DOES THE COACH LIKE ME
A lot of players ask me if I think a coach likes them and has real interest in recruiting them. Well of course he likes you - whats not to like. You work out 5 days a week, study at least the same amount of hours you work out and play games. You throw 90 mph and got a 90 on your last Calculus test. You hit .650 in your Summer league - and oh yeah - you are 6' 3 long and lean and everyone wants to be your friend. Oh that's not you ... didn't think so. But that coach you are targeting might still want you on his team. Not everyone is a D1 player ... thank goodness.
Coaches at the lower levels look for more than the obvious. Work on competing against yourself - not trying to be better than another player. Work on the intangibles like being a leader, a team player, a hard worker, a coach-able approachable athlete. A player that strives to improve a tiny bit each day and asks for advice on how to get there. Gee - I like you already and I don't even know you. Be adaptable and ready to turn on a dime. Make sure you can talk to a coach about your future with some maturity like the rest of the young men in the dugout that he recruited.
So keep moving forward and keep your eyes on the prize. Be honest, persistent and willing to go the extra mile. As they say don't be one of the many be one of the few and be the type of player a coach would love to have on his team. Even if you are not the most talented right now, a coach will project a couple of years down the road. Good luck to you and as Michael Jordan say's - the only way to get there is by being relentless.
The level of interest is usually gauged by the type of contact the college coach has with a recruit:
Generic camp email : This email goes out to everyone on their list. These lists are generated from events you may have signed up for or contact you made with the school.
Personal Emails (Anytime after start of Junior Year): Your on the radar of a smaller group of players and its just the beginning of the process.These emails will begin to be reduced as the coaches see more of these players. So make sure you ask the coach where you stand on their recruiting tier.
An “Unofficial Visit” offer (Anytime): An “Unofficial Visit” offer goes out to a more select group of people than the regular mail correspondence. If you receive this offer, it means the coaches have a genuine interest in you, and they may or may not want to offer. Unofficial visits take up a lot of the coaching staff’s time and they wouldn't waste their time on just any random player.
Phone Call (After July 1 following Junior Year): If you receive a phone call from a college coach, it means you are on their short list.
An “Official Visit” offer (After the start of your Senior Year): If you have received an offer to go on an “Official Visit” to a college, this means they are very interested in you and more than likely will want to offer you a scholarship or at the very least a “recruited walk-on” spot.
Colleges only have 25 “Official Visits” to give out each year, so they have to make the most out of each one.
A Scholarship Offer or a Guaranteed spot if it's D3: This is when you actually know whether or not a school truly wants you. Before this they can move on to another player if they want. This usually seals the deal.
5 STEPS:
If you have been evaluated, but not recruited you are among the ranks of most recruits. It's a holding pattern that is frustrating and tough, but if you've had some recruiting interest but no firm offers what 5 things can you do late in the recruiting process? Even if you are a senior, there is time to regroup and rebound.
1. Don't sit around and wait - Get busy, call a meeting with your family, do some more research on colleges where you would fit in athletically and academically. Develop a new list of potential colleges; EXPAND YOUR SEARCH to include schools in and out of state and at all different Division levels.
2. Do not give up - Believe that there is a college athletic program where you will be an ideal fit. Maybe, you had your heart set on playing for a D-I school; time to drop down a division or even two – and don’t forget about those NAIA schools. What is really important, getting a college degree and continue your baseball career or beating your head against the wall to play for a certain big time school? If you think it’s hard getting recruited by the big time school - it’s nothing compared to the amount of work it takes to keep playing at that school.
3. Be brutally honest about your abilities - For example, you may be the best pitcher in your school even in your town, but how do you stack up against the top players in your state and across the country? Keep in mind that you are competing nationwide for athletic scholarships.
4. Post your highlight video online - Post it on Twitter, Facebook, your personal athletic website and all the free profile services that you can. The idea is to make it easily accessible to the coaches.
5. Email the new list of coaches - Introduce yourself, attach your recruiting profile and include the link to your highlight video. This is a quick, inexpensive way to reach many coaches in a short amount of time. However make sure to personalize the emails to the individual coaches. Don't do the shotgun approach. And remember they will still need to see you play or workout – so if the school is far away expect a few road trips and a few thanks but no thanks.
If all else fails you can go as a walk-on and hope for the best. If that’s your plan try to be a recruited walk-on so the coach knows something about you ahead of time. And remember many top end athletic schools don’t even have open tryouts for the general school population.
If you have been evaluated, but not recruited you are among the ranks of most recruits. It's a holding pattern that is frustrating and tough, but if you've had some recruiting interest but no firm offers what 5 things can you do late in the recruiting process? Even if you are a senior, there is time to regroup and rebound.
1. Don't sit around and wait - Get busy, call a meeting with your family, do some more research on colleges where you would fit in athletically and academically. Develop a new list of potential colleges; EXPAND YOUR SEARCH to include schools in and out of state and at all different Division levels.
2. Do not give up - Believe that there is a college athletic program where you will be an ideal fit. Maybe, you had your heart set on playing for a D-I school; time to drop down a division or even two – and don’t forget about those NAIA schools. What is really important, getting a college degree and continue your baseball career or beating your head against the wall to play for a certain big time school? If you think it’s hard getting recruited by the big time school - it’s nothing compared to the amount of work it takes to keep playing at that school.
3. Be brutally honest about your abilities - For example, you may be the best pitcher in your school even in your town, but how do you stack up against the top players in your state and across the country? Keep in mind that you are competing nationwide for athletic scholarships.
4. Post your highlight video online - Post it on Twitter, Facebook, your personal athletic website and all the free profile services that you can. The idea is to make it easily accessible to the coaches.
5. Email the new list of coaches - Introduce yourself, attach your recruiting profile and include the link to your highlight video. This is a quick, inexpensive way to reach many coaches in a short amount of time. However make sure to personalize the emails to the individual coaches. Don't do the shotgun approach. And remember they will still need to see you play or workout – so if the school is far away expect a few road trips and a few thanks but no thanks.
If all else fails you can go as a walk-on and hope for the best. If that’s your plan try to be a recruited walk-on so the coach knows something about you ahead of time. And remember many top end athletic schools don’t even have open tryouts for the general school population.
Excerpt from a APBA article: DOES SIZE MATTER
One of the great things about baseball is that size in not the final determination to what level you can play! I was asked the question today during a phone conversation on how much size comes into play in baseball and during the recruiting process.
My answer was simply: “It IS and it is NOT important! If that makes sense!” Here was my more detailed answer for both being and not being important:
Why is size important:
Leads to projectability: Projectability is very important, especially when we are dealing with professional baseball. Many high school players have not began to reach their full physical potential. This is why coaches and scouts have to project where they will be in 2-5 years. The taller and thinner a pitcher is, for example, the more likely he will be able to add weight, velocity, and stamina as he gets older.
A bigger player is able to use his size to create more leverage and power: The bigger and stronger a player is, the more he can use his body naturally to generate power and velocity. This is simply something that a smaller person cannot do!
Why size is NOT important:
The best thing about baseball is you do NOT have to be 6-8 or 245 pounds of pure muscle to play: Baseball is purely about you competing with yourself, so if you have the skill set to hit, field, run, and/or throw, you can play. It’s unlike football or basketball where you have to physically guard or try to get past another person who is a large man!
Baseball is a sport that is about generating power: While being much tougher and creating much more strain on the body, it is possible for a smaller person to generate as much power/velocity as a bigger person. Billy Wagner, for example, was a MLB closer and is only 5’10”. He was able to generate enough power to throw upwards of 100 MPH. Tim Lincecum is only about 5’11”. Offensively, Dustin Pedroia is only 5’9” and he has above average big league power!
Baseball is a mental sport: To succeed in baseball, having mental toughness and self-confidence is just as important as physical skill. If you truly believe you are the best and you are able to ride out a 162 game schedule and 0-40 slumps, you will be able to play the game, no matter how big or small you are!
More importantly than your size is your heart and work ethic! Whether you are 6’4 220 pounds or 5’5” 150 pounds, leave everything you have on the table at every game or workout! If you can do that, you will become the best baseball player you can be!
One of the great things about baseball is that size in not the final determination to what level you can play! I was asked the question today during a phone conversation on how much size comes into play in baseball and during the recruiting process.
My answer was simply: “It IS and it is NOT important! If that makes sense!” Here was my more detailed answer for both being and not being important:
Why is size important:
Leads to projectability: Projectability is very important, especially when we are dealing with professional baseball. Many high school players have not began to reach their full physical potential. This is why coaches and scouts have to project where they will be in 2-5 years. The taller and thinner a pitcher is, for example, the more likely he will be able to add weight, velocity, and stamina as he gets older.
A bigger player is able to use his size to create more leverage and power: The bigger and stronger a player is, the more he can use his body naturally to generate power and velocity. This is simply something that a smaller person cannot do!
Why size is NOT important:
The best thing about baseball is you do NOT have to be 6-8 or 245 pounds of pure muscle to play: Baseball is purely about you competing with yourself, so if you have the skill set to hit, field, run, and/or throw, you can play. It’s unlike football or basketball where you have to physically guard or try to get past another person who is a large man!
Baseball is a sport that is about generating power: While being much tougher and creating much more strain on the body, it is possible for a smaller person to generate as much power/velocity as a bigger person. Billy Wagner, for example, was a MLB closer and is only 5’10”. He was able to generate enough power to throw upwards of 100 MPH. Tim Lincecum is only about 5’11”. Offensively, Dustin Pedroia is only 5’9” and he has above average big league power!
Baseball is a mental sport: To succeed in baseball, having mental toughness and self-confidence is just as important as physical skill. If you truly believe you are the best and you are able to ride out a 162 game schedule and 0-40 slumps, you will be able to play the game, no matter how big or small you are!
More importantly than your size is your heart and work ethic! Whether you are 6’4 220 pounds or 5’5” 150 pounds, leave everything you have on the table at every game or workout! If you can do that, you will become the best baseball player you can be!
Become a member and take control of your future - Drop me a line at Coach P@BaseballPrep.org
