What do college baseball coaches look for in a player?
Have you ever asked yourself, “What sets me apart from other high school baseball players?” Is it my athleticism or ball playing skills? How about my stats or my grades? Is it my personality? My gamesmanship? Or is it my attitude? Actually, it’s all those things, and then some!
College coaches look at all of these attributes as a package deal. No one thing is a stand-alone commodity when a coach is deciding to add you to his roster. However, it’s possible that if that “one” thing is out-of-place, it could be a potential deal breaker. After almost a year and a half of traveling around to different baseball camps, clinics and showcases with my son, there was one common denominator that we picked up on regarding what college coaches were looking for, and that was an “impression.” What kind of an impression will you give a coach from the time of initial contact all the way through to the end of the recruiting process?
The root word in “impression” is IMPRESS. This is what will make you stand out and set you apart from every other baseball player. Impressing the coach with your technical ball playing skills, grades, and attitude are all required in their eyes, as well as the coach getting a read on your personality and sincerity. A player can have exceptional talent on the field, and a lousy attitude in the dugout. A player can have stellar grades in school, but then tweet or post something objectionable on the Internet. The initial positive “impression” you may have given the coach at the beginning could come to a screeching halt at the end because of one poor decision.
To stand out amongst your peers, you must make the cognitive decision that you will be consistently committed to the game, the team, the coach, and your grades, throughout your high school career and throughout the recruiting process. Your commitment will, no doubt, naturally reveal itself to every coach who watches you, and if done right, YOU will set yourself apart from every other high school baseball player!
