When Do You Stop?

Decide if he is mentally tired or physically tired and injury prone.

If mentally tired, push through. Get through the next few weeks. After the camps, drop the ball and get ready for the spring season.

My piece of encouragement is this. Major league players have to stay mentally up from spring to fall. Just tell your healthy child to try to summon the major leaguer inside him to push through.

If he is physically worn out, stop.

My son is a 2010 RHP and is in a very similar situation to your son. He threw at a pitching showcase mid October and said, "that's it". He's been pitching since mid February and both his high school coach and his summer coach said it was time to shut down. He has three solid D III offers and Friday had his first D II offer with baseball money. We were talking last night, you can keep going and see what else might come up or always wonder was there a D I offer in the future if he just kept going. But my son made the decision and we support his concern over his health. Good luck-tough decision because there are still a lot of opportunities out there to be seen.

quote:

The only thing is, I think he is tired and his performance may be affected by his fatigue.

If that's the ONLY THING then I would pump him full of creatine and red bull, empty the piggy bank and continue on!

I look at this differently than most. If my son did EVERYTHING that EVERYONE else wanted him to do he wouldn't have had time to play the game. Sometimes (way too often) we allow the "recruiting process" and the "exposure industry" to completely dominate the game of baseball. I suggest you talk with your son and ask him what he WANTS to do. We all know exposure is necessary but seem to forget it is also a natural part of just playing the game. It's easy to get caught up in the exposure game and allow it to dominate our son's lives during the high school years. If the thought has ever crossed your mind that you have done enough --- then you can rest assured you have. Enjoy the game.
Fungo

Hot Corner Dad, look for a PM.

.

"Enjoy the game."

Yes indeed!




.

.

quote:

Originally posted by Fungo: If my son did EVERYTHING that EVERYONE else wanted him to do he wouldn't have had time to play the game. Sometimes (way too often) we allow the "recruiting process" and the "exposure industry" to completely dominate the game of baseball. I suggest you talk with your son and ask him what he WANTS to do. We all know exposure is necessary but seem to forget it is also a natural part of just playing the game. It's easy to get caught up in the exposure game and allow it to dominate our son's lives during the high school years. If the thought has ever crossed your mind that you have done enough --- then you can rest assured you have. Enjoy the game.
Fungo

Yep.

The "recuting game" is a different animal...and yep, at some point it starts to feel like it is dominating not only the game of baseball but your family as well...at some point the game starts to feel like this...


"Take me out to the show case,
Take me out with the scouts.
Buy me some plane tickets and let me roam,
We don't care if I never get home,
Do it's Push, push, push for a full ride,
Don't sign early it's a shame.
Or it's first, second, third round, you're in!,
At the old show case."



.

quote:

"Take me out to the show case,
Take me out with the scouts.
Buy me some plane tickets and let me roam,
We don't care if I never get home,
Do it's Push, push, push for a full ride,
Don't sign early it's a shame.
Or it's first, second, third round, you're in!,
At the old show case."

I love your poetry!! --- Is that an O44 original or did you make it up?

.
Thanks...

Finished with the exposure game...

Fall practice over....

Got WAYYY to much time on my hands...just ask my wife...


.

quote:

Originally posted by Fungo:

quote:

The only thing is, I think he is tired and his performance may be affected by his fatigue.

If that's the ONLY THING then I would pump him full of creatine and red bull, empty the piggy bank and continue on!

I look at this differently than most. If my son did EVERYTHING that EVERYONE else wanted him to do he wouldn't have had time to play the game. Sometimes (way too often) we allow the "recruiting process" and the "exposure industry" to completely dominate the game of baseball. I suggest you talk with your son and ask him what he WANTS to do. We all know exposure is necessary but seem to forget it is also a natural part of just playing the game. It's easy to get caught up in the exposure game and allow it to dominate our son's lives during the high school years. If the thought has ever crossed your mind that you have done enough --- then you can rest assured you have. Enjoy the game.
Fungo

Good advice from Fungo. When it starts to become a burden to your son and you, no fun anymore (I thought that it stopped being fun after awhile) then it's time to take a new direction and if that means shutting down or making a decision (for pitchers especially) than it is time to do it.
If the right fit hasn't come along, there is nothing to guarantee that it will or it won't.

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Corner Dad:
My son is a 2010 who is in the thick of the recruiting process. I'm starting to wonder if it is time for a break, though.

After the spring varsity season, he played a 50-game legion schedule in the summer; went to three college camps in August; played every weekend in Sept-Oct for a showcase team; and is now scheduled for 3 college camps in November.

Has there been contact and inerest from new schools this fall, resulting from the showcase team?

Part of me wants to call a halt to it, but his advisors (high school and legion coaches) who are giving him tremendous help in the recruiting process keep emphasizing how important these next weeks are. The only thing is, I think he is tired and his performance may be affected by his fatigue.

College baseball players that have schedules that would make most workaholics cringe. It is dark to dark, most of the year. He might as well get used to that. A friends son is in the Arizona Fall League. He has had about 8 days off since February 15. His club wants him to go to the Dominican Republic after AFL ends this month.

If he isn't happy with the exposure AND offers (programs/schools) so far, then more exposure is needed.

He has a couple of offers on the table from a Juco and a DIII, but he is still trying to get the attention of some DI and DII schools. Any thoughts or suggestions from the veterans of this process would be welcome. I know everyone's situation and kid is different, but it still helps to hear other people's stories.

You (very usually) only get one shot at recruiting. However, I would not stretch to make a team as the 35th player, unless you don't expect more than a jersey. College recruiting is a balancing act you are required to do without experience.

When all else fails, go where you are wanted.

quote:

College baseball players that have schedules that would make most workaholics cringe. It is dark to dark, most of the year. He might as well get used to that.

If he isn't happy with the exposure AND offers (programs/schools) so far, then more exposure is needed. You (very usually) only get one shot at recruiting.

Very good points Dad04

There are times to push through even when you don't feel like it, and this might be one of them.

A wise man who once worked for Baseball factory told a group of parents at at some type of showcase tryout, Preparation is ignored to often if you are playing too much baseball, and if not working on your body(lifting, conditioning etc), you are playing to much baseball.
I agree with sometimes you have to push, and yes minor league players don,t get much of any days off, but first they are adults, second they aren't in school.
Sometimes all the showcasing in the world will still not yield the looks that you want your son to have.If your son is tired and stressed from too much of it, personally I would pull the plug.
Working on strenth, conditioning and other aspects of the game is sometimes forgottern in the whirlwind of showcasing. For those who have kids that are born athletes and studs, that may work.My own needed the time to focus on his body, hitting and some down time.

And yes college players schedules are crazy,but with their crazy schedules, with school, baseball practice they are still training their bodies 5 days a week, split between weights and conditioning.This aspect of the game is crucial to developing an athlete.Too often ignored, when players are playing all summer, and all fall.

Many kids do all the right things in terms of teams, tournaments, showcases and camps but forget one critical aspect---TALENT----perhaps after all this exposure and you get no interest is it possible you don't have major baseball talent ???

Parents and players sit back and evaluate the entire picture---perhaps your talent is such that you are the D-I players you think you are


Sometimes you need to get real and lower your sights

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
Many kids do all the right things in terms of teams, tournaments, showcases and camps but forget one critical aspect---TALENT----perhaps after all this exposure and you get no interest is it possible you don't have major baseball talent ???

Parents and players sit back and evaluate the entire picture---perhaps your talent is such that you are the D-I players you think you are


Sometimes you need to get real and lower your sights

I heard a kid from our high school went to the baseball coach (former pro with contacts) asking for references to five D2 schools. The coach asked him why he thought he could play in those programs. Then the coach asked the kid if he thinks he's better than the #2 and 3 pitchers from last year who will be pitching at D3's next spring. When the kid responded he wasn't better, the coached asked why he's deluding himself to thinking he can pitch at a higher level.

I would tell you to tell him to keep battling through it. This can be a very frustrating process, but if he can't handle this, how can he handle the on-the-field stress that comes later? I know where you're at though, because I saw my son go through the same frustrations, especially as he watched many peers sign in the fall. But if you really have faith in your son, then you shouldn't throw up your hands or let him throw his hands up either. TR is right about one thing. You may need to readjust your sights to other schools. It probably doesn't make sense to keep showcasing in front of the same people over and over. But you should know that many kids don't get offers or sign until the spring. As far as the video, my son emailed a link to his to a number of different schools (once we readjusted our sights)right after the new year and got quite a bit of positive response. Some followup emails provided beneficial. Focus on a handful of attainable schools and go after it. Nothing good comes without work. Best of luck.

Hotcorner, I agree with TR's response here. If D1 and IIs aren't showing interest, it's time to move on. A good JC program can do wonders for shaping your son into a future D1, DII player. Other than my son's roommate issues, he has really turned it around in terms of commitment and effort. He will get plenty of playing time too. We've seen too many D1 kids who spend their first year at the big schools, don't get the playing time and end up at JUCOs. Like I said in past posts, many people spend good money that could go to college expenses riding the recruiting merry go round. Son had teammate who played right until end of senior HS season who still did not have any options and he is a good ballplayer, he just hadn't matured physically yet. He eventually got on to local JC and coach is very pleased to have him.

PUHD, Glad your son is doing well. fan

I think when you get to November, no one expects you to still be playing.

If things haven't worked out to your satisfaction by now, it's time to get off the field for a couple of months, then hit the field strong when HS play begins.

In the meantime, your son can still do his recruiting homework, with e-mail correspondence, campus visits, etc.

Yes, it would make no sense to keep showcasing a player who clearly doesn't have the talent to play at the upper levels. And, we have no objection whatsoever to considering Jucos and DIIIs. So, let me name that up front since these issues have been raised.

The challenge is when you have a player like my son who generates a wide range of opinions from scouts. In recent months a Top 40 DI program has shown serious interest in him (multiple visits from the Recruiting Coordinator to watch him play), and another Top 40 head coach told him he was a DIII player. One of his coaches who has a kid playing in the majors said he was a DI player, and a showcase coach who works for the MLB Scouting Bureau said he was a DI player or an obvious starter on any DII in the country.

Now, none of that really matters because it all comes down to who offers him. Which brings me back to the point of my post. Schools are urging him to come to their camps this month and next to see him. We've been in this process long enough to tell the difference between what interest is genuine and what is not; plus his high school coach always calls the college coaches to make sure their interest is more than wanting a check for the camp.

So, it's back to the dilemma of a kid who has been told by multiple sources that he has the talent, schools are still wanting him to come and try out, and I'm worried that there are diminishing returns because of the grind. Some of you say to push through it, and others say to shut it down. Exactly why I love the HSBBWeb.

I appreciate everyone's advice, but more than advice I appreciate the stories of what you went through with your sons. Stories reveal things that are helpful to the rest of us even if the story teller can't know why.

quote:

Now, none of that really matters because it all comes down to who offers him. Which brings me back to the point of my post. Schools are urging him to come to their camps this month and next to see him. We've been in this process long enough to tell the difference between what interest is genuine and what is not; plus his high school coach always calls the college coaches to make sure their interest is more than wanting a check for the camp.

Sounds like you answered your own question.Sounds like your wanting him to go to the camps.Nothing wrong with that.Hope he does well, and gets the offer he wants.Just dont be devastated if he doesnt,lots can happen in a year or two at a JC.

This does not pertain to just you, but an awful lot of parents live and breathe by their kids signing early in November.There are so many more that dont.Kids receive offers sometimes up to the start of school, with the draft and everything.

I just see this trend that parents seem to want their kids to do this.There are so many good players that get missed, and even by the big showcases.

It does'nt mean your player isnt good enough.I think if a player trully feels he has the ability to compete at a higher level and is not getting the looks he wants he has some choices.he accepts offers from what he has,or continues to work on his game.A lot can happen in a years time.Many kids are late bloomers, and get their athleticism man body a little later than some.Just relax.( And I know I have been through it, and people (TPM, and others on this board)told me the same thing.

This situation sound like the classic dilemma of the "bad body" athlete, the guy who can and does play well, but does not fit "the mold" or physical image of the prototypical player for his position. Those guys usually end up proving their critics wrong by succeeding at the next level, whichever level they are given the opportunity at.

Those guys end up taking playing time from guys who look better "getting off the bus." My $0.02, FWIW. What truly matters, other than where the offers are, is where the player believes in his heart he can play (well).

I could cite extreme examples of two "too small" catchers, who were who took their only offer and starred in college and now star in pro ball.