seeking some advice on this process

Our son was a three sport athlete in HS.  For recruiting purposes, if baseball is what he wants then all he has to do is concentrate on baseball exclusively for this one summer.  Here are your answers:

1 - Send video, summer schedule, one page resume that includes grades and SAT scores

2 - Compile video yourself. However,  get some advice from baseball people on what to shoot

3 - Yes, it won't mean too much in D1(other than evidence of your son's athleticism and work ethic) but it means a lot to D3 where adcom's love getting two athletes for one applicant.

4 - A lot of kids switch positions in college.  My son moved from SS to RHP.  Coaches are recruiting a skill set.  Don't worry - they know what they are doing.

5- The bigger the pond, the better the fishing.  PG, HeadFirst, Stanford.  In that order but I know nothing about your player. JMHO.

1. Contact coaches before the PG Showcase and let them know you will be there.  When making contact after the showcase, include a link to your PG profile.

2. The basic Catching/IF/Hitting/60 videos are included with your PG Showcase fee.  Skillshow also offers an upgraded video package at the showcase for an additional fee (titles, music, slow-motion, more footage).

4. Make sure he showcases at 1B and 3B at the PG Showcase during the skills evaluations. That will be included in the videos.

5. Prepare for the specific showcase skills.  Work on your pop-time and 60 time leading up to the event.  Throwing velocity is important; show up rested and ready to throw hard. Watch videos of other 2014s on the Perfect Game web site so that you'll understand when the "camera is rolling".

Best of luck.

You will find a wide variety of advice on the numerous postings on this web site so keep fishing.  From my vantage point we've just been through this and my son is currently a freshman catcher with a strong D3 team and has been thrilled with his experience.  To your questions:

1. What can he do when contacting coaches that might get a better response?

• You already stated why he is not getting much of a response.  This is baseball season, they have little to no time to address inquiries but you should:
• Once you define the target schools he should reach out to the admissions offices for information, and to the athletic pages for recruit information, which usually involves completing questionaires. Continue to call and email the coaches until they connect.  Remember they cannot call you bac prior to I think its July 1 so keep calling them until they pick up.
• Start giving thought to touring your top selections and when doing so you can call the coach's office, followed by an email, saying you are planning to visit in such and such a week and would welcome 5 to 10 minutes to say hello.  Provide no more than a five minute video in advance of a confirmed visit if you have one available that someone in baseball, OUTSIDE of the family, says is good.

2. Do we have to spend lots of $$ on a video or can we compile one ourselves?

• There is absolutely no reason to spend money on a video if you have the time and resources to do so yourself.  Again, max it out at 5 minutes, show several batting angles and swings, show some defensive skills which for a catcher would include blocking and throws down to 2nd, 1st, and 3rd, hold a stop watch in front of a camera and film him running the 60.  Don't waste anyone's time on gaudy graphics or your favorite music.

3. He is getting some football attention, is that something he should use in baseball recruiting?

• Coaches love athleticism, some will be thrilled to hear of the other sports, while some will be concerned at the lack of concentration.  It really is a roll of the dice but I believe the athleticism trumps the concentration, especially if he shows talent in baseball in terms of proper mechanics.

4. He is primarily a catcher because that is where he is needed but can play 1B or 3B. Do coaches consider kids for other positions other than the one they see them play in?

• The question is, where does he LOVE to play and how good is he at it.  Coaches will put a player where they can best help the team but until they get there they tend to judge the player on where he is currently playing.  Batting, however, trumps all.  If he hits like a stud, it won't matter where he plays defensively.

5. I'm assuming that attending the showcase will help in determining what level he should be shooting for, any other hints on that aspect?

• You make a good point in terms of using a showcase to compare to other players from across a region.  But its an expensive way to achieve that goal.  I think you would be better off finding a local pro scout who you could offer to pay for an assessment of your son's skill set. Some might even do it for free.  Or check with local batting cages for former pro players or top tier college players, they can offer similar assessments.  In all cases the person assessing the skill, if they see it, may also be a good referral source when contacting coaches and giving them the contact information of the reviewer.
• Unless your son is a fireball pitcher, or a lights out hitter with less than 10 swings and no to little bp, I am actually pretty anti ShowCase given the money versus result outcome.  If the kid is great you will find ways to get in front of a coach, if he is average or worse, all he will do is get lost in the showcase crowd. And if you use the Showcase to make the video, you'll be paying to record his performance that day and HOPING it was a good one.  Others on this site will be disagreeing with me strongly on some or all of this.

• Your son should define what type of school he is looking for:  region, academic focus, social factors, sports factors.  Not everyone here will agree but most will tell you that the student comes before the athlete and its important to pick a school where he will still be happy without baseball.  Crap happens in the form of injuries, politics, skill vanishing...college ball means playing the best players at all times, so not all on a 25 to 35 man roster will be considered the best.

Good luck! The effort is worth it as I've seen with my son being thrilled with his team, location, and studies.  Besides a love of baseball, it also serves its purpose as an excellent social circle and an ongoing network for life after baseball.

Thank you for your responses. We have a resume that we have sent out to a few coaches and are working on a video right now(figuring out how to edit as we go). My son will be reading your responses and I think it will help him to better understand what he has to do and think about. 

I appreciate all of your advice, especially  regarding what to be ready for with the PG Showcase, as well as the recommendation to get a local evaluation by a scout or former player. I know his coaches will give us feedback but we wanted to get some games in(difficult to do with our terrible spring) since he is just getting his first significant playing time. 

We have been through volleyball recruiting which is different in that almost all players attend national qualifiers and championships that are attended by hundreds of coaches. It's much easier to get exposure, though pretty costly! From that experience we learned that it is a good idea to know where they are most suited to play, as far as level of play. We encouraged our daughter to look at academics first and volleyball second. She will end up with a great degree and has been able to play the game she loves. 

Judging by the reading I have done about recruiting and by looking at rosters, it seems like baseball recruiting is done more on a regional basis, unless you are a superstar being looked at by schools with bigger budgets. It also seems to be on a later timetable than football and volleyball. Are those correct assumptions? 

I do believe our son needs to get thinking about his priorities as far as academics, location, and his role on a team. So many things to consider but you are right, Redsoxfan, it is worth the effort and I'm glad your son is happy with his path!

I want to follow up on something RedSox said. Recruiting advice is really different depending on whether your son is a D3 or D1 player, and what kind of student he is. The  mega showcases have limited benefit for the D3 player. The exception is probably the high academic player and Headfirst. 

The PG showcase will give you an indication of where he fits in. 

My son is also a catcher, headed to a D3 next year. Hitting, athleticism and a reputation for working hard carried him a long way. And good grades! 

Good luck, and enjoy. It is amazing how things can fall into place when you least expect it.

Thanks, twotex. The recruiting for D3 was different for volleyball also. He is a good student who works hard. I think if I follow the above advice about PG and some objective evaluations we will get some idea on what direction to go. I know it's early but it's easy to get consumed by the process. I will try to relax and enjoy! I am enjoying every game because before long he will be grown up and on his way!

Good advice here, mjred.

Make certain that your son is assuming as much responsibility for the follow-through required as he possibly can. You've already indicated that you're sharing this and other information with him, which is a great start.

The players who shoulder the burden of their recruiting process grow and mature immensely by doing so, and they communicate through their involvement that they're sufficiently determined to play at the next level that they're willing to accept much of the responsibility for getting themselves there.

Coaches find that meaningful, just as they find commitment to on-the-field improvement and academic diligence. The combination signals that they're growing into becoming someone who's equal to the task of accepting the significant challenge of baseball and academics at the collegiate level.

Best of luck to him!

... 

Judging by the reading I have done about recruiting and by looking at rosters, it seems like baseball recruiting is done more on a regional basis, unless you are a superstar being looked at by schools with bigger budgets...  Are those correct assumptions? 

Yes, a typical baseball scholarship is 25% (with many players getting no $$) which is smaller as compared to many other sports.  Therefore, tuition and other school costs are still big factors for student athletes and their families.  Out-of-state tuition is almost always higher so coaches have less leverage to draw these athletes.  As a result, rosters are more heavily loaded with in-state students as compared to some other sports.

There are definitely exceptions including most privates and D3's.

Prepster, it will certainly be a learning experience for him as he is a little reserved and will have to get out of his comfort zone. All the better in that it is great preparation for being out in the world. I have always thought that playing sports at any level is a microcosm of life and how to handle defeat, success, pride, humility, and being a team player. 

Cabbagedad, I kind of forgot to factor in the in and out of state tuition thing. It makes sense why they would recruit more regionally. I'm also surprised at how many schools don't field a baseball team compared to volleyball, Title 9 and all.Thanks again for your input!

When my son was being recruited, we would ask the coaches we talked to about the emails we sent them. They said they received so many emails from sites like NCSA and BeRecruited that spam athletes to every college in the country, that emails from the player himself were most often overlooked. We emailed lots of coaches personally, like it seems you are, but it wasn't until our coach started reaching out to coaches on our behalf that the college coaches started paying attention.  

Would your legion coach be willing to help in this process?  Our coach used a site called Fieldlevel and he was able to connect with college coaches on there.  We learned that a coach that is willing to vouch for you (even if it means paying more or travelling farther to be on a better team) is your best bet.

College coaches dont want to hear from a parent or an athlete that is obviously biased.  They like hearing from coaches so they can get a more objective assessment of an athletes abilities before they start the process with the player.

I hope this helps!

Pam, That does help a lot. His high school coach is also his legion coach so he knows him well and I think he would be happy to make some calls on his behalf. Thank you!

Pam Sharp, I've noticed that almost every one of your posts has to do with "FieldLevel". It may be a very good service, but y'all should ante up some advertising money instead of making multiple posts a day about it.  

I'm just saying...

i agree to an extent on what pam wrote, but not so much withthis line.  Emails from the student are crucial for some coaches just to get the payer on their radar. And certainly the school's online questionnaires should be completed.

I found that it's really working for my son, and want to make sure other parents know about it. I filled out a survey when FieldLevel emailed out asking for feedback, and they wrote me back asking me to share my experiences with other parents online, and I was happy to do so.