The Future of Recruiting in Baseball

Already happening. There is a league trying to get started in Georgia called Southern Prospects. There is one in California as well. Can't remember what it's called. They take kids who either don't make, or choose not to play for their HS team and provide a league for them to play in. They promote that they are scouted by college coaches more than HS games are. I personally don't like it. I am all about the HS teams playing for reasons others have mentioned.

If there is a market for something like this, and there are enough parents thinking that will give their kid an edge to get to play in college, it may take hold and possibly push out the HS baseball scene in time. Not sure.

Just thought I'd let you know, there are already leagues out there that are being played during the HS season.

. I will add that I think travel baseball will become even more of a year round sport where it is not today. CA, FL, and Tx are already there. The rest of the nation will try to catch up where the weather will allow it.

What is not clear to me is whether baseball will contiue as a popular primary sport (football, basketball were primary sports in my generation) among today's declining young population.

Once recruited I think college baseball students are going to have to face funding issues in the future. Many schools are moving to a self-funded approach per sport. Benefactors, sponsors, alumni, former players and possibly parents may be picking up the tab.

I think a league for players that don't make the HS team is a great idea. This way a kid that needs work can get playing time and become a better player. Kids get cut for more reasons that playing ability. For example, I know a coach that will only take 15 players on the varsity. So what happens if 20 kids go out. The 5 that don't make it might be good players, it could be too many going out for a position or something. So should those 5 just give up on baseball? I think it's an answer for many kids.

quote:

Originally posted by Swampboy:
My initial reactions:
--The purpose of high school ball is not to be seen, but to compete for your school alongside your friends. That gives it an enduring draw.

I think that thought will be the next to go, sounds great, but I see that concept slipping away fast if it even exists any more.

As we all know there is alot of money to be made from parents and players looking to be recruited. If someone could make money and put out a better product (league) that benefits players, recruiters and colleges coaches...Why not do it.

The one place where baseball in the 14-18 year old range has not changed much is during HS baseball. Done correctly, a savvy baseball/ business person not only could put out a better product on the field but also have a successful business. Just think of all of the summer leagues, tournaments, showcase tournaments... They all fight over the summer months revenue. The spring is basically untouched so far.

If there is only one option (HS baseball) and that option no longer is desired by those who are participating because there is so much disatisfaction, I could see this begin to explode.

I can't really see how the kids are going to get serious looks during spring, with every juco thru D1 playing ball 2-3 times per week and weekends!

Just say'in!

I dont think there will ever be a travel league replacing high school ball. I may be bias coming from an intense high school baseball career, but I just can not see that ever happening. The talent level in the spring leagues from what I've seen, heard, and read up on are very low and poor, with rosters being filled with many kids that cut from their high school teams. I don't see what can cause elite players leaving, sacrificing their spring season to play travel ball during the spring and that is what it ultimately is going to take for travel ball to win the spring season.

quote:

Originally posted by Out in LF:
I can't really see how the kids are going to get serious looks during spring, with every juco thru D1 playing ball 2-3 times per week and weekends!

Just say'in!

Remember I asked...What might change in recruiting

If we give baseball back to the players, high school baseball will be safe.

If parents continue to try to engineer what they perceive to be the perfect baseball experience for their sons, who knows what will happen.

In the past year I've seen kids quit playing too soon because they either think they don't measure up to [someones] expectations, or don't want to be the 5th starter/role player/etc.

As adults we appear to have a hard time just letting kids be kids and play baseball. Let 'em play ball.

quote:

Originally posted by twotex:
If we give baseball back to the players, high school baseball will be safe.

If parents continue to try to engineer what they perceive to be the perfect baseball experience for their sons, who knows what will happen.

In the past year I've seen kids quit playing too soon because they either think they don't measure up to [someones] expectations, or don't want to be the 5th starter/role player/etc.

As adults we appear to have a hard time just letting kids be kids and play baseball. Let 'em play ball.

Agreed twotex and I am not promoting the idea of replacing HS baseball or saying I think it should be done. But I could see where someone will take advantage of parents trying to engineer that perfect baseball experience by making money from it while promoting the recruting process.

I agree with the problem being parents maybe getting too involved...but not in the way most seem to think.

I've seen more than a few instances of good HS coaches getting pushed out of their jobs. Talking about having "no cut" policies. As long as you have parents in positions with enough pull to actually have coaching changes made, there is a threat.

To some this sounds crazy. Count yourself lucky. I've seen it happen. Competitive coaches and programs turn to "everybody makes it" and all of a sudden, the level of the program drops off a cliff.

Just from this site you could read many posts from parents who feel trapped because there are no other options than the coach they are stuck with at the HS.

While parents could be the problem at times, it seems as if some HS coaches add to the problem as well. Without taking sides on who creates the problem within that dynamic, the fact that frustration level seems to be rising within that HS baseball relationship it could and apparently is creating the opportunity for another option.

Coaches v Parents is a string onto itself. Short comment there is that there are enough good and bad parents or coaches out there that everyone can point to something to prove their point.

The comment at the top of this thread about the future of recruiting is ESPN. I think we are within a few years of High School National Championships on TV for Basketball for sure and probably football. Baseball won't be far behind. The face of HS sports will change dramtically as recruiting becomes at least regional on the HS school level.

Think about the money pouring out of TV into HS sports. Nike and Reebok won't be too far behind and the coaches at powerhouse National Programs will become $100,000+ a year gigs. Imagine parents being able to shop their 6th or 7th grader for thousands of dollars. In other words everything that is a problem with college sports drops all the way to Jr. High School. It'll be great!

I think we can all see that kids are playing more organized sports than ever before. There are expanding opportunities to play the same sport year-round. Here in Southern California, there are baseball leagues and tournaments Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter and all have little or no talent drop-off for High Schoolers down to the 11U age group (even 10U and 9u in some cases). While this had been true for a few niche sports in the past – Swimming, for example – the same now exists for Basketball, Water Polo, Tennis, S****r, LaCross, etc. By the time an athlete (‘kid’) reaches High School, the H.S. ‘season’ represents only a small portion of the total number of games played in a year.

So how do you keep the High School athletic experience relevant? The savvy AD is going leverage the primary asset at their disposal and say to Coaches: Our students, their parents, our administration, and the alumni like it when we win games; I’m going to give you free reign over the facilies, so within our governance and ethical boundaries, go produce a winning team. In response, the savvy Head Baseball Coach is going to create a year-round vertical program that reaches down into the 9U levels. That baseball coach will charge monthly fees. There will be no parents on the field. The program will generate enough resources to maintain the facility and pay a Coach for each team. This will give the Head Coach a pool of Assistant Coaches to groom over time. Players will have access to ‘expert’ coaches at an early age.

Change is good. There is a great deal to be learned from those who have been then there before, be sure to use their expertise to optimize your experience.

two things; we first we have JV baseball for those that do not make varsity
secondly the college coaches havelimited, very limited time to scout in the spring---

addition---one of the best memories of my sons baseball is his picture in the hsyearbook centerfold in full uniform with his bat

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
the college coaches havelimited, very limited time to scout in the spring---

When talking about "what could change in recruiting", I dont see limited time in the spring for a college coach to be a stumbling block if that was what the recruiting process began to dictate.

The point of the thread is things have changed so much over the years, what else could change. The recruiting process and timeline has moved up so much that I saw a 2014 has committed to Central Florida already on the PG site. The D1 coaches I talk to do not like that the timeline has moved up so I doubt"not having the time" to recruit a player would stand in the way. Most of the time assistant coaches are the ones getting their eyes on the players anyway and not the head coach.

I think changes in the actual recruiting process for baseball will be incremental over the years, and primarily limited to how the player goes about the process. I don't believe the institutions/coaches will change much, other than adapt to technology changes, etc.

Football and basketball on the other hand will see a more explicit evolution on the institutional side. There is virtually no corruption in baseball recruiting because the sport presents zero to limited impact to the campus, financially or in terms of media exposure. Of course, there might be a tad bit of corruption right now in football and basketball, that will eventually boil over into effective (hopefully) reform that will shift the process.

For instance:

High school first-rounder Gerrit Cole enrolls at UCLA. Zero national media hype, limited local media buzz, no TV coverage of games, and Jackie Robinson Stadium keeps drawing 1,000 fans a game.

UCLA signs Kevin Love, pandemonium breaks loose, Pauley Pavillion is SRO every night, intense national media coverage and millions of new dollars flow into the university.

Outside of the player's families, the coaches and the few thousand fans who might follow the team, no one really cares all that deeply about baseball recruiting.

quote:

Originally posted by fenwaysouth:
I agree with Swampboys points. I will add that I think travel baseball will become even more of a year round sport where it is not today. CA, FL, and Tx are already there. The rest of the nation will try to catch up where the weather will allow it.

Weather is becoming less and less of an issue. Have you seen the Cust indoor field in New Jersey?

HealthQuest Sports Dome

Built in 2003, the Sports Dome is the largest air structure in the nation and is considered the East Coast's premier indoor facility for winter athletic programs. The approximately 140,000 square foot dome is a temporary structure that covers HealthQuest Park from November to March, which allows elite competition and training programs to continue indoors. The facility inside is subdivided utilizing protective netting to optimize the use of the space. The HealthQuest Sports Dome offers leagues and clinics for all ages from youth, high school, college, and adults.

quote:

Originally posted by ctandc:
To some this sounds crazy. Count yourself lucky. I've seen it happen. Competitive coaches and programs turn to "everybody makes it" and all of a sudden, the level of the program drops off a cliff.

When my son was in 6th grade the middle school principal instituted a no cut policy for sports. It was mayhem. Picture 28 baseball players getting equal playing time in seven innings.

The next year most of the best players, including my son didn't sign up for baseball. They didn't see the value in playing two innings, maybe getting one at bat and losing to every other team playing their best nine most of the time. They tried out for and made the lacrosse team instead. The lacrosse team had a reasonable roster since puss kids don't like being beaten by a stick.

The high school varsity coach stepped in when he heard his best prospects signed up for lacrosse instead of baseball. The AD rescinded the no cut rule, baseball tryouts were held again and the baseball players returned.

The high school baseball coach was afraid his best prospects would enjoy playing lacrosse.

I could be mistaken, but I believe the Trinity League here in southern California has a no-cut rule, or at least a few of the top schools do. I think, once you make a squad as an in-coming 9th grader, you cannot be cut from the program through to graduation, unless for I'm assuming conduct or grades. Anyone who lives in So Cal and follows HS baseball understands how dominant the Trinity League is. As a postcript, they are a league of private catholic schools, which also helps explain their strength, as they can draw talent from beyond any school district boundry.

quote:

Originally posted by like2rake:
Outside of the player's families, the coaches and the few thousand fans who might follow the team, no one really cares all that deeply about baseball recruiting.

Really? There is probably more money being spent on baseball recruiting than any other sport, which means there is more money being made in baseball recruiting than any other sport. On campus as compared to football and basketball you are correct but as a business opportunity in recruiting it is naive to think that no one cares.

quote:

Originally posted by shortnquick:

quote:

Originally posted by like2rake:
Outside of the player's families, the coaches and the few thousand fans who might follow the team, no one really cares all that deeply about baseball recruiting.

Really? There is probably more money being spent on baseball recruiting than any other sport, which means there is more money being made in baseball recruiting than any other sport. On campus as compared to football and basketball you are correct but as a business opportunity in recruiting it is naive to think that no one cares.

Do you think the guys who run the top travel team organizations are getting wealthy from that work? Does the person who owns berecruited.com live in Malibu and drive a Bentley? There is money flowing, and there are people making a business out of it, but its a dribble compared to the fire hoses of basketball and football. I'd like to see Nike's, Adidas, Reebok, etc. budgets for HS and amateur basketball promotion versus the largest-spending promoter for amateur baseball.

Is there a Sonny Vaccaro of amateur baseball?

I keep going back to what I wanted to get ideas on in this thread...

"about what possible changes might happen in the recruiting process in the next 10, 15 or 20 years"

If you have a son that is in HS baseball and also plays travel, you at the present time are fluded with opportunitities to spend your $$ on recruiting. How far will that be taken??

My question in the thread is not is there a Sonny Vaccaro but is the system going to lend itself to one in the future.

quote:

Originally posted by shortnquick:
I keep going back to what I wanted to get ideas on in this thread...

"about what possible changes might happen in the recruiting process in the next 10, 15 or 20 years"

If you have a son that is in HS baseball and also plays travel, you at the present time are fluded with opportunitities to spend your $$ on recruiting. How far will that be taken??

My question in the thread is not is there a Sonny Vaccaro but is the system going to lend itself to one in the future.

I don't believe baseball will go that route because HS baseball recruiting does not, and probably never will feed a collegiate money machine, like football and basketball. Corruption is only going to follow the money.

One area I do believe you will see change is an increase in foreign recruits for baseball, as the sport broadens internationally, and technology drives easier recruiting globally.

For instance, think of highly coordinated, tightly scheduled PG-type events, in Japan or South Korea, for instance, broadcast in high definition, digitally, where college HCs and recruiting coordinators scout without leaving their office in the States. Pitcher velocities are displayed, in real-time, multiple angles, self-directed replay and slow motion, etc. They see a young man throwing 90, his academic credentials are in the coaches hand, coach reaches out to player....

Inherently, it would be a given that most participating players are interested in going to college/playing in the US.

quote:

Originally posted by like2rake:
For instance, think of highly coordinated, tightly scheduled PG-type events, in Japan or South Korea, for instance, broadcast in high definition, digitally, where college HCs and recruiting coordinators scout without leaving their office in the States. Pitcher velocities are displayed, in real-time, multiple angles, self-directed replay and slow motion, etc. They see a young man throwing 90, his academic credentials are in the coaches hand, coach reaches out to player....

Inherently, it would be a given that most participating players are interested in going to college/playing in the US.

These were the types of ideas I was asking about and looking to hear about.