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I noticed recently that a few highly rated high school baseball players have reclassified up a year rather that back which is very popular in high school football.  I think this is because being a 20 year-old college freshmam (a la Calvin Ridley - Alabama receiver) is not viewed as a good thing in the professional baseball community.  I don't think a college recruiter would care as much but my guess is that these kids want to test the signing bonus waters. Agree/disagree?

Has anyone else noticed this and if so, what are your thoughts?

Last edited by hshuler
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I know a kid who stayed back when he entered a private school. It's standard procedure at this school unless the kid is exceedingly bright. He had nothing to gain by staying for his 19yo senior season. He got his GED and headed for college. It put him back on track for three years of college and the draft at 21. The move didn't hurt him academically. He went to a top academic college with a ranked baseball program. That leaves about three choices (Rice, Stanford, Vanderbilt).

Last edited by RJM
hshuler posted:

I noticed recently that a few highly rated high school baseball players have reclassified up a year rather that back which is very popular in high school football.  I think this is because being a 20 year-old college freshmam (a la Calvin Ridley - Alabama receiver) is not viewed as a good thing in the professional baseball community.  I don't think a college recruiter would care as much but my guess is that these kids want to test the signing bonus waters. Agree/disagree?

Has anyone else noticed this and if so, what are your thoughts?

Sorry for my naivety but what do you mean they reclassified up a year?  As in they are the class of 2017 but they reclassified themselves as 2016?  How would one even do that?

CaCO3Girl posted:Sorry for my naivety but what do you mean they reclassified up a year?  As in they are the class of 2017 but they reclassified themselves as 2016?  How would one even do that?

Usually it depends on where the kid is academically.

My oldest is technically a 2017. However, because he was in an advanced program where he started taking high school courses in 7th grade - he only has one class left to take in his "senior" year.  He could just take that course on-line and "graduate" this summer. Of course he decided that he was interested in doing that just after most scholarship deadlines had passed. So instead, he's doing an early admit program that the school district runs with a local junior college.  There are a handful of other kids at the school who are in a similar situation.

CaCO3Girl posted:
hshuler posted:

I noticed recently that a few highly rated high school baseball players have reclassified up a year rather that back which is very popular in high school football.  I think this is because being a 20 year-old college freshmam (a la Calvin Ridley - Alabama receiver) is not viewed as a good thing in the professional baseball community.  I don't think a college recruiter would care as much but my guess is that these kids want to test the signing bonus waters. Agree/disagree?

Has anyone else noticed this and if so, what are your thoughts?

Sorry for my naivety but what do you mean they reclassified up a year?  As in they are the class of 2017 but they reclassified themselves as 2016?  How would one even do that?

As Rob T posted, some are academically eligible to graduate a year early and may choose to do so.  Others may push their graduation to mid term their senior year and may do so for baseball or other sports.  Brandon McIlwain did that this year.  Decided to graduate in December, forego the MLB draft and enter USC early to play spring baseball and participate in spring football practices to better his position to play this fall (OF in baseball, QB in football). 
http://www.garnetandblackattac...cks-early-enrollment

 Seth Beer did the same thing at Clemson.
http://www.baseballamerica.com...#pEbS5WvvSygZKe3h.97

Nuke83 posted:

As Rob T posted, some are academically eligible to graduate a year early and may choose to do so.  Others may push their graduation to mid term their senior year and may do so for baseball or other sports.  Brandon McIlwain did that this year.  Decided to graduate in December, forego the MLB draft and enter USC early to play spring baseball and participate in spring football practices to better his position to play this fall (OF in baseball, QB in football). 
http://www.garnetandblackattac...cks-early-enrollment

 Seth Beer did the same thing at Clemson.
http://www.baseballamerica.com...#pEbS5WvvSygZKe3h.97

Difference between those 2 is that McIlwain will be 18 this year while Beer will be 20.  McIlwain truly left early.  Beer was 2 years behind and shortened it to 1 1/2.

 

CaCO3Girl posted:
hshuler posted:

I noticed recently that a few highly rated high school baseball players have reclassified up a year rather that back which is very popular in high school football.  I think this is because being a 20 year-old college freshmam (a la Calvin Ridley - Alabama receiver) is not viewed as a good thing in the professional baseball community.  I don't think a college recruiter would care as much but my guess is that these kids want to test the signing bonus waters. Agree/disagree?

Has anyone else noticed this and if so, what are your thoughts?

Sorry for my naivety but what do you mean they reclassified up a year?  As in they are the class of 2017 but they reclassified themselves as 2016?  How would one even do that?

The "reclass" thing is very popular with basketball (in east especially) and football.  And usually it is a kid repeating his Junior year, when transitioning from a public HS where they have gone grades 9, 10, 11.  Then they repeat their 11th grade year at private school, thus graduating a year later than they originally planned.  Again, very big in prep schools with basketball and football. 

One may elect to do this as a "mulligan year" for some bad academics grades 9 thru 11, or for emotional maturity reasons, and most definitely physical maturity reasons.  Or all three combined.  You must be careful and be sure to follow NCAA guidelines, of which there are many.

It is a rare kid who reclasses "up" though (usually it is "down").  I believe JB Bukauskas (UNC RHP, freshman) also jumped "up" a grade to graduate earlier from HS than the year he intended when he was a freshman.  It is impressive. 

Last edited by #1 Assistant Coach

JB Bukauskas (RHP, North Carolina) did it two years ago.  I know the family  well.  Really simple:

1. Elite talent

2. Not ready (from the player and family perspective) to go away from home and into MiLB and was seeking the college campus/baseball experience

3. Wanted to get the clock ticking sooner to get to the draft

It was smart and well thought out move by him (he dominated HS hitters from the minute he walked on the field in 9th grade).  Another year of HS would have been a waste of time and another season of potentially risking injury.  Heck, he was in the starting rotation for UNC as a Freshman (when he should have been a senior in HS).  He has an electric arm, as many readers on HSBBW know so well.

9and7dad posted:

I know many families that have done it.  Mine was a 2014, re-classed to 2015 as he is a July kid, so always very young in his grade.  As previously posted, its very common in other sports too.  Many, many kids who go to private high school repeat a year when they transfer and re-classify.

I may be wrong, but the OP is talking about the opposite, whereby a kid skips his senior year of HS and graduates with the class ahead of him.  It is happening more and more.  Seth Beer at Clemson - who is tearing it up, btw - is an another example.  Should be a senior in HS but is chewing up big time D1 pitching instead.

BucsFan posted:
9and7dad posted:

I know many families that have done it.  Mine was a 2014, re-classed to 2015 as he is a July kid, so always very young in his grade.  As previously posted, its very common in other sports too.  Many, many kids who go to private high school repeat a year when they transfer and re-classify.

I may be wrong, but the OP is talking about the opposite, whereby a kid skips his senior year of HS and graduates with the class ahead of him.  It is happening more and more.  Seth Beer at Clemson - who is tearing it up, btw - is an another example.  Should be a senior in HS but is chewing up big time D1 pitching instead.

To boil this down even more simply:

The RECLASS UP thing is done more in the public HS setting, in order to graduate earlier and complete HS in say 3 or 3-1/2 years.

The RECLASS DOWN thing is done more in the private school setting, in order to graduate a year later and complete HS in 5-years.

Last edited by #1 Assistant Coach
proudhesmine posted:

Thats how it went here.All 2016 needed was his senior yr. english class.No moving up or down tho.Just really enjoying senior yr.

That's what my son needs.  Because it's a "sequence" class, he's not allowed to take it until completing English 3.  It's fortunate that he is able to do the early admit program because he's gone through all the AP and honors electives he can take.  Basically, if he attended his senior year and got straight A's his weighted GPA would have gone down... 

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