UVA's Coach O'Connor favors the multi-sport athlete

A lot of coaches make the pro multi sport comment. My son was a multi sport athlete. I understand the multi sport argument. But when it nets out the coaches want the best baseball player who can help them win regardless of whether the kid only played baseball or played multiple sports before college.

Coach O'Connor will in fact take the most talented player no matter how many sports he plays or doesn't.  But the truth is that youth/teenage club sports (any sport) asks for too many players to choose between one or the other.

 

I don't see any end in sight to it either…unfortunately.

Realistically I think most good coaches, even in HS, like that. I know I do. Most of the pressure comes from parents and select/travel ball gurus feeling the need to keep up with the Joneses. Did you notice how many 2 or 3 sport HS athletes went in the draft?

 

I feel the people who believe the "1-sport" mantra the most are the ones who's kids are fringe varsity players, at best. Athletes are athletes. Good players are good players.

He signs the best players he can get. Not because they are multi sport players. But because they are the best players he can get. Now he might believe multi sport players are the better players. Have more upside. But if he has to choose he's going to sign the best player period.

I have always liked the idea of playing multi sports.  However, if you look at the early draft picks out of high school there are many baseball only. I'm guessing that most of them did participate in other sports when they were younger before realizing baseball was their future.

Whether or not O'Connor or others like him like two sports athletes is irrelevant.  If you are a stud or someone they think can get the job done then they are interested. 

 

What I do know is O'Connor and his staff do not get out-worked.  I don't go to as many top events as I used to but I will occasionally see O'Connor, Kuhn and others in the stands or down the lines at regional showcases and local high school games.  It reminds me of the times that I couldn't go to any event without running into Coach Holbrook when he was the asst & recruiting coach at South Carolina.  I swear it seemed like Coach Holbrook had 10 clones.  These guys are everywhere where there is top baseball talent.  It seems pretty easy from the outside looking in....if you want top talent you've got to do the time to recruit these kinds of players.  It is hard work, lots of travel & lots of networking.  JMO.

It's amazing that individuals on here are able to speak on behalf of Coach Oak!  

I actually do see it coming to an end. I think that in the next 10 years we're going to see a drastic change in youth sports. The abuses we are putting on our youth athletes today is not sustainable. I see this abuse every day in all sports. Whether it be baseball/softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, cheerleading, gymnastics, etc. I think it will all come crashing down around us...

Bulldog, You wouldn't happen to be one of those End Timers, would you? 

 

Seriously, you see sports crashing?  Or just the specialization?

 

Sports have been around forever.  While I wish young kids wouldn't specialize in one sport, sooner or later almost every athlete does.

 

Do you believe any coach would pass on a stud because he only played baseball growing up? Do you think any coach would take a less talented multi sport athlete over a one sport stud?

End Timer?

 

No, I think the specialization is going to come crashing down. The number of injuries that are simply overuse is going to cause this. Concussions in football, but in many sports the overuse. We've well-defined some of them in baseball already. But volleyball has some of the same injuries. Soccer has the large rate of ACL injuries and exertional compartment syndrome. Cheerleading/gymnastics also has a high rate of injuries. And it's amazing to me how many of these are as freshmen and sophomores. Less as juniors or seniors...

 

I don't want sports to end. Let's not pretend that. Just the craziness that there is at the youth level needs to change.

You do as you please.  Let others do as they please. 

 

There seems to be a growing feeling that everyone else has to change what they are doing until you agree with it.  Cut it out, everyone. 

 

McCarthy shows you don't have to play year round to get recruited.  At least, if you're as good as McCarthy I guess. 

 

Others would not have been recruited where they ended up, or might not have had as much choice before them, had they not taken all the opportunities at their disposal.

 

For others, baseball is just plain fun, and we'd rather be doing this than anything else, even more than other sports.  From what I see at fields every day, our numbers are huge.  And those of us who feel this way find all this nagging about how other people think we're wrong to be kind of bossy and truly tiresome.

 

I should also add that not everyone can make their HS teams in every sport.  So if they use their time to play baseball, it would be nice if everyone else would get off their backs.

I don't think the important discussion is what Coach O'Connor looks for in recruiting.  He is looking for a top tier talent/athlete.

Where I would think the rubber meets the road is with those coaching staffs in programs ranking in maybe the  50-125 range. Multi-sport athletes with upside when playing year round for the first time can make a big difference for them.

Among the obstacles for those coaches and the players include how do they find them or get found, how do they recognize them if they find them, and how does all of that get done within more limited recruiting budgets for their programs as contrasted with UVA, for instance.

Multi-sport athletes, especially football, are not going to be seen during the period from August to December.  Very few will be found during the HS season because of the demands on a college staff during a 56 game schedule, weather for HS baseball and a short HS season.

If these players go to the top showcases/travel competition during the Summer, only the top guys(a UVA type) will normally stand out. Those with athleticism, solid  but undeveloped talent with big upside won't be very obvious to coaches in many situations.

In essence, I think it is much easier to talk about than to do for those college coaches who are not at the UVA level, especially in resources. It is equally challenging in the current showcase/travel team landscape  for multi-sport HS athletes who are not at or near the talent level to be recruited to UVA.

Nice post infielddad - lots in there.

 

I think a common theme here is that 'HS baseball doesn't matter that much, summer does.'  I have asserted over and over that HS baseball can and does matter if you want it too.

 

How does that relate to infielddad's post?

 

I think college coaches who don't rely solely on the summer travel ball/showcase circuit are reaping the benefits. Multi-sport athletes is one that may be desirable.  fenwaysouth pointed out that UVa's coaches are everywhere, including at HS games.  I can attest to the fact that our younger son didn't fit the 'prospect profile.'  5-10, mid 80s.  The schools that figured it out and recruited him were constantly at his HS games and were constantly talking to his HS coach as well as his summer coach.  (BTW, infielddad's son was at a school that 'figured it out' on him).

 

There are all kinds of ways for a college coach to find you and to value you.  Trust me when I say that our older son's HS situation was 'far less than optimal' but still, college coaches called the HS coach.  Good summer travel teams, showcases, camps…and HS ball.  All a part of it.

 

Figure out your son's best attributes and find a way to accentuate them.  It just takes one college to make it work.  

I'm with infielddad on this. When my son was in recruitment process, his college coach (to be) said that he favored multi sport kids all else equal for the same reason as he favored northern climate kids: more upside. 

There's a key phrase in Rob's post "all else equal." But a coach isn't going to recruit a less talented athlete because he played multiple sports. In the big picture it's which player is going to best help the team win regardless of background.

I have had this conversation directly with Coach o'Connor and a couple of other college coaches.  Yes they like guys who play multiple sports, one of the main reasons is because it gives athlete more chances to compete at a team level.  In these days of showcase baseball competing with a team goal in mind is an underrated skill set.  Playing under pressure with championships on the line is a rare thing these days and learning to handle those pressures are big

There are some advantages and reasons to favor a multi sport athlete.  We often see them and wonder how good they might become if concentrating on one sport.  There are certain physical and mental skills that other sports help develop.  And athletic ability is by important in baseball, so a multi sport athlete tends to be more athletic in many cases.

 

However, many of the most athletic and talented baseball players we see, only play baseball.  So while there is a reason to like multi sport athletes, there's also a reason to like the very best players.  And it is those very best players that every scout and every college coach is looking for.

 

We know Brian O'Connor very well, have for a long time.  In fact, our own Tyson Kimm played college ball with him.  He has been to hundreds of PG events as has his assistants.  They know what they are looking for whether it is multi sport or not.  Many prefer the multi sport athlete, but they never ignore the best baseball player whether it is the draft or college recruiting.

 

Last week a 210 lb kid ran a 6.17 60 yards at our National Showcase.  He is built like an NFL running back.  He only plays baseball, but he could easily be a great multi sport guy.

 

6.17! Wow! Was it wind aided? How many players have broken 6.2? Has this kid come close to 6.17 before?

He ran a 6.37 for us two years ago.

 

here is his profile...

http://www.perfectgame.org/Pla...ofile.aspx?ID=289343

 

I want to be clear this is not an accusation towards anyone in particular and certainly not towards Coach O'Connor --  but coaches also love to recruit players who are "under the RADAR," that is, kids whom they see as having great potential, but who may not be getting attention from a lot of suitors.

 

The multi-sport athlete can often fit that bill. 

 

And why do coaches like the "under the RADAR" kid?  Because they can often sew him up for a relatively low percentage.

 

In a sport where the program's success often turns on how much talent you can get on campus using only 11.7 scholarship equivalences, this kind of thing matters.

 

But what this says is, one of the reasons why coaches like the multi-sport athlete may also be one of the reasons why the player who is determined to make the most of his collegiate experience may well want to be more focused.

Midlo, unfortunately that is a great point.  There is a business slant even to topics that seem, on the surface, to have none.

They also like kids with wealthy parents, or kids who get grant money to help pay the bills. The rest of us....well most of you know. 

One advantage a multisport HS athlete can have is by playing multiple sports, they have more opportunity to make varsity at a younger age at one of their sports, get some experience to take along when they make varsity in their other sport and already know what it takes to compete on the varsity level to go after division, conference and state titles.