WHY COMMIT SO EARLY?

From what I've seen from the few undergrads my son was associated with is:

1) Prestige: I'm a stud because I've got a D1 locked up as a sophomore.

2) No Pressure: I can just go out an play ball.

3) Dream School: I've always dreamed of going to Big State U.

My son didn't commit until the fall of his senior year.  I was encouraging him to wait until spring to see what other options might open but he wanted the process to be over.

Cal

A kid at my son's school committed to a D1 early this fall as a soph. From what his dad says, the son committed because:

1. He got a great offer.
2. It came from the school he always dreamed of attending and playing for.
3. It means he no longer has to worry about college recruitment, going to showcases, etc.

If a kid has the talent to commit as a soph he will probably continue to attend showcases to be seen by pro scouts.

I do not know what plans this particular kid has for summer baseball over the next few years.  He's always played on outstanding teams against outstanding opponents so I would expect that to continue. But I have been told that the family won't be plunking down $900 for weekend showcases. Why should they?  Any pro scouts in the area know who this kid is and where to find him.

Are you saying it wouldn't be beneficial to get in front of scouting directors of multiple teams if it can be arranged?  Bum, Jr. attended the PG World Showcase and I believe every MLB team was there.  There were sometimes 20-30 scouts with radar guns behind home plate, depending on the pitcher.  At the Junior National showcase he attended it was the same way. Really good exposure for the draft.

My son's team had a player commit in April of junior year, graduate early in December of senior year (home-schooled the fall semester of senior year).  He will enroll in a  DI school for Spring semester, but redshirt this year.  Is this common and a good idea?

Not saying anything of the sort. He's not my kid,  it's not my money,  I don't know the family well enough to know what their plans are, and I don't have the expertise to know what his best marketing plan would be if he wants to be drafted before college.  All I know is that the kid did get a DI commitment as a soph without a PG score, and that his dad expressed the thought that the early commitment was a financial blessing.   What I do know is that the kid has had significant success in very well known events.  I have no idea what the pros think  of this kid, but I'm darn sure they know who he is and have seen him play.  The kid and the family are very academically  motivated, and I would also bet that he ends up going to college unless he ends up being drafted in the first couple rounds, and in my completely amateur opinion, I do not see that happening. 

The MLB teams will know about you if good, especially if you committed to a D1 early or late.  They will provide invites to various pro scout events in the Summer and Fall before senior year.  There are multiple scouts for each region whose job it is not to miss potentially draft worthy players.

As for committing early, I agree with comments above.  We had players on summer team commit early and some waited later.  For each it turned out well, but the late pitcher committers did lose some opportunities by waiting as schools could/would not hold scholarship offer waiting for commitment.  It seems that schools feel more pressure these days to get these verbal commitments from top pitchers by junior year.  The rest can usually wait.

Early commitments make sense when the player is offered an acceptable amount of money to to attend a school that they know that they are eager to attend. Many times, the school would be described as the "dream school." 

Anything short of that raises questions about the appropriateness of the commitment and suggests that the player ought to wait  to commit until they have a broader view of the available opportunities.

It's common sense; not rocket science.

JCG, did he get an early commit from a D1?  In an earlier thread, dad said he was throwing low 80's from the right side.  That's what I recall.  Am I missing something?

It is a murky topic because everyone has their own ideas about what is best for their kid.  These very early offers happen to very few people due to the talent level that we are talking about.  It can be (without a doubt) one of the toughest situations to deal with, and I think takes a lot of maturity and wisdom to understand exactly what is best for your son.  I know a handful of people that have been through this.  I have not, so anything I have to offer is through observation and discussions I've had with them.

As far as true advantages, I can only come up with one and that true advantage is marginal IMHO....."it was son's dream school from the get go".  I always question that statement when I hear it.   To me, that sometime says "I really haven't seen a lot of schools and done my due diligence at 15-16 years old".   So often college decisions become emotional, and certainly college coaches play to these emotions.  Most 15-16 year olds know a good school when they see it, but do they truly understand the market for their talents and think in global terms.  I'm not convinced they think that way, or fully understand the long-term implications (pro and con) of their decision.  As a parent, it is a challenge and an opportunity all at the same time.

Bum, I don't recall mentioning this kid's pitching speed here or in an earlier thread. If I did, you remember what I say better than I do, and that would be  worrisome. I don't know what he throws but I'd guess he sits at 85. He is a 2016 and does have an early commit from a great D1. (The school is huge in both athletics and academics - and that's the reason I replied to this thread - it's truly a dream school for this player.)  I doubt it's as PO.  The kid can play anywhere on the field and he's an outstanding hitter.  He batted 4th for his very good HS team as a frosh.

BFS, Jr. is a 2017 LHP - he will play his first HS baseball season starting in about 3 weeks.  Over the winter he was invited to, and pitched in a few camps / showcases (with much older kids)...he did very well....he had 3 schools, 2 of them upper D1's from the same Major Conference offer him...did not accept.  One of them is a school he (we) are very interested in, however he will throw this summer in (2) PG events, and another showcase in AZ....maybe at end of this summer a verbal commitment, but not considering at this point.

I do think there is some comfort in knowing you are done early, and at least for pitchers, can then manage the amount of innings going forward....I think many pitchers throw too many combined innings with HS, and summer teams.  If he does commit early, he will still continue to show up to the big showcase / invite events, to see what draft potential there may be.

Some thoughts about the thoughts (and question) above. 

I agree with fenway's comments about "dream school."  I'm not sure I've yet met a HS freshman/sophomore who had explored enough to make that comment completely valid.  I know with my own kids (5 in college so far), what they thought as a HS freshman/sophomore was far different than what they thought as a junior/senior.  Our son who played at Stanford wrote in an essay for school as a freshman/sophomore that his dream was to play baseball and major in engineering at Tennessee.  (Why? I still don't know really).  Did he get the chance to play at Tennessee later?  Yes he did, but it didn't even make it into his top-5 by decision time.

So I think fenway has something there worth considering.  Still, I do get the fact that there are a handful of schools we/our kids dream about and if one offers, I suppose you oughta think very hard about it.  There's never a 'perfectly right' answer to this...but something you consider a "dream school" is probably fairly close to that.

Does it take the pressure off?  I would argue 'no.'  In fact, it might add pressure.  A player who has publicly committed to a big program, in particular, could receive immense scrutiny from other coaches, parents and players during his remaining time in HS.  He/his parents will hear all kinds of comments like, 'He's not good enough to play at State U.' and 'Big mistake by State U.' etc..., etc...  Yes, we heard them and from parents I've met along the way, nearly all of them heard them too.  I believe taking pressure off is a miscalculation.  (BTW, with our younger son, although he committed early in his junior season, the only person who knew was his soon-to-be college coach and his HS head coach...no one else knew or was told for the reasons above.)

Exposure to pro scouts?  I'm gonna guess that where you live might be relevant.  We live in a high density population area...still our older son played for one of the worst HS programs in our area.  Did the scouts find him on their own anyways?   Yes.  Was his "status" enhanced by going to showcases?   Yes too.  After our son's commitment to Stanford, did he still attend 'exposure events?'  Yes as well.  Was it worth the $$?  Hard to answer...maybe not since it was about 99% that he was going to school.  But I don't advise nor spend other people's money, so that is their choice to make.

I am not saying "don't commit early" at all.  I just think fenway's point is correct and I think some of the other justifications posted on here are two-sided coins that you gotta think about both sides of it.  Thats all.

I worry for some of these kids that commit as freshman/sophomores.  Of the large handful of kids that I know that did so - half of them ended up de-committing later in the process.  Not sure of details (nobody asks) whether it was their decision or the school's decision to part ways.

JCG--if it's a "dream school" for the player, a good offer, and a great fit academically and baseball-wise, why is Dadcoach even asking.  Sounds like he should accept. 

But read Bballfans2012's response.  That is always a concern.  Happened to a number of Bum, Jr.'s friends.  Sometimes these kids early commit and then don't progress quite as the committing school had hoped.  The "dream school" matchup mysteriously disappears.

Like many things in life, there are no cut and dry approaches....each decision should mainly be based on individual circumstances, comfort level, expectations, etc.  In our case, there is no doubt Jr. will be an early commit....he understands there could be more scrutiny, jealousy, or other...he has the personality to handle it...not all do. 

He also understands, that committing early, is based largely on "projectability", he's currently 6'1 / 180 hitting low 80's LHP (he's a young Fresh, hasn't turned 15 yet), but also has great command, and off speed pitch......that is not good enough to contribute to a school in the Big 12 right now.....so if for some reason, his skill set after his Jr. / Sr. year is not worthy of the offer, then so be it....life lesson. 

When I hire a prospective employee, I have no guarantees there as well.

Committing early is certainly not for everyone...in our case it will be more driven by the particular school, coaching staff, and greatly in part to take off the constant summer workload....again he will still play summer ball, and attend certain showcases, but not the same workload if he had not committed.

We have a competitive club ball team in the area we play against, where two Fresh committed verbally to U of Texas....one stands 6'5, and hitting low 90's as a Fresh...why not in that case....likely will never throw a pitch at Disch-Falk field....the summer club teams in the area (Dallas, Austin, Houston) are tantamount to mini farm teams for many D1's...they recruit them early, and hard.

The early commit topic came up a few weeks ago and I've pondered it a bit since.

Personally, I think the trend of earlier commitments is one that is going to lead to many issues down the road.

Unlike football, where kids seem to flip flop as the wind blows, baseball commitments have traditionally been seen as sacred by both sides.  Kid takes himself off the recruiting market, schools considers the slot filled. Barring major issues, this compact has held for years.

Now though, instead of commits generally coming from juniors or seniors, we are seeing them all the way down to freshmen. (and younger in extreme cases)

This sets up a few issues as I see it...

The coaches now have to project the growth and development of players who haven't set foot on a HS field in some cases.  I don't think anyone would argue that you just can't know what is going to happen to a kid physically (or mentally really) over those four years.  So, the coach is taking a risk that the player will continue to develop.

Coaches and programs have reputations to uphold, so they are in a tough spot if the player doesn't develop as expected.  They don't want a reputation of pulling offers - but at the same time it's a hard pill to swallow if they have to use scholarship money on a kid that they know will not help their program.

There are risks on the other side as well.  Kids are kids, and the dreams and hopes of a freshman are probably not going to be the same as when he is a senior.  No kid wants to sit on the bench, but how can he know 4 years out what the playing situation may be? If the dream school lands the nationally ranked number one recruit a year older that plays the same position - is it still a good fit for the early commit?

Another consideration is coaching staff turnover.  While it could just as easily happen to a kid that committed as a senior, the additional time just increases the chances. Some kids commit to a "program" regardless of the coach, but for many, the coaches are a major factor.  While I don't think you would see criticism of a player that de-committed because of a coaching change - it would still obviously be a major issue to have to deal with.

With all that in mind, even at a young age I can see why it is so hard to turn down offers. My son only has one "dream school", and if they came calling it would be real hard to stand in the way of him going there. 

BFS - Maybe I'm misreading, but didn't understand what you meant by "he'll likely never throw a pitch at Disch-Falk"?  He's committed to UT and has the size and apparently great stuff, right?

"BFS - Maybe I'm misreading, but didn't understand what you meant by "he'll likely never throw a pitch at Disch-Falk"?  He's committed to UT and has the size and apparently great stuff, right?" ---  yes he has great stuff, kid is Mason Thompson (pitched for 15u USA Baseball this past summer, was winning pitcher in Pan Am Games in Championship game vs. Cuba)....yes he is real deal....reason he likely won't pitch a game at Disch-Falk, is he is likely a top round draft pick...enough reason to sign, and forgo College.

Ahh... thanks for spelling it out for me.  My mindset from trying to help my 2016 with the college recruitment process makes me forget that there are higher levels of baseball beyond the Longhorns.

That 15u USA team is awfully talented. It'll be fun to see how those kids do in college and the pros.

My take on early committing.  Bum, Jr. was an early commit and I'm sorry he did it.  He had to turn down 15-20 really good schools that wanted him because of it.  At the time the prestige of going to the Pac-10 overwhelmed common sense.

Look, if the kid is good enough as a junior or senior he'll get tons of offers.  If he doesn't, he wasn't good enough to attend the big-name D1 to begin with.

It's ALL about the player.

Is it the "family school" that the young man desperately wants to attend -- for the right reasons? Then accept.

If not, then decline. Too young.

No one remembers or cares who committed early as the years go by. What's important is that young men achieve their potential -- no matter the "field."

Interesting topic that I have wondered about myself.  I know of a player 2015 that committed to a top 20 school .  He is a LHP about 5'11 160 throwing 84-85.... another player I know well also committed to the same school a 2014.... he is 6'4 230 throwing 91-92  

If I were player 'A' I would wonder where I would fit in?  I know another player that is currently playing ( actually playing) for this team.. I asked his father how in the world can this school sign all these players that they are committing, and he said that they know some will change their minds, some the coaches will decide that they are not going to sign them...   some will sign and get cut in the fall... Of course no one thinks their son will be the one cut.

I think committing early is not the best thing as a freshman or a sophomore... The top D1 programs never, ever stop recruiting, they cannot afford to.. the freshman sophomore might not develop, while a player they are "watching" may take off and end up better.

Honestly, if they find a player they like more than the ones they have committed that player is in , and the other is not.  So be careful, committing means very little when you are an underclassman. 

I have also seen the early commit get lazy, and big headed and end up not being the player they could have been.

I had a coach tell me this year, that you have to get recruited, get committed, get signed, make the team, make the travel team and get on the dirt....  I would make sure that you really have the stuff to do all of that.

Do not see this as an issue.  If you feel the school is a great fit all around and you are happy then why not.  Committment is huge!  If you do committ early and stick to it, go through the grid of academics and athletics it does show great character.

All of the discussion here is insightful, and the reasons given for committing early by CVJ, Fenway, et al are spot on.  But, at a very high level, IMO it is much simpler than that.  Most humans are not risk takers.  Not saying it is right or wrong, but I think it explains the majority of these decisions.

I think you are right...that and the excitement (understandable) and desire to wear that badge of honor that a commitment brings.

So we are all under the impression that once you commit your as good as gold?  What if the coach calls a year later and says sorry... or you get to campus enroll, and don't make it through the fall? 

If it's just about being able to say I committed to SEC.... ACC....... PAC10    but committing is a long way from playing at one of these schools.

The common theory has always been that a coach didn't want to develop the reputation for pulling offers.  Such a reputation would make other players hesitant to commit to the program.

I think it's another thing that will change as commitments come earlier and earlier. There are only so many "busts" a coach can afford to have before he is going to end up with an unsuccessful team, and out of a job. Given that reality, how many will see tarnishing their reputation as an acceptable trade off for success?

Does this happen often? I was also told that the offer made is not necessarily what you receive. How often does this happen?

 While my son was not an early commit , I can share his thoughts on his recruiting.  He did play on a successful summer team and got some interest, but nothing serious.  He attended the PG SE Top pros showcase, did very well and got the call he was waiting for.  Keeping in mind that he knew is most probable path was JUCO, when he received contact from a small low level D1, who was/is very interested this is what he told me....." I don't care what people think, I know what level I will be playing at, but I got at least 1 D1 offer and that was all I was looking for, now I can say I was recruited by a D1 school, I know I could play at that level and that is all that I was looking for".  So, it it is/was kind of a badge of honor for him, especially since he is the only one on his HS team that is probable to play at the next level.  So I can understand why some kids would commit early to the big "U", don't necessarily agree, but can understand.

I think it just depends on what the player is looking for in his college exp.  I know of a player that really wanted to go to a certain SEC program. He was a very good student and received much academic money.  For him, it was a great fit, he was willing to give up some playing time, to be on the team, contribute when can and attend the school he loves.  If that's what you want then commit early.

I also know of a few players that committed early, thus taking themselves off the market so to speak , and it did not turn out well for them.

Just this year I know of another player that went enrolled to an SEC school and was cut in the fall.  he then transferred to a JUCO.  Now maybe for him having the chance was worth it... but most of the time it's a dream.

Another friend of mine's son committed to a SEC school.  His money was cut in half when the player in front of him decided to not go in the draft. 

I just feel that if they are interested in you as a soph, then they will be as a jr. or sr.  so why give the school all the leverage?

Well, committing early is good for the school, coach, so I guess if you are really sure this is where you want to go to school, even if baseball ends for some reason.  Committment is not that big of a deal.  they are broken all the time.

Youngest was an early guy.  School pulled the plug on him, but he percerviered and ended up in a much better situation.  Thank God!

Early commits are much in favor of the college rather than the player in many cases. However, committing early for the player that wants to be drafted early and start a pro career can work as an advantage.  If a good young player, a sophomore for example, verbally commits to a power college program, he gets known about in a hurry.  So, sometimes the early commitment can create additional pro interest.

If someone has already mentioned this, I apologize.

Colleges these days that don't go out and get commitments from the top players while they are still sophomores can get left in the dust.  Just the way it is, now days.

For some players everything will work out fine.  For others, not so good.  Come to think about it, that is the way it works out no matter when you commit. So, I don't really see anything that makes it extra bad, if the player is doing it for the right reasons.

I will admit, we know of players who have committed early that we feel can't contribute at the college they committed to.  We feel the college will figure that out over the next couple years and it will lead to a lot of disappointment.  Anyone that looks at committing early as a "bird in the hand" thing is sadly mistaken. You better keep working hard because things can and do change. If I'm a college coach I'm more likely to take a chance on someone three years away than the guy I will have on campus the next season. I have three years to fix the mistake.