Hi all. My son is a younger 2021 that is 16U eligible. His current 16U team is about 60% 2022s. Any ideas on if this will hurt/help him from a recruiting standpoint playing with 2022s instead of playing 17U ball. He didn't make the 17U team. The 17U roster was filled with DI commits and my son is likely a DIII kid unless he blooms late. Any thoughts would be appreciated. We aren't changing teams. I just want to be aware of any possible issues heading into the season.
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I'd try to put him on a 17U team where coaches from schools he's interested in will see him. You can play some 16U if it makes sense. For example my 2020 was also young and eligible to play 16U summer after junior year. He played in both 17U and 16U WWBA and got more interest in the 16U because coaches he'd been speaking with were able to make those games.
You didn't mention what position your son plays. Mine is a pitcher so it was a little more straight forward.
He has the summer of 2020 to make his move. He needs to run with the big dogs. If your son didn’t make a 17u team because of all their D1 commits he’s looking at the wrong team. If he’s a D3 prospect he needs to be playing in front of D3 coaches. If you’re not willing to be flexible and look for team alternatives your son’s only option may be the long shot of walking on fall of freshman year of college,
RJM posted:He has the summer of 2020 to make his move. He needs to run with the big dogs. If your son didn’t make a 17u team because of all their D1 commits he’s looking at the wrong team. If he’s a D3 prospect he needs to be playing in front of D3 coaches. If you’re not willing to be flexible and look for team alternatives your son’s only option may be the long shot of walking on fall of freshman year of college,
Or JUCO.
Hi. Thanks for the input. He is playing for the best showcase team in our area so I prefer him to play 16U with this team rather than 17U with another program. There also might be opportunities for him to pitch for the 17U team if he performs. He'll get plenty of eyes on him this summer at WWBA and other tourneys. He'll be playing some of the best travel teams in the country so the competition will be strong. He will likely go to Showball/Headfirst that will give him a good look from high academic DIIIs. Juco is not a consideration for him. I guess the 2021/2022 question will be helped if his coach and the owner of the program communicate with college coaches consistently and networks for the 2021s on the roster.
HeadFirst is a good option. But it’s a one shot deal. As far as the 16u team, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make a noise.
The coaches coming to see the 16U 2022 kids are there because they are recruiting 2022 kids, not just to see a group of good ball players. He needs to be in front of coaches that are looking for 2021s.
D3's (for the most part) are not watching 16U baseball in the summer. They are focused on the uncommitted 17U's to build their 2021 signing class. I understand wanting to play and win on top 16U team, but if you're son is a D3 kid, he most likely won't be playing in front of coaches that are interested in him. If there are no viable 17U options, then I would spend the fall hitting as many camps as possible where the D3 schools are in attendance.
Ideally he will play in front of relevant coaches more than once, if possible. Is he more interested in a local D3 school, or in a broader search (as in HA)? If local, have him do a local PBR (or equivalent) showcase in May, they often get lots of local D3 coaches. Then you can stay in touch with them through the summer - but I agree that those coaches are going to be at 17U events, not 16U. If HA, then yes, Headfirst and Showball. Many D3s have camps in the summer through August, as well as in the fall - you might prioritize those over 16U tournaments, if there are particular schools he likes.
Ask the organization where the 16U team is going to play - some tournaments (especially more local ones) are joint 16U-17U.
How is your high-level organization with D3 recruiting? Some are not that good, in which case you'll have to do most of the work yourselves. Have you asked them what they think about your son? It's a hard conversation to have, and they may want him (or your money) on the 16U team, but if they are being honest, they should tell you whether they'll be able to do for him what you need on the 16U team.
I emailed the program head about how they handle the 2021/2022 mix on the team. He's a good guy and is very well connected at all levels. His 16U team will be at Black Bear Classic, Wilson Premier, WWBA in Marietta, couple Dynamic Tournaments, Tourney of Champs at Univ. of Cinci. My guess is they will do Jupiter PG in the fall...I'm pretty sure he's a DIII level kid right now, 83-85 velo, RHP, with strong SAT and grades. I guess it's a catch 22...the 17U team is 85% committed already (verbal anyway) so I'm not sure how much colleges will scout that team...while 16U will likely get DI's interest but not so much DIII. It's tough. My son loves his 16U team and coach but I'm wondering if I should push to move up to 17U, if that's an option. I've got a younger one that's the youngest possible 13U age...Thanks for the input. This stuff drives me nuts.
My son has a May birthday. I stopped thinking about the month of his birthday when he played grade appropriate in 13u after 7th grade. Once he grew after 14u after 8th grade it was about how far can he play up. Get the month of your son’s birthday out of your head. It becomes an excuse for your son. You need to be looking at best opportunities to get to the next level (college).
BaseballDad72 posted:I emailed the program head about how they handle the 2021/2022 mix on the team. He's a good guy and is very well connected at all levels. His 16U team will be at Black Bear Classic, Wilson Premier, WWBA in Marietta, couple Dynamic Tournaments, Tourney of Champs at Univ. of Cinci. My guess is they will do Jupiter PG in the fall...I'm pretty sure he's a DIII level kid right now, 83-85 velo, RHP, with strong SAT and grades. I guess it's a catch 22...the 17U team is 85% committed already (verbal anyway) so I'm not sure how much colleges will scout that team...while 16U will likely get DI's interest but not so much DIII. It's tough. My son loves his 16U team and coach but I'm wondering if I should push to move up to 17U, if that's an option. I've got a younger one that's the youngest possible 13U age...Thanks for the input. This stuff drives me nuts.
Even if coaches aren't there to scout your team, you'll be playing against other 17U teams. There will be more coaches at 17U games, than 16U games (usually).
I really good 16U team is not going to have many D3 coaches in attendance if they don't think they can get any.
nycdad posted:The coaches coming to see the 16U 2022 kids are there because they are recruiting 2022 kids, not just to see a group of good ball players. He needs to be in front of coaches that are looking for 2021s.
This!!!!
I have seen the consequences of playing down to your age summer after junior year, and it is not pretty. A 2020 kid around here was a great player, incredible hitter, on a great travel program. He got ZERO attention last summer because he played 16u with the 2021s. The coaches around here said playing 2021 played a huge role in him getting overlooked.
LeftyDadP9 posted:D3's (for the most part) are not watching 16U baseball in the summer. They are focused on the uncommitted 17U's to build their 2021 signing class. I understand wanting to play and win on top 16U team, but if you're son is a D3 kid, he most likely won't be playing in front of coaches that are interested in him. If there are no viable 17U options, then I would spend the fall hitting as many camps as possible where the D3 schools are in attendance.
This. D3s aren't watching 16u baseball because they don't recruit 16 year olds. Playing in the top tournaments in the country against the best competition isn't going to draw interests from D3 schools either as they know they have almost shot at any of those kids and D3s really don't travel too far to recruit - so it would be local D3s if any.
Your best bet is finding an organization that still has a good reputation but isn't exactly elite like this one seems to be. Also on a team full of D1 commits how much playing time is he going to get? Find a new organization, they might be the best, but that might be the problem.
wildcat posted:On this vein, is there a disadvantage of a 2022 playing up with 21s and 20s on an 18U team this summer? Program only offers 16U and 18U and the director placed him up on 18U instead of 16U to face better competition.
If competition is the issue that just means the 16u team isn't good or doing any quality tournaments. Playing up doesn't hurt, but playing 18u will hurt as most 18u tournaments are recently graduated uncommitted guys or committed guys who aren't moving on campus until August. 17u good. 18u bad. I would imagine an organization only fielding 2 teams from 16-18u is not all that strong to begin with. I would look elsewhere and find competition appropriate for your son.
