Son is going to be a HS senior this year, 2.50 GPA, 1450 on SAT. Hearing from D1 colleges but suspect he won't be at the top of their lists because of his grades. Some pro scouts are asking whether he's interested in skipping college. Need some advice here on what their intentions might be and whether it's a good idea or bad idea given his academic achievements so far.

It is important to improve his grades so that he has options. Then he can make the BEST choice for him.

1450 on the SAT is a very good score. It is apparent that the ability to make good grades is there based on the SAT score.

That kind of score is getting close to receiving decent academic money. Have a good senior year and I am sure you still have many options.

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It is important to improve his grades so that he has options

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Have a good senior year and I am sure you still have many options.

This is some of the best advice you can get. Please don’t let him shut the door to college this early. His grades aren’t that bad and he still has a year to improve them.

Good Luck to him.

1450 is a very good score out of 1600 but if you are talking about out of 2400 (new sat) then that is a different story. I don't think I would indicate that college wasn't in the mix at all, I would simply let them know that your considering your options as things play out.

It's like getting a 950 (around that score) out of 1600. By the way, he can still take it again in his senior year. But because it is out of 2400, the "good" level drops because you have alot more questions to get wrong. So a perfect is really really good.

I have heard that 1450 is pretty good and that his 2.50 GPA because he goes to a private school isn't that bad if he can show that he can get it up this year. I'm just wondering how many kids end up just going pro even if they aren't drafted in the top rounds and do the scouts encourage that to get them cheaper. I would rather he go to college so we'll keep working in that direction.

The admissions dept. will give you the minimum required and average SAT for the past few years of any school your son is looking into.
1450 of 2400 (new SAT) equates to something between 1000-1080 (old SAT).
RE: GPA, you can ask the college how the 2.5 equates, too. And if grades are weighted at the private, if the courses were AP or College Prep.
Juco is also an option...they offer more scholarships (24 vs. 11.7)
He can take the SAT again in August, Oct, Jan...Some schools will take a best score from each test.

gpct8500,

My son's grades and test scores were similar to your son's, when he graduated from high school in 2004 (an academically challenging private school). He was not a draft prospect, but his decision was between a less academically challenging D2 with a strong baseball program, where he was automatically admitted based on test scores, or a more challenging D3 with a good but developing baseball program, where he was borderline for admission. He chose the D3, and had to get some of his high school teachers involved in helping him get accepted.

We still wondered whether he could pass his college courses, and it has not been easy, but so far he is making appropriate progress toward a degree. He likes college much more than he thought he would, and he LOVES college baseball. The team camaraderie in college is key - he will never, ever forget this experience, and the friends he has made, for the rest of his life.

This doesn't exactly address your son's "pro vs college" decision, but I just thought I would share that from the perspective of a student/athlete who didn't know if college would be a good fit for him.

To all let me say this has been a tough Question in are house for a month are so.
My 06 son was a drafted player, are should I say a draft and follow player.
And before the draft we were waiting to see if any scholly money would be available after the Draft.
Well there was School's that were contacting him after the Draft.
We had to wait till my 06 was back home from oversea's.
And after all said school's had seen him this past week.

Also out of respect for the Team that Drafted him, We sat and Talked to his Scout.
It's the Hardest Decision my Son has ever had to Make.
And being the Parent, I had to let him Make that Decision on his Own.
I believe he made the Right Decision and I will Back him up 100%.
Either decision he would of made I would of backed it!! EH

Gpct8500,
Great questions and some great answers. I agree with MNMom when she says most student athletes love college and college baseball. Again this has nothing to do with your question but I will add that my son really enjoyed college and college baseball. College has few negatives. Again I agree with most when they talk about OPTIONS! Options are the greatest asset a player can have when determining his future (baseball or otherwise). Couple of things to consider here. For the most part D1 college coaches are baseball coaches and are only concerned if a player lacks the academics to remain eligible during his college years. I had a mother of an excellent pitcher (with weak academics) tell me a nationally known D1 coach told her if she could get her son’s ACT high enough to gain admittance into his college that he could KEEP him eligible. In most instances the baseball coach is all about baseball and academics is relegated to being just a necessary component that perpetuates his baseball program! EVERYONE knows the importance of academics but baseball is their game and their concerns are baseball related.
Professional scouts are looking to draft only those players that are going to accept their offer to play professional baseball. Signability is a big issue with professional scouts as it should be. One has to assume the weaker the player’s academics, the higher the probability he will sign if offered. I’ve heard discussions go both ways in trying to determine if weaker academics could “help” his draft status? My gut feel tells me the weaker academics will actually hurt his draft status and/or his signing bonus. Again I think this is where the “options” come in and enhances the player’s negotiating position. Scouts are very aware of the “options” the player will be faced with and the seasoned scout can pretty much tell which way a player will go when offered. Just a side note: In my opinion the player may be the “mouthpiece” in declaring his intention to go pro or college, but the parental influence is obvious even with those that claim it was “his” decision so look for scouts to get Mom and Dad’s positions on the pro/college choice. I might ad that I have heard of many players professional careers have been postponed just because a parent said something during the recruiting process.
Fungo

Fungo,
Great post! There is nothing wrong with college baseball, in fact I think baseball made son a better student. I remember while in college I found every excuse known to mankind to get out of class. Son has no excuse, you go or you don't play.

I just wanted to add something. I found out recently that many coaches receive a bonus for every player that has a GPA above 3.0!

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Originally posted by Fungo:
My gut feel tells me the weaker academics will actually hurt his draft status and/or his signing bonus. Again I think this is where the “options” come in and enhances the player’s negotiating position. Scouts are very aware of the “options” the player will be faced with and the seasoned scout can pretty much tell which way a player will go when offered.

Fungo, I completely agree with this.


On one hand you may have some scouts telling you your son should start his pro career early, that college coaches are only worried about winning and not player development, the benefits of playing everyday, etc.

Then, the college coaches are telling you about the valve of an education, the excitement of playing in a college world series, and how small a percentage of pro players make it all the way.

It can feel like you are being torn in two different directions.

Add to that, a major leaguer who advises if your son doesn’t go in the first couple of rounds and get very good money to sign then he should go to college. Wow, is it any wonder parents get involved?

So, keeping the option of going to college open is very important. Whether, he decides to go to a DI or a JUCO.

Some kids are ready to sign after school and others may need another year or two. It is all about keeping your options open.

Just wanted to add, that IMO signing with a well know DI for baseball will probably get him more of a signing bonus than signing with a junior college or smaller 4 year school. But, that is probably a different topic.

Having been through the process I have to repectfully disagree with the above statment.

While higher GPA gives you more options for choices, it does not necessarily mean you will have better draft options. More and more teams (due to restrictions with slot money unless you are a TOP prospect) will not offer you a bonus and give you extra money for your scholarship amount in your pocket. They will let you walk away and try again in three years. Yeah, yeah I know there is a MLB scholarship plan, but it is NOT the college experience. And make sure you read it carefully beforehand.

It's esier for a team to sway a prospect to sign that might have difficulty going to school and handling baseball at the same time. I have seen more prospects NOT drafted out of high school or drafted later rounds(with hopes of a draft and follow) because of good scholarships and high GPA's. I have seen more and more HS prospects getting drafted because of lower GPA's and small scholarhip amounts. No offense to anyone with my opinion.

Someone said once, the draft isn't always about finding and getting the best talent, but the best available players.

TPM,

I understand why you disagree and respect your opinion.

I agree with you that many very good players go un-drafted because a club may not believe he can be signed away from college.

I know of a very good pitcher who had the talent to go in the early rounds of the draft a couple of years ago. He was an excellent student, his father was a doctor, and he had a scholarship to a very good University. He went un-drafted because he wasn’t signable.

I think scouts do a very good job of checking out prospects for signability before the draft. That means a lot of very good players won’t get drafted, because the scouts know they can’t get them to sign.

Not to venture too far off on a tangent, but are there any restrictions on pro scouts speaking to H.S. players that can effect NCAA elligibility rules?

There are no restrictions on professional scouts talking to high school players.

Thats correct. Pro baseball and pro scouts have no restrictions at all. They can come and go as many times as they would like and they can call and talk to you every single day if they so choose.

As for college baseball vs Pro baseball. That would be a personal option. Most kids and their parents like the college option because they know what the road leads to as oppossed to the unknow fear factor that goes with what pro ball has to offer. AT LEAST IN THEIR MINDS. I see many many kids who transfer from one college to the next because the situation didn't turn out the way they wanted it to in college. I also think that has a bearing. In pro ball if the player or parent doesn't like the way its going there is no undoing or changing it. Pro baseball and all the teams do a great job of taking care of the high school players. They really do.

For most parents and even the players now. Its about the all mighty dollar. If your goal is money, GO TO SCHOOL. If its about trying to be a major league player, GO PRO.

I hear alot of this college experience bull. Well you get that everyday in pro ball. You meet some great people and all of them are also within the 4 years of age you would be in college. You'll have lifetime friends and even better fun than in college because your doing baseball everyday and not attending class as a social security number. In pro baseball you have a name.Is it really about the partys? Can you name one job that will give you a 100 grand bonus and pay for your college? Can you name one job that you can get that will pay you over a million dollars a year if you make it to the big leagues. Sure its hard to make it. But shouldn't everything be something that you have to really work hard to attain?

VANCE34,GREAT POST MY BROTHER!!!

All of these responses are very good!

It is really the individual's own decision and can be very difficult to make.

I've seen the best and the worst of each side of decision and as I have said many times here and elsewhere You better get the dough while the gettins good. Here are just a few from 2006 draft that I have seen in scouting endeavors>

Clayton Kershaw
Colton Willems
Preston Mattingly
Kyle Drabek
Chris Marrero
Chris Huseby

and on and on....this is just the tip of the iceberg...help me out with others HSBBW board....There are many many more! Peace, Shep

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You want a $1,000,000 in the bank, plus college costs, or do you want to roll the dice, study hard and try to become a great ballplayer at the same time?