think Longoria's experience in not being recruited out of high school is all that unusual in California. The experience of only having one college even come to a game is also not that unusual. It is, actually, probably the norm.
Certainly, Longoria's success after high school is exceptional, whether you are recruited from high school or not.
What is also exceptional about this article is the brief discussion of how hard he worked at the JC and then at Long Beach.
Rest assured though, while there are very few who reach heights of Longoria, the number of players coming out of high school in CA who are not recruited by DI programs, and who end up being highly successful in college and Milb, is much more than a "few."

For me, these two points really do stand out:

"Eventually. Longoria kept taking ground balls, kept hitting until his hands were raw"

"Are scouts all over Southern California kicking themselves for not noticing Longoria in high school?

"Maybe," said Ingalls, who first saw Longoria play at Rio Hondo, "but so many kids come out of Southern California, if you kick yourself for every guy you didn't sign who went to the big leagues, you're going to be sore."

Good post infielddad.
For many players the talent is there, but may be hidden under the surface or justn ot discovered until tehy mature a bit more. He may just not have been in that place for a D1 college or draft choice out of HS. Back when he was in HS, showcases and high profile tournaments were not as prevelant as they are now. Was he relying just on his HS experience? We don't really know all of the circumstances.
As you read, the work that you have to put into this is incredible. For those whose sons are in college and working their butts off just to win a spot in the spring, in pro ball, times that by 10, maybe more for your shot at ML. Of course those that are drafted very, very high already have proved that they may be worthy of the big prize (which is not necessarily your signing bonus).

Another player that comes to my mind is OnePlayersPop's son, Zach Duke. His dad told me he was kind of passed over out of HS by the big schools in Texas, signed JUCO, drafted out of HS and signed(20th round somewhere if I recall) and now a MLB pitcher. He got there a lot quicker than the big bonus guys who went to Rice (are they even playing).

BOF - Thank you for posting that article on Longoria. I think that article should be reassuring to any parents or players who are questioning their decision to go to a junior college!

I also noticed the comment about him taking ground balls and hitting until his hands were raw.

Watching Longoria and the Rays has been so much fun - talk about chemistry, talent, and the "mojo" or whatever you call it - all coming together at the right time is amazing!

Sometimes we hear people say things like " Always believe " or " Never say Never ".

This story follows true to those sayings.
My hat goes off to this young man who fought hard for what he wanted. That takes a heck of alot of determination and drive! I admire that.