Triple … Jet and I took a different approach on how to answer your question. But notice we both mentioned having an advocate to sell the player.
@RJM posted:Triple … Jet and I took a different approach on how to answer your question. But notice we both mentioned having an advocate to sell the player.
I noticed that. I appreciate all of the responses and I am already thinking of the right person to advocate. They have had several coaches and trainers and I want to find the right person.
Does the HS/Travel coach sell to the RC or the HC of the target school?
@TerribleBPthrower posted:Does the HS/Travel coach sell to the RC or the HC of the target school?
I don’t know who the coach called. My son would hear from the recruiting coach. He was told what coach would be at the event. The recruiting coach would ask for his schedule, jersey color* and jersey number. If it was a showcase they asked for his showcase number and what color team he was assigned.
* He had to provide the options. In any given game it could be white, black or red.
The top tier travel teams have relationships with a lot of college coaches and teams. Former players, former coaches. Buddy of a buddy. Ex-team mate.
The travel org itself might have a big enough name/cache to at least get a listen from any coach. A common refrain on this site is that college baseball is actually a pretty small club.
They contact who they know. In general, your son should contact the RC.
RJM did mention going to the local colleges to get seen/know by the coaches if you can afford it. We missed out on a lot of that opportunity due to COVID. Local coaches can come by and see him play or send folks to watch him play.
Be a realist when it comes to your kids potential. It’s the rare parent that is objective about their kid’s skills and projection. If college ball is an aspiration, then have a qualified coach/scout (with no possible continued financial incentive) objectively evaluate your son. No evaluation will be perfect but having objective data will give you a solid base for what types of programs your son should realistically consider. Don’t base decisions on opinions of people you’re paying, could be paying, family or friends if you’re looking for objectivity.
At the end of my son’s HS junior year, he played for a summer 18U showcase team run by an MLB scout (no big org, just the scout and one team – very low cost). He told me my son projected to be a D1 ballplayer and that was a total shock to me. The next day I got serious about helping my son find a place to play after HS. He went the juco route, he only played 12 innings his freshman juco season, was all-conference as a juco sophomore, transferred and was a SEC starter as a junior. Projections are imperfect, but the pros have a pretty good idea of overall capability. Parental lack of objectivity has most of us wrong one direction or another…
I’m a fan of picking a few schools that are both an academic and athletic skillset fit and going to their camps. Your son should email the coach before the start of camp to explain why he wants to be part of the program. He should get to camp early enough to introduce himself to the coach and reference the email to create a connection before the skills showcase. At the end of the camp, he should personally thank the coach and ask for specifics about what he needs to work on to become part of the organization. Doing these things should help him stand out, but ultimately, he will need to prove he’s physically got the chops to hang at the level
Thank you for an amazing thread. My son is a 2024 and currently weighing his offers and options. The more information the better!