roothog66 posted:TPM posted:roothog66 posted:TPM posted:roothog66 posted:TPM posted:CaCO3Girl posted:bacdorslider posted:Instead of worry about who is committing early, I would be more concerned with finding the right school the right coach and the right environment . Also I would want to find a team I could get some playing time... it's one thing to commit and another to sign, then make the travel team, then get in the game, then become a starter... and keeping your grades up and not breaking an NCAA rule that you did not even know about. Playing at a top 20 school is very very difficult thing to do.
There are going to be very high high's and very low low's not every player is ready for it. I will say that 2018 committed early because of the school, the coach, the offer and a few other variables....
To be clear, it isn't that I (and I assume the other parents of 8th/9th graders on the board) are worried about WHO is committing early. It is more a concern that we aren't putting our kid out there in the right places to be seen.
I inadvertently "hid" my player on a sub standard team in a sub standard park because I didn't know any better for 9u-11u. I wasn't thinking about the future I was thinking about a little boy having fun playing baseball, and to be clear I would do it again if I had a do-over. At 12u I took him for his first pitching lesson at an academy type place that several people said had really good instruction. I didn't take him because I was trying to make him the next MLB super star, I took him because he was hurting his arm while pitching. While there, the coach of one of the best 12u teams in GA saw my son pitching, he came over to talk to me. He asked a few questions while he watched my son pitch. He said "Why have I never heard of this kid, where the heck have you been hiding him?" I told him where my boy had been playing and he said "Yup, that would do it."
THAT is the concern of the 2021/2020/2019 parents on this board. It isn't that we are worried about 2019's and 2020's committing, and it isn't that we want the ego trip, we are worried that we aren't taking our kids to the right places to be seen when obviously others are in their age group. Not that we all think our kids are the top 1%, but we worry that we are messing something up for our kids because we are ignorant. I've since learned that there is time, what a kid does below 14u doesn't matter...but others will flock to this board out of concern that they are messing things up for their kid by not doing XXXXX.
At 11,12,13 even 14 until the player reaches HS it doesn't really matter. The player, as with most, has a lot of maturing and growing up to do in 3-4 years. I don't agree with what roothog posts here, about not getting an offer by junior summer the player is now in trouble. That is the way he perceives the situation, but I am sure that he is also learning a lot about what coaches want and what the don't want. Don't let what he says scare you. Or about a 2020 player working his butt off in the gym, don't let that bother you also. That doesn't get you a spot on a roster and for most, not a spot on a top 50 either. As badcor has said, most of you DO NOT have a clue about playing for top tier college programs, or even for most d1 programs as well.
But it just seems to me and others that many of you are so afraid that your players will miss out on something, and they won't. If people are smart than they will come here, read all the material ask intelligent questions gather information and learn about the process. That's why this board is in place, and it has helped hundreds if not more to find a place to play that fits their player.
Again, listen to bacdor. He came here with a chip on his shoulder, really drove himself nuts at times but over time he has really learned a lot, and he gets it. Stop questioning every thing said here, read and take what you feel is good info for YOUR player.
I think you might want to consider whether your experience concerning D1 recruiting may be outdated. Early commitments in baseball (soph or younger) is quite a new phenomenon, at least the quantity is. Keep in mind, too, that I am talking mainly about top tier D1 schools. For a sunbelt school, or a WAC school, the timeline is probably about the same. Additionally, it is not just the very, very, cream of the crop. I can list for you, a dozen or more RHPs throwing under 84 that have committed to D1 schools as 2018s or 19s. I've personally had several D1 schools tell me straight up they are done with the 2016 class (and was told this early last summer). Now that doesn't mean they won't find $$ for the late bloomer or the absolute stud who has waited. However, they are going to be quite picky by then. This simply wasn't how it was done even five or six years ago. Your experiences were quite relevant up until then. Things in this area have changed quickly and drastically. I think in the next couple of years things will change even more. If you see the change next year dropping the 25% minimum rule (which seems to be a foregone conclusion) you may see a slowing down of early offers during the transition (temporary, though). Eventually, I don't see, with so many early offers, how baseball doesn't become more like basketball and football. I think, very soon, commitments won't be honored as often by athletes, nor revered as much by opposition coaches. I think it does a disservice to tell a kid who may be an upper tier D1 recruit that he's OK waiting until the summer after his junior year to get serious about recruiting.
Where did I say that an upper tier player should wait that long, and why do you assume that I don't understand recruiting, because I don't have a son who is in HS? How many upper tier guys are out there, really? What you need to do is get to a PG national tournament, summer in Lakepoint or down in jupiter, than you will understand, or one of the bigger venues where every college coach and scout is in attendance, not a handful.
The majority of players do not commit as freshman or sophomores. Whats really changed is that more and more programs are essentially over recruiting. Your son will show up to a program, and so will 40 other players, 6 will not make the roster in spring, and will be asked to leave. That's how it is and its not going to get better.
So instead of rushing to commit early because everyone else is,or its last years CWS winner (just as an example) why not commit where a coach really values you as a future player.
You are right, things are going to get worse, as long as you all keep pushing your kids in front of coaches earlier and earlier, its not going to be any easier, for the mid tier player, not for the elite, they will always get the first offer.
What you said, and I quote, was " I don't agree with what roothog posts here, about not getting an offer by junior summer the player is now in trouble." My post was clearly concerning upper tier D1's. I've said this before, you have a lot to offer, but this is one of the areas where your experience is dated. My point wasn't even about top tier recruits, necessarily, but rather about how quickly top tier D1's fill up their recruiting classes. I believe you mislead people when you say what I quoted above. Please take into account what people who are currently going through recruiting involving upper tier D1's - there aren't a lot of spots left for a rising senior or even a junior who has already begun his junior year. The kids who are good enough to make an upper tier D1 roster, but not necessarily a draft pick type will have a problem if they wait until their junior season is underway. By then, these schools will have filled up their recruiting classes with players just as good who got out there earlier and got noticed. That leaves a lot of good, but not draft pick, talent competing for a very limited number of spots.
You may not like it, but it is what it is and it's not going to change as long as schools have incentive to make those offers. I appreciate your experiences, but you need to take a breath and consider the experiences of others, as well. Many of us are going through it right now. It's happening around us and we are just plain in a better situation to analyze the landscape.
Roothog,
You are talking about top tier players committing, the majority of players and whose parents come here are not top tier players (sorry, not insulting anyone, but that is a fact).
So by stating that if you don't committ by a certain time your in trouble, is not really right, as most of the people who are reading this will have players who will commit to D2,D3 and will more than likely walk on to D1 programs. YOU have to think about the audience that you are reaching. Obviously you are expecting your son to be asked to play at a top tier program, along with many others but reality is that doesnt happen often for most.
And I am talking about commits that get actually offers over and above 25%, not walk ons. Do you actually know how much they are being offered?
I am talking the top 250 in PG ranking per class as top tier players.
This is where the conversation gets diluted. If you look above, you'll see that I wrote about early commitments that:
"Keep in mind, too, that I am talking mainly about top tier D1 schools. For a sunbelt school, or a WAC school, the timeline is probably about the same."
So, really, we're really not in a big disagreement. We're simply having a misunderstanding of the scope of the trend.
Really, but you basically said I had no idea about today's recruiting, now we are in agreement?
All I did was point out that your statements were directed to top tier players, and you will not find that many out there on this site. By top tier I mean 1-250 max.
The purpose here is to give general information as to recruiting, not necessarily directed to any particular group. There is a different timeline for all types of players.
When a person here states that "you better get on the bandwagon or you will find yourself out in the cold", that is not necessarily true, and FWIW, a top ranked player will ALWAYS find a spot on a roster. Believe it or not there ARE parents here whose sons did commit their junior or senior summer.
