Quick question - When does a players class ( Fr, So, Jr, Sr) year change? So if a 2024, a Fr plays this spring high school season, he is a Fr. Is the following summer season in travel/showcase considered Fr or So?
Seems to me a 2024 that the 2021 season will be his So year of travel. Is that correct?
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It's confusing, and there's no official terminology. Most travel teams and tournaments don't use high school classes, they use 15U, 16U, 17U, which are of course technically ages, but which basically correspond to summer after fresh, soph, junior years.
If you are playing 15U after sophomore year you are playing down, most other players will be freshmen.
The year changes at end of the summer. So a 2024 will play as a freshman this summer.
@TerribleBPthrower posted:The year changes at end of the summer. So a 2024 will play as a freshman this summer.
So with that, then most players do not player their senior year of travel? Because it is the summer after they graduate from HS, and they are either done, getting ready for college ball, or get drafted. But they are not playing senior year of travel. Is that right?
That is correct. There are some who play local college leagues to fill out rosters, some who play Legion to keep playing or prepare for college, and some who play a men's league or something, and those who see the light and realize it is a train not the light at the end of the tunnel. Many larger D1's bring their kids in for second session of summer and prepare them for classes, weight lifting, and the fall workouts. Some will play travel as a pick up player or for a particular tournament but most do not play a full summer of travel.
That's why playing up at 18U is not what it sounds like - because most D1 players are not playing 18U.
A lot of kids play up as soon as they can handle the competition. At the worst a player should play grade equivalent (14u after 8th grade year, 15u after freshman year, etc.). So you can’t tell class year by what level they’re playing. But as for individual ranking players are ranked by class year.
My son was asked to play in an 18u consolation game after his 14u team was eliminated in a tournament. It was a bunch of self coached guys who were about to head to college and play D3. They just wanted to play together one last weekend.
An example. My guy is a 2021 in IOWA. He will play Senior year hs ball this year. Then his college coach called to ask which Northwoods League team he wanted to play with next Summer before college Freshman year starts.
He told them IOWA HS playoffs are in the Summer so he is too late for Northwoods (if he decided to play hs ball at all). But he will play a competitive travel team after HS ends.
Differs by kid, hs, travel team and college.
I've noticed a bunch of travel programs have recently changed to going by age instead of grad year and some are going by both. I imagine this has to do with so many kids re-classing and playing down.
@RJM posted:A lot of kids play up as soon as they can handle the competition. At the worst a player should play grade equivalent (14u after 8th grade year, 15u after freshman year, etc.). So you can’t tell class year by what level they’re playing. But as for individual ranking players are ranked by class year.
My son was asked to play in an 18u consolation game after his 14u team was eliminated in a tournament. It was a bunch of self coached guys who were about to head to college and play D3. They just wanted to play together one last weekend.
Almost every kid who has an offer in our state from at this point (21) either reclassed (many of them as freshman) or is playing down a year because of birthday after May 1. So I think the logic has changed since your boys played. What am I missing?
@KennieProton posted:Almost every kid who has an offer in our state from at this point (21) either reclassed (many of them as freshman) or is playing down a year because of birthday after May 1. So I think the logic has changed since your boys played. What am I missing?
I think this logic has only changed within the past 6 months due to the re-classing. Until this summer I don't recall seeing any college baseball prospects playing down.
@TerribleBPthrower posted:I think this logic has only changed within the past 6 months due to the re-classing. Until this summer I don't recall seeing any college baseball prospects playing down.
Starting at what age? I agree once they have an offer they tend to play their actual grade age or age (not seeing many playing up tho) Just about every kid we know who got their offer as a freshman followed this game plan. Be physically mature and dominate PG showcases and tournaments by playing against kids .5-1.5 years younger than you and then try to make sure you are in a place to not have those offers taken away in a couple years when the rest catch up. This is text book and has been for at least 5 years.
I haven’t seen this in FL for any ages other than the past six months. Sure there are a lot of May-summer bday kids that chose to play/enroll the grade lower, as well as, a few more who were held back after going a grade lower. But overall, the D1 type kids I see rarely play down more than their grad year. I see them play up quite a bit, especially for World’s.
I have a gut feeling we will see more tournaments going by age now that there are so many kids re-classing. Instead of a few kids 1.5+ years behind, there are now a ton. Either way, I don’t care. My son wants to play the best comp he can.
@KennieProton posted:Almost every kid who has an offer in our state from at this point (21) either reclassed (many of them as freshman) or is playing down a year because of birthday after May 1. So I think the logic has changed since your boys played. What am I missing?
Reclassifying graduation class due to Covid is understandable. Why someone would want to play below their talent level in travel isn’t. It may make the player appear more dominant. But it doesn’t change his metrics. Maybe it’s playing down to his new class level. Must be a Covid thing.
@TerribleBPthrower posted:I've noticed a bunch of travel programs have recently changed to going by age instead of grad year and some are going by both. I imagine this has to do with so many kids re-classing and playing down.
My son's program has gone by grad year for HS ages for a long time, as have most others around here (Southern California). Age doesn't matter to college coaches, grad year does, so it makes tracking kids easier on the coaches. I am not aware of anyone playing down, but this could make sense if their plan is to reclass but just haven't pulled the trigger yet.
