Recruiting the "mid-tier" player

cabbagedad posted:

2020.2023dad posted:

 

Call it "proof read" 

Yes, general rule of thumb is that the player should be driving and initiating everything.  Communication should be between RC/HC and player.  The exception is when you get to the point where money (which the parent will pay) is involved.  

Nothing wrong with necessary guidance, which, at the beginning, is quite a bit for most.  This is a great teaching opportunity in so many ways for your son/s let alone what the schools want to see.

There are lots of threads on this topic here that you can search and you should.  The player needs to drive the process for many, many reasons.  I know it often seems quite counter-intuitive.

Agree. One of the great opportunities that student athletes get to learn and do something important independently.   Having him drive the process... that's going to be interesting. 

FriarFred posted:

JCG posted:

I have 2 thoughts about emails, FWIW.

1 - If the kid uses a special recruiting email address as suggested by Buckeye above, make sure Jr. is careful about checking it or making sure it forwards after the recruiting process is over.   Even though my 2017 told his college coach not to use his recruiting address any longer, coach keeps using it, and as a result he very nearly missed getting his medical forms in in time to play fall ball this year.

2 - Emails etc. cannot hurt.  And good videos are a great tool to have, especially after a coach has seen a kid play.  But from my kid's recruitment, and from that of other kids we know, unsolicited, player-initiated contact has had zero to do with where the kid ends up. 99.9% of recruiting is about getting in front of the right coaches, and the coaches liking what they see.

...just IMHO of course.

Its interesting that in JCG case email didnt do/matter much.  Our experience was that several offers were from being seen (camps, showcases etc.) and rest resulted from son identifying schools and sending unsolicited emails with video as well as monitoring which schools were active on FieldLevel and many follow ups.  Son cast a very wide net with literally hundreds of emails from coast to coast and got some very good responses.  I think this is critical if the schools of interest are not local and are outside of a couple hundred miles from home.  School he ended up signing with never would have known about son if not for unsolicited emails, videos and FieldLevel.  Many different paths to the promised land...

I've never heard of FieldLevel....is it widely used?

2019Dad posted:

For 2019s, some really high profile programs are done, D-O-N-E,

But how many kids really SHOULD be looking at those high profile programs? My son's best friend, a 2018, went with us to a D2 camp in August at a school that was heavily recruiting my son. Coach sat the friend down next day and said "you were the best surprise out of the camp. You're good, but you need to grow."

Coach told him not to commit until after his HS senior season. He said flat out, you need to grow, you need to get stronger, you have great skills, and there will be a place for you. Don't rush it.

My guess is, there's a lot of kids out there like that. Maybe they don't think they want D2, but the high profile programs aren't for everyone.

baseballhs posted:

FriarFred posted:

JCG posted:

I have 2 thoughts about emails, FWIW.

1 - If the kid uses a special recruiting email address as suggested by Buckeye above, make sure Jr. is careful about checking it or making sure it forwards after the recruiting process is over.   Even though my 2017 told his college coach not to use his recruiting address any longer, coach keeps using it, and as a result he very nearly missed getting his medical forms in in time to play fall ball this year.

2 - Emails etc. cannot hurt.  And good videos are a great tool to have, especially after a coach has seen a kid play.  But from my kid's recruitment, and from that of other kids we know, unsolicited, player-initiated contact has had zero to do with where the kid ends up. 99.9% of recruiting is about getting in front of the right coaches, and the coaches liking what they see.

...just IMHO of course.

Its interesting that in JCG case email didnt do/matter much.  Our experience was that several offers were from being seen (camps, showcases etc.) and rest resulted from son identifying schools and sending unsolicited emails with video as well as monitoring which schools were active on FieldLevel and many follow ups.  Son cast a very wide net with literally hundreds of emails from coast to coast and got some very good responses.  I think this is critical if the schools of interest are not local and are outside of a couple hundred miles from home.  School he ended up signing with never would have known about son if not for unsolicited emails, videos and FieldLevel.  Many different paths to the promised land...

I've never heard of FieldLevel....is it widely used?

I don't know how widely used, but I think it's growing. We used it, helped keep track of contacts and drew interest from coaches outside our area. A couple of the JUCOS my 2018 talked to bragged about how much they use it to manage prospects for their players looking for the next level. A few pricing options, ranging i think from free to $30 or $40 a month. We did the lowest end most of the time, then upgraded for a month or two when I wanted access to the more information available at the higher cost plans.

Iowamom23 posted:

baseballhs posted:

FriarFred posted:

JCG posted:

I have 2 thoughts about emails, FWIW.

1 - If the kid uses a special recruiting email address as suggested by Buckeye above, make sure Jr. is careful about checking it or making sure it forwards after the recruiting process is over.   Even though my 2017 told his college coach not to use his recruiting address any longer, coach keeps using it, and as a result he very nearly missed getting his medical forms in in time to play fall ball this year.

2 - Emails etc. cannot hurt.  And good videos are a great tool to have, especially after a coach has seen a kid play.  But from my kid's recruitment, and from that of other kids we know, unsolicited, player-initiated contact has had zero to do with where the kid ends up. 99.9% of recruiting is about getting in front of the right coaches, and the coaches liking what they see.

...just IMHO of course.

Its interesting that in JCG case email didnt do/matter much.  Our experience was that several offers were from being seen (camps, showcases etc.) and rest resulted from son identifying schools and sending unsolicited emails with video as well as monitoring which schools were active on FieldLevel and many follow ups.  Son cast a very wide net with literally hundreds of emails from coast to coast and got some very good responses.  I think this is critical if the schools of interest are not local and are outside of a couple hundred miles from home.  School he ended up signing with never would have known about son if not for unsolicited emails, videos and FieldLevel.  Many different paths to the promised land...

I've never heard of FieldLevel....is it widely used?

I don't know how widely used, but I think it's growing. We used it, helped keep track of contacts and drew interest from coaches outside our area. A couple of the JUCOS my 2018 talked to bragged about how much they use it to manage prospects for their players looking for the next level. A few pricing options, ranging i think from free to $30 or $40 a month. We did the lowest end most of the time, then upgraded for a month or two when I wanted access to the more information available at the higher cost plans.

My son's HS coaches use it and they've got a network of schools they're able to promote their players to. It seems to work to some degree in that we see when they promote our son and then when a school follows/views his profile and requests his contact information (which has to be released by his HS coach). It seems to work a little bit differently than some of the other ones in that way i.e. more "selective" in who the audience is, if that makes any sense.  We do the $20/mo plan and it provides plenty unless you want all the college matching, etc.

I thought I'd post an update here for those who have so generously provided their time and opinions on this thread. My son went to a camp last weekend at a competitive D2 school and, while he didn't feel he had a particularly great showing, he reached out to each of the coaches individually via email and got a reply from the RC giving him his numbers, where they compare to their starting catchers, and ideas on how he can get there. He also asked for his high school schedule and asked my son to shoot video any time he hits, and send it to him, so that he can track his progress. Since this is really the first direct coach communication he's had I feel like this is a good bit of feedback as we move into his Junior season.

My son went to a small D1 camp recently, 25 catchers and 26 pitchers. They kept the parents pretty far away, but when they went into the pitching building I could kind of see in when my son pitched, pitching coach  asked his ht/wt and watched closely, even went behind the catcher to watch, only kid that I saw him move for, seemed to take a lot of notes. 

Son was very happy with the attention and they told the boys to email for their measurables and evaluations, he emailed the Asst Coach who ran the camp but was with the catchers mainly, no reply. Should he email the pitching coach directly, they may have left the University since it’s Christmas or would we have heard by now if they were interested. 

By the way, as the boys went in to the tunnel area to pitch, the clip board the coaches used was obviously left out for all to see. The first section was a big Yes / No. 

cabbagedad posted:

bacdorslider posted:

... I understand the dream.... but change that dream to a "goal"  and you will end up in a better position when baseball is over.   ...

YES - This is one of the huge challenges for just about every kid and family.  99% of kids looking to play past HS have some version of "the dream".  MLB and/or big time college ball are the visual, at least early on in HS.  So, by the time the player makes that transition from dream to goal and the realistic goal is something other than MLB or P5 D1, the window can be very short for putting together a comprehensive recruiting plan.

 

When do kids usually start realizing the only way to reach their goals is putting forth the extra work?  I'm sure there is a lot of variation on when this occurs, so I'd love to hear when your son made the realization.   

Zia2021 posted:

cabbagedad posted:

bacdorslider posted:

... I understand the dream.... but change that dream to a "goal"  and you will end up in a better position when baseball is over.   ...

YES - This is one of the huge challenges for just about every kid and family.  99% of kids looking to play past HS have some version of "the dream".  MLB and/or big time college ball are the visual, at least early on in HS.  So, by the time the player makes that transition from dream to goal and the realistic goal is something other than MLB or P5 D1, the window can be very short for putting together a comprehensive recruiting plan.

 

When do kids usually start realizing the only way to reach their goals is putting forth the extra work?  I'm sure there is a lot of variation on when this occurs, so I'd love to hear when your son made the realization.   

Yes, a lot of variation.  There are pros and cons to travel ball at an early age (say pre-12u).  One of the pros is that discussions of the necessary work are often part of the regular dialog.  I also think it's pretty common for dads (or moms or other) to inject the "it takes a lot of practice/hard work" speech into the conversation when they take their sons to watch ballgames at pretty much any age.

That said, hearing it and actually understanding the reality of it are two different things.  When players arrive at our HS program, one of the things we do is ask who has aspirations to play beyond HS.  When the answer is yes, we use the response as both a motivation tool and a cue to begin (or continue) the education process.  I think most young players start to understand when they arrive at HS and see the few really dedicated athletes who are constantly either at the gym or at the field taking extra reps.  Conversely, they start to understand the other side when one of the varsity stars is unable to participate due to grades or the seemingly sure D1 kid at his HS ends up at the local JC because he came up short academically or otherwise.

Conversely, they start to understand the other side when one of the varsity stars is unable to participate due to grades or the seemingly sure D1 kid at his HS ends up at the local JC because he came up short academically or otherwise.

Interestingly, we're having to have these very conversations right now despite the nice little milestone I posted above. This has been his toughest academic year (junior) by far and he's stumbled a bit this first semester, hopefully not irreparably. We're optimistic that with a combination of hard work the second semester, and potentially summer school, he can get back on track but he doesn't really know what it's like to see a GPA below 3.5 so it's been an eye opening experience for sure. Windows of opportunity for academic-based financial assistance, and even simply admission in some cases, at the higher academic institutions close quickly when bad things happen at critical times in the process but ultimately the parents can't do the work for them. They can only support them through the journey and have the appropriate discussions that enable them to be equipped with the information they need to make the right decisions when those times come.

Zia2021 posted:

cabbagedad posted:

bacdorslider posted:

... I understand the dream.... but change that dream to a "goal"  and you will end up in a better position when baseball is over.   ...

YES - This is one of the huge challenges for just about every kid and family.  99% of kids looking to play past HS have some version of "the dream".  MLB and/or big time college ball are the visual, at least early on in HS.  So, by the time the player makes that transition from dream to goal and the realistic goal is something other than MLB or P5 D1, the window can be very short for putting together a comprehensive recruiting plan.

 

When do kids usually start realizing the only way to reach their goals is putting forth the extra work?  I'm sure there is a lot of variation on when this occurs, so I'd love to hear when your son made the realization.   

I think it all depends on the kid.  My son knew he wanted to be a baseball player from the time he was 3 or 4 years old.  He started playing travel ball on a 10U team that had just won a big 9U World Series the year before (I know, I know...it's 9U, but my point was that this team was pretty darned good )  He was the only new guy....the youngest by 6 months and by far the smallest.  It took a lot of convincing on my part to even get the coach to let him play.  He struggled a little at first...he was coming out of rec ball and thrown into "Major" baseball....leadoffs, steals, etc.....but came around quick.  He was always the smallest & youngest kid on his teams....all the way thru HS (graduated at 17, late April Birthday).  I guess I knew he understood what it would take the first time we went outside and threw when there was snow on the ground...which was when was probably 11 or 12.....you learn to not drop balls real quick when you 1) have to look for them in the snow....and 2) take the glove off of your throwing hand and reach into the snow to get the ball   Funny, I was the only one that ever dropped anything...

My nephew has definitely not realized that his goals require a lot of extra work to take him from really good to great. I'm starting to worry he never will. He's a freshman, but played freshman and JV ball last year. He turned down strength/speed training with the best trainer in our area this off season, and hasn't picked up a bat in weeks. He is working out with his HS team, but its not a great program. He has a girlfriend and is choosing her over baseball right now. Anybody else seen a kid go through this and then figure it out? Any suggestions in guiding him through this?

Zia2021 posted:

My nephew has definitely not realized that his goals require a lot of extra work to take him from really good to great. I'm starting to worry he never will. He's a freshman, but played freshman and JV ball last year. He turned down strength/speed training with the best trainer in our area this off season, and hasn't picked up a bat in weeks. He is working out with his HS team, but its not a great program. He has a girlfriend and is choosing her over baseball right now. Anybody else seen a kid go through this and then figure it out? Any suggestions in guiding him through this?

Hi Zia2021. In my experience, this is fairly common, though I've seen it more frequently during sophomore year with other interests surfacing often surrounding the freedom that comes with driving. Not sure if your nephew falls into this group or not but, sometimes, athletically talented kids have never really had to try very hard because they haven't reached a level where the demands are such that they can't get by on talent alone. Unless he's a VERY elite player, I would expect this time to come soon for him as his teammates, and competition, will begin to physically mature which can change things dramatically (most notably between Sophomore and Junior years in high school). On a few occasions, I've seen kids who were the top of the talent pool in youth ball become mediocre, and vice versa, through the course of puberty. If/when this time comes for your nephew, he will likely react by upping his game (or he won't). Hormones are raging at his age and, as cliche as it is, there is probably some peer pressure involved when it comes to relations with members of the opposite sex. I'd continue to be encouraging and realistic about his goals and abilities while keeping in mind that it's not all bad for a kid to be allowed to be a kid. With my son, I've tried to provide reminders over the years that when his level of effort is not in alignment with his goals then he is setting himself up for disappointment. There have been, and continue to be, highs and lows but I think much of what you've described is quite normal and will work itself out.

Thanks Tequila, much of what you said definitely hit home. Especially about him not having to try too hard up until now. He's also very young for his grade, so he's facing all of these issues earlier than a lot of kids do. He's hoping to earn a starting varsity spot this year which will allow him to face some good HS competition. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that facing guys much bigger/stronger than him is the wake up call he needs. It's just so hard to watch a kid turn down elite hitting/strength instruction when others (even on his own HS team) will never even have those opportunities.   

ZIA, while what is happening to your nephew is very normal but it can be detrimental. If his goal is to play at a D1 power 5 or MiLB...well those kids really hone themselves.  It's very much going to be which one of these things is not like the other when he stands next to them waiting to be judged. He can't just show up, but that's why those kids are special.

Having said that, those kids also have a drive within them, no one can make a 10, 11, 12 grader train.  They either want to push themselves or they don't.  They either want it or they don't. I would ask him what he wants out of baseball and then ask him if he thinks his actions are going to result in that goal. 

Dont make excuses for him either.  My son has an August birthday, he's one of the youngest in his class too but it doesn't stop him from running hills in the neighborhood or biking to LA Fitness 3-5 times a week.  He wanted to show up to baseball and run longer than anyone, mission accomplished.  He's not the fastest kid or the strongest kid but he's still working hard....being young has nothing to do with it. It's about your goals and who you surround yourself with. Are they better?  Do they make you want to be better?

Thanks Cacogirl3. Sounds like your son is working hard to meet his goals. Your son sounds like my other nephew (8th grade) who has always worked extra hard and has steadily improved. I didn't mean my nephew's age as an excuse, it was just a context related to Tequila's comment about some kids upping their game around sophmore/junior year. I think you are absolutely right that the truly elite kids have that innate drive from day 1 and never need the wake up call I'm asking about. And at the other end of the spectrum, I know there are kids who have the potential but never develop the drive. I was seeking some confirmation about whether there is also a group of guys that don't have that elite innate drive as they enter high school (probably because they've gotten by on natural talent like Tequila said), but develop it at some point in HS. Great point about the kids around them. 

One thing I have noticed with mine, 2018 enjoys the workouts almost as much as playing, he's competitive with himself to improve. He does not worry about being better than the next guy, there's always a next guy. But being a better version of himself each day

Get Outlook for Android<https://aka.ms/ghei36>

Zia2021 posted:

Thanks Cacogirl3. Sounds like your son is working hard to meet his goals. Your son sounds like my other nephew (8th grade) who has always worked extra hard and has steadily improved. I didn't mean my nephew's age as an excuse, it was just a context related to Tequila's comment about some kids upping their game around sophmore/junior year. I think you are absolutely right that the truly elite kids have that innate drive from day 1 and never need the wake up call I'm asking about. And at the other end of the spectrum, I know there are kids who have the potential but never develop the drive. I was seeking some confirmation about whether there is also a group of guys that don't have that elite innate drive as they enter high school (probably because they've gotten by on natural talent like Tequila said), but develop it at some point in HS. Great point about the kids around them. 

My son did skate by on natural talent, but when puberty really hit him he was able to move his body better and then running and working out became fun. He was 5'7 and 145 at 12u, now he's 6'3 and 170. Becoming more "manly" helped.

It may be easy for me to say, but I wouldn't sweat it just yet.  The kid is a freshman - he's got time to figure things out. See what develops this spring (make varsity and start hopefully) and summer (get some looks/interest from some RCs and hit a showcase or two) and his baseball attitude and desire may change for the better. Just my two cents.

 

As you consider strong academic programs with solid baseball programs, make sure you check out Hendrix College in Conway AR.

Taft1969 posted:

As you consider strong academic programs with solid baseball programs, make sure you check out Hendrix College in Conway AR.

Funny you should mention Hendrix; their pitching coach also coaches my son's summer team :-) It's on our radar for sure but they don't recruit juniors in high school so it would be later this year before we'd be doing any serious talking with them.

Our son played at Hendrix so I know for a fact they are a great school with a solid baseball program.

I concur on Hendrix as my son played against them for years and loved going there to play them, a very unique experience. All of the SAA and SCAC teams should be on your radar.  

Taft1969 posted:

Our son played at Hendrix so I know for a fact they are a great school with a solid baseball program.

Heard great things about the HC, and one of our former HS players is now playing there.

CaCO3Girl posted:

ZIA, while what is happening to your nephew is very normal but it can be detrimental. If his goal is to play at a D1 power 5 or MiLB...well those kids really hone themselves.  It's very much going to be which one of these things is not like the other when he stands next to them waiting to be judged. He can't just show up, but that's why those kids are special.

Having said that, those kids also have a drive within them, no one can make a 10, 11, 12 grader train.  They either want to push themselves or they don't.  They either want it or they don't. I would ask him what he wants out of baseball and then ask him if he thinks his actions are going to result in that goal. 

Dont make excuses for him either.  My son has an August birthday, he's one of the youngest in his class too but it doesn't stop him from running hills in the neighborhood or biking to LA Fitness 3-5 times a week.  He wanted to show up to baseball and run longer than anyone, mission accomplished.  He's not the fastest kid or the strongest kid but he's still working hard....being young has nothing to do with it. It's about your goals and who you surround yourself with. Are they better?  Do they make you want to be better?

CaCO you are usually spot on but why would you say "August" birthday is one of the youngest.  No kids born in Sept, October, November, December, January February, March, April in your area ...lol...  August is very favorable.  But I totally agree it's not an excuse. My son has a late March Birthday. He was pretty average right up until the hit his growth spurt and then he flew past the kids who had been older for their grade, red shirted, or were playing down.  Biggest advantage I can think of is being young. It's basically playing up without the regret. 

catchmeifucan posted:

CaCO3Girl posted:

ZIA, while what is happening to your nephew is very normal but it can be detrimental. If his goal is to play at a D1 power 5 or MiLB...well those kids really hone themselves.  It's very much going to be which one of these things is not like the other when he stands next to them waiting to be judged. He can't just show up, but that's why those kids are special.

Having said that, those kids also have a drive within them, no one can make a 10, 11, 12 grader train.  They either want to push themselves or they don't.  They either want it or they don't. I would ask him what he wants out of baseball and then ask him if he thinks his actions are going to result in that goal. 

Dont make excuses for him either.  My son has an August birthday, he's one of the youngest in his class too but it doesn't stop him from running hills in the neighborhood or biking to LA Fitness 3-5 times a week.  He wanted to show up to baseball and run longer than anyone, mission accomplished.  He's not the fastest kid or the strongest kid but he's still working hard....being young has nothing to do with it. It's about your goals and who you surround yourself with. Are they better?  Do they make you want to be better?

CaCO you are usually spot on but why would you say "August" birthday is one of the youngest.  No kids born in Sept, October, November, December, January February, March, April in your area ...lol...  August is very favorable.  But I totally agree it's not an excuse. My son has a late March Birthday. He was pretty average right up until the hit his growth spurt and then he flew past the kids who had been older for their grade, red shirted, or were playing down.  Biggest advantage I can think of is being young. It's basically playing up without the regret. 

In iowa, you can't start school if your birthday is after Sept. 15, so August would be among the youngest. My is a Sept. 23, so we didn't get a choice — he was held back a year and is one of the oldest in the class. On the downside, once he turned 18 he started thinking of himself as an "adult" and wanted all those privileges. On the upside, he's very mature compared to many of his teammates.

We laid out for him when he was a freshman a simple deal — we will provide money and support for recruiting, but first he had to show that he would do the work. He went from a kid that I had to drag out of bed in the mornings to a kid who is harassing others to get to the 5:30 workouts, who gets himself to his job on Saturdays at 6:45 a.m. so he can move on to lifting, and who organizes his teammates to do additional workouts outside of the season.

He's never late for practice, always early for games, but often late for school. 

Theres no holding kids back for sports or other readons in Iowa? No
exceptions? Really? Wow. Thats actually great.

catchmeifucan posted:

Theres no holding kids back for sports or other readons in Iowa? No
exceptions? Really? Wow. Thats actually great.

I'm sure people figure out a way to make it happen, but the general rule is if you turn 5 by Sept. 15, you start school that year. If you turn 5 after that date, you can't start until the next year. I would have started my son a year earlier if not for that rule.

We actually had a kid who skipped kindergarten on our team — three weeks younger than my son, but a 2017 grad. Unfortunately, our travel coach was the elementary school principal who had him skip.

My son always told his coach that the 2017 didn't skip a grade cause he was smart, but because the coach/principal put him in the wrong class.

catchmeifucan posted:

CaCO3Girl posted:

ZIA, while what is happening to your nephew is very normal but it can be detrimental. If his goal is to play at a D1 power 5 or MiLB...well those kids really hone themselves.  It's very much going to be which one of these things is not like the other when he stands next to them waiting to be judged. He can't just show up, but that's why those kids are special.

Having said that, those kids also have a drive within them, no one can make a 10, 11, 12 grader train.  They either want to push themselves or they don't.  They either want it or they don't. I would ask him what he wants out of baseball and then ask him if he thinks his actions are going to result in that goal. 

Dont make excuses for him either.  My son has an August birthday, he's one of the youngest in his class too but it doesn't stop him from running hills in the neighborhood or biking to LA Fitness 3-5 times a week.  He wanted to show up to baseball and run longer than anyone, mission accomplished.  He's not the fastest kid or the strongest kid but he's still working hard....being young has nothing to do with it. It's about your goals and who you surround yourself with. Are they better?  Do they make you want to be better?

CaCO you are usually spot on but why would you say "August" birthday is one of the youngest.  No kids born in Sept, October, November, December, January February, March, April in your area ...lol...  August is very favorable.  But I totally agree it's not an excuse. My son has a late March Birthday. He was pretty average right up until the hit his growth spurt and then he flew past the kids who had been older for their grade, red shirted, or were playing down.  Biggest advantage I can think of is being young. It's basically playing up without the regret. 

IMO, anyone who is 17 when he graduates high school is on the younger side. That would include August birthdays. I believe in Georgia -- where CaCO is -- the cutoff is Sept. 1, so August birthdays are the youngest in their grade. 

No doubt our 2019RHP is still growing.  He will graduate  HS 17yrs old.  The stars keep pointing towards JUCO.  He was touching 84 in games this fall.  Still not enough velocity to get any real traction for a 2019.  The head scratcher for me is if he was a 2020, which many 2020's are older than him, he would be right in the mix as a solid D1 prospect. He keeps getting invites to play in large tournaments on good teams that we have been turning down.  Curious to see where he is sitting come summer.  It's been pretty consistent 5 mph gains from fall to summer.  If he is touching 89 come summer than I think things can get real complicated.  Like the most expensive hand in poker, the second best hand, but you have to play your cards to the end.  If he doesn't see the gains that quick but keeps chipping away at velocity than there are 3 really good JUCO's in our backyard.  JUCO's that already follow him.  Luckily for us, he is fine going the JUCO route as are we.  It fits both financially for us and academically for him.  IE, he has zero direction for what he wants in a career.  Play some baseball, knock out your GE classes and grow up a bit.  

2019Dad posted:

catchmeifucan posted:

CaCO3Girl posted:

ZIA, while what is happening to your nephew is very normal but it can be detrimental. If his goal is to play at a D1 power 5 or MiLB...well those kids really hone themselves.  It's very much going to be which one of these things is not like the other when he stands next to them waiting to be judged. He can't just show up, but that's why those kids are special.

Having said that, those kids also have a drive within them, no one can make a 10, 11, 12 grader train.  They either want to push themselves or they don't.  They either want it or they don't. I would ask him what he wants out of baseball and then ask him if he thinks his actions are going to result in that goal. 

Dont make excuses for him either.  My son has an August birthday, he's one of the youngest in his class too but it doesn't stop him from running hills in the neighborhood or biking to LA Fitness 3-5 times a week.  He wanted to show up to baseball and run longer than anyone, mission accomplished.  He's not the fastest kid or the strongest kid but he's still working hard....being young has nothing to do with it. It's about your goals and who you surround yourself with. Are they better?  Do they make you want to be better?

CaCO you are usually spot on but why would you say "August" birthday is one of the youngest.  No kids born in Sept, October, November, December, January February, March, April in your area ...lol...  August is very favorable.  But I totally agree it's not an excuse. My son has a late March Birthday. He was pretty average right up until the hit his growth spurt and then he flew past the kids who had been older for their grade, red shirted, or were playing down.  Biggest advantage I can think of is being young. It's basically playing up without the regret. 

IMO, anyone who is 17 when he graduates high school is on the younger side. That would include August birthdays. I believe in Georgia -- where CaCO is -- the cutoff is Sept. 1, so August birthdays are the youngest in their grade. 

Yes August bday is youngest in class.  

He was 13 when he started 9th grade, he will be 16 when he starts his senior year. Thankfully he's keeping up just fine, but that is because his growth spurt hit early AND he puts in the work.

 He showed up to high school baseball this week in top physical form. He wasn't sitting on a couch waiting for baseball to start, he was at LA Fitness pushing himself so he was ready for baseball to start. There is a difference.