5 Reasons High School Players Struggle to Get Recruited

Most high school players and their families who put a lot into this game want to play in college. That’s a good goal. It can set your son up for more success in life after baseball as well.

Over the last 20+ years, amateur baseball has turned into a big business. There are thousands of companies selling development, exposure, and “college recruiting.” A lot of what they put out is bad information.

The most confusion sits on the piece that actually matters if he wants to find a school: the recruiting process. Those companies need you to believe you can’t do this without them. I’m here to tell you that isn’t true.

Here are 5 reasons why your son is struggling to find a school.

1. The focus isn’t on the tools coaches actually look at

Too many young players spend their time on things that are not what college coaches use to start an evaluation. Schools look at arm strength, exit velocity, and running speed first. If he doesn’t have some version of those at that school’s level, more showcases will not fix it. Build the player. Recruiting is a lot simpler when there’s something real to recruit.

2. He isn’t training the right way

A lot of kids work hard and still don’t move the things coaches care about. If he throws 75 and needs 90 mph, cleaning up mechanics will only take him so far. It alone will not get him there. Don’t go into a workout just to get some swings in. Have a plan. A dad’s job isn’t to just be the trainer. It’s to help him keep that plan simple and actually do it. Start with the first 20 minutes.

3. He (and you) don’t have an honest evaluation

Too many families build a school list that has nothing to do with the player’s skills that are present today. Wanting to be a D1 player is great. Pretending his current tools already belong there is how families get bitter. You can’t get where you want to go until you know where you are. Put the numbers in the Free Objective Evaluation.

4. The family puts their trust in a recruiting service

Coaches want to hear from your son. They want a feel for the kid — not a blast from a company. Your job as a dad is to help him write the email, then get out of the way. Guide him. Don’t become his agent. There is a place for a trusted advisor and a good reference. However, building the relationship with the coach is not that place. He sends the email. You sit next to him.

5. Academics get treated like they don’t matter

Student-athlete is the name of the person your son wants to become. Freshman and sophomore grades are the foundation. Coaches read transcripts partly to see what kind of character and work ethic he has, and as a bet on eligibility. Start looking at schools that fit him as a student as well as what majors he wants to study. Then look at the baseball. Getting the degree is why your son is going to college. Academics count.

Finding the right school is stressful. Families make it harder than it needs to be because they don’t know the process and they buy the wrong help. If you understand these five things, you can actually help him instead of adding to the noise.