When it comes to college recruiting, high school baseball is mostly irrelevant

What a great thread showing how it really is a case of "no one size fits all" for kids who want to play college baseball.  From what my 2017 has experienced and from what other kids he knows in SoCal, here is the rank order to best improving your chances to get noticed and play college baseball:

1. Strong HS baseball program in a competitive landscape (i.e. D1 or D2 division in SoCal) where college coaches know most of the players in those games are worth scouting

2. Strong travel ball team that is invited to play in top PG, Under Armour, AZ Classic, etc. tourneys/events where there will be tons of colleges in attendance

3. Outgoing, supportive HS baseball coach with contacts and relationships with coaches in college and who has a good reputation for making the right recommendations

4.  Outgoing, supportive travel ball coach who has a network of college coaches and who has a good reputation for making the right recommendations

5.  If academically strong, attend a Head First Honor Roll Camp and contact coaches of schools your son is interested in ahead of the camp

6.  Sign up for other showcases like Stanford, Show Ball or Top 96 where they name the schools/coaches who will work the camp and then contact the coaches of schools your son is interested in ahead of time.

7.  Have your son compile a video and send it in e-mails to coaches of schools he is interested in.  Expect that if they are interested, they will respond within a few days and ask for more info (grades, class and game schedules, etc.).  Hope to be invited to a prospect camp or visit on campus.  No response to e-mail=no interest.

I completely agree with the OP that #2 could be #1 if your son is not playing HS baseball in an area where there is a lot of talent and college coaches come out to watch some games.  And even in an area like SoCal that is filled with a ton of baseball talent, it is really only those upper divisions that get the college coaches attention.  Of course many of those kids on those teams are then also invited to play for the elite travel ball teams and MLB Scout teams, so they are virtual locks to wind up in D1 with all of the added exposure at the PG national events.

And from our experience, I would highly recommend that anyone who has a son at an average high school program with a coach who does nothing for his kids to promote them to colleges, try to find the best travel ball team you can find as early as you can in HS to make sure your son at least gets a chance to be scouted by the D1s if that is his goal.  It is just not going to happen otherwise.

If someone desires to play at a higher level, there is no baseball that is unimportant!

We see most of the very best HS age players each year, but not all.  Those that we see end up with many options. There are those that we don't see that end up doing great in college and then do well in professional baseball.

I do believe, in most every case, you have to do something more than play HS to get recruited by top baseball colleges outside your region or get drafted high out of HS.  Regarding MLB scouts, sometimes you can see dozens at a HS game.  They are there following a prospect they found in the summer or fall.

There are a few HS coaches that have a big network of college coaches.  Those HS coaches can do a lot to create interest in their players.  In most cases they have had others that have been drafted and successful in the past.  They are considered credible because once you have coached several of the top prospects, you know what the next one looks like.  Also HS coaches want to build a good reputation, so some tend to be very careful when promoting one of their players.  The majority of HS coaches are still able to provide valuable information for scouts and recruiters. Not so much about talent as other things about the player's character and makeup.

Bottomline... Any player that thinks HS baseball is not important, is a player I would not be interested in recruiting.

In college your chances of being scouted or drafted is much greater if you are at a DI or DII or Juco.  Some of the highest level DIIIs see scouts following them, but most DIII players will seldom see a scout at their games. Doesn't mean DIII is unimportant, it is extremely important to those that play and coach.  Just like it should be when playing HS baseball. That is what makes it so much fun!

Well said!!!

There is no debating the fun and joy of high school baseball and going after a state championship, playing for your community. (My son is a 2 time state champion) There is no debating that some high school programs have a good history of attracting local colleges with interest in good talent. However, as it relates to RECRUITING, from a critical mass of college and pro coaches from all over the country, from proving your kids ability to prove his ability to compete at the next level, overcome adversity from competing against a lineup full of 2,3,4  hitters from every high school lineup, for hitters to prove themselves against much higher velocity pitchers than you typically see in most high schools, you cannot beat the experience and recruiting results that are possible at a PG National Championship than in a whole high school season. What I'm saying, if I had it to do all over again in terms of exposing my boy to greatest volume of college and pro recruiters, I would not have done it any differently. Time for the WS. Go Cubs!

Grindneverstop posted:

Where I'm from our school baseball team is ranked nationally in the top 10 and college coaches do  call and attend games to see a player that they are interested in.  I don't think HS baseball is irrelevant but there are others ways out there now to get your kid noticed. I personally think we have gotten away with from the fun of playing sports. What happen to the times when winning a state championship for your school was something to be proud of. I get it! We all want our kids to be recruited but let's raise up a group of men who can learn so much about life when playing this great game that we are so passionate about.

Dittos to that. I volunteer for my son's HS team and it is a perennial powerhouse and produces D1-D2 talent and drafted talent virtually every year. There isn't a game that goes by that there is not a scout or college coach watching (even during Fall season). A very prominent D1 coach lives close by to the school and even cruises by to watch practice. If your HS coach is well respected, which ours is, their word on players will carry some weight...but they always have to pass the in-person eye test before you'll see an offer.

What's funny is, 15 years ago, HS coaches would've argued that travel ball was not "all that" and HS ball was the real deal.  Now we have some arguing the polar opposite.

Both extremes are wrong.  Travel ball and HS ball both play key roles.

Yes, if you frequent highly scouted travel ball venues, you can get seen by tons of scouts.  That's certainly what our program aims for.

But once you've gotten someone interested, they don't always go all in right away.  Quite often they want to follow you for a while.  And in the spring, there's only one way to do that.

The OP is correct that you don't often see a college coach just coming out to a random HS game hoping to see somebody new.  But the college coach may want to see how a particular player has progressed (or not) since the previous fall; he may not want to wait until June to see that; and he may also want to see how the player interacts with his school teammates -- and how he behaves when he may not realize somebody's watching. 

On that last point, I know one coach for a college program that is elite by any definition, who makes it a point to avoid being seen when he sees a spring HS game.  He skirts the crowds and sets up behind the outfield fence while all the parents are in the stands around the backstop.  And then he sees not only how the player performs, but how he prepares for game time, his body language, how he interacts with supposedly "lesser" players, or with his coaches, etc. 

As Yogi famously said, you can observe a lot just by watching.  And they do.  And that includes your HS games, make no mistake about that.

In our area the Legion programs are still trying to convince parents it's a better avenue to college ball than travel. It hasn't been the case for ten years. It's obvious to the talented players and their families. But Legion keeps up with the mantra. 

What got my son started in travel was I started a team. The Jr Legion coach's philosophy is 13yos will not see the field regardless of talent level. They will sit the bench, support the older players and pay their dues for an entire summer. I started a 13u travel team. My son played 50 games instead of 0.

In the summer of 14u the heavy criticism of travel started. According to the Legion program travel my team stunk (one of the better ones in the tri-state area). I challenged the Legion program.  They laughed and said my 14u team wouldn't have a chance against their (13-15yo) Jr Legion team. I laughed back and responded we don't want to play your Jr Legion team. We want to beat your Legion team. I had six 14u players throwing 80+. It was three more than the Legion team. 

Note: This doesn't mean Legion is weak ball everywhere. In our area Legion is varsity bottom of the lineup, varsity bench and JV players. A kid who got six mop up innings senior year for the high school was a Legion starter.