Baseball Recruiting - So Many Questions

monstor344
Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:12:38 +0000

-Sorry for a loaded question but - how difficult is it to be recruited? Is there a great baseball & academic match out there for players who want to play college ball?

From my observations after going through the whole recruiting process as a pitcher while at the same time befriending fellow prospective recruits, many of whom were hitters, I have to say that there is a bit more make-or-break for hitters than there is for pitchers. A pitcher has the magic number - the velocity in MPH - that normalizes recruiting and makes the other criteria of command, movement, presence, etc. practically secondary; good day or bad day, a pitcher’s velocity ought not to vary too much, and so they are easier to evaluate. A hitter truly has to make his mark at a tournament/camp/showcase with that one big hit, or a few screamers in BP, which don’t always happen. Sure, 60 times, SPARQ-testing, and even batspeed measures (Stanford camp was notable for doing the latter two) will give a coach an idea of a batter’s talent, but it ultimately comes down to performance, which can obviously be quite luck-based. A friend of mine’s Ivy offers all came at the same camp after he hit 2 home runs and a triple in a weekend. He didn’t manage more than a double the rest of the summer, but with one insane showing of ability he racked up his dream school.

That said, if your son’s ability is there, probability will play itself out over the course of several showcases and then it becomes a question of not if, but when he has the showing that will land him serious interest from coaches at the schools he wants to go to. Early exposure through proactive contact/recruiting videos will facilitate this and probably take out some of the randomness as well, as a coach will probably be more willing to give your son multiple looks if he is on that coach’s radar. Given the wide range in terms of athletic difficulty of high-academic schools (Pac-10s/SECs like Stanford, Vanderbilt on one side of the spectrum, Centennials and NESCACs Swarthmore, Tufts on the other, with Ivies probably focused in the middle), there is absolutely a fit out there for your son unless he is not truly capable of playing at the next level (and given your description, it seems like he definitely is capable of doing so). Not everyone with the academic and athletic ability, for whatever reason, will get recruited by their first choice or even their first few choices, but if those two things are there, a person will almost definitely be offered an excellent college baseball opportunity.



For baseball, are the clinics run by individual schools the best way to be recruited? Are athletes recruited out of these clinics or is it a revenue source for the school?

This depends a bit on the school. I went to camps for Stanford, Duke, and 4 Ivy League schools (and I would have gone to 2 other Ivy camps, had I not received an offer from my top school fairly early in the process). Some camps were absolutely wonderful and provided quality exposure not only to the host school itself but several other guest schools; most of the camps were well-run and helpful, and only one of the camps, though it did land me exposure, left me with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth as being a money-maker (PM me if you’d like details about this or anything else; I’d rather not criticize a school’s program on a public thread, don’t ya know!).

These schools are excellent ways to solidify a school’s interest in the form of an offer in that they can sometimes be first-time exposures to the head coach who usually has to have the final say on a recruit. That said, by no means should you rely on camps alone. Stanford camp is a bit different, since although it’s the camp for Stanford, something like 80 schools were also in attendance, making it more of a showcase, and a gigantic one at that. That makes Stanford camp one good for initial exposure towards assistant coaches/recruiting coordinators who, if interested in your son, will put him on their radars (as well as the head coaches’) and pay closer attention to him later on, at their particular schools’ camps. The same goes for Headfirst; I’m not too sure about PG Academic, having seen its less-than-fruitful college commitment list, and GPA, which probably acts more like a school camp since there aren’t too many schools there (though GPA could still be a great option if the schools your son is interested in are there).



Programs such as DeMarini Top 96, are the evaluations from these types of programs valid or are they inflated? Are they a good way to be recruited?

I don’t have any personal experience with Top 96; what I’ve heard from friends isn’t all that flattering and the exposure they got wasn’t so great compared to other venues. If I had to suggest a general list of programs your son really ought to attend, I would definitely say Headfirst, Stanford camp (regardless of his interest in Stanford), and individual school camps. I would also try to join a team where he is not necessarily the top hitter - by this I simply mean a really competitive team that plays in national events like PG WWBA, Connie Mack, etc. Truthfully, I didn’t get all that much exposure through my summer team, but a lot of my teammates who were hitters did. The connection between summer team coach and college coach can prove more important than any showcase performance, as it will meaningfully affirm or contradict a college coach’s suspicions on your son.



Recently my son attended a clinic at a top academic school. After watching my son hit, the head coach pulled him aside and wanted to know GPA, SAT scores etc… then watched him hit some more and then had the first assistant coach talk to him as well. As far as any kind of recruting indicator does this scenario mean anything?

Yes, it means they are definitely interested in your son and he is someone who stood out to them. I would make sure your soon keeps that coach updated on his academics as well as his summer plans so the coach can get a better idea of where your son is overall on the radar. It’s definitely a positive and I would expect, from this info, for your son to continue to garner interest from other programs.



For anyone who is or parent of a recruited baseball player do you have any tips or any suggestions on what you would have done differently?

Given how the process ended up for me, I would not have done anything a tad different; there were however bumps in the road which could have been smoother. The most important thing, I would say, is for your son to have a calm and confident demeanor. Not just for the sake of his performance but also for interacting with coaches and for having a fun time throughout the process. For the former bit, sure; a coach will still recruit the most awkward kid in the world if he can clobber a ball. Your son, however, ought to find what he wants in a baseball coach and with whom he is most comfortable (he’s going to be spending four years with these folk). I also wish I knew the bit about head coach exposure, as that pretty much shot off a string of offers for me once 5 head coaches saw me at a school camp. Basically, keep in mind that he’s the guy to whom you ultimately have to appeal. Best of luck; once again, PM me for any more particulars/inquiries about my personal experiences.