What are recruiters really looking for?

CaCO3Girl posted:

2019Dad posted:

Smitty28 posted:

CaCO3Girl posted:

MidAtlanticDad posted:

Smitty28 posted:

Midwest Mom posted:

2019Dad posted:

Smitty28 posted:

CaCO3Girl posted:

So what I'm reading is...right now the only 2019's getting offers are extreme pitchers and extreme HR hitters.  Other 2019's need to wait a minute, it will come.

This is not true.  Per PG, there are 978 2019 commitments in D1, as of today.

And obviously quite a few more have offers but haven't committed . . . probably around a third of all 2019 D1 commits have happened already, the other two-thirds will happen over the course of the next year.

The 2018 class has 2,895 commits, the 2017 class had 4,966 commits and the 2016 class had 4,585 commits. Either there are just fewer commits in the 2018 class, or they're not reporting commitments on PG or there are still more to come (or all of the above). 

Yes, no doubt there are plenty 2019 opportunities out there, but we've moved past just the elite players.  There are plenty of very good solid players (perhaps not elite) that are getting offers now.

Thanks Midwest Mom, I never noticed those total numbers before. Here are the rest:

2019s: 978
2020s: 257
2021s: 63

And how many typically go in the draft each year?  40 rounds, has to be a significant number.

Round numbers... this year was pretty close to 50% college, 25% HS, 25% international

124 high-schoolers drafted in the first 20 rounds last year. Figure about 100, maybe a bit more, are drafted and signed out of high school.

Here's my math: 300 D1 programs, roughly 10 commits per school, roughly 3000 D1 commits per year. Might be off by 10% either way. With 978 current D1 commits, roughly one-third have committed. 

Edited to add: Coach LD has better info than me. So 150 signed in the draft.

Okay, I'll go with 150 signed, but 300 had MiLB talent.  If that is the case, I'm saying 900 is not all the higher D1's.  Let's also not forget the kids who are committed but their grades won't be good enough.  I think the OP talked about a kid who still has time to go D1.  However I will say, the D1 catchers I have seen had a lower pop time.  His current measurables put him at low D1 in my UN-expert opinion.  They are not calling yet.

There's another thread that discusses pop time...

Not sure if I can actually add a whole lot here. A lot of great responses to the OP's question/ topic.

a couple of things :

Contacting 7-10 schools is not enough. Not even close. The key to recruiting is to cast a wide net  . Most kids and parents put together a dream list or wish list. It seems logical . But it doesn't work in recruiting . The school picks the player.....The player doesn't pick the school.

The goal here is to find the school that loves him. In order for that to happen you have to be seen by a lot schools. And forget D1, D2 , D3. It's not about that. There are great , very well funded D3 baseball programs at very prestigious Academic schools and Crappy underfunded D1 programs at Academic diploma mills .

If the schools that he has already emailed have seen him play already and haven't offered . That means they are not interested. Period. Move on . NCAA Recruiting coordinators do not mess around . If they like a kid they get involved immediately. Silence is just a polite 'NO' .......don't forget that.

Also, I noticed you were trying to figure out why other kids that seemed seemingly less desirable were being recruited ahead of your son. That is a waste of time. The key here is finding the School that loves Your son as a player and will be excited about his addition to the baseball team.

The short answer to your question ' What are recruiters really looking for' is that they are looking for players that can help them WIN. The rule of thumb with D1 ball is they try to recruit guys that they believe could actually play NOW for them. HS players who's skills reflect that of players on the current roster. NCAA Head coaches are paid to Win. Their lively hood and that of their families depend on that. HC's that lose get fired.

Lastly, High school & travel ball stats don't mean anything. RC's don't care about that. For position players they want guys that hit the ball HARD. Quick hands and the ability to drive the ball hard. Also foot speed is huge. Yes, a catcher is gonna get more leeway with that but not as much as pitchers. There are 2019 catchers out there that can break a 7.0 . You might consider a track coach. A good track coach can shave off time just with a few moves. And as has been already mentioned , Catcher recruiting is different. You're gonna have to do roster and committ research on schools you target to see where they are at with Catchers . But the bottom line is cast a wide net. And don't waste time thinking about schools that haven't shown interest.

StrainedOblique posted:

Not sure if I can actually add a whole lot here. I lot of great responses to the OP's question/ topic.

a couple of things :

Contacting 7-10 schools is not enough. Not even close. The key to recruiting is to cast a wide net  . Most kids and parents put together a dream list or wish list. It seems logical . But it doesn't work in recruiting . The school picks the player.....The player doesn't pick the school.

The goal here is to find the school that loves him. In order for that to happen you have to be seen by a lot schools. And forget D1, D2 , D3. It's not about that. There are great , very well funded D3 baseball programs at very prestigious Academic schools and Crappy underfunded D1 programs at Academic diploma mills .

If the schools that he has already emailed have seen him play already and haven't offered . That means they are not interested. Period. Move on . NCAA Recruiting coordinators do not mess around . If they like a kid they get involved immediately. Silence is just a polite 'NO' .......don't forget that.

Also, I noticed you were trying to figure out why other kids that seemed seemingly less desirable were being recruited ahead of your son. That is a waste of time. The key here is finding the School that loves Your son as a player and will be excited about his addition to the baseball team.

The short answer to your question ' What are recruiters really looking for' is that they are looking for players that can help them WIN. The rule of thumb with D1 ball is they try to recruit guys that they believe could actually play NOW for them. HS players who's skills reflect that of players on the current roster. NCAA Head coaches are paid to Win. Their lively hood and that of their families depend on that. HC's that lose get fired.

Lastly, High school & travel ball stats don't mean anything. RC's don't care about that. For position players they want guys that hit the ball HARD. Quick hands and the ability to drive the ball hard. Also foot speed is huge. Yes, a catcher is gonna get more leeway with that but not as much as pitchers. There are 2019 catchers out there that can break a 7.0 . You might consider a track coach. A good track coach can shave off time just with a few moves. And as has been already mentioned , Catcher recruiting is different. You're gonna have to do roster and committ research on schools you target to see where they are at with Catchers . But the bottom line is cast a wide net. And don't waste time thinking about schools that haven't shown interest.

Good reminder SO.  Keep it coming!

In addition to PG and Headfirst, you might try Top 100 and All Star Baseball Academy showcases.  My son (also a catcher) did both of those and got quite a bit of interest from all levels (as compared to team weekends at "showcase" events where you might never see a coach on the HS field your team is playing at).  Both of those events were very well attended by coaches in the areas where they were held...and MUCH cheaper than some of the other options.

Also, don't just limit yourself to VA/MD/DC....look in PA as well.  There are TONS of good schools up there where he can find a good baseball fit as well as academic fit, and they are just as close as some of the schools you are looking at (figure out the furthermost school he is looking at, then draw a circle around your house that is that far away....you will be surprised how big that circle is and how many colleges are in it.)

Finally, don't just limit yourself to the schools on your list.  My son ended up at a school that wasn't even on his "long" list.  The coach saw him at a showcase and loved him, had him down for a visit within a week and my son loved the campus.  That coach was way more aggressive and interested in my son that ANY of the other coaches he was talking to (that were on his "list")...and he ultimately ended up committing there.  It has turned out to be a great fit for him on all levels and he is doing great (so keep an open mind).

The net should be about fifty schools. It will naturally get smaller just by either side losing interest before interest heats up. 7-10 schools is for the second phase. This should be 7-10 schools genuinely interested in the player and vice versa. Never confuse interest with being recruited. An offer is recruiting. Some schools will appear hot and disappear because someone else committed. 

Finally, don't just limit yourself to the schools on your list. My son ended up at a school that wasn't even on his "long" list.  The coach saw him at a showcase and loved him, had him down for a visit within a week and my son loved the campus.  That coach was way more aggressive and interested in my son that ANY of the other coaches he was talking to (that were on his "list")...and he ultimately ended up committing there.  It has turned out to be a great fit for him on all levels and he is doing great (so keep an open mind).

This was my son's experience as well...

Don't try to compare.  It drove me crazy with my middle son.  One of his top choices took a player he struck out four times the weekend before he committed over my son.  We could not understand it.  But it was need and seeing the big picture.  Just trust the right fit will come along.  When it does hang on for the ride.  My son's came out of the blue after a great week of ball and it came fast and furious.  Catchers are hard to judge unless they are the best player around and then they are easy. 

You talk about your son being able to play multiple positions.  Has he done that?  If not, he might want to pursue that in some showcase.  Show that you can play multiple positions not just that you might could play multiple positions.

Just take a deep breath and let both of you enjoy it.