Recruiting questions, answered.
From Coach Don Mitchell, former MLB Director of Scouting.
When can college baseball coaches start contacting my son?
For baseball, an NCAA Division I coach cannot call, text, email or DM your son, or make him an offer, before August 1 at the start of his junior year, and a travel or high school coach cannot act as a go between before that date either. Your son can call, email or message a coach at his own expense any time starting freshman year, but until August 1 a Division I coach can only send general, non-recruiting replies such as program information. Division II coaches can start recruiting contact on June 15 before his junior year, and Division III, NAIA and junior college coaches can reach out any time, though many wait until junior year. Being visible and prepared before August 1 means he is ready the day a coach can respond directly.
What is the difference between D1, D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO baseball?
They are different levels of competition and funding. D1 and D2 offer athletic scholarships, D3 does not but often has strong academic and merit money, and NAIA and junior college run their own rules on top of that. Roughly 82 percent of college baseball opportunity sits below D1, and players get drafted out of every one of these levels every year. NAIA and junior college programs can offer athletic scholarships as well. Some colleges let a player "stack" scholarships, combining athletic money with academic money, and some do not; it depends on the policies of the individual college, not the level or conference.
What do college coaches look for in a high school player?
It depends on the position. A coach ranks a shortstop on fielding, speed and arm before he cares about the bat, and ranks a corner infielder on hitting and power before he cares about the glove. Every level, from D1 down to junior college, has its own targets for velocity, times and hitting numbers, and an elite player at one level is often just a solid player at the level above it. Arm, field, hit, power and run are the five tools that college recruiters and MLB scouts look for, and the combination of those tools determines what position a player might profile best at.
Are showcases and camps worth the money?
Rarely for the reason families go. A college coach at a big tournament usually watches one or two innings of the handful of players he already came to see, then moves to the next field, so a player who is not already on a coach's radar is unlikely to get noticed there. A camp invite from a school you have not talked to is usually a mass email, not real interest, though camps can still be worth it for the coaching and the chance to see a campus.
What should my son put in an email to a college coach?
A short, personalized message with a link to his academic and athletic profile, which should include skills and in-game video, sent in complete sentences so nothing gets misread. It should come from the player's email address, not a parent's, and it should make it easy for the coach to see who he is without digging. A long homemade highlight video is not a substitute for that. Do not put music on skill or game video, and NO slow motion clips!
A coach said my son is "on their list." What does that mean?
It usually means the coach likes what he has seen so far, not that an offer is coming. Coaches tell almost every recruit they talk to that they like him, because that is how the conversation starts. The real signal of serious interest is a specific offer, not the friendly talk that leads up to it.
What does a verbal commitment mean in college baseball?
A verbal commitment is a public statement that a player intends to play for a school, but it is not binding on him or the school. The National Letter of Intent program that used to make a commitment official no longer exists. What actually locks a commitment in now is a signed athletics aid agreement between the player and the school, and until that paperwork is signed, either side can walk away.
My son hasn't heard from any college coaches. What should we do?
Start reaching out yourselves instead of waiting. Coaches cannot recruit a player they do not know exists, and a common mistake is assuming a lack of calls means a lack of interest when it usually just means nobody has introduced him yet. Get a real profile and video in front of coaches directly rather than relying on a highlight reel or hoping a school coach makes the calls for you. A high school or travel ball coach will do everything in their power to help, but the most effective way is for the player to reach out to college coaches himself with the RIGHT profile, which works like a resume. It is just like applying for a job: you want the college coach to know everything about you as a player, student and person, and the best way to do that is for the player and family to be proactive!
What should a player be doing each year of high school?
Freshman and sophomore year are about building a GPA, training and developing, and getting on coaches' radar early. Junior and senior year are about official visit planning, admissions testing for the schools that want it, building relationships with coaches directly, thorough campus visits and staying proactive, since there is no hard deadline to sign.
How much do grades matter in baseball recruiting?
Grades matter a lot in baseball recruiting. A 4.0 GPA keeps about 94 percent of college baseball programs able to recruit you, a 3.0 keeps about half, and a 2.0 keeps under 10 percent. Letting your grades slide closes real doors, so treat your GPA as part of the recruiting process, not something separate from it. For every tenth of a point you let your GPA fall, you eliminate 125 colleges that can recruit you. The days are over when a coach could "slide" a good athlete into a college program without the academic requirements for admission.
Should a parent be the one contacting coaches?
Mostly no. Coaches are recruiting the player, not the parent, and want to hear him do the talking, especially early in a conversation. Parents can step in to help with tough financial aid or business questions the player is not ready for, but the regular contact with a coach should come from the player himself. The coach wants to learn what type of person the player is before making an offer and spending three to four hours a day with him on the practice field.
Who is Coach Don Mitchell?
Don played college baseball at the University of Tennessee at Martin and in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system, then spent 14 years as an MLB scout, including Director of Scouting for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Assistant Director of Scouting for the Atlanta Braves. As a certified MLB agent he represented 32 players drafted in the top three rounds, including four first-round picks, and negotiated more than 28 million dollars in signing bonuses. He later served as a college athletic director and head baseball coach. In more than 30 years in the game he has advised more than 850 families to more than 40 million dollars in college scholarship plans, and built a network of more than 350 college coaches.
What is The Diamond Playbook and what does it cost?
It is Don Mitchell's app for baseball families, right on your phone, with everything you need to go through this process the right way. Families no longer need to spend 3,000 to 5,000 dollars on recruiting advice. It includes Don's full 75-page Resource Guidebook and resources from his 30-plus-year career; Ask Coach Don, an AI assistant that answers in his voice from that guide; the NCAA recruiting calendar; a year-by-year recruiting timeline; how to talk to a college coach; and much more. The app is only $15 a month and you can cancel any time. New members get a 7-day free trial.
Can I try it before paying?
Yes, you can see everything The Diamond Playbook offers on the membership page before you pay anything. Anyone can also ask Coach Don's AI assistant up to 3 questions free, no account or card needed. New members get a 7-day free trial before any card is charged. If you do join, you can cancel any time.