When Will it End?

CTbballDad posted:

My 2019 RHP is having a very nice summer, fastball 86-88.  He's getting a lot of attention from mid-D1, text messages and coaches showing up to his games, asking for transcripts, etc.  They've seen him pitch a one hitter last outing, and 13 Ks the prior

But, without offers, it feels like I need to continue to show up for camps and showcases to stay in their radar.  The budget is running thin and my son is throwing a ton with very little rest in between outings/camp sessions.

Just keep plugging along or sit and wait (so not my strength)?  I figured he wasn't going to get an offer in July, but secretly wishing for it.

Take a short break, and then ramp up for the Arizona Fall Classic.  That is a great Fall tourney that allows a lot of kids to be seen.

rynoattack posted:

CTbballDad posted:

My 2019 RHP is having a very nice summer, fastball 86-88.  He's getting a lot of attention from mid-D1, text messages and coaches showing up to his games, asking for transcripts, etc.  They've seen him pitch a one hitter last outing, and 13 Ks the prior

But, without offers, it feels like I need to continue to show up for camps and showcases to stay in their radar.  The budget is running thin and my son is throwing a ton with very little rest in between outings/camp sessions.

Just keep plugging along or sit and wait (so not my strength)?  I figured he wasn't going to get an offer in July, but secretly wishing for it.

Take a short break, and then ramp up for the Arizona Fall Classic.  That is a great Fall tourney that allows a lot of kids to be seen.

Thanks!  That's not too late, ED applications due November 1?

If you do the Arizona Fall Classic make sure you get on a team that gets attention or that you already have schools that are looking to see him. 

The better option would be to find him a spot on a team playing in the WWBA World Championships in October. You can't throw a stone without hitting a scout there. In honesty, your son is in a "hold pattern" with schools. My son was in the same situation. Your son throws hard enough to get D1 offers, but he's a guy a lot of Mid-Majors would love to have, but don't actually need to jump on yet. 

Summer ball ends very soon. You will notice, if you look at Jupiter velo #'s, a lot of pitchers see a 2-3 mph bump in October. I sincerely believe this comes from the short break that comes before this event. Jupiter is where schools stop sitting on kids like yours and finally start pulling the trigger on those final scholarship spots.

What is your sons geographical consideration?  Type of school, high academic, D1, 2, 3? Northeast, southeast, west?  I dont see how the Arizona Fall Classic would benefit your player being from Connecticut.

Agree with TPM.  Arizona will not get your son seen in East.  There are teams looking for pitching in several of the Atlanta tournaments this fall at LP.  Go to PG website and register under teams looking for players.  Find a team at Jupiter.  Best thing is to try to do visits to his top schools this fall and show great interest in them.  Sometimes, as I say the recruiting process is like dating, they just need to know that you are greatly serious about them.

One word of caution: Don't let your son get so worn out over the course of the summer, either physically or mentally, that his performance is affected. The recruiters watching from the stands neither know nor care that he's thrown all summer. Even if they did, it would be expecting a lot to have them try to handicap their assessment based upon some estimate of how fatigued he is.

They're evaluating exactly what they see on that particular day. So, if his velocity and/or command of his pitches begins to falter, it's time to begin his off season routine. Showing up at an important event, knowing that he's likely to have a sub-par day, is likely worse than not going at all.

CTBBALLDAD,

Several years ago my son was in this same position in early July.   We had begun rethinking our exposure strategy, and extending our geography due to his (engineering major) requirements.  It was by far the smartest thing we did....reexamining everything we did and were in the process of doing.   I'm not suggesting you extend your geography unless that makes practical sense.   For us, it was a look in the mirror to see what was working and what wasn't working...what kind of programs he was attracting or getting some interest, then going after schools that fit that profile and met his requirements. 

 If you are getting low on the budget, I suggest re-thinking who you are targeting, his expectations and what events will have the greatest number of college coaches looking for someone like him.   For us, it was about maximizing what we had in process, and then targeting those schools that met his overall criteria.   We worked smarter and kept after it. 

Recruited = Passion + Skills + Exposure + Persistence + Luck

Good luck!

Prepster posted:

One word of caution: Don't let your son get so worn out over the course of the summer, either physically or mentally, that his performance is affected. The recruiters watching from the stands neither know nor care that he's thrown all summer. Even if they did, it would be expecting a lot to have them try to handicap their assessment based upon some estimate of how fatigued he is.

They're evaluating exactly what they see on that particular day. So, if his velocity and/or command of his pitches begins to falter, it's time to begin his off season routine. Showing up at an important event, knowing that he's likely to have a sub-par day, is likely worse than not going at all.

Yes, this is my primary concern.  To TPM and Pitchingfan, yes, he wants to stay in the northeast, so Arizona may not end up being a good option.  I assumed October was way too late for 2019, but maybe that's an option if needed.

CTbballDad posted:

Prepster posted:

One word of caution: Don't let your son get so worn out over the course of the summer, either physically or mentally, that his performance is affected. The recruiters watching from the stands neither know nor care that he's thrown all summer. Even if they did, it would be expecting a lot to have them try to handicap their assessment based upon some estimate of how fatigued he is.

They're evaluating exactly what they see on that particular day. So, if his velocity and/or command of his pitches begins to falter, it's time to begin his off season routine. Showing up at an important event, knowing that he's likely to have a sub-par day, is likely worse than not going at all.

Yes, this is my primary concern.  To TPM and Pitchingfan, yes, he wants to stay in the northeast, so Arizona may not end up being a good option.  I assumed October was way too late for 2019, but maybe that's an option if needed.

Not at all too late. This is when a LOT of schools are scrambling to find the best fits for those last few spots in their 2019 class.

As to whether October is too late, I'll ad this. My 2018 committed in late July the summer before his senior season. He is very happy with that commitment. However, his velocity this spring went from sitting 88-89/T91 to sitting 91-92/T93. As late as early May, several P5 schools reached out to ask if he had signed his LOI because they still had scholarship money available for him if he hadn't.

roothog66 posted:

CTbballDad posted:

Yes, this is my primary concern.  To TPM and Pitchingfan, yes, he wants to stay in the northeast, so Arizona may not end up being a good option.  I assumed October was way too late for 2019, but maybe that's an option if needed.

Not at all too late. This is when a LOT of schools are scrambling to find the best fits for those last few spots in their 2019 class.

CTbballDad, this was a concern of mine as well with my son's injury essentially taking out our whole summer but we've rearranged plans and he'll be doing a couple of specific camps and a HF event in Sep-Oct (and maybe the AZ Senior All-Academic tryout) because we frankly don't have any other choice. At this point he's just keeping communications open with the coaches that have expressed interest, and the schools he's interested in, and he's continuing to workout, get stronger/faster/more mobile, and develop the skills that he can work on. I've calmed down a lot about the whole ED/EA/Early signing period dates thanks mostly to folks in this community. Good luck to you guys!

Great feedback!

Don't panic! Refocus, don't get injured!!

There are still programs looking for 2019s.  

Prepster posted:

One word of caution: Don't let your son get so worn out over the course of the summer, either physically or mentally, that his performance is affected. The recruiters watching from the stands neither know nor care that he's thrown all summer. Even if they did, it would be expecting a lot to have them try to handicap their assessment based upon some estimate of how fatigued he is.

They're evaluating exactly what they see on that particular day. So, if his velocity and/or command of his pitches begins to falter, it's time to begin his off season routine. Showing up at an important event, knowing that he's likely to have a sub-par day, is likely worse than not going at all.

plus 1000

Has your son targeted a few schools?  You should consider signing up for these schools' showcase or prospect camps that run from July through September (some D3s will have them as late as October).  I assume that he has been getting emails inviting him to these camps.  A lot of these emails go to a broad distribution but you should be able to determine if there are a few where there was some interest by the RC or HC.  Cost for most are generally reasonable (some as low as $75 and up to $200).  It's a great way to been seen by the college coaches in a smaller group of prospective players. 

Sometimes being/staying in the game involves mental toughness. How long can you hang in there? How long can you endure? Any player who really wants it (the game) gets there. Good luck.

My son is pretty much in same situation as you.  2019 RHP with similar improving velo (though not as consistent yet).

This summer we have been all over the place(I am in California)! 

He is on 2 different travel teams and trying to make both of them happy (it is fun when they are both signed up in same tournament), trying to pick the right spots for my son to pitch without over using him(luckily as of now he has been averaging only a few innings a week) while working full time with his pitching coach (who happens to run one of the travel teams).   Then you get the calls , emails ,texts,camp invites etc.  It makes your head spin- and the money literally pours out! 

But no offers yet - the holding pattern.....  Until Last night when a mid major ,who was good friends with PC,  said he was going to offer(based on what he saw this past weekend and high projection).   

This has made my son very happy    . It has been a pretty tough year with a crazy challenging HS season.  Though it is a school he hadn't yet considered in an area he hadn't considered : It is now at the top of his list only because they made him feel wanted. 

Maybe he ends up going there or maybe he gets increased confidence which parlays into better performance at some upcoming events which leads to other offers..  I am not sure. 

either way we are still going full speed ahead with all the events and the fall AZ classic too. 

Keep it going with your son and let us know how it progresses and I will do the same. 

Good luck

Oh Yeah forgot to ad..

On one of the travel teams they have 2 - 2018 pitchers  who were offered this spring in their senior year..  seems like there are openings that pop up due to various reasons. 

Thanks for all the great feedback.  I'll provide some additional vague details

Son had 3 top targets, where he would be happy with either.  Two are D1 the other a NESCAC D3.  They'll very active, which we're happy with (I'm actually over the moon at the D1 potentially in play).  Has another 2-3 mid D1 interested and two other less attractive schools that have said, let us know when you're ready for an offer and we'll give you one.

Where I have issues (not really money), is they come see you and respond, liked what I saw, come to my clinic.  I'm fine with the clinics, but now he's pitching a game on Saturday, going to a clinic on Tue and Wed, then pitching again on Sat.  Repeat and rinse each week.  Since there are no offers, then do we go to Headfirst in August to throw more to be seen by more.

I think the D1 see him as a potential, but will hold out if a bigger arm falls into their lap.  My take is to keep going and be seen by them, so they don't forget about us.  My son is more than willing, but if he gets fatigued, I don't know if he would ever admit it.

Guess I would love to hear, "like the kid, he's on our list.  Let him rest up in August and come back in September and we'll get it all going again."  But that's not going to happen, so my instinct is to just keep plugging away.

Kid needs a break at some point.  You are asking smart questions and trying to figure out when to take that break.  I understand that. 

Personally I'd go with resting up now, or soon and then going to WWBA in October.

I'm gonna step in again and tell you what I have seen work exceedingly well for kids in your son's situation. Start getting in touch with major organizations and offer up your kid for Jupiter. A lot of teams will be looking for pitching. Take a break starting right now - there are very few major events left in the summer that can help much anyway. Work out. Don't throw. Have him do a lot hip flexibility work, dead lifts, etc. Start gearing up again to throw about 6-8 weeks before Jupiter, depending on what type of work he does. For my kid, it is weighted balls, so we had him do an 8-week ramp-up program charted to finish one week before Jupiter. I see this kind of thing work well and a significant velocity bump of 3+ mph is common.

fishnsail posted:

Then you get the calls , emails ,texts,camp invites etc.  It makes your head spin- and the money literally pours out! 

For baseball recruiting? Most on here would say you don't need to spend any (or much).

"Son had 3 top targets, where he would be happy with either.  Two are D1 the other a NESCAC D3.  They'll very active, which we're happy with (I'm actually over the moon at the D1 potentially in play). "

Is the NESCAC D3 attending HeadFirst?  Your son should definitely attend HF.  He will likely get a chance to chat with that coach on the field there, plus there will be other schools that he may be interested in, especially if you are looking at schools in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Prepster posted:

One word of caution: Don't let your son get so worn out over the course of the summer, either physically or mentally, that his performance is affected. The recruiters watching from the stands neither know nor care that he's thrown all summer. Even if they did, it would be expecting a lot to have them try to handicap their assessment based upon some estimate of how fatigued he is.

They're evaluating exactly what they see on that particular day. So, if his velocity and/or command of his pitches begins to falter, it's time to begin his off season routine. Showing up at an important event, knowing that he's likely to have a sub-par day, is likely worse than not going at all.

This.

If someone is watching your son and asks him to attend a camp or clinic, let him explain that he has a full schedule. He is going to get injured, then he is, as they say SOOL.

Seriously, find out what schools are attending HF and concentrate on that for now.

GaryMe posted:

fishnsail posted:

Then you get the calls , emails ,texts,camp invites etc.  It makes your head spin- and the money literally pours out! 

For baseball recruiting? Most on here would say you don't need to spend any (or much).

The money absolutely pours out.

Because my son isn't one of the lucky baseball freaks who sign early to top D1 schools and we have to try to increase the overall exposure (without over using him) while trying to improve his overall pitching improvement and the all important  VELO:

We have enlisted a team of six to get him to the next level.

1-My 2019 RHP (most important)

2-Myself and my Wife

3-His HS coach

4-His Travel teams

5- His pitching coach( next most important)

6-a recruiter as an insurance policy

so combine travel teams, lessons, tournaments,  visits,hotel rooms,food,travel etc  - the end result is when he is in College finally : we will SAVE money!

Some on here are very lucky and have the freaky stud undergrads who have coaches flocking to them . 

Most do not. This is what we have decided to do to give him the best opportunity.  While it may seem like overkill , it really isn't when you have that Fringe D1 pitcher/player who may need a little extra to get over the recruiting hump.

As the parent of a LHP who was recruited and committed at the D1 level then subsequently red shirted his freshman year because of major shoulder surgery , I can tell you that the number one priority isn't The Arizona Fall Classic , Jupiter or any of that . The number one priority is:

ARM CARE

Without that , nothing else matters . I watched my son go through the whole recruiting process. Stanford Camp, Area Codes , PG/ Evosheild , PG World Series only to end up on campus at a D1 school in the South with his shoulder all tore up.

Major shoulder surgery and the subsequent 15 month rehab is nothing nice . I'll tell you that.

And speaking of the costs of recruiting , the bill from the Orthopedic Surgeon for the procedure was over $100,000. And Insurance didn't cover all that.

College Baseball is important . And it's important to have a plan for the recruiting cycle . But be careful w/ Pitchers . Recruitment showcasing and events are summer based and don't always line up with proper arm care . Young Pitchers need to shut down in the Summer . There needs to be ' No Throw' periods . I believe you can manage arm care and recruiting showcases . But it needs to be managed . It's important .

As far as practical advise on how manage exposure , a 2019 needs an OFFER. Any offer will do at this point in his recruiting cycle. Cast a WIDE NET. D1, D2, D3 .

A good tip to save money is get him on campus at schools he's interested in at camp. It's much different experience than showcase events. And don't waste time on big power 5 type schools with 86-88 on the right side. Those schools have the pick of the litter. An RHP that touches 88 has a place in college baseball. Your job is to find the school that is absolutely stoked to have that on their team. It doesn't matter if it's a D1, D2 or D3 . Try to find the program that's the most excited to have him at a school that is Academically , Socially , geographically and financially the right fit .

And most importantly , help him take care of his arm. Without that , none of this other stuff matters

StrainedOblique posted:

As the parent of a LHP who was recruited and committed at the D1 level then subsequently red shirted his freshman year because of major shoulder surgery , I can tell you that the number one priority isn't The Arizona Fall Classic , Jupiter or any of that . The number one priority is:

ARM CARE

Without that , nothing else matters . I watched my son go through the whole recruiting process. Stanford Camp, Area Codes , PG/ Evosheild , PG World Series only to end up on campus at a D1 school in the South with his shoulder all tore up.

Major shoulder surgery and the subsequent 15 month rehab is nothing nice . I'll tell you that.

And speaking of the costs of recruiting , the bill from the Orthopedic Surgeon for the procedure was over $100,000. And Insurance didn't cover all that.

College Baseball is important . And it's important to have a plan for the recruiting cycle . But be careful w/ Pitchers . Recruitment showcasing and events are summer based and don't always line up with proper arm care . Young Pitchers need to shut down in the Summer . There needs to be ' No Throw' periods . I believe you can manage arm care and recruiting showcases . But it needs to be managed . It's important .

As far as practical advise on how manage exposure , a 2019 needs an OFFER. Any offer will do at this point in his recruiting cycle. Cast a WIDE NET. D1, D2, D3 .

A good tip to save money is get him on campus at schools he's interested in at camp. It's much different experience than showcase events. And don't waste time on big power 5 type schools with 86-88 on the right side. Those schools have the pick of the litter. An RHP that touches 88 has a place in college baseball. Your job is to find the school that is absolutely stoked to have that on their team. It doesn't matter if it's a D1, D2 or D3 . Try to find the program that's the most excited to have him at a school that is Academically , Socially , geographically and financially the right fit .

And most importantly , help him take care of his arm. Without that , none of this other stuff matters

 

Great post and perspective!!

StrainedOblique posted:

As the parent of a LHP who was recruited and committed at the D1 level then subsequently red shirted his freshman year because of major shoulder surgery , I can tell you that the number one priority isn't The Arizona Fall Classic , Jupiter or any of that . The number one priority is:

ARM CARE

Without that , nothing else matters . I watched my son go through the whole recruiting process. Stanford Camp, Area Codes , PG/ Evosheild , PG World Series only to end up on campus at a D1 school in the South with his shoulder all tore up.

Major shoulder surgery and the subsequent 15 month rehab is nothing nice . I'll tell you that.

And speaking of the costs of recruiting , the bill from the Orthopedic Surgeon for the procedure was over $100,000. And Insurance didn't cover all that.

College Baseball is important . And it's important to have a plan for the recruiting cycle . But be careful w/ Pitchers . Recruitment showcasing and events are summer based and don't always line up with proper arm care . Young Pitchers need to shut down in the Summer . There needs to be ' No Throw' periods . I believe you can manage arm care and recruiting showcases . But it needs to be managed . It's important .

As far as practical advise on how manage exposure , a 2019 needs an OFFER. Any offer will do at this point in his recruiting cycle. Cast a WIDE NET. D1, D2, D3 .

A good tip to save money is get him on campus at schools he's interested in at camp. It's much different experience than showcase events. And don't waste time on big power 5 type schools with 86-88 on the right side. Those schools have the pick of the litter. An RHP that touches 88 has a place in college baseball. Your job is to find the school that is absolutely stoked to have that on their team. It doesn't matter if it's a D1, D2 or D3 . Try to find the program that's the most excited to have him at a school that is Academically , Socially , geographically and financially the right fit .

And most importantly , help him take care of his arm. Without that , none of this other stuff matters

 

I just want to tell you that your post is rated #1 IMO.

Just want to add in a few things. 

Do folks realize that coaches notice that in going from tournament to tournament they see the same guys over and over?  That's not exposure that's over exposure!!!! For pitchers that's a disaster waiting to happen! This doesn't apply to just pitchers, but catchers as well!!!

As far as shutting down, I agree that young pitchers should shut down in summer, it should be either or. If not summer, than fall. BE SMART!

fishnsail posted:

GaryMe posted:

fishnsail posted:

Then you get the calls , emails ,texts,camp invites etc.  It makes your head spin- and the money literally pours out! 

For baseball recruiting? Most on here would say you don't need to spend any (or much).

The money absolutely pours out.

Because my son isn't one of the lucky baseball freaks who sign early to top D1 schools and we have to try to increase the overall exposure (without over using him) while trying to improve his overall pitching improvement and the all important  VELO:

We have enlisted a team of six to get him to the next level.

1-My 2019 RHP (most important)

2-Myself and my Wife

3-His HS coach

4-His Travel teams

5- His pitching coach( next most important)

6-a recruiter as an insurance policy

so combine travel teams, lessons, tournaments,  visits,hotel rooms,food,travel etc  - the end result is when he is in College finally : we will SAVE money!

Some on here are very lucky and have the freaky stud undergrads who have coaches flocking to them . 

Most do not. This is what we have decided to do to give him the best opportunity.  While it may seem like overkill , it really isn't when you have that Fringe D1 pitcher/player who may need a little extra to get over the recruiting hump.

 

FYI, you won't save money when he goes to college. That's just the beginning! 

A coach's advice. If money is a concern, attend college prospect camps. Many programs use that as a recruiting tool and it works. Some are very small and broken into positions, call for particulars and how many in attendance.

TUMS arethe recruiting journey’s best friend.

I don't understand why no one has suggested JUCO (unless they have and I missed it)  My kid had 7 offers ranging from ranked schools to mid level. A year in I'm regretting not giving the JUCO route more consideration. Lots of pluses the main one being it gives the kid an extra two years to develop. If he goes that route and washes out he would have at DI. If he tears it up you most likely get better offers. If it's a wash you end up at a mid level DI and are no worse off. 

So my son had a D1 school watch him a couple of weeks ago.  Despite a strong outing, we didn't hear back, so thought maybe they saw something they didn't like.

Fast forward to today, I withdrew my son from a showcase event tomorrow, due to his workload this summer and past weekend.  He gets an email from said D1 saying they were looking forward to seeing him tomorrow, as head coach liked what he saw in his first outing.

Hope we didn't blow it by not being seen again and/or looking like a snowflake worried about innings.  Though coach said he did understand and asked when he's pitching again

Prepster posted:

One word of caution: Don't let your son get so worn out over the course of the summer, either physically or mentally, that his performance is affected. The recruiters watching from the stands neither know nor care that he's thrown all summer. Even if they did, it would be expecting a lot to have them try to handicap their assessment based upon some estimate of how fatigued he is.

They're evaluating exactly what they see on that particular day. So, if his velocity and/or command of his pitches begins to falter, it's time to begin his off season routine. Showing up at an important event, knowing that he's likely to have a sub-par day, is likely worse than not going at all.

^^This!!

Our older son suffered from this - back then (2003) the before senior summer was when it all happened (unlike today).  He got started on the summer, was doing great which created yet another "invite" (PG National, USA Baseball, Area Codes, plus his regular travel team, etc...) and before you knew it, he was on the road something like 8 out of 9 weeks.

Finally at Area Codes (near the end of the summer), there was now a bit of hype around him he had done so well....a scout approached him and I guess his response was something less than excitement.  That scout never forgot it and categorized him as a low energy guy "without a spark in his eye" (or something like that) - never realizing how very tired he was.

Find a way to take a break!!