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It appears that your lefty pitcher has performed well in front of the right people. Impatience, frustration, worry all set in when the phone/texts/e-mails are not as plentiful as you'd like after seeing him do so well.

My son was playing for a top level west coast travel ball team the summer before junior year. He absolutely went off at the travel team's prospect camp, which had over 30 college coaches (mainly D1) attending. Hit a ball out of a minor league stadium and hit the fence on two other of the many hits he had that weekend. He ran a sub 7 60yd and had a good arm, 3.9 GPA. Offers after that event??? Zero! It took until the following summer as a rising Senior for offers to come in. He will be attending a fantastic university  next year, which is a great fit baseball-wise and academically...it worked out.

Your son will get offers and go where he is supposed to. Funny thing that I have seen from my son's teammates that have put in the work - The moon and stars typically align and the college thing works out. Good luck and keep supporting him, he'll be fine!    

 

Last edited by WestCoastPapa

You just really need to be patient and let the the velocity catch up with the talent.  Though talented, your son is still young and I believe most P5 coaches need/want to see velocity in the high 8's before moving forward.  A few years back my son's velo at 15 was low 80's. - Consistent work and development led to low 90's the summer prior to his senior year - while it may seem like power 5's aren't recruiting rising seniors, there were still Power 5 offers to be had.......so be patient........you don't need to make a decision until you have to make a decision.......if i could do it over i would have spent a lot less time plotting a path and more time enjoying the ride.

Lefty pitchers that can get outs get innings in College ball. Your son is young. He's left handed and he can pitch. He'll find a school to play for. There is nothing to worry about here other than his health and his grades. 

Health, Arm care is the number one priority for any potential college pitcher. Velocity is a measuring stick used by RC's and pro ball scouts to sort recruits and it can become important to players ( and parents ) but sometimes there is a price to pay for throwing a baseball as hard as you can over and over and over again.

My son was a 2016 and played on one of Top travel teams in the Country ( #3 PG Rankings 2014 / 2015) and was recruited and offered before his Junior year of HS to a D1 school in the South as a LHP

Playing travel ball, doing PG events he was obsessed w/ velocity numbers. He topped 86 sat 83-84 but that wasn't enough in his estimation. FYI : 85 on the left side is plenty for any school if the kid has a + secondary pitch and can get outs.

He did Top Notch velocity programs. Weighted balls, etc. Started experiencing shoulder discomfort Summer before Senior year. Rested. Tried to ramp up again right before High school season, More shoulder pain. MRI , Torn labrum. Opted for Non-surgical treatment ( Didn't work )

Didn't pitch his senior year. Played as a position player ( He could always hit a little). Made 1st team all-league as a hitter also honorable mention all- State.

Did PRP treatment in Summer before college. No throw all summer. Went to College. More more shoulder pain. Surgery ( Red Shirt ) Freshman year. Problems w/ rehab. Didn't throw well ( playing catch ) until close to 18 months post surgery. Got on a mound at 20 months post surgery. Within a few weeks was locating and touching 87 mph. But the normal sort of shoulder muscle soreness freaked him out. Major surgery is a big deal. Major shoulder surgery for a baseball pitcher is a HUGE deal. Most don't pitch again. He could pitch but the surgery had changed him. It wasn't fun anymore.

He came home after red shirt sophomore year and decided to go JUCO as a hitter. He is currently playing at a Top Juco in Southern California and is ripping the ball. Leads the team in HR's, RBI, Slug% and the throw from CF is nice with plenty of Velo. Most importantly , he's healthy and HAPPY.

I say all this because it's odd reading these recruiting posts now. I was that guy.That Dad. That dad with the kid that was ' D1 Bound' . Best travel team, all the right events. Top Southern California HS team, SAT tutors ( He was an Ivy recruit) ,  Large American Express Bills and high expectations

But none of it worked out as planned. Not a damn thing.

But the kid is still playing.....and I'm still watching.

 

 

Last edited by StrainedOblique
smokeminside posted:

I've found that comparing my kid's recruiting experience to his teammates' was a gateway move to dependency on antipsychotic drugs.

3/2 gave you great advice. I'd focus on patience, while still pursuing as many options as possible, AND getting an ACT/SAT tutor. That score can go up significantly with the right preparation.

 

I read the first line of this reply to my wife and all she did was point at me and nod knowingly.

Another thing you could work on with your son is the immaturity part.  College coaches don't want problem players that don't show up to practice on time, not going to mandatory study hall, not making up work and tests from away games, etc.  There are GPA minimums at some schools that are above the NCAA minimum.   (So, not only do you have to get recruited by the school, and get accepted, you have to make the grades to STAY there!)

  • Make sure you son is getting up on his own, with his own alarm clock/phone alarm.   
  • Is he doing his own laundry now?  Gotta start sometime, and now is good.
  • Studying on his own and turning reports in on time?

 

You want your son to go to school where he can play and make a difference.  He doesn't have to go to a P5 school to get drafted.  But he does have to play and be successful at it wherever he goes.

I’m looking for some advice on coach/player communication.  I’ve read that the “earlier” you reach out to schools the better as long as you are close to entering High School.  My son is in 8th grade, has had a heck of a year with showcase ball, and he’s been told by numerous coaches that barring any injury he should be able to play at the next level.  My son reached out to two of his dream school’s assistant recruiting coaches and received a reply later in the day in the form of a prospect camp invite with one school but didn’t receive a reply from the other.  The one who replied stated that he’s “too young” for them to actively recruit per NCAA when they replied and sent the invite.  Is this a good sign or likely just a way to make another’s $450?  Also, should he be discouraged that he didn’t hear back from the other one or is it just a busy time of year and would you consider him too young to reach out being a class of 2023?  I obviously don’t want him being a pain to the coaches but he also wants to make his  interest known to the schools.  

4arms posted:

I’m looking for some advice on coach/player communication.  I’ve read that the “earlier” you reach out to schools the better as long as you are close to entering High School.  My son is in 8th grade, has had a heck of a year with showcase ball, and he’s been told by numerous coaches that barring any injury he should be able to play at the next level.  My son reached out to two of his dream school’s assistant recruiting coaches and received a reply later in the day in the form of a prospect camp invite with one school but didn’t receive a reply from the other.  The one who replied stated that he’s “too young” for them to actively recruit per NCAA when they replied and sent the invite.  Is this a good sign or likely just a way to make another’s $450?  Also, should he be discouraged that he didn’t hear back from the other one or is it just a busy time of year and would you consider him too young to reach out being a class of 2023?  I obviously don’t want him being a pain to the coaches but he also wants to make his  interest known to the schools.  

He is young. Most replies will be firm letters to get kids to camps. It will take the effort of the college coach reaching out to his club coach and asking him to call to get real communication. That won’t happen from first emails. I would say to send short video clips and update new stats.  That may get them out to see him at a tournament and from there, if they like him, he might be asked to call. It’s hard to project an 8th grader unless he is the very top percentage for the class. I just read about a 9th grader throwing 95.  You don’t have to project that kind of kid. Don’t be discouraged.  Send a few emails this year if you have updates, then when he’s ready, do a prospect camp.

I would disagree with the earlier is better unless as we say here you have something to tell them about.  If your kid is as another post says a 6' throwing 80 or hitting bombs on high school fields then you have something to tell them about.  If he is throwing 70, then wait until you have something to tell them about.  You don't want them to take you off a list because you persisted too early which they will do and it is harder to get back on the list.  Unless you are talking

I personally do not think you pursue your top schools until you are at least in high school or have something really special to show them.  Unless you are going to kid's camp.  Also remember you do not want to invest a lot of money going to camps and building relationships with the coaches if that is a dream school and the coaching merry go round throw you off.  There are very few Mike Martin's who go somewhere and stay a long time anymore. 

This is just my opinion and experience.  When mine was on the varsity field as a freshman and had success, we began to send information to coaches because we had something to tell them.   When it comes to Showcase ball, make sure your level of play is something to tell them about.  There are many levels of play at middle school ball.  Unless it is PG or equivalent, most college coaches are not interested in that information. 

Ok thank you.  He’s definitely not throwing 95.  His numbers are at the top in several categories (60, exit velo, infield velo) for his class according to PG.  He’s been described as a young frame who’s highly projectable and is a “secondary” pitcher with velo 80-81mph.  I guess I’ve read several pieces that say wait and they’ll find you and I’ve read to have a list and reach out.  This is our first go around with this so we are trying to take all advice and stay ahead of the game.   

Definitely need a list, reach out and assume it's a part time job, but 8th grade is far too early IMO. I always think how would I react, if I were the coach, when communicating.  Think my eyes would roll inside my head if I was receiving outreach from 8th graders. 

I sent my son to a camp at UCONN October of his freshman year, just for the experience of being on a college field (no Idea at the time it was a recruiting/$ tool).  Coach Penders told my son he was the youngest there by 1.5 years.  TBH, it felt kinda silly being there, when my 14yo son was mixing up with 17/18yo...and he's a D1 commit.

I was ignorant then but it all worked out.  Never did I think about college recruiting at such a young age.  I would give it time and just make sure you prep him for HS and the demands that go along with it.  You have plenty of time...heck many of the coaches you reach out to may be gone in 5 years.

4arms, he's on a good track but just too young for colleges to really want to follow or care to hear from just yet.  At least let him get to HS and compete at the V level.  And, along the way, make sure you both fully enjoy the HS experience (don't let the recruiting process distract too much from that or prevent him from having the fun a HS kid should have).  If he sticks with baseball and plays in college, it will become a much bigger sacrifice of time and other activities once he heads off to college (yes, beforehand too, but nothing like college).  HS only happens once.  Another word of caution -  if he is talking about his recruiting exploits before he makes the HS V team, he may find himself rubbing his prospective HS teammates the wrong way.

I wouldn't be too worried.  6' lefties throwing 82-83 are fairly common...especially in baseball hotbeds.  To get an offer before his sophomore year in HS he'd have to be something truly special.  This coming summer should be really interesting for you...especially if he can consistently be 85-86.  That seems to be the "magic number" for velo.   The other MAJOR issue is the ACT score.  18 is likely going to prevent him from going to a D1....23-24 would be better, but still a stretch for some of the better schools.  I'd figure out a way to get those numbers up.....as soon as possible.  You mentioned JUCO.  That's absolutely an option....especially with him being so young.  He could go to a D1 and potentially be battling with kids almost 5 years older than him.  A year or two at a JUCO would allow him to grow, get stronger...and also hopefully make him more academically attractive to D1's.   Good luck!

All great advice above, in fact maybe the most informative post if read on here. I would agree with it all. To me the glaring thing is there is a difference between “topping” 87 and “sitting” 87. In the Northeast it seems like for most mid major D1 they wait to see you sit 85. And if it’s 84 they wait. Saw it happen with many kids I coached. Some eventually made it and some didn’t. But in the end as a LHP when they starting sitting 85 then the gates opened. For RHP in general it seemed like 89 opened the door. Now in other areas at other levels(P5) I’d guess the expectation is higher. So my advice on top of every one else’s here is improve grades, arm care, be patient.

WOW - Things have changed and I haven't been on the forum in a while. I'm blown away by the responses and how informative/accurate they were. Thank you guys so much. Such a great resources for people struggling w/ similar issues.

I wanted to update you on my son's story. 

He had a banner sophomore year in HS. Had a 1.42 ERA in 34 innings in the state's highest classification, led his team in hitting and ... was on the mound when his team won the state championship! LOL, things couldn't have gone much better. 

His good fortune continued last summer. He led his summer team in hitting and was the top pitcher on the team. Velo still hovered in the 82-85 ranged though, and he didn't receive an offer through our summer season. We, again, were frustrated. The RC at the mid-major D1 in our state attened like 15 of our games last summer. They offered 5 players from our summer team. Not my son. And that was really baffling b/c the RC watched them play. He saw my son outpitch and outhit kids he offered. 

So we again, were happy w/ where he was at. Knew something good would happen eventually. But were still frustrated. 

He had one more chance to end the summer with a bang. He received an invite to PBR's Future Games in Atlanta. It's quite the spectacle - 300+ college coaches in the stands. On the event's final day, he got his turn to pitch. Threw two clean innings - sat 84-87 and hit 86 or 87 15 times in those two frames. At that point, I was just so happy for him. I didn't GAF what mid-major D1 RC thought or anybody else. I was proud of him and knew that something good would happen for him at some point.

As we're driving back from ATL, showcase guy calls me. "XXXXXXX," the HC at an out-of-state SEC school, "is about to call" my son. He did and they had a great convo that ended in an offer. And here's the one thing that stuck w/ me about that phone call. He said "We like what we saw man. We believe that you can get outs in the SEC and we want you." A previous poster had mentioned "getting outs." 

Over the course of the next two days, we pick up two more D1 offers. And then my phone rings again. It's our showcase guy, "Coach XXXXX," the PC at an SEC super power, wants my son to call him. "They're [SEC super power and School A from the original post] about to offer him." And they did!! True to their word, when he showed he could "sit" 85+, they offered immediately. 

It was THE offer. Nothing could be better. So my son said he wanted to commit and did. He was well aware that the real work was only beginning and there was no guarantee about anything. But he said it'd be impossible for him to ever receive a better offer. So he committed.

And that's where we are today - a 2021 LHP sitting 85-86, committed to his dream school and well on his way to a shot at the next level. 

Covid has really screwed stuff up - our chance to repeat as state champs mainly - but he's continued to work. He actually set a personal best run-n-gun today, actually, of 93. Driveline, good people, performing when it counts and a 100% committed approach has gotten him to where he is today. His ACT is up, slightly, to a 20. But he's gonna get it up more. 

Moral of this story is EXACTLY what people were telling me a year ago - relax, be patient and keep working. Good things will happen and they did. 

Hope this story helps somebody and again, thank you for helping me!

@jaylu0204 posted:

WOW - Things have changed and I haven't been on the forum in a while. I'm blown away by the responses and how informative/accurate they were. Thank you guys so much. Such a great resources for people struggling w/ similar issues.

I wanted to update you on my son's story. 

….

He had one more chance to end the summer with a bang. He received an invite to PBR's Future Games in Atlanta. It's quite the spectacle - 300+ college coaches in the stands. On the event's final day, he got his turn to pitch. Threw two clean innings - sat 84-87 and hit 86 or 87 15 times in those two frames. At that point, I was just so happy for him. I didn't GAF what mid-major D1 RC thought or anybody else. I was proud of him and knew that something good would happen for him at some point.

As we're driving back from ATL, showcase guy calls me. "XXXXXXX," the HC at an out-of-state SEC school, "is about to call" my son. He did and they had a great convo that ended in an offer. And here's the one thing that stuck w/ me about that phone call. He said "We like what we saw man. We believe that you can get outs in the SEC and we want you." A previous poster had mentioned "getting outs." 

Over the course of the next two days, we pick up two more D1 offers. And then my phone rings again. It's our showcase guy, "Coach XXXXX," the PC at an SEC super power, wants my son to call him. "They're [SEC super power and School A from the original post] about to offer him." And they did!! True to their word, when he showed he could "sit" 85+, they offered immediately. 

It was THE offer. Nothing could be better. So my son said he wanted to commit and did. He was well aware that the real work was only beginning and there was no guarantee about anything. But he said it'd be impossible for him to ever receive a better offer. So he committed.

And that's where we are today - a 2021 LHP sitting 85-86, committed to his dream school and well on his way to a shot at the next level. 

...Moral of this story is EXACTLY what people were telling me a year ago - relax, be patient and keep working. Good things will happen and they did. 

Hope this story helps somebody and again, thank you for helping me!

Huge congratulations!!  Great to hear things have worked out so well for him...  so far .  Now, the real work begins!

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