by Greg Vogt

Modern Day Recruiting:

Short version: Get good enough and they will find you.

Old version: Get in front of scouts by playing on select teams (still works)

New version: Get good enough and tag @flatgroundapp on Twitter and/or share video’s directly to college coaches.

It isn't this simple, but the process of getting “exposure" is no where close to what it used to be.

Yes, tagging @flatgroundapp is a great way to get people to see your skill sets, but it doesn’t mean you will get recruited. If the content doesn’t appeal to the college coaches, it will only do more harm than good.

Read below for some important information on the recruiting process and some things to consider while going through it!

Reality:

There are very few hidden talents in 2020. With the power of social media and major tournament companies, any coach can find players they believe have enough talent to play on their roster. Coaches are able to get their eyes on your abilities much easier than 10 years ago. You can get exposure wherever you play.

The tournaments, showcases, recruiting websites, and competition level of your team will still always have an impact on your ability to get recruited. That being said, it is not as needed as it was 2010 as coaches can find you much easier and data more readily available. Playing with high-level travel organizations and high school teams will also get you in front of more recruiters because of the talent around you. They may come for one player and recognize you having a great game.

Modern scouting:

Giving more first opinions on player skill sets via video before live
Pursuing athlete’s in-game abilities after seeing showcase abilities (or video highlights)
Evaluating quality of character and assessing the person via social media sources
Finding players throughout all of the new travel organizations playing all across the country with tournaments and showcases everywhere.
Recruiting players at younger ages and projecting what they will end up being by time they end up on campus
More quality options for players to choose for school. More programs across the country at all levels have ways to gain player interest.

Modern player recruitment:

Earlier start to the recruiting process, pressure to commit early for top prospects
Wanting the “D1 Dream” because what they see on social media, TV, etc.
Constantly being evaluated with all of the sources of information given to recruiters
Ranking systems that help/hurt their process
Tons of facilities and organizations to play and train with
Recruiting services that are constantly advertising players to schools
Longer seasons - 5-day tournaments throughout summer, fall baseball, tryout for teams being 5 months apart

Personal opinion —

Players are “competing” too often and not training enough. There is a big difference between working on your craft in game setting (practice/structured/controlled games) to playing in a 3 game guarantee tournament that costs $1,000 in October on a Saturday/Sunday. During the summer, players are playing 5 days a week (Wed-Sun) and staying in hotels half the summer with little opportunities to keep the body in shape. While the baseball calendar year for high school player is not going to get any lighter, I would strongly push that you find ways to keep developing in-season. Lift consistently, rest, take care of your arm.

If you are not able to be in high-level playing shape, then stop playing. Get the focus back to developing your skill set and body stronger instead of trying to compete at 80% (or less). Fully understand the need to get in front of different coaches throughout the year, but if you are underperforming because the body is not in shape then are you doing yourself a disservice? Injuries peak, performance suffers when then body is not prepared. Be careful!

This will be touched on more below, but please consider counting the hours you spend training compared to playing. Competing is a must for growth and real feedback on preparation. But, because you are competing doesn’t mean you stop developing!

Be Careful:

Talent requirements continue to rise to play collegiate baseball. College Baseball is at an all time high when it comes to followers, views, and interest from younger generations. More players are training harder now than ever. So please read below:

This should be understood by every single parent/athlete…

Paying for exposure via showcases, competition, and recruiting services will not get you to collegiate baseball.

Being good enough to play college baseball will get you to collegiate baseball.

Sure, these services can help expedite the process once you are good enough, but they do not single handedly make a college coaching staff interest in you. You need to get your abilities in front of coaches by playing, showcasing, sending video, etc. But, if that video does not show the coach you have the skill set and personality they want then they will find someone else who does.

The talent is going to keep getting better every year at the college and professional level due to the player development companies and organizations. If you show average qualities to a college coach it is going to get you crossed off, not circled, on their list. Getting experience both on the field and at showcases has benefits, even if the talent is not there. Get to understand what a showcase atmosphere is like, see other players show their skills, and learn what you can do to improve. Same with games. Learn from the best players evaluate your performance compared to the best players. The biggest takeaways should be that you should commit more time to the practicing and development than you should playing.

Coach Hobbs (Arkansas Pitching Coach) said it best on Eric Cressey’s Elite Baseball Podcast (Episode 10) - “Spend your money on training. If you’re not able to go out there and show the best version of yourself, I think you’d be better off training.”

Guidance:

Sit down with family and set realistic goals both for college and your development.

Find your likes and dislikes
Watch college baseball at all levels to get a realistic opinion on where you can play
Train hard, assess yourself constantly
Find a place to play that focuses on development, not just winning
Find a training facility that can help — and commit to it!
Research for yourself — both for training and colleges
Visit different schools for multiple reasons - evaluates campuses, athletic facilities, baseball programs, and more.
Attend camps of schools that you really like. Getting an “invite” to a camp is not a reason to go. Go because you like that school and you can impress them with your performance.

Do not worry about showcases and major tournaments until you are ready. Everybody develops at different paces and times. Prioritize your training over games.

Attend showcases once you are ready!

Showcase write ups are built to please the consumer, not college coaches. This doesn’t mean they have no value. Write ups can give you a breakdown of strengths and areas to improve, but they are always going to be built upon the model of getting customers to return. Telling an athlete they have no chance of playing college baseball because they throw 75mph is not a good way to get that person back to another showcase!

Player Example:

Player sits 80-82, T84 in Winter 2019. Big, lanky frame with plenty of room to fill in. Invested in training. Got an assessment and a plan. Worked hard, consistently, and committed to putting on weight. Winter 2020 sits 90-91, T94 and is the #1 rated RHP in the state. Received multiple scholarship offers and chose a competitive division 1 school to attend in fall 2020. He gained 25LBs and 10MPH in 1 year of training while playing a long competitive season (spring-fall).

Training can be done during season, but most neglect the development side in trade for “conserving” for games. This is sacrificing development for performance. Not a bright idea for your long-term success!

Have what it takes?

The average fastball for right-handed pitchers in division 1 who used Trackman in 2019-2020 (200,000 pitches) was 89.08mph. For left-handed pitchers (96,000 pitches), the average was 87.60mph. Again, these are averages across division 1 baseball. The majority of pitchers in the power 5 conference schools will be above these numbers.

Velocity is not the only thing that college recruiters look for in pitchers. I am not a college recruiter, nor have I been one, but with enough conversations between recruiters and athletes they are interested in I feel comfortable saying that velocity gets you invited to the table. Whether or not you can stay at the table comes down to your make-up, command, breaking ball, then the other pitches.

Top priorities for recruiting HS pitchers:

Velocity
Command
Make-Up
Frame
Breaking Ball
Other off-speed

This is not intended to speak for college coaches and their recruiting process, but to provide parents with some important information that needs to be understood to have realistic expectations of the recruiting process.

I have yet to come across a college recruiter ask for a pitcher’s stats (innings, era, etc.). They may be in contact with HS and Travel coaches on in-game performance and consistency, but they want to evaluate skill, movement quality (swing, throw), and project to how they could perform at their level with their abilities. Predicting how a kid can hit a Friday starter at Michigan isn’t real fair when he’s currently facing 78 from the left-side on a Thursday night pool play game.

Just about every single case begins with “What does he sit (velo) in game?” then trickles to “Can he spin it?” and “What kind of kid is he?”.

Here is a list of common questions I see:

What has his velocity been up to?
What type of kid is he?
How is his breaking ball? Know his spin rates?
How well does he command it?
What’s he like on the mound? Is he a bulldog?
Is he a worker?
How are his grades and test scores?
What is his family like?
Does he love the game?
Good teammate?

How do you answer these questions for yourself? Would it make you stand out in a good or bad way to your dream school?

The Process:

Recruiting begins with an interest from the college. You cannot change that. You can show them what you are, what you can do, and your progress but it doesn’t mean anything until their interest has them contacting or responding to you.

There are specific rules for when you can talk to coaches directly, visit campus, etc. Nowadays, camps are a great way for colleges to get kids on campus and talk with you. I’ve attached some important links with key dates and rules at the bottom.

Recruiting is starting earlier and earlier for high-level prospects. This does not mean others should panic. The top prospects in the country will most likely verbally commit first. Division 1 schools are often recruiting HS prospects well into their junior seasons. Some late bloomers can find division one scholarships or preferred walk-on spots in their senior season. Division 2 and 3 schools often start their process later than division 1 schools. They usually begin their true process during the junior season.

Phone calls from Divsion 1 coaches begin your junior year (September 1st). There are other ways to get in touch with them via phone calls but they cannot call you directly until this date.

Verbal commitments are non-binding but often gives away all power from the athlete to the college. Until you sign a NLI (National Letter of Intent), this offer is a verbal. Both sides can retract, but it is often the school who will either change or remove their offer if things change. Other schools will not be recruiting you anymore.

Every level besides Division 3 can offer you athletic scholarship money. There are several differences between the levels and how each school manages it so I won’t go into detail here. Division 3 can find ways to get different academic scholarships and grants to offset costs.

One piece of advise — Be sold on more than the coaching staff and baseball program. Coaches leave. Programs change. You need to like much more than just the staff and program. Could you attend this school if baseball didn’t exist? If the coaches were gone, would you still go? Be sure to answer that truthfully before announcing any commitments!

All levels can be good or bad!

While most don’t like to admit this.. but there are SEVERAL JuCo/D3/D2/NAIA schools that can beat D1’s on any given day. There are also several D1 programs who would demolish other levels most days. Each level has a top level of schools that can compete with just about anybody. Each level also has a bottom level who would struggle vs the level “below” them.

Do not be turned away or sold on the level of baseball you are committing to play at. Yes, certain schools and levels get more benefits than others.

Do your research on program history, expected competition and opponent types, and the depth chart.

Key questions I would ask (baseball side):

How many commitments at your position do they have?

How many returners at your position?
How do they develop players?
How many players have been drafted or played professionally after?
What separates them from other schools?
What academic help do they provide to players?
What is their graduation rate? Do players transfer out often? Why?

Also, talk to the players. They know the ins/outs of how program truly operates. Do they like it? If so, why? Get a read on what they say and what specifics about the program they like!

Need more time to develop? Junior college is probably your best route. Again, there are different levels of JuCo, but the best JuCo’s can give you a great opportunity to get to a better school than what you had interest from in HS.

Personally, I went to a Divison 3. There were several positives and some negatives just like at all schools. What was important to me was that I would play for a competitive program, had the academics that I wanted, and still close to home. I was able to play all 4 years with a big role and enjoyed my opportunity to consistently put on the cleats and give the program a chance to win on the mound. That’s what mattered to me at the time.

What is important is that you find out what is important to you and you find the best fit for you!

In summary

While PRP believes in running showcases, getting our players exposure through social media, and evaluating players on a constant basis… we want our families and athletes to understand the importance of skill development and being the best athlete they can be.

To get exposure, you do need to partake in some of the avenues mentioned above (showcases, tournaments, etc). Just understand that the best players on the field and overall athletes will get the most recruitment out of these events!

Just to be clear…. this is not meant to speak for specific colleges or the coaches recruiting you. This is a run down of basic information and experiences that I have had throughout the years. The goal of this is to give parents and families a view on recruiting from an outside source with no play for any specific schools or levels.

As always, email us with any questions on your recruiting process!

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Valuable Links

2020 Baseball Recruiting Calendar -https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/compliance/recruiting/calendar/2019-20D1REC_MBARecruitingCalendar.pdf

D1 Baseball - Top prospects - https://d1baseball.com/prospects/2020-high-school-top-100-prospects/

PBR - Recruiting Essentials - https://www.prepbaseballreport.com/recruiting-essentials

How to Get Recruited in 2020