Follow Up

Today is July 2nd and we received many e-mails from parents that were concerned about yesterday's post. Most of those e-mails were from parents whose kids were not called. The realities are that if your son has done the showcase circuit...preferably with Perfect Game, the top tourney circuit that includes the Junior Olympics, PG events and the WWBA in East Cobb and other WWBA state championships and a few college camps that interested your son, and you still didn't get a phone call...two things are at play here.

Follow Up
Did you follow up and express interest in the colleges your son was interested in? Showcases are like job interviews. Parents, you have gone through the job interview process. What is one of the most important steps in a interview process? Yep, the follow-up letter that thanks your interviewer for his time and states your enthusiasm for the position you are seeking. That same process is necessary for the recruiting process. Recruiters see thousands of players throughout the summer. They are human. They may not remember a player or two. In order to ensure that they remember your son...send them a letter and a profile that re-caps your interest, your skills and any other important stats. It also shows the recruiters that your son is responsible.

Your Player May Not Fill a Immediate Need
Thanks to the ruling class at the NCAA, many recruiters have changed their focus on the type of players they need. The new shortened seasons have caused a lot of college teams to put more emphasis on pitching or two way players. (many clubs had to play 5 games a week this year and it stressed their Bullpens). If your son is a second baseman, unless he hits .500 with power, it will be a tough sell to convince a college coach to spend a scholarship on him...at the D-I level. Colleges need good pitchers first and great hitters second. Light hitting, yet athletic MIF's are going to be a tough sell in today's recruiting world. That doesn't mean that you should go out and seek out a pitching instructor and convert your son to the mound. It does mean that if your son has the opportunity to learn multiple positions in High School and can hit...his chances will be greatly enhanced.

There are other factors like physical maturity and the heard to hear reality of lack of recruitable talent that also could be at play here. But....that doesn't mean that you should give up. There are great D-II schools and the very inexpensive yet practical solution that a JC can provide. Look at college rosters. There are a good number of JC transfers. A JC is a very competitive alternative and will give your son a chance to grow and develop into a recruitable player.