RECRUITING 101 - BREAKING DOWN THE RECRUITING PROCESS - PART FIVE

Breaking down the NCAA recruiting process

The purpose of these articles will look to give guidance for the student-athlete looking to find the best university for them.

PART FIVE

IMPORTANCE OF TRAVEL BALL/WHAT COLLEGE COACHES LOOK FOR

In Part Five we discuss travel ball and what college coaches are looking for in a player. Some of it may not be what you think. We will also talk about how to protect yourself by avoiding what not to do.

First let's take a look at travel ball. Back in the day there was no such thing as travel ball. You grew up playing little league and if you were good enough you made your towns little league All-Star team. Your team would play other little league All-Star teams from different towns at a neutral site in Fords, NJ. I can still remember the field, it had a train track behind the left field fence and the smell of french-fries filled the night air. After the tournament was over, baseball was over for that year. For the rest of the summer you would gather up your friends, meet at a field and play whiffle ball until it was time to go home.

At the high school level after the season was over we played American Legion. We would go town to town playing other legion teams. All of these games were played in our state, unless you made the finals. The opportunity to be seen by college coaches was limited to the local colleges, it was not like it is today. If you were lucky you would get a glimpse of a college coach at your game, with the exception of a handful most of the college coaches salaries couldn't support their families and they had other jobs. They couldn't spend all of their time on the road watching games. Players were mostly recruited off of their high school team and usually not until after their junior year.

So why Travel Ball? The way it is today, everyone has the opportunity to put themselves in a better situation to be noticed by a college coach. Travel ball gives you the opportunity to play a higher quality of baseball in a setting with dozens of college coaches around watching you. It will also take you to different parts of the country to display your talents, giving more opportunities for you to get noticed. As I stated in an earlier article, it is tough for college coaches to see a lot of high school baseball games in the spring, they have their own teams to worry about, but in the summer this is what they look forward to. They will spend 90% of their summers on the road recruiting and what better way to be seen then playing all year round on a travel team.

There are couple of things to watch out for though, make sure the travel team is ran the right way. What is the right way? Well, there are teams out there that the sole purpose of the program is to make money. There are other programs that will lead you to believe you will play in every tournament but when it comes to the qualifiers and the high level tournaments they will bring in the hired guns to pitch in your spot or play at your position. What good is that for you? It may help the program get more recognition and a better ranking but we want to be noticed, we want to be on the field in those tournaments. So look deep into the program before you sign up. Ask the right questions, look at years past and see what the roster looked like for different tournaments. Look into the background of the head of the organization, did he play college baseball, does he have the knowledge and connections to reach out to college coaches, will they respect his opinion? One of the worst things you can do is jump from program to program every year. College coaches see that, and start to ask why. Is it because someone better was in his position or is it because he couldn't get along with his teammates? Those are not the questions you want asked about you. Do your homework and find the right fit, one move is not the worst thing, especially if a new organization is just starting out and has a reputable person running the program.

Let's move on to the question of what are college coaches looking for in a student-athlete. This question is easy, of course they want a player with a power bat, who can also pitch, on the mound he is 92mph with plus off-speed stuff and has command of all of his pitches, in the field he has soft hands with a cannon for an arm, foot speed off the charts, athleticism, a strong baseball IQ, holds a 3.5 GPA, has a 1300 on the SAT's, and volunteers time in is his community.

Okay, back to reality, there are around 3% of baseball players that have most of those physical attributes and they are in the MLB. So what does a college coach really look for in a student-athlete. College coaches all have different ways they run their program. They put value into different tools a player possesses. If the programs stresses pitching and defense, then those coaches may hold more value in finding a slick fielding infielder over what he can do at the plate. If the program plays in a small stadium, he may put more value in a power bat then fielding skills. There are a lot of factors that go into recruiting and the type of players they recruit. For another example, who is currently on their roster may have a factor in their needs. If they have two or three quality players in a certain position, they may pass on a recruit who plays that same position. When it comes to physical talent, college coaches will recruit those players who are good fits for their type of program and fill in the needs of the program.

I can tell you this, you can have all the talent in the world and still be passed on by a college coach. Why? Character! College coaches do not want to babysit a student-athlete. Coaches want student-athletes who put the same effort in the classroom as they do on the field. In college you will be held accountable for everything you do and there is plenty you have to do. Classes, study hall, adviser meetings, practice, weight training, equipment responsibilities, and community service to name a few. A coach wants a student-athlete who is on-time, prepared, and responsible. He does not want to deal with be notified you were late, missed, or didn't turn in assignments. These are distractions that takes away from the other student-athletes that are doing everything right and who are accountable. They will recruit character over talent.

How does a college coach determine your character, he watches what you do off the field as well. Here is an example from my own experience when I was a much younger coach. I went to watch a player who was like the person I described earlier. Had a great bat, strong arm, and could run like the wind. My assistants got out to see him earlier in the summer and had great things to say about him. I showed up to the field early, there was another game on the field so his team was in the cages. I went to watch him swing in the cages but he was not there. After around 20 minutes went by he came walking up from the parking lot, sat on the tarp, slowly put on his cleats and watched his team hit. Right there was a red flag for me. He was late and in no hurry to get his gear on and hit. In fact, he was laughing and on the phone most of the time. I remember calling my assistant and telling him about what was going on. He asked me to stay and watch him, I was ready to move on but I stayed and watch him play. He was everything my assistant said he was, a solid player with all the tools but my gut told me to pass. I didn't, we signed him to play for us. The first year I wound up suspending him for two weeks and the following year I had to suspend him again for much longer, he eventually transferred after that year. Was it worth it? No, the amount of time I had to spend dealing with professors, and other issues because of him took away from the team.

Make sure to check your social media outlets, coaches will look through them and see what you are saying or liking on there. They will watch what you do after you fail, this game is about failing and learning from it to make the proper adjustment for the next time. Are you the type of kid who strikes out and sits on the end of the bench sulking, or the type of kid who is upset, stays in the game and works through the at bat for the next time. Do you show up early to get some work in, are you paying attention to their pitcher warming up in the pen, do you run on and off the field, is your shirt tucked in and hat on right, is your mom bringing you Gatorade in the dugout, does she carry your bag for you, these are all little things that college coaches look at and for the parents out there, they will also watch what you do in the stands. Are you complaining about the coach, or even better screaming at the umpire? College coaches are not only recruiting the student-athlete they are also recruiting the parents as well. They want the complete package.

Next week in PART SIX we will cover the myth of the full scholarship in college baseball.