footmaster

True there are more D1 players drafted.. That's because D1 highly values the "measurables" which can equate to MLB talent in the future. My point being, there are still very few D1 players that will make it to MLB. And as you said, the yearly scholarship carousel can be crazy at D1. The odds of making it in pro ball are so small... It's hardly worth discussing. Just saying, most players are a step or several steps below MLB... So, in many cases, it's better to play everyday at a lower level and have more school paid for...than it is to go D1, hardly play and have more school debt. So, in a long winded reply, I think we mostly agree. MLB will find you if you have the talent much more easily than college coaches find talent. Colleges have smaller staffs and less time to recruit than MLB.

Absolutely. But also, many D1 prospects choose D2, D3 or NAIA because of the scholarship money. If a D1 program has a full roster of 35 players...it means at least 8 of them must be walk-ons by NCAA rule. They are only allowed 11.7 scholarships to use however they choose between 27 players. That's why many great "D1 talent" players will go D3 or NAIA.... Because in many cases, they will receive much more scholarship money... Not too mention, their chances of getting playing time are better as freshman. D1 schools are not allowed to have JV squads for instance. Sometimes it's just a numbers game and D1 schools are not always the best choice for the player. I just wanted to discuss some of these issues, because for months I've read tons of posts saying "D1 this and D1 that". Again, nothing wrong with D1 schools... But I believe many people are uninformed when it comes to the other options out there. There are highly competitive D3 and NAIA schools out there. Many are better "baseball programs" than several D1 schools. Baseball is weird that way, because baseball is not a money making sport like basketball or football. It gets confusing, I know. Lol!

This D1 and D2 talk has always baffled me when it comes to college baseball. It isn't the same thing as basketball or football... Meaning, the best players are not always choosing to play at the D1 level. The reason is simple: look at MLB rosters and you'll see D1, D2, D3, NAIA, Juco and drafted straight from high school players all over the place. Albert Puljos and Bryce Harper played at Junior Colleges... Why? So they could get to the majors quicker. When you understand that D1 only has like 11 scholarships to give on a 35 man roster... You can see why so many kids choose D3 (which only gives academic money) and NAIA schools (which tend to stack athletic and academic money). Anyway, not trying to start an argument with anyone at all... I just wanted to point out to parents and even kids that may read this stuff... It's not like you aren't a great player or have no chance to play pro baseball someday if you don't play D1. That's all... Sorry to ramble.

I haven't heard anything new. I don't think that's necessarily bad. Maybe they're taking their time and trying to actually get the "right" person. Not sure who that person is, but they're worth the wait. Get it right St. Henry!

Hopefully kids and their parents are starting to learn to be smarter about this stuff. Although, it sounded like the one pitcher from SK just about threw his arm off in the State Tourney this year. I wasn't there, but heard that from several reliable sources.

Great points Baseballinmyblood! I agree about not blowing money completely... But, as you said, kids have to reach out to college coaches. They like getting an email or a phone call from a kid. They're much more interested in hearing from the player than the parent. Also, I like for these kids to join teams that do a lot for little money... Like Midland for example. And, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that PBR is not all that expensive... Anyway, we agree on principal... I've never been interested in egos but I'm very interested in work ethic.. And I think kids involved in PBR for example, they're working hard to see where they stack up with their peers... And hopefully identify strengths and weaknesses in their game.

When you see the numbers... And these are facts: over 500,000 HS baseball players.... Just under 40,000 college baseball players... That gets my attention. And when you realize, 40 thousand players aren't graduating every season... Wow! That means, there will be somewhere between 10,000 to 20,000 roster spots available in college. And we all know that HS baseball in general is jr and sr heavy on it's rosters... So let's say 200,000 to 350,000 (conservatively) maybe are juniors or seniors in HS. Pretty tough odds. Kids, do yourself a favor and get your name out there.

I think as several posters have pointed out... Recruiting is, like everything else in society, evolving. So, yes, I'd like to see kids involved in these type of events as much as possible... Not for their egos, but for their recruitment. PBR and others collect stats and game info on kids and recruiters (as earlier discussed) can go to fewer events and see more prospects. Yes, if a kid is an unbelievable talent, word will get around. But a good, solid, average to slightly above average future college player... That kid needs to get his name out there or he could be lost in the shuffle. Also, recruiters like to see kids playing with and against high level competition... That's another thing you get to see when a kid plays on a high level summer team and when he goes to events like PBR. Everyone knows that a .600 batting average against weak competition isn't as impressive to scouts as a .350 batting average against great competition. PBR and other organizations can help recruiters see through all of that. Nothing is perfect, but sitting around, hoping recruiters will find you... That's a big mistake IMO. There isn't one player that myself or anyone else has posted about on this thread that isn't going to easily be good enough to play college ball... Some will be D1, some DII or DIII, and some NAIA. It doesn't really matter, because each kid needs to go wherever they are the best fit. But in today's world, if the player and/or his HS coach and/or his summer coach isn't reaching out to colleges... They very well may get overlooked. That's a fact.

From my original post that started this thread.... We've since seen quite a bit of info on "The Beechwood Gang", Evan Slone and Ricky Raisor. Hoping to see more on Seiter and Smallwood soon. They're both good players as well and need to do some PBR, Baseball Factory or Perfect Game events to get their names out there like these other kids.

PBR Underclass games on Raisor: Ricky Raisor, RHP, Highlands HS, 2016 6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect uses short arm action, works mostly through a high ¾ arm slot, arm is quick, fastball sat 79-81 mph and showed some arm-side run, touched 82, showed a harder curveball since last event at 66-67 mph with 11/5 action, throws a solid changeup at 68-69 mph with good arm-side run and sink, changeup thrown with good arm action, consistently threw strikes in his two innings of work.

Good for Ziegelmeyer... Solid player, solid kid.

Meant to say "I guess they haven't released pitching reports from Raisor's team yet".

Still haven't seen from PBR how he did at the UK Underclass Games. There's been a little info out there on Slone (Ludlow) and Borman (Conner)... But I guess they haven't released pitching reports yet. Interested to see how Raisor did.

It certainly seems like multiple future college players are coming from teams like Midland, Bluegrass Chiefs, Flames and Colonels... Whether it's the coaching or those teams just recruit great players, I'm not really sure.

And Midland... They've been doing it forever it seems....

But I still have to say, in most cases, a kid has to do multiple things to get noticed. They should be on a good summer team that promotes their players... They should hopefully get some promotion from their HS coaches... And they should participate in college camps and showcases... I'm willing to bet most of the CBC kids did all or most of the above.

Who are the best NKY teams for promotion? Ky Colonels? Bluegrass Chiefs? Any others come to mind?

Absolutely, PBR is awesome. These days, if kids don't attend some showcases and/or don't play for a solid summer team...they can really fall behind in the recruiting game.

Totally agree... And a player's heart, work ethic, desire, intelligence and attitude are nearly impossible to "measure". So, there could be several kids that will never be mentioned on a list like this that will end up playing at a higher level than most believed possible. I've seen that many times over the years.

I know some younger, first time head coaching candidates from the area that have applied... Unfortunately, I was asked not to mention names, so I won't... Someone outside the area may be a good idea for St Henry though.

Even though he's getting some attention, I still think Ziegelmeyer is possibly the most underrated 2016 in NKY....

Does Anyone know for sure who is interviewing for this job?

More stuff is being released from PBR from the underclass games. So far on NKY kids: Evan Slone, SS, L/R, Ludlow HS, 2016 Slone is a 5-foot-8, 150-pound prospect who ran a 7.50 60-yard dash and registered a 74 mph exit velocity off the tee (78 at previous event), hits from a balanced stance with a short stride, line drive type hitter who shows the ability to use all fields. Defensively, he shows playable hands and gets rid of the baseball with short arm action, showed an increase in velocity across the infield at 72 mph (69 at previous event). Slone went 1-for-4 in game action with a single to left-center. Drew Borman, OF/RHP, R/R, Conner HS, 2016 5-foot-10, 165-pound prospect ran a 7.53 60-yard dash and registered 81 mph tee exit velocity, hits from a balanced stance with a short stride with a long/uphill swing path. Defensively, plays through the baseball in the outfield with a clean exchange and showed 79 mph arm strength using short arm action, went 1-for-4 in game play with a single to left field. Not a bad showing for these guys... Good job Borman! And considering Slone was in the ER 10 days before this event with fractures and stitches around his eye... He did really well it seems.

So far this is all I've seen about NKY 2016 kids from the PBR Underclass Games. Understandable as I know PBR has a lot of events and a lot of kids to evaluate... Drew Borman, OF/RHP, Conner HS, 2016 5-foot-10, 165-pound prospect uses short arm action through a ¾ arm slot to produce a 76-78 mph fastball that shows occasional slight arm-side run and sink, struggled some early with command but got better as outing progressed, did not see any secondary pitches in his outing.

Norton is more than capable... Good choice IMO.