Preferred Walk On--Guaranteed Roster Spot

Congratulations, Alleebaba (and son)!  I have been following your posts and responses closely since I also have a 2014.  I am glad your son has the opportunity to follow his dream!

MidloDad has posted about a catcher from our high school, who during his junior year wound up behind a stud, so he didn't get much notice or playing time.  (keewartson wasn't at the school at the time, but this family was a former next door neighbor so we like to follow him).  This player wasn't recruited much before the hs team won the state championship  again the next year, but networks were soon connected and a top conference school came calling in June, around graduation time.  The short story:  they needed a catcher, they had no money left, he gets redshirted, head coach changed, team had a "house cleaning", coach changed again, and he battled through it all.  The new beginning:  he got drafted this past June!

Congrats to your son and the entire family ! By staying in state you'll be able to see more of his games

Congrats to your son and family!

I can't quite figure out what school your son committed to.  If you don't mind, it would be interesting to know (you can still keep your son's name anonymous).

Congrats and best of luck!

Alee now you can focus all your energies and efforts on getting an offer for my son somewhere. :-)

Congrats...see you Sunday.

and mine   Congratualtions to you, your son, and your familiy!

Ditto! 

Congrats Aleebaba, so happy for your son!!

Yes, Congrats Alee - enjoy it.  It goes by quickly.

Thank all of you for your wonderful congratulations.  It is overwhelming to read so many well wishes from so many I have never met personally, but who have given me and my family so much.  This is the only so called "blog" I have ever been a part of, and I can't express how much all this means to me.  I only hope I can help someone else as much as you guys helped me. 

For those that don't know, my son's name is Noah Lee, and he committed to the University of Texas.  He has always wanted to play there, and I pray he gets to do so if worthy.    .   

Congratulations to you and your son. We are in the process right now with our Jr.

ok, my son is a preferred walk on at a very prestigious state college baseball team. he has been redshirted. which he calls "cheating." he gets an extra year playing time. woohoo! he works the bullpen. however, he sees this as a learning experience and time for improvement. he's a great baseball player, very atheletic. a team leader , if you will. i'mvery proud of him. if he goes no where in baseball, he's ok with that. wants to use his degree to work in law enforcement. i'd say...doesn't matter where you go. as long as your heads screwed on straight.

FSU

I asked FSU because I know of quite a few catchers who walked on, but all they did was catch bullpens.  I believe its a practice most big schools do in FL.

Redshirting is costing the team nothing, your son may think he is cheating, getting extra years, but if he never plays regularly, he will not get those extra years.

Hope your son has a good bat and can play multiple positions, that is the only way most walk on position guys can survive in the ACC. And make sure he has a place to play this summer, because next year he will have to compete and prove himself against a whole new class of players.

IMO, it DOES matter where you go, if you want to play baseball while you are there.

Anyone who says other wise is just fooling themselves.

JMO.

I agree with TPM, unless you are injured, Red Shirt is generally a red flag as most of the top programs are three and done for the top players who are on the field. Next year the next crop of "three and done" come in and it starts all over. It does matter a lot where you go as you want to be in a program where the coach has a plan for you. Now if you don't care if you play or not then by all means just go to the best school and roll the dice.  

 Red shirts are for injuries only.  Any other should look for another school if playing is your goal.  Also from experience we always had a preferred walk on catcher in every class.  Somebody has to catch all those bull pens.  I know several that where on the team 4 years and almost never played.  But they can always say they played D1 ball.  Most of these guys where my favorite teammates.

I'll offer a personal walk-on's perspective, though mine was a different situation than Aleebaba's or Jillywily's sons'. Different in that 1) I walked on not at a big time baseball school but at the D3 that I had already attended for a year, which was not a particularly strong program; 2) I had no "preferred status"... I was basically "who's this guy?" (though I had spoken with the coach who said sure come on out... to the open try out); and 3) It was a time in the far, far distant past known as "The 80's"... when college baseball in general was a much simpler proposition I think.

So even with those caveats, my experience was that I had no real visions of ever suiting up even for home games, let alone making the travel squad or ever seeing the field. My fuzzy goal was basically just to land some sort of practice squad role... catch practice bullpens, shag fly balls, rake the field... whatever.  My expectations were so low in fact that I really was just hoping to get lucky enough to survive a round or two of cuts, and thereby maybe stick around long enough to work out with the team a handful of times. For me, that would have been worth the effort! And I did put a lot of effort into preparing for the tryouts. Anyway, without boring you with my thrilling yesteryear baseball exploits, I did end up making the team and did eventually see some decent playing time... all of which was an absolute thrill that I truly cherish. And I guess that's my point; these guys have chosen to take a shot at playing big time college baseball. Sure, it's an outside shot... so hopefully they understand that fully going in. But much stranger things have happened than a walk-on becoming a team contributor. When I first got handed a uni (that memory alone still makes me smile now nearly *gulp* 30 years later), my role initially was to pinch run.  That's literally all I did, at home games only mind you, for most of the first season! But I was on the team by then and, though as minimally as it gets, I was occasionally on the field. Later I did begin to get some legit PT. So more power to these walk-ons! Root around for whatever scraps you can find and then show 'em what you got every chance you get!

When my son and I were talking to a PAC 12 Coach, he told us they do not use red. Shirts.  He said if you aren't ready to contribute some as a Freshman, and be a contributor as a soph, you wouldn't play for them.

Soylent Green,

In case you haven't noticed, the landscape for college baseball (not just D1) has changed as well as the money the coaches need to keep their programs  going.

Redshirts at big D1 programs unless there is a medical waiver is unheard of (see rynoattack's post).  There used to be a time, when the rosters could be as big as 50 (you only need 25 players) and those players filled as players for practice and scrimmages) most players never played. D1 players got thrown in some perks, books or a percentage or two. Don't compare what they did in college baseball in the 80's to 2014.

D3 programs do not have a team roster cap or do they give out athletic scholarships.

This always come down to a personal opinion. But to say that the player lucked out getting a redshirt year, most likely would be because the coach knows he will never play there and didn't want to burn a year of eligibility  and be called all sorts of names. If the player is happy with that situation that is fine, would not have been for mine or most likely most of the players of the websters that post here. 

FWIW, redshirt designation will not be used until the following year. So there is always a possibility that the player COULD get some playing time.

Exactly. Teams are made up of different guys serving in different roles. A big time catching prospect won't be satisfied as the bullpen catcher. But that doesn't diminish the kid who is trying to use that bullpen role as a springboard toward a better role... Like perhaps a defensive specialist back up catcher, a legit pinch hitting option, etc.  Being even a small part of a major college baseball program for four years might be more rewarding to a lot of guys than landing a more significant role in a lesser program. Other guys will want to play above all else regardless of what level. Different strokes.

TPM - I didn't say anything about redshirting. Just offered my own small experience by way of saying that these specific walk-on situations could be rewarding and positive experiences for these players. The point isn't whether or not this type scenario would have been right for your son, and you might even be right that it wouldn't be for most players of websters who post here... But maybe it's the right fit for the players of these websters who posted here. They may parlay the opportunity they have into bigger things and/or enjoy the opportunity to be a part of great baseball programs while attending the schools they really wanted to attend.

While I realize it's the exception I know a kid who went into a ranked program and was redshirted for a year. It was a combination of the then current All SEC catcher returning for his senior year and the coach thinking the kid needed to improve his catching. The kid then played first, third, dh and mid week catcher for two years. 

The kid made the mistake after his redshirt soph year of stating a signing bonus minimum requirement. He wasn't drafted until after his senior year when the deal was take this amount or take a hike. So he hit short season A ball as a 23yo old. When he got injured as a 24yo in low A he was released.

I was responding back to the OP who said his son was redshirting at a big D1 program in FL and how he will get an extra year.

You responded with your experience back in the 80's which has no relevance to today's big D1 programs.

I also asked if it was a specific program for reasons stated above.

TPM - You are absolutely correct and on point as always. My bad for chiming in on the thread. 

No you are not bad, I just stated that your experience back in the 80's at a D3 could be compared to a walk on at a big D1 program in 2014.

Absolutely, TPM. I'm with you.

If a freshman outfielder does not play at a top D1 in his first season, in favor of another freshman and returning upper classmen who did play,... is that a bad sign for the future?

He can hit for average and power, runs like a deer. and gets to everything in the outfield. Oh yeah, has an arm too.  Got less than 10 at bats last season. Tore it up in summer league though. This is a very competitive team and all of their players probably fit the same profile. So, who knows.

Yes, it often is.

It gets back to the maxim that college recruiters tend to look for players who can contribute right away, while professional scouts tend to be more tolerant of "projectible" players.

The college coaching staff strives to "reload" every year with first year players who can contribute on the field in their first season. It certainly doesn't always work out that way; but, virtually every class can be counted upon to have players who edge out more tenured teammates. The freshman who sat all season is very often the "odd man out" in this scenario.

By the way, some of the most inspiring players I've ever seen have been bullpen catchers. These guys toil long hours doing what their title suggests, rarely ever seeing the field during a game; but, it's not unusual for them to be among the most upbeat, spirited guys on the team. The combination of their dedication and enthusiasm frequently makes them among the most admired guys there.

It takes a very special level of commitment and character; but, it can be a very fulfilling and appreciated experience during one's college years.

Prepster,

Do the same rules apply to D2 schools?  The school that my son is signed to for next school year has 9 freshman red shirts, 2 freshman on the roster, 1 sophomore on the roster, and the rest of the players are JC transfers that are upperclassmen.  Looking over the past rosters I see that they have always had a team full of JC transfers that are upperclassmen and 1 or 2 freshman/sophomores.  The coach told us that he was changing the way he does things and bringing in a few freshman each year now since the rules for bringing in JC transfers have become more complex.  Of course we hope that our son will not have to redshirt a year, but we are kind of prepared for the possibility. 

While I'm still learning and navigating my way into all of this, my understanding is that things are different in D2, NAIA and D3. It is more common for underclassmen to work their way into a starting role as juniors and seniors at these levels. Of course, each school could be different. Don't know about redshirts though.

As a matter of course, 2014, I try to limit my comments to DI; only because that's where the lion's share of my experience happens to be. However, if a Freshman has ridden the bench for an entire season, it's hard for me to imagine him suddenly taking on a significant role in subsequent years with a new class coming in annually.

This may not apply to the transitional situation you described (where the coach has indicated a desire to wean himself from a high percentage of JUCO transfers); but, in a stable situation, you ought to be able to track through a few Freshmen on several successive years' rosters and see if the staff made it a habit to play upperclassmen despite that they'd not played in prior years.

Another suggestion: Ask the coach for examples of players who have sat out their first year and emerged as regular players subsequently. Then, try to come behind that and talk with some current and/or recent players to substantiate what he tells you.

My opinion from watching my son and his friends are:

(mileage may vary because of the variation of programs)

D2: The top D2 programs get a lot of "D1 drop downs" so spots can be very precarious since you never know who is going to show up on campus at the last minute. They also get a lot of JC transfers.  (top programs at least, beyond this I don't know)

D3's: Since there are no roster limits you get a lot more kids who work hard or are late developers working their way into starting spots, (sometimes significant) in their Jr and Sr years. Loosing kids to the the draft early are also rare.  Red shirts are only injury related, since no one is on athletic $$. The top programs get borderline D1 players who come in on academic $ and play all 4 years. 

Prepster-

Thanks for the information!  While we hope that it is possible to work your way into a starting role,  it makes sense to me that a player doesn't improve while sitting on the bench for a whole season.  We will be attending games this Spring and watching to see how things go with all of the new freshman on the team.  This is the first year as far as I can tell, where there is more than one freshman on the team.

Stafford-Good luck to your son this season!  I hope that you will post updates, I will be pulling for him!