COLLEGE BASEBALL RECRUITING SPECIAL EDITION Special Edition | Page 38

I’ve compiled a list of 10 questions to ask during the baseball recruiting process. Let’s GO!
Will you play right away? Any coach can say “If you come here you’ll play” but 9 times out of 10 that
doesn’t happen and your stuck riding the pine for 2 years. If your serious about playing baseball and
developing your skills, my advice to you is go somewhere you know you WILL play! There is absolutely
nothing wrong with going D2, D3, or JUCO to play right away. To put it simply if you want to become a
better baseball player you have to play. Nowadays I feel like playing D1 baseball is all a status/ego thing.
Kids will say they want to play professional baseball someday but will go to a D1 school where they
know it will be tough to actually see any playing time. Newsflash guys, scouts are at JUCO, D2 and D3
games too!
Is your prospective school located in a small town or large metropolitan city and if so which do you
prefer? I transferred to a school my freshman year that had fantastic facilities, and everything you would
want in a baseball program. The problem was it was in the middle of nowhere which was difficult
because I was more of a city guy. I thought I would see past the country life with a demanding baseball
schedule. However, on the weekends especially in the fall when you have a lot of free time, having
nothing to do really sucks!
Who’s currently on the roster, and who’s coming in? This is simple and I’m sure you’ve already done
this, but if you haven’t, go to the school’s website and look at their roster. If you’re an incoming
freshman outfielder and there’s already eight sophomore and junior outfielders on the roster who have
accumulated considerable playing time over the past year, that school is probably not a good fit for you.
Does the school have your major? Make sure the school you pick has what you plan to major in. I hate to
be the bearer of bad news, but most kids after playing college baseball don’t get drafted and have to get
jobs. Not saying you can’t get drafted, I’m just saying at some point you won’t be able to play baseball
anymore. You should chose a school that offers a major your interested in pursuing someday as a full
time job.
Will they offer opportunities for you to be seen by scouts? I’m a firm believer in the saying “if your good
they will always find you”. However, it’s harder to get drafted out of college then it is high school, and in
that case harder to get seen. Many of my friends that played college ball around the country had
IMPRESSIVE collegiate careers. They definitely warranted being drafted or at least signed as a non-
drafted free agent, but went untouched. This is large in part to their coaches not dedicating practice
time to scout/pro days and opportunities for them to be seen. Many college coaches now implement
MLB scout days, but for the ones that don’t, you really have to raise and eyebrow and ask, does this
coach really care about my future, or just his programs’ success?
Will the coaches at your prospective school develop your skills and make you a better baseball player?
This is an important question to ask as I’ve been in the situation where a coach will only focus his efforts
on improving “his guys”. This is a terrible situation to be in as you think to yourself, “why am I even
here”? I think the best way to look at this is to talk to players who have been in the program for a few
years. If they say the coach improves each players skill set no matter what role you play on the team
that is somewhere you want to go.