Recruiting process and prep - timing and resources?

First off welcome.

I found this site last year when my son was 14. You have plenty of time to worry about all of this stuff.

Pop your head in here once in awhile. Read as much as you can and you will know more than enough and way more than most when it becomes time to put things into action. Lots of great folks here who share their insights and experiences.

Good luck to you and your son.

In my opinion, yes, its too early to be talking about the 'recruiting process.' Frankly, in my view...about 3 years too early.

Focus on helping your son to be the best student that he can be. On loving and enjoying life. On enjoying the game of baseball...and other sports and activities too. If baseball is his passion, help him to get better and prepare him to make his HS team. Work with him yourself...not just on baseball, but on homework and his other interests.

I have 2 sons who play or played high level D1 baseball. Looking back, the 12-15 year old years were some of the best. Playing with friends, not getting too far ahead of ourselves...spending father/son time together. At 13, you may not be too far away from a phase where your son pushes back a little. Focus now on strengthening your father/son relationship so that when that comes, the foundation is there for him to trust you and you to trust him. Teach him how to make good choices about life because some 'bad' choices are probably just around the corner.

In short, enjoy this time in your son's life...and help him to enjoy it too. Don't add pressure where its un-needed and just flat out get a kick of coaching him and watching him play. Period.

Great, great post!

Welcome, FFPS!

FABULOUS advice justbaseball!!!

I too agree with justbaseball. . . 100%

FFPS,

Welcome to HSBBWeb. My two cents.....I agree with everything that has been said in terms of your son.

As a parent now is great time to dive into this to truly understand everything there is to know in high school and college baseball. If I was to do this again with a 13yr old, I would be reading everything there is to read on this site. Some of us have been through this many times, but not on the same path (different kids, different goals, different paths). My challenge to you would be to understand those paths and the baseball universe that is out there. Your son may begin to ask alot of questions in the coming years. Read this site to get many perspectives, as well as books on the topic to gain your own perspecitve. As his parent, you'll want to be able to answer those questions or know where to get those answers. At the right time, you'll want to start educating your son, and show him what is possible. From those possibilities he can begin to share what his goals are with you, and you can help him get there. You have a lot of time. Good luck.

By the best folding chair you can afford, and enjoy!

Wow! Right on! Thank you everyone and appreciate the great advice. And I was just hoping for at least 1 reply.

I am all for enjoying the ride and time watching, playing, mentoring, molding and monitoring. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something I am suppose to be doing. Thanks, this is great.

Here is a follow up question / concern. He dropped football this year to play fall ball with the high schoolers though he has mentioned he missed the contact of football and his football friends. Now he is talking about doing the same with basketball to do winter hitting leagues and work outs. Shouldn't he take a break? Don't get me wrong, the fall experience is great and he is having a blast, learning a ton and finding success and growing his confidence, but how to measure when it is too much. We have always guarded him from too much focus on 1 sport which was very tough for us (as he sees his friends playing year round sports) up to this past year as we wanted him to find what he loves and it appears to be baseball. Ultimately, I am concerned of burn out. He does at least want to play football at the high school next year. Not sure on the hoops which is more competitive and selective at the HS level.

Rambled again... sorry.

FFPS

Welcome aboard!!!

Way to early to begin to worry about (or even think about) the recruiting process! This is definitely as JBB said the time to fully enjoy this opportunity for Father/Son time! These are some of the most enjoyable years you will have. The fears and concerns about recruiting will present themselves soon enough! Take each day as a gift to enjoy.

These were the years we focused on development in a big way, which involved a lot of interaction and wonderful time with each of my sons. Hitting instruction, pitching instruction trips then off to the beach and dinner. Many hours spent that way, all wonderful.

AND...

My son never took a season off. He loved Baseball and always wanted to play or practice . This meant Baseball in every season, either on a team or some structure of practice. Since he was 5 I do not know if more than two consecutive days ever passed without a baseball in his hand.

When he was a lot younger he would sleep with his ball and glove...not sure who encouraged that, lol!
Have fun and enjoy the ride!

Great advice, but probably not too early to start identifying those Summer programs and coaches in your area that have college coach connections and prestige. About half the boys that are in our organization's top 2014 teams have played together since they were 13 or 14. It is also important to make sure your son plays at his grade level by the time he is in high school.

quote:

Originally posted by FFPS:
Here is a follow up question / concern. He dropped football this year to play fall ball with the high schoolers though he has mentioned he missed the contact of football and his football friends. Now he is talking about doing the same with basketball to do winter hitting leagues and work outs. Shouldn't he take a break? Don't get me wrong, the fall experience is great and he is having a blast, learning a ton and finding success and growing his confidence, but how to measure when it is too much. We have always guarded him from too much focus on 1 sport which was very tough for us (as he sees his friends playing year round sports) up to this past year as we wanted him to find what he loves and it appears to be baseball. Ultimately, I am concerned of burn out. He does at least want to play football at the high school next year. Not sure on the hoops which is more competitive and selective at the HS level.

IMHO, I feel is a GOOD thing for a baseball player to play some other sports as some of the skill sets that are more required of those sports can contribute in a positive way (running, jumping, throwing, catching, etc.) Playing baseball all the time often doesn't allow a your boy to develop some of these skills as well as they could be developed. Later in college that's not so much of an issue.

A good athlete makes a good baseball player. And a good baseball player who has also shown to be good player at other sports is viewed VERY positively by baseball coaches and scouts.

My son played just about every sport he could during his Jr.High years. And because he excelled so well in them at that time, I could see he was a much better "athlete" than I had imagined. Going into HS, he played freshman basketball and did well, but didn't do it the following years because the basketball season overlapped with the start of baseball. And the sports he mostly liked outside of baseball were spring sports, so baseball had all his focus (other than his academics, of course). He thought about football in HS, but he simply felt the risk of injury was too great. I encouraged him to do some other sports, but there was nothing in fall or winter sports that he had any interest in.

I'm very glad my son play various sports before HS and would have liked to see him do a little more of it in HS. But he focused on his academics and baseball in HS and did well at both. And that academic part played a huge role in getting a lot of college interest.


I feel your concern about burn out is a legitimate concern. But as long as you see he's really enjoying it and you see he's not stressing out about his baseball, I say keep the reins loose and give him his head. But at his age, I'd keep an eye out for burn out symptoms and not hesitate to talk with him positively about the benefits of rest and getting fresh and re-focused.

Welcome aboard!

FWIW...EVERY college coach jr. met with and most MLB questionnaires he filled out, asked, "what other sports do you play?" Now, he only played baseball, so it never progressed further than that. But obviously, it's something important to them, or they wouldn't ask.

Welcome! I wish I had discovered this amazing resource as early in my son's development as you have!

As usual, you are great some great advice from the above posters. The only thing I have to add is regarding dropping other sports. From the perspective of the father of a freshman D-I RHP, I am glad that basketball (and northeast weather!) conspired to make him take off at least 4 months every year. While your son may be absolutely crazy about and focused on baseball, if he's a pitcher his growing body may appreciate a break every year coupled with the cross-training benefits of using/building muscles and skills associated with other sports.

Things will go unbelievably fast, so cherish each day, each stage of the process, each triumph and, even, each disappointment. Do not allow the anxiety of those around you to get you all stressed out--it is way too early for that!

My son also never took off a season for 4 years, played football, basketball and baseball. Had some great summer experiences with the basketball team too. However, its tough to make it work if the HS coaches don't cooperate.

It is easy to play baseball in the winter when it is sunny and 80 degrees!

All good points here by those that know. When you have some time, search "Coach May" on the message board. Read his responses. He has very wise advice. Most on here will agree. Good reading for a rainy day.

You've been given very good advice here, and I agree with those who tell you to relax for a few years and let him concentrate on improving his skills.

As for giving up other sports: that is a judgment call, and there have been many threads here about this.

I'll just say this: if your son already misses football, that hints to me that if he does not play football in high school he might have regrets.

My son played football all through HS. Yes, it comes at some cost to baseball development. But it is hardly a show stopper in the recruiting process. In fact, some coaches think it is a plus.

Bottom line, my son looks back on his football team experiences as some of the best memories from high school. He is very glad he didn't quit for baseball.

I found this site when my son was a high school freshman. I had already been through the softball recruiting process with my daughter. All I did when my son was a freshman was start watching college games and talking with parents of college players. I was getting a feel for what level my son might fit in once he proved himself in high school and travel ball. I found parents love to talk about their kids and the recruiting journey. On top of it all I enjoyed watching college baseball.

As far as playing other sports, your son should enjoy high school as much as possible. My son did give up football after 8th grade. He decided the banging on Friday didn't help playing baseball on the weekends in the fall. But, he had never stopped playing travel s0ccer and played through high school.

As far as basketball the varsity coach made that decision for him. After missing every optional workout and not playing in a summer basketball league the coach told my son he didn't have time to play three varsity sports. While many believe he still would have been as asset to the program, having the winter to work on hitting, strength and agility really helped his baseball game. Looking back he sees the benefit of having the winter free. But he says he still would have played basketball if the opportunity was there. He played in a high school rec league.

Welcome aboard....I just rectly reached my 500th post and offically became an old timer even thou I have felt like an old timer for a few years now

You have received some great advise so far and i think that is what you will find from the great site. When I first found this site I spent countless hours reading old posts in just about every forum on this site. I would encourage you to do the same. I agree it is to early to start the recruiting process but it certainly is not early to start the learning process. You will find there are many different paths to take...there is no one perfect way...you will have to find the best one for your family and this site is great for doing just that.


I will also tell you I have never once reached out to a fellow board member through a private message with a personal question and not received great responses.

A for your football questions....my son played 4 years of High school football as a QB and he still talks about those experiences....nothing beats "Friday Nights Lights". Also just about every College coach remarked about his football playing and virtually everyone liked the fact that he was playing football...during the recruiting process it was kinda fun to hear many of the college coaches talk about their days of playing high school football and what it meant to them.


I had many of my baseball friends that told me I was nuts for letting my son play high school football. I look back now and can not imagine taking those experiences away from him. My advice let your son play as many sports as he can while keeping his grades up. There are many that have played 2-3 sports in HS and then you will hear about kids that specialized....back to my earlier point of "many different paths to take"....you will find your way.

Good luck to you....I am kind of jealous....would love to go through the process again...it was not without its up and downs but it was a lot of fun and have great memories.

From a NEW "HSBBweb Old Timer"

Welcome FFPS. You've come to the right place at a good time in your son's baseball journey.

My opinion is your son should play whatever sports he enjoys, as long as he enjoys them. Obviously some baseball teams and workouts could be compromised if he plays every sport. What I noticed during my son's high school years is that, for the most part, the baseball players that worked on baseball over the winter did progress more by spring than the one's who didn't.

Also, college coaches do like athletic players but it doesn't take playing every sport to expose his athleticism. In some players it will show up the first time a recruiter sees him, in others it might take a few times. If your son decides it's baseball only for him make sure he works on his speed and agility, as well as baseball, in the winter.

quote:

Originally posted by FFPS:
Wow! Right on! Thank you everyone and appreciate the great advice. And I was just hoping for at least 1 reply.

I am all for enjoying the ride and time watching, playing, mentoring, molding and monitoring. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something I am suppose to be doing. Thanks, this is great.

Here is a follow up question / concern. He dropped football this year to play fall ball with the high schoolers though he has mentioned he missed the contact of football and his football friends. Now he is talking about doing the same with basketball to do winter hitting leagues and work outs. Shouldn't he take a break? Don't get me wrong, the fall experience is great and he is having a blast, learning a ton and finding success and growing his confidence, but how to measure when it is too much. We have always guarded him from too much focus on 1 sport which was very tough for us (as he sees his friends playing year round sports) up to this past year as we wanted him to find what he loves and it appears to be baseball. Ultimately, I am concerned of burn out. He does at least want to play football at the high school next year. Not sure on the hoops which is more competitive and selective at the HS level.

Rambled again... sorry.

FFPS

Welcome, FFPS!!!
Our 2013 did all the open gyms in advance of basketball (his secondary sport) during his freshman year. The night before tryouts he said he decided not to do it. His explanation: if I blow out my knee playing basketball and can't play the sport I love, I'll never forgive myself. It was hard to argue with the logic, and it was entirely his decision. He dedicated all off-season time to additional lessons, conditioning, and speed training.

That said, he has many baseball teammates who were two and three-sport athletes and were very strong and ready to compete in each season. At one showcase a pro scout told all the players in attendance: if you want to play another sport, play it with a team and don't worry about injury. You're much less likely to get hurt playing football on your high school team than you are playing a pickup game of basketball in the neighborhood park. THAT'S where you get hurt.

quote:

You're much less likely to get hurt playing football on your high school team than you are playing a pickup game of basketball in the neighborhood park. THAT'S where you get hurt.

No kidding! My son came home with more bumps and bruises playing pick-up basketball at the Y. And we lost one of our outfielders for most of the season from an ankle injury in the Winter Basketball recreational league. The play would get pretty aggressive when the officials weren't calling fouls.