Virus causing a recruit backlog
Patience imperative over next few months for high school seniors.
Patience is imperative during the next few months for high school baseball seniors who have not yet committed to college programs. The postponement and eventual cancellation of the spring season in midMarch due to the spread of COVID-19 was only the start of what is becoming a complicated conclusion to the recruiting process for the players.
“It’s unfortunate for some of these guys who haven’t signed yet or maybe could have signed,” Windermere High coach Eric Lassiter said. “Most of the guys that are unsigned at this point are good enough players; it’s just finding a good enough fit for them. Usually that means [coaches] reaching out to [junior colleges] or smaller schools.”
But with the sports world at a standstill and NCAA coaches and athletes limited to phones and computers when it comes to communicating through the end of May, a wait-and-see approach is being taken by all involved.
Part of that standstill is the result of the NCAA granting spring sports athletes, including seniors, an additional year of eligibility. The National Junior College Athletic Association extended that same option to its sophomore players. That means roster spots will be tough to come by at any level for high school prospects even after the NCAA removed its roster cap of 35 players for the next season.
Division I baseball programs are allotted 11.7 scholarships and D-II programs have a total of nine scholarships to spread among 27 players. That scholarship cap jumps to 24 for NJCAA and is 12 for NAIA programs.
“It’s going to be difficult for both the 2020 class and the 2021 class with the NCAA’s decision to have the seniors come back,” Lake Mary coach Jeff Perez said. “It’s going to create some sort of logjam, so even if you’re a [high school senior] that’s already committed and you’re going in to fight for a spot, things might be a little different depending on if there’s a senior or two in front of you deciding to return.”
Colonial coach Mike Smith said two of his seniors had a real shot at landing at schools in Tallahassee — one at FAMU and another as a preferred walk-on at Florida State — and that other recruiters planned to visit before the shutdown.
“When I communicated back with the colleges they pretty much said ‘there’s nothing we can do at this point’,” Smith said. “They said they were going to go with what they got and pick [recruiting] back up for next year.”
College programs won’t know who will stay or who intends to leave until after the MLB Draft takes place June 10-12. Because scouts missed out on final assessments of high school seniors, expect an amended version of the draft to be dominated by college selections and followed by a flood of free-agent signings.
The NCAA transfer portal is also likely to play a factor over the summer. It’s the safest place for schools to restock by way of graduate-transfer seniors or junior-college prospects in order to add depth and experience as prep players remain away from campus.
The uncertainty of being left behind on the recruiting trail has led Perfect Game scouting director Jered Goodwin to notice an uptick in seniors and underclassmen committing to schools without even getting a chance to make a visit.
But Goodwin, a former Hagerty coach and FIU recruiting coordinator, sees brighter days on the horizon this summer for the baseball community. He’s optimistic that Perfect Game travel baseball amateur events can return by the start of June or July and give high school juniors and seniors the chance to compete again in front of college scouts.
“We’re very aware and motivated to help as many guys as we can,” Goodwin said. “When we get the OK and everything is safe, our focus is going to be just as much on the 2020 kids to help get colleges and recruiters aware of them. That’s what makes our sport so unique. We’re so competitive with each other, but a situation like this happens and you see so many people trying to help these high school seniors.
“There’s going to be a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “Just be ready for it.”
Recruiting in coronavirus era
The Orlando Sentinel is examining the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on recruiting across all sports in a sevenpart series. It started with Sunday’s look at boys basketball, Monday’s report on boys and girls soccer and today’s story on baseball.