Post Grad Year?

I have a son who did a PG year and it was a tremendous experience for him.  I think there are a lot of good reasons to do a PG year - athletically, socially, and academically.  That said, many posters here believe that an additional year doesn't usually turn a D3 kid into a D1 kid, especially a D1 kid who has a high likelihood of being a significant college contributor.  I would tend to agree with that in most cases, but every kid is different. 

You say "Coach" is providing feedback that an additional year may give him time to develop into a D1 guy.  Is this his HS coach?  Travel Coach?  A current college coach?  If it's a current college coach, is he willing to back it up with an offer?

If finances of a PG year aren't a significant issue, and if you don't believe he is a pro prospect, then you really don't have much to lose by doing a PG year.  If he's a legit D3 kid now, he still will be after another year even if he doesn't develop significantly beyond what he is right now.  Feel free to PM me if you think it would help.

Thank you for the quick post.  It’s a travel coach who has good D1 contacts.  But as I read your reply it dawned on me that my son didn’t get any D1 nibbles.  Some D2.  His FB jumped tho 4mph (now 84) during summer season and he’s an LHP with low 3/4 slot, lots of movement.   I think coach believes if he adds 2-3 more and is better able to control that movement he would be offered.  He’s not going pro.... he wants to play college ball.  I think we will have to make this decision in next 6 weeks given the pickup on D3 interest.  If the school is a great fit we will absolutely jump on it. If fits are not right we prob will still apply 2020 and evaluate options.  Good to know it worked for your son. 

Congrats on the current interest and offers.  A decision like that will be different for everyone and, of course, will have unique pro's and con's to the individual circumstance.  Does he have specific career goals yet?  That can certainly play into it.  I know you said paying for PG isn't an issue and you weren't looking for scholarship $ but consider this...

Taking a PG year with hopes of going D1 instead of D3 can potentially cost $ in several ways...  You pay for the PG year.  You automatically push back timing for entering the work force and making college grad career earnings by one year.  But also, by going D1 as someone not heavily recruited, the chances of a subsequent transfer and more lost schooling due to transfer-related concerns are significantly higher.  So, you run into the possibility of yet another chunk of time and career earnings lost.  And that's before he even starts looking into his masters degree, which is becoming more and more necessary in many fields and in general.

I'm coming at this from the standpoint of a parent of three kids who all took longer than four years to bachelors degrees.

Could turn him into a D1 player or should turn him into a D1 player? Big difference! Could become a rostered D1 player or could start on a D1? Big difference! If a player is a tweener he’ll probably start three or four years at a D3. He’ll probably battle to be on a D1 roster every year unless he continues to blossom every year. If he’s a tweener chances are he can play for a ranked D3.

Find the best situation for a quality educational, baseball and social experience regardless of level.

RJM - total tweeter and I love how your position it. Fight ever year to keep roster spot or play 3-4 years. If the D3 school is high academic and fits his career goals then we will likely do that.  Coach said could get D1.  Not too different than should tho as both could and should are not would.  Ty for your thoughts. 

What is a PG year?  Post Grad?  How does that work and who is a good fit for that?

I'm all in favor of a gap year. There is no rush to get on the hamster wheel of adult life and no penalty for taking a year off between HS and college - if an acceptable offer isn't on the table.

Moreover, the GY doesn't need to be a PG year (assuming scores and grades are good enough for you). I know kids who did all sorts of things to fill their time, including focusing on baseball. 

Just have a plan - time flys during that year.

Coaches recruit based on projection. If your son had the frame to get the extra velo and fixable mechanics to get faster, more powerful, etc a coach would've seen that by now and recruited him according to what he can do, not necessarily what he does now. Unless your kid went from maxing at 86 to sitting 89 topping 90 I would not worry about it. 

I'm sure your travel coach wants the best for your son but I'm sure the D1 school looks better on the team site than a small D3. It's also another year of him of him paying to play, train, etc. Not saying he is trying to fleece you of your money, but it doesn't hurt. Also, I'm not sure any PG schools are taking applications. School starts within the next 2- 3 weeks. 

Thank you all for replies.  In just 24 hours I got a few new perspectives and things to think about.   Glad I asked the question.  

Gunner Mack Jr. posted:

RJM - total tweeter and I love how your position it. Fight ever year to keep roster spot or play 3-4 years. If the D3 school is high academic and fits his career goals then we will likely do that.  Coach said could get D1.  Not too different than should tho as both could and should are not would.  Ty for your thoughts. 

When my son was fifteen and before I knew exactly where he stood as a prospect I started attending college games and asking parents questions about how their son got there. Most parents are happy to talk about their kids. At NESCAC games (Tufts, Amherst, Bowdoin, etc.) parents pointed out a kid or two who had a shot at lower end D1’s (America East, MAAC, etc.). Knowing they were unlikely to become pro prospects they chose the academic route for the next level (Wall Street, grad school).  

If your child is a late bloomer I think he could benefit from the Post Graduate year. If you feel that the extra year of development and growth will help, then do it.  I believe that what we are really talking about here is capturing, for D1 recruiting purposes, his senior year of high school, and the summer and fall of his post graduate year. You would be, in essence, reclassifying him from class of 2020 to class of 2021, turning back the recruiting calendar one year.

If he's like most young men, he could use an extra year to mature intellectually as well, in terms of judgment, focus and self-discipline. If he doesn't know what he wants to study, an extra year could help him figure that out. My gut feeling is that any school that was there before his PG year will be there after, academic-wise, unless he bombs out for disciplinary reasons. Baseball - who knows? Maybe the coaches that are there now will get pissy and turn their backs on your son, but hopefully more doors will open if that happens. Or maybe they will keep in touch and keep recruiting him.

There are all sorts of "down the road" arguments that can be brought up. I think on the pro side he matures physically (hopefully a few inches height wise and maybe 20 pounds) and it delays the start of his NCAA eligibility clock.  If the coach thinks he can grow more, he might red shirt your son, which may be good for his college baseball career (taking money out of the equation) as he further matures and hones his craft. On the con side it could hurt him if, down the road, he's looking at the pros because I remember hearing that a 23 year old prospect isn't really a prospect, but that is something to worry about far, far down the road. You'll be lucky to face that problem though.

Good luck!

NorCalBBDad posted:

If your child is a late bloomer I think he could benefit from the Post Graduate year. If you feel that the extra year of development and growth will help, then do it.  I believe that what we are really talking about here is capturing, for D1 recruiting purposes, his senior year of high school, and the summer and fall of his post graduate year. You would be, in essence, reclassifying him from class of 2020 to class of 2021, turning back the recruiting calendar one year.

If he's like most young men, he could use an extra year to mature intellectually as well, in terms of judgment, focus and self-discipline. If he doesn't know what he wants to study, an extra year could help him figure that out. My gut feeling is that any school that was there before his PG year will be there after, academic-wise, unless he bombs out for disciplinary reasons. Baseball - who knows? Maybe the coaches that are there now will get pissy and turn their backs on your son, but hopefully more doors will open if that happens. Or maybe they will keep in touch and keep recruiting him.

There are all sorts of "down the road" arguments that can be brought up. I think on the pro side he matures physically (hopefully a few inches height wise and maybe 20 pounds) and it delays the start of his NCAA eligibility clock.  If the coach thinks he can grow more, he might red shirt your son, which may be good for his college baseball career (taking money out of the equation) as he further matures and hones his craft. On the con side it could hurt him if, down the road, he's looking at the pros because I remember hearing that a 23 year old prospect isn't really a prospect, but that is something to worry about far, far down the road. You'll be lucky to face that problem though.

Good luck!

D1s won't be recruiting in the spring as they're in season. They'd also be done recruiting by the fall of the PG year. So he'd really only have the summer. So the PG year isn't really what's desired, it has more to do with having an extra summer. That being said the coaches that were there a year ago did not offer for a reason. A player might get more muscular and stronger, but height and frame aren't going to change a ton if at all. Coaches get paid to recruit based on how a kid will be 2-3 years from when they are recruited, the odds are that they didn't miss anything, he most likely just won't develop into a contributor on their team. 

As PABASEBALL notes a PG year is really only buying the player the summer after his senior year of high school. My son got injured and was recruited very late. Had the right opportunity not come up last second he would have delayed starting college, showcased in the fall and taken two classes at the local JuCo.

Taking only two classes doesn’t start the NCAA clock. But it starts the student on college credits. Then start college in January with the idea college baseball starts the following school year. But the college coach gets the player in a college summer program before he ever plays for the program.

RJM- why do you and pabaseball think it only buys you summer of senior year?  If you mean the summer before your PG I would say that means next summer and I would agree that’s probably the latest for D1 offers however if he decides to PG that means he has from NOW the start of his senior year thru next summer.  There are fall ball tourneys in FLA etc.  for his team.  We checked notes from a camp last year and he actually added 7-8 mph on FB in last year half this summer and shaved a little more than half a second off 60.  He’s a late bloomer but a very good player before the blooming!  Am I thinking about it wrong.  He has a few good D3 offers so I am talking D1.  Thank you. 

My response was in reference to the D1 recruiting timeline. It buys you the summer following his senior year (aka the summer prior to his PG year). Even if there are fall tournaments in Florida in the fall of next year, the vast majority of D1s are finished recruiting by the time September/Oct roll around. Unless he has already decided he will be taking a PG year, he is still a 2020. So that is a decision that will have to be made very soon if he wants to use this upcoming fall season for recruiting. Deciding in October/Nov/Dec will really only give him next summer. 

Got it.  Right.  He will decide PG in the next month which opens up D1 recruiting  immediately.  He then can do the fall prospect camps as essentially a 2021. I understand now why you were saying just the summer prior to PG year now.  Thank you!

If money isn't an issue,, you do not need a scholarship and D1 isn't your #1 focus...do whatever you want. He could walk on anywhere in D1 and compete with nothing on the line except his time or play D3 and get a super head start on life and play more. What a great spot to be in, good luck and keep the board informed on his progress.

Re-classifying right now effectively gives him another junior year from a recruiting perspective.  He would essentially become a rising junior instead of a rising senior from a recruiting timeline perspective.  Whether that opens D1 doors or not really depends on the kid and the situation.  It's up to you to get that word out so that coaches understand.  

Gunner, my son has a friend who was hurt his junior season. He's doing a PG year (turning himself from a 2019 into a 2020). He made the switch about six months ago, which gave him essentially another junior spring season and the summer.

He recently committed to a D1. After recovering from his injury, he posted in the fall of his senior year of high school D1-level measurables verified at a showcase (he's a MIF and posted a sixty time in the 6.7s, EV in the 90s, and INF velo close to 90), he had a great senior year, and ended up committing about a month ago.

Every situation is different, but it can work. Doesn't mean it will, but it can.

PABaseball posted:

My response was in reference to the D1 recruiting timeline. It buys you the summer following his senior year (aka the summer prior to his PG year). Even if there are fall tournaments in Florida in the fall of next year, the vast majority of D1s are finished recruiting by the time September/Oct roll around. Unless he has already decided he will be taking a PG year, he is still a 2020. So that is a decision that will have to be made very soon if he wants to use this upcoming fall season for recruiting. Deciding in October/Nov/Dec will really only give him next summer. 

Gunner ... same answer.

 Fortunately I late phone from 2019Dad posted:

Gunner, my son has a friend who was hurt his junior season. He's doing a PG year (turning himself from a 2019 into a 2020). He made the switch about six months ago, which gave him essentially another junior spring season and the summer.

He recently committed to a D1. After recovering from his injury, he posted in the fall of his senior year of high school D1-level measurables verified at a showcase (he's a MIF and posted a sixty time in the 6.7s, EV in the 90s, and INF velo close to 90), he had a great senior year, and ended up committing about a month ago.

Every situation is different, but it can work. Doesn't mean it will, but it can.

Was he a D1 prospect before injury? Was he on D1 radar? If so, this would be different than PGing to hopefully become a D1 prospect and get on the radar.

My son’s situation was “prove you’re healthy again.” He tore up his knee first weekend post junior summer and separated his throwing shoulder falling down during rehab in the fall. Fortunately a late call from a travel coach/associate MLB scout got him a late offer for the following year. He started college with five years to play four. 

Net, net, Gunner if your son adds 4-5 mph between now and next summer, reclassifying in order to go D1 will likely work out fine (plenty of D1 demand for LHP topping out at 88 or 89). If he doesn't add velo and he's still topping out at 84, it won't. But in that case he'll still likely have D3 options. He'll have burned a year (and some of your money) but it's not the end of the world.

Of course, neither I nor anyone else on here can tell you if the recent velo increases your son has seen will continue.

The replies to my question have been fantastic!  I appreciate all of them. 

I think the recruiting timeline might be changing a bit.  Most D1's do not have their 2020 class even close to finished right now, today.  Even if they finish up in Sept/Oct, that still leaves the proposed Post Grad kid not just next summer, but also the August/Sept/Oct time period that includes lots of showcases, fall tournaments & camps to get an additional look or three...

I'm starting to see the post grad year as a superior alternative to going JUCO right away out of high school, for some kids.  The NCAA clock doesn't start yet, there is time to develop, time to mature

I wouldn't ignore the academic and social benefits if he can gain a high academic admission to a school like Andover/Exeter/Choate/Deerfield (and others I'm not naming) type school.  They are incredible places.

Update:  My son has committed to a HA D3 vs the PG rout.   This school was at the top of his list of schools he wanted to attend.  He formally was offered and accepted.  I also read through the thread go where you are loved and that applies here for sure.  I would add he is also going where he loves it.   Loves the campus, the coaches and most importantly the college/education opportunity.  So the focus now for him is to work out hard in offseason to build strength and crush senior year season!  Thank you all for your thoughts in this thread.  They were very helpful.

Congrats!

Congrats!