This is not meant to be a post about which is the best route to go out of high school (pro vs. college) but to compare the differences in the recruiting techniques. There are many similarities but there are many differences too. I think the college recruitment is much more complex having literally hundreds of variables and just as many unknowns. Successful college recruitment usually happens because the parent and player have been proactive and have taken the necessary steps to be seen. It is important to be at the right place at the right time doing the right things. Preparation both athletically and academically is very important. Once you get noticed and colleges show interest you realize no two college programs are alike. They go from horrible to great--- tiny to huge --- all the work you’ve done to get here and suddenly you realize the work is just beginning..
Making the decision to go pro instead of going to college is pretty black and white. Either a player will sign professionally for X number of dollars or he won’t. It seems as if professional baseball has an uncanny ability to find players no matter where they are or what they are doing. All these years and dollars spent trying to get noticed by college coaches and unbeknownst to you every pro scout in the country had already seen your son --- somewhere. A player contemplating going pro has basically two unknowns --- how much money will they give him to sign and what round will he be drafted in. One thing I find strange is an advisor and parental involvement seems to be OK and even encouraged when contemplating the simple pro angle but whereas it seems to be “unacceptable” when it involves what can be an overwhelming task of selecting a college. (of course that is fodder for another post)
My son had already been through the college recruitment and had signed his NLI and we were just coasting along waiting on spring practice and hoping for some scout activity once the season got rolling. The first day of spring practice caught me totally off guard. “Who are all the people at practice?” was the first words I asked of the HS coach ---- He smiled and said “Scouts!” It all makes sense if you think about it ---- Scouts do as their name implies ---they spend their lives scouting! College coaches spend most of their lives “coaching”. They both have something to offer and they both want baseball players but their approach is quite different.
Fungo
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