No High School Baseball on Resume

What are his TB coaches doing for him?  They should recognize that he might need additional help with recruiting.  How are you promoting him?  Is he promoting himself and making contacts with colleges where he might want to play?  Does he have video linked to YouTube so that college coaches can take a peek if they wish?  Does he ask for a list of college coaches attending these showcase/PG/Elite events so that he can market himself to those coaches?  There are a lot of things he can do.  What he can't do is wait for things to happen. 

The Travel Ball coaches are ensuring he plays on thier higher end teams and they are entering good PG tourneys both locally (regionals, and at Emerson, and FT Meyers).  Since he is a 16U 2015 he can play double (up/down) They do internal evaluations that they post on thier site for all to see (including scouts) and they gave him a very nice eval.   The TB team also holds scout day where lots of college and pro scouts attend.  They recently also added a series of camps at thier complex that are run by the staff from several major colleges like Texas, OSU, Rice, Houston, and some Area scouts.  I would say playing for them alone this summer will raise his stock some.  He did very well for them in the fall.  He does have a few videos on You Tube and with PG.  He has a list of schools and mailing info created and videos and a letter ready.  We are sending those this week.  I suggested one of the same things to him.  Call the coaches or inquire what things they attend so he can make sure and get in front of them soon.  I like the idea of working it the other way too and finding out who is attending and contacting them before the event. 

 

Any suggestions on the HS discussion?  Does it matter? 

 

Interestingly enough even though he is a Junior turning Senior...ever since the HS cut him all the other sport coaches are trying to recruit him for Football, Track, Soccer and Rugby...Pretty bizzare huh? (maybe that common...)

I'm going to ask difficult questions. Are there academic or behavioral issues? Does he hang around anyone where by association makes character an issue? Is the high school team loaded college prospects? There are ways to spin every issue as long as your son is getting done on the field in front of college coaches.

If and when the HS conversation comes up, just be honest.  

 

"mom wasn't hot enough, so I didn't make the team."  

 

Good luck.  

RJM:

 

All good questions...No he has a 3.8 and takes all AP and Honors courses at a very challenging college prep school.  He is also an Eagle Scout and has good character and leadership skills, and his behavior is top notch (coaches confirmed he was a hard worker and no behavior issues with them).  He actually was coming in before school and teaching one of the JV POs how to hit on his own time and the kid raised his BA .200 in the fall.  Hes a good kid and a pretty exceptional athlete.  I watched him front squat 315 for several reps at the end of his workout the other day and he only weighs 160.  In TB he usually steals 2-3 bases a game.  He is very well liked by both coaches and players on all his travel teams over lat 1-2 years.

 

The HS team has a few good players with D1 potential, one commit right now, but to be critical, each of them excel in only 1-2 of the 5 key areas (ie speed, bat, arm).  There are kids who play varsity that are hitting less than .100 so I am not really worried about why he was not on the team anymore to be honest...Iget the idea though about explaining the depth of the HS program if asked.  Anything below .400-.500 in HS is way below par in my book for a serious player, so I would not be able to explain why he was not a candidate behind a sub .100 hitter.

 

Golfman, thanks for the laugh! I needed that...

Does not seem to make sense but it is what it is. If it were my son I would have him first schedule time with the High School coach and let him know he would like to play at the next level. He should also ask him what he needs to improve on to make the team next year. Take that feedback and address the weaknesses. That accomplishes a couple of things; he understands what weaknesses contributed to him being cut; and he puts it in the coach's mind that he cares. Thi will be important if the HS coach is contacted by a college and also helps him formulate an answer when asked why he is not paying HS.

Have your travel team coach give an honest assessment of his ability at the next level. That will allow him and you to target schools and then contact and attend showcases\ camps that feature these schools. With a 3.8 his net broadens ; but as others have stated on this board make sure it is a good fit school wise.  

For the 1000+ time, I was cut as a freshman and sophomore.  The problem was that there was a perception of me as a trouble maker.  Nothing could have been further from the truth at that time.  I did my best to fix my reputation.

 

Here, a senior year in baseball might still matter.  For sports like softball, it is too late.  Maybe a talk with the coach and some simple promotion like, "Coach I have been working on my game and play for ... all summer.  I played in (insert events) and have improved.  I'd like a chance to make the team as a senior."  It can't hurt. 

He met with them Freshman year...chose not to this year.  Upon inquiring mu wife and I were told..."he is a good kid and a good ball player, but he will never play HS ball for them, they have other younger players that are more worth thier time to develop"  He has chosen to use this time to up his grades and workout nonstop on skills and fitness (Spring Training of sorts).  He is targeting academic schools and the academies (Westpoint, Citadel)  Westpoint has shown interest academically and asked him to apply.  I will take the advice and get an assesment from the travel coaches.  They seem to love him, but some constructive criticism could go a long way.  He is trying to get his numbers for showcase better.  He only throws low to mid 80s right now ,and his best 60 ranges around 6.8-7.0, but had a temporary injury last Summer and his times fell into the low 7s.  he is healthy now, looks better than ever, and he will be timed next week to see where he stands.  Hitting wise he is consistent and has enough power to drive the gaps even with wood bat against good pitching.

 

Thanks again for the feedback!

For what it’s worth, it wouldn’t matter to our program that he did not play HS baseball as long as those reason weren’t what you addressed already….Grades, behavior problems

If we liked what we saw in his workouts, showcases and games against good competition, our evaluation would take precedence over a HS coach who maybe missed on a player.

 

As far as your question about, “Any suggestions on the HS discussion?”  If asked be honest.  It does help if the person who is giving him a good evaluation within his summer team has credibility with college coaches.  What I mean by that is at times a summer coach might give an over evaluated opinion of a player and then when the college follows up the player is no where near as good as was advertised.  That could hurt players he gives evaluations on in the future and the time spent going to see them.  Conversely, if a summer coach is honest, and hopefully yours has been in the past, that good evaluation will mean something to a college coach who has that relationship with him and your son will get a good look.  Adding that onto his baseball resume with his success at PG tournaments helps negate the HS thing.  You could always ask the MLB scouts you spoke of if they wouldn’t mind being listed as a reference.  But in the end our eyes and evaluation will mean the most.

I get ya.  perception is everything.  maybe thier perception of him is different than his own, his parents, TB coaches etc.  Very possible.  Maybe he can talk with them and see if there is anything he can do, or just talk baseball anyhow in general and build some repore in case they are contacted.  I'll suggest it...might be a little hard at this point for him to talk to 4 guys who have already expressed they are not interested and have other plans.  Worth a try

Sorry but something doesnt sound right here, maybe it's my confusion. I went back to check your past posts(first time doing that) and noticed a few things. In May 2013 your 15 yr old was looking for PG team as his "Elite" team was not going. Guess he found one because u said he made a PG tourn teaM and even has interest from MLB scouts. Just what did they see and say? Assuming son is not a Pitcher.

You had a similar post last yr about HS ball. You said son ran 60  at 6.7, then stated later he's closer to 6.9-7 normally, but had injury. Said he hit .600 and hit doubles/triples. Last thing I noticed you said he only played 50% time in one HS season but had 30 steals in 12 games.

sorry, I could have all you past info confused, but no way a kid who hits .600 and has had 30 stolen bases, because he runs 6.70 is cut. If players on HS team are better than that, they would have more D1 scholarships. Confused about comment saying kids who don't hit .400-.500 in HS are subpar And not serious players. Then u said HS coach was surprised he was on 18u travel team.Was that a local Fall team or 18u going to PG in Summer?

Guess what your hearing here is that son who is going to be Sr soon needs to be seen by colleges at camps/showcases, and he should be evaluated by PG at least once.

Some will say HS doesn't matter, but in this case your sons stats and being cut from HS team r not matching up

I was going to post something similar earlier in the thread and I am glad a coach came in and posted this.  Assuming no one is telling the college coaches your kid has serious character issues I think his talent will be what they are looking at.  Most trust their own evaluation over all others.

 

Not my son but a summer teammate.  2016 committed to a solid mid major D1 school as a pitcher. 6'5 touches 86.  Attends a smaller 3A school.  HS Coach to player "I don't see you as a pitcher".  Huh!! Sometimes this stuff can't be explained.

 

Good luck and sounds like he will be fine.

Your post confused me.  What 4 guys? Whats worth a try?

If your son generates some interest this summer, I don't think not playing high school ball will be a deal-breaker. However, I do think that most coaches will see this as unusual, and want to know more about it. In any event, the topic probably won't come up until they've already decided he's worth a closer look, so they will mostly be concerned about character issues, which will not be a problem for your son.

I tend to think that honesty, or even candor, is the way to go.  Something like...
No, I didn't make my high school team this year, but I'm working hard and will do everything I can to make it for my senior year. I honestly don't know why I was cut, but please feel free to call the coach.  (IOW, I don't have anything to hide.)

I dont want to slam any Business owners here and name names (so Ill keep that confidentuial, but his 18u team was full of 14u,15u players who were VERY good.  The owner of the organization pulled a bait and switch (promised several showcase tournaments including PG, and then switched to local small time stuff after everyone paid)  That team disbanded after last summer and the players are now scattered amongst 3-4 other Texas teams.  I wont be too specific, but I took four of them south a few hours and they all played and did well for another major organization that is usually top 10 in PG for most age groups.  He guest played for one Scout and did a showcase in front of 2 others.  The Coach he played for spent over and hour discussing his future with him after PG, he spent about 10 minutes with all the other players.  The other two MLB scouts saw him perform outfielding drills and caleld him over and complimented him on his work and said they would be in touch with him (to me this means nothing more than they will see if he progresses over the next couple of years). 

 

Speed:  Best he has been timed at was 6.7, several other times 6.8-7.1.  he had an injury that nagged him last fall and he slipped into the low 7s.  His strength is his short busrt speed (he is no olympic sprinter or great 60 guy in a showcase).  He excels in the first 20 yards and that along with good jumps makes him an effective base stealer and very good HTF.

 

He did play only 50% as softmore, thats correct.  Seem to be the norm on JV at the school.  Shared time for all players on JV.  That equates to about 12 games and yes I recorded most of the games and he had 30 steals. 

 

He did hit hit .600 with several doubles and triples in fall ball (maybe that wasn't communicated?) and hit .400 in spring and summer ball, (started off summer ball 15/18) so that is accurate.

 

I agree it sounds ridiculous, but i am not seeking qualification on whether the HS situation is fair or right.  I just am looking for a way to addres the looking ahead situation.  College search and speaking intelligently to his situation/status.  I suppose if he has a great summer, it might take care of itself if the stars align and he is in the right place at the right time, but I an making an effort to find smarter ways for him to promote and market himself to schools that he can actually realistically play at. 

 

I understand if you dont agre with my comment about BA.  Here is what my intent was with that comment.  Prospects for D1 or above are usually not hitting IMO much below .400-.500 against average HS pitching.  However, AVERAGE is relative depending on where you play or who you face.  There is a kid in a high school down the street throwing 96.  I would say he is not average. 

 

The 18u team was supposed to go to PG.  They playede 18u locally, but likely would have played 16u or 17u at PG (if they had gone).

 

Hope this clarifies.  All fair questions

I like the advice MidAtlanticDad.  I think that makes sense, honest and humble. 

shortnquick:

 

I was replying to one of the other posters.

 

4 guys were the coaches for the HS.  and trying to talk to them for advice

Do you have any video? link to Youtube?

Standballdad:

 

I'll PM you some links in a bit if you want

okay sounds good.

shortnquick:

 

Just saw your other post.  Good advice and commenary.  Thanks much, I think the key will be timing and getting him in front of the right people along with a lot of persistance.  I agree PG evals help neutralize some questions about talent.  We are going to hit a couple academic showcases and the PG summer circuit heavy this summer.  I think he may get to play both 16u and 17u at PG this year which helps too.

Anyone who runs 6.7 and can play a "smidge" makes their HS team - for nothing else to use as a pinch runner.  College teams keep that speed around to pinch run.  I'm a cynic - something doesn't add up.  However, taking the OP at his word then the travel coach should be making a huge difference here.  If the kid made PG all-tournament and was cut in HS, well that is a huge story that every travel coach would brag about to every other travel coach as well as every college coach he comes in contact with.  Travel coaches love to show up HS coaches. College coaches would love to hear that story…Good kid gets cut, perseveres, 3.8 gpa, makes PG all-tourney, runs 6.7, turns out he can really play.  Best story ever!  Its the PG all-tourny part that goes too far for me I guess.

I can provide you his profile if you want to see the All Tourney

If I were in your situation, I would get him in front of as many independent evaluators as possible--showcases, college camps, PG tournaments, etc.  Consider any venue where credible baseball people can judge your son's potential.  Ask them for references and suggestions.

 

Your son should also initiate the same kind of pre-tournament emails to coaches as other players.  Introduce himself, express his interest in the school, mention independently verified measures of tools (e.g., 6.7 60 yard time and xx mph from the outfield at xxx showcase on such-and-such date), mention GPA and test scores, and ask if they'd like to be informed of his summer schedule.  

 

Discuss the high school question only if they are sufficiently interested to ask.

 

Send them regular schedule updates and tournament/showcase highlights.

 

Best wishes,

 

P.S.  If you don't mind, may I see his profile, too?

 

Swampboy

I'll send you info in PM tomorrow

ditto. i'm in texas

I have a similar issue with my son.  Has a 2-0-1 pitching record, is batting .353 and has an OBP of .615 from 17 AB's.   He has only pitched "garbage" duty since district games have started (this coach rides 2 pitchers only - both are college committed). 

 

For some reason, my son just doesn't "fit" what this coach is looking for.    This coach has accepted many many errors at a few positions in order to develop the players he wants.  This coach also has kept kids in the lineup who are batting less than .250 and less than .300 OBP.  The parents in the stands know what is up and know that some of these boys are getting special consideration from this guy.  It is sad but these kids are now being exposed as we finish up our district season.  If we happen to make the playoffs, we will surely not go very deep with our current line up.

 

My son is discouraged but he continues to try to outwork everyone that he can and perform when he gets a stray AB or IP.  In the end, I feel my job is to keep him encouraged with his eye on the bigger picture.  From what I have seen, very little recruiting is done out of HS - I have only seen 1 college scout this year and we play in a 5A area that has consistently supplied many D1 players.

 

I am not counting on our coach for anything other than a bus ride home. My son and I have done our homework, made some contacts and have been trying to attend college level events.  Hopefully we have done what it takes and things will work out.

A friend of mine was stuck behind some stud pitchers through his junior year of high school. In Legion (no travel then) he was stuck behind two additional stud pitchers through junior year. So his big chance came senior year. Everyone who played and led the high school team to a state championship graduated except one outfielder. The coach decided to go with a youth movement and develop players for the following years. My friend got screwed. He mopped up a couple of times. He pitched awesome in Legion after senior year. He attended a MLB tryout camp. He walked on in college and pitched in the CWS.

 

The options are fall victim to woe is me, or be physically and mentally prepared for what might be the one opportunity.

Thanks RJM...I'm happy to say, despite his challenges my son has always owned a top notch work ethic and a great inner drive...he seems to academically be scoring well and attracting attention of very good academic schools for education...perhaps it will give him a path or opportunity to get in front of the right person at the right time...either way I can't be prouder of him for his perseverance and hard work over the past three years...we slept in cars, at truck stops, in cheap hotels as needed to travel and play ball throughout the fall many times getting home at unGodly hours and turning around to go to school (I told him it was a free minor league experience)...he made agreements with teachers to work ahead in school and to meet outside class to keep up the schoolwork...After playing about 60 games this fall and living on the run he raised his GPA from 3.6 to 3.8 in an effort to attract academic school interest...

I really agree and respect what JP posted separately...in our house we roll with the punches and make the best of every life lesson despite how disappointing or seemingly unfair.

I told my son despite what he may think, his coaches may have been one of the biggest contributors to his success by lighting a fire in him that fuels his energy and tenacity for practice and play.

Regardless of the end result...it's been a fun ride so far and I'm a big believer in J29:11 and P4:13...so time will tell...