Preferred Walk On--Guaranteed Roster Spot

What makes it his dream school!

Nothing is ever guaranteed.  Could be a great situation or could be a nightmare.  It will all depend on what they think "after" your son is on campus.  What if "after" he is on campus, they tell him, "I guarantee you will never play here".  Would your son want to stay there after hearing that? Or what happens If they tell your son they think he needs to go to a certain JC so that he can develop his skills.   

 

I'm not trying to put a damper on this, it could work out great.  Every school has some walk-ons. But the only sure thing about baseball is that there are no sure things. If you feel the coach/recruiter is someone you can trust and he is being totally honest, go for it.  But always know that people can and do change their mind. Truth is, it is all up to your son and his confidence in proving himself to the coaching staff.  There are student/athletes with good scholarships that get asked to transfer... Told they will never play at the college.  No one wants to stay where they are no longer wanted.

No brainer holmes.

 

It is a great academic and baseball school in our state, and one that many kids in our state dream of going to, and baseball players dream of playing for.

Great academics and great baseball. And the chance for money ... More than you get at a lot of other places. That's for sure.

PG posted something very important in another topic about schools knowing about what other offers one may or may not have and from who
Seems like your sons dream school must know his situation.  Sorry if they wanted him badly enough they would make some type of offer.

If they want him so badly where were they all summer? In what capacity do they want him, as a catcher for games or in the bullpen? 

Definetly a no brainer go to where you are really wanted.
If it is any of the larger programs from your state chances are they have a
stud catcher and one waiting in the wings. Could be a few seasons before he got some serious if any play time.  Check rosters and ask how many other catchers will walk on.

The decision is up to your son but make sure he really understands that he is an after thought to others. If he is ok with that than go for it.  Not all walk ons are because there is no money left.  I know of players that were walk ons but gave up their money because they could afford to attend with no scholarship dollars recruited seriously by the coaching staff.   Doesn't seem to be the case here.

My son was in the exact same situation.  His dream school.  This school called him often saying they really want him - but they have no money.  (Even though we knew of offers being given/turned down by others, etc.)  We were wary of going to a school with no NLI.  What if the coaching staff changes?  What if they don't keep their word?  We felt it was too risky to choose a school (out of state at that) to play ball on a handshake.  A proud moment for me was when my son actually told the coach that on one of his phone calls.

Aleebaba,

 

I'll defer to swampboys post #13 in this other thread that you started.  I truly believe this is fantastic advice in the context it was given and in general:  Cudos to swampboy.   http://community.hsbaseballweb...est-academic-college-

 

"The fact of the matter is that the overwhelming majority of baseball players who head off to college do not get the experience they think they signed up for.  Transfers and injuries and bench time and cuts and academic pressure and other disappointments are the norm--and that doesn't even count what opposing teams do to you. This rule applies to all divisions and all conferences (just ask the young men with plausible D1 aspirations who enroll at D3's, only to encounter 50-60 players on the fall roster and find themselves on the bench, if they're lucky). 

 

High academic schools do not offer a refuge from this reality.  For example, look at Harvard. Harvard has a GSR of 100% for the latest reporting period.  There were eleven freshmen on the roster in 2010.  Three of those eleven were still on the roster as seniors in 2013.  Maybe all of the others were still in school nailing down their degrees.  Or maybe 3 divided by 11 doesn't equal 100%.  I'm not picking on Harvard.  Do your own check on other schools.

 

Any player who aspires to play college baseball anywhere needs to plan on bouncing back from major adversity somewhere along the line, regardless of where he goes to school.  Personally, I think it's great preparation for adult life, and so I am willing to encourage young men to embrace the challenge.  But that's just my opinion."

 

The last part of this passage is the most important part in my opinion because it almost always true.  There will be major adversity at some time, and possibly more than one adverse event..  Folks have different opinions about selecting a school and baseball programs based on their goals, experiences and situations. I think if you go into this eyes wide open with a best case/worst case analysis, and if the worst case is workable then I think you need to consider this option.  If the worst case is not palatable then I think you need to consider other options.  JMO

 

Good luck and let us know!

 

 

 

Swampboy, Great post via Fenway. Thanks for preserving this piece of wisdom.

I know that schools can't offer an NLI without the minimum athletic scholarship.  So, is there anything else the coach can do to "guarantee" you a roster spot, other than give you his word?  A good state school might be less expensive with no scholarship than a private school with the minimum 25% aid.

This is a consequence of the NCAA's institution of the 25% minimum rule a few years back.

 

Previously, a school could lock down a player for as little as "book money".  The NCAA didn't like players being taken off the market for small amounts, and stated that it thought the rule change was for players' benefit.  But the problem is, if you don't command 25%, you end up with nothing.  Even with "book money", you would be a "counter", i.e., someone the NCAA would count towards the program's maximum roster size of 35.  When cutting you wouldn't help the program get under the ceiling, your odds of being on the spring roster were pretty close to 100%, excepting only if the coaches concluded during the fall that you were a problem kid. 

 

But when you have zero money, now you are not automatically a "counter", so you can be cut.  And no matter what someone promises you orally, things can change.  Some people don't keep their word.  Sometimes coaches are fired and replaced.  Some times a guy meant to keep his word but later finds himself in a predicament he didn't anticipate and his only out is to cut you.

 

So, there are risks.  The best bet is to post a request for information -- ask people here to send you private messages about experiences at the school and whether this coach has a track record that engenders trust, or whether perhaps others have been led down the primrose path this way. 

 

There is one other factor.  Suppose this is a school where your son could not pass admissions on his own, but he could with the coach's help.  That may be enough to sway your decision.  That uses baseball to get an opportunity you wouldn't otherwise have had.  Even if he does get cut from the team (and there's no saying he will be, as pretty much every team has 8 or more walk-ons), that wouldn't result in him losing his place as a student.  For many, this is enough to seal a deal.  Whether it is enough for your son, only you and he can decide. 

Thanks for the posts.  We have direct relationships with players that just left the program, and my son's hitting coach is best friends with one of their coaches and they both say offer is legit and program honors these commitments. 

 

PG, Fenway and TPM make good points about being able to accept the downside, but from reading you guys it seems like the downside is possible anywhere you go.  If they don't like you, playing time is unlikely anywhere.  It is of course tougher in some schools than others though.

 

Now, one of the key issues seems to be that my son is not as highly thought of us maybe some other recruits, and the "go where you are loved" rule would most likely lead you elsewhere, (and there are schools that have shown him that love).  However, my son, like many others in his spot, still dreams of MLB, and trying to stack up against the best.  You and I know that it is a 1 in a 1000 chance, but he is 17.  Because he has aspirations of playing ball beyond college, one advantage is he would compete against tougher competition and see if he stacks up.  If he can't make the lineup eventually given all the teaching tools they have, then he obviously would not be a good pro and can focus more on studies.  It would be a more miserable experience though than playing somewhere that you can contribute, but you would get the ultimate feedback you need to move on.  Just a thought.   

 

It seems you or your son (?) has answered your question. Hope it is your son.

For a kid that is interested in playing baseball, especially past the college level, I think its very important to find a coach that has a vision of your son contributing, rather then a coach who is willing to see if he'll "stick".  Other then getting cut, the next worst thing is being strung along for several years while sitting on the bench.  For many its better to play for a team ranked 150th in the nation then to sit on the bench for #1.  Its a tough call.

 

With respect to schools  "academics" its more about your son's efforts and interests then the schools academic ranking.  i.e. your son might get into UCLA as a geology major with the coaches help or get into UCD as an engineering major....

No, just thinking through issue with help from you guys.

Aleebaba - PM to you.

Aleebaba,

 

Our son was also offered a "fall roster spot" with the chance to make the spring roster at a big highly ranked in state school.  Our son has decided to pass even though the cost would be lower and he would be closer to home than where he is being offered academic and baseball money.  The reason is, he wants to PLAY for four more years.  We know that he is not one of those players that will end up in the MLB someday; he is going to live off of his degree.  He would love to tell his friends that he went D1 and he would like to be close to home, but most of all, he wants to PLAY.  He has two more visits to make and will sign/commit to the coach who loves him the most (two more D2 schools and one very competitive D3 to visit).  That is just my two cents....

Good points. 

 

Another way to potentially split the baby on this issue is to perhaps consider "playing" at a lower-ranked school that happens to be googled-eyed over your son and oh btw, the lower-ranked school routinely plays the big boys  

 

You see this situation play itself out all over college baseball.  Using just the Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina region of the country, where teams can play (even midweek) with only an hour or two bus ride, there are lessor-ranked schools in this region that routinely play the likes of Clemson, South Carolina, North Carolina, UVA, NC State, etc.  Thus, a player can still get exposure to the pro scouts even though they may not be at their "dream" school.  Moreover, if the player can manage to get into a fine summer league in their respective regions (e.g., Coastal Plains or Valley League for mid-Atlantic states), they can also get additional pro exposure (often to the same scouts) playing against top competition.

 

You must "play" in front of the pro scouts to get drafted.  They must see you play.  Sitting on the bench at LSU will not satisfy that requirement although it might be cool to tell your friends you are on LSU's baseball team. 

 

You'll almost never see a pro scout at a game between Lower Ranked State and Ranked Lower University but you very likely and often can see a game between Low Ranked State and Clemson where the likelihood of seeing a pro scout goes up greatly.