Should we expect a second waive of activity after pro-prospects possibly decommit from their schools? Only ask as mine is a high level player but has just come into his own recently...he is not a blue chipper but i think he could be high on some lists. Had invites to Area Code and Texas Scout Invitational in Houston...so I have to think someone thinks something of him. Just wondering if I am being over anxious...or if I have over evaluated the skills of junior.
Good times.
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Just making sure I understand correctly, is your son a junior or senior? I would suspect a senior since the two events you mention are primarily attended by seniors.
2014...sorry. He is in his senior year now.
I am certainly no expert on baseball recruiting. My only experience is with my boys and the sons of some of my friends. That said, I am not familiar with highly regarded pro prospects de-commiting from colleges because they expect to be drafted high. To the contrary, that is a tool of leverage for them.
Looking at the time frame for your son, as you are aware, most top 2014's have either committed or have offers in hand. That is not meant to infer that your son is not a top prospect. Just being realistic about where we are on the calendar. As you mention, being invited to the Area Code tryouts and the Texas Scout Association showcase means that someone thinks your son is a prospect. Perhaps you could speak with someone that knows your son and ask for an honest assessment.
Another thing to keep in mind is the pecking order of commitments. My observations are that the big schools (SEC, Big 12, etc.) get their commitments, then the smaller schools (Southland, Sunbelt, etc.), then the big Juco's (San Jac, Navarro, etc.), then everyone else. Obviously this is a generalization.
So, in summary, I would say that if your son is wanting to go to LSU, A & M or a similar school, it may be time to start at least considering other options.
Hope this helps. BTW, I had two sons go the Juco route out of high school and one went directly to an SEC school.
Thanks for lending your thoughts...helpful. JUCO is a very serious consideration.
Should we expect a second waive of activity after pro-prospects possibly decommit from their schools?
Yes, but not until late spring. This wave will also be generated from 2014 regular season rostered players who, for one reason or another, fall by the wayside.
He is top academic kid too so he should consider the Florida Honor Roll Camp.
Since I have a 2014, it feels like now is the time to panic. But looking back at last year, there's still time. Our high school team had two very good pitchers who had both pitched in showcase the summer before. One was really out there pitching in showcases in the summer and fall, playing at college campuses and generating interest. The other pitched in a few showcase tournaments and a few local fall tournaments. One generated a lot of interest from being seen a lot, the other basically none.
Going into their senior seasons, they both had coaches come watch, and both committed to DII's in April. A third kid on another team had only played high school and legion and had zero interest going into his senior year. Played and pitched well and signed with a local DII well after high school season was over.
The key point here is DII. I have no personal expereience, but it seems to me that if your son is going to play DII, DIII, NAIA, or Juco, now is not the time to panic. DI options are probably getting limited at this point. However, at a camp, I heard a recruiting coordinator tell this story. During their January camp, a high school senior showed up and performed well. They signed him from the camp and he entered that fall. So, it can happen late for some DI's.
I don't know if this means anything, but, Perfect Game reports that it has 3,129 commits from the class of 2013 in its database, vs only 1,117 for 2014 commits. This could suggest that there are still many programs recruiting 2014s.
Perfect Game tourney this weekend. I would assume not all commits, maybe most, utilize PG...so that could explain for the off number. But point taken.
The key point here is DII. I have no personal expereience, but it seems to me that if your son is going to play DII, DIII, NAIA, or Juco, now is not the time to panic. DI options are probably getting limited at this point. However, at a camp, I heard a recruiting coordinator tell this story. During their January camp, a high school senior showed up and performed well. They signed him from the camp and he entered that fall. So, it can happen late for some DI's.
I agree with this statement. Timing is different for the various divisions. And late openings come up in all divisions. However, I would be broadening my perspective and stay out there.
If nothing happens for your son there's nothing wrong with JUCO, and in many ways its a second chance to showcase for most D1 schools, as long as he plays in a good JUCO league....
Thanks for lending your thoughts...helpful. JUCO is a very serious consideration.
Thanks Coachfactor et al... a little more sporadic interest from JUCOs. Only thing that concerns me about JUCO is the education afforded vs a 4 year institution. Obviously level of baseball play is a concern but with education being king that is what likely will be our main focus.
