Baseball Recruiting Guidelines
This was sent to me. I think it is interesting reading with some truth, but there is no cookie cutter that puts you into a level. Heart, passion, HWA (How to Win Awareness), coachability and attitude are difficult to measure and play a big role in the process. Coach Faulkner RXR
In order to compile these Recruiting Guidelines, NCSA tracked hundreds of former NCSA student-athletes who have gone on to compete at the collegiate level, polled college coaches across the nation, and materialized college rosters at all levels of competition.
Baseball Recruiting Guidelines
Division I:
The typical Division I baseball player is ‘polished’ and already has all the tools necessary to be successful as a freshman. As opposed to the Division II baseball player, the typical DI player needs far less development, if any. The position players possess at least 4 of the 5 measurable tools – hit for average, hit for power, arm strength, speed, and defensive abilities. The pitchers display a command of at least 3 pitches with high velocities. On average, they have the ability to throw many innings, and most often they are only used on the mound and rarely as position players. Most D1 players come from large high schools. Many of these programs are considered the best in their area or in the state. In addition, most DI players have been awarded accolades such as All-Area, All-County, or All-State.
The average characteristics by position are as follows:
Right Hand Pitchers:
-Height: 6’1”
-Weight: 180 Pounds
-Over 1 K per Inning Pitched
-ERA below 2.50
-Velocity: 88-90 MPH (Verified by neutral source)
Left Hand Pitchers:
-Height: 6’1”
-Weight: 180 Pounds
-1 K per Inning Pitched
-ERA below 2.50
-Velocity: 85-87 MPH (Verified by neutral source)
Centerfielders:
-Height: 5’11”
-Weight: 170 Pounds
-60 Yard: 6.6 (Verified)
-Velocity for OF: 86-87 MPH (Verified by neutral source)
Middle Infielders:
-Height: 5’11”
-Weight: 175 Pounds
-60 Yard: 6.8-6.9 (Verified)
-Velocity from INF: 85+ MPH (Verified by neutral source)
Catchers:
-Height: 5’10”-6’0”
-Weight: 180 Pounds
-Pop Time: Sub 1.95 (Verified by neutral source)
Corner Infielders:
-Height: 6’2”
-Weight: 200 Pounds
-Power Numbers: 8+ HR, 30+RBI
Division II:
For some colleges, especially those in the southern states and out on the West Coast, DII Baseball is an extension of DI. There are very few differences between the typical West Coast or southern DII player and the average DI player. For the DII schools up north, the athletes may be a notch below the average DI and perhaps a little less polished. They may not throw as hard, play for the top high schools programs, or possess at least 4 of the 5 measurable tools. This is not always the case, as there are some very solid DII Baseball Programs up north. However, it is no secret that overall, the better baseball schools are those located in warmer climates.
The Minimum Requirements by position are as follows:
Right Handed Pitchers:
- Height: 6'0' (Preferably taller)
- Weight: 175 lbs
- Averaging about 1K per inning pitched
- ERA below 3.00
- Velocity: 85 MPH
Left Handed Pitchers:
- Height: 5'10' (Preferably taller)
- Weight: 165 lbs
- Averaging about 1K per inning pitched
- ERA at 3.00 or below
- Velocity: 83 MPH
Center fielders:
- Height: 5'10"
- Weight: 165 lbs
- 60 Yrd Time: 6.8 or below
Middle Infielders:
- Height: 5'9"
- Weight: 165 lbs
- 60 Yrd Time: 6.9 or below
- 79-80 MPH from SS
Catchers:
- Height: 5'10"
- Weight: 180 lbs
- Pop Time: 2.0 or below
Much can be determined on film. It is very difficult to measure defensive abilities on paper. Fielding percentage cannot be used as an accurate statistic because it is difficult to calculate and it can be easily manipulated. Most Division II players have received several accolades, such as All-Conference or All-Area.
Division III:
Some DIII programs are stronger than others, but there seems to be more continuity with the physical characteristics of DIII players than there are for DII or NAIA. Certain DIII programs, such as Wisconsin Whitewater or George Fox, play at a superior level. However, for the most part, the range of physical characteristics was slim.
The Minimum Requirements by positions are as follow:
Right Handed Pitchers:
-Height: 5’8”
-Weight: 155 Pounds
-1 or less than 1 K Per Inning Pitched
-ERA below 4.00
-Velocity: 81 MPH
Left Handed Pitchers:
-Height: 5’8”
-Weight: 155 Pounds
-1 or less than 1 K Per Inning Pitched
-ERA below 4.00
-Velocity: 79 MPH
Center fielders:
-Height 5’7”
-Weight: 140 Pounds
-60 Yard Dash: 7.0 or below
Middle Infielders:
-Height: 5’7”
-Weight: 150 Pounds
-40 Yard Dash: 4.9 or below
Catchers:
-Height: 5’8”
-Weight: 165 Pounds
-Pop Time: 2.1 or below
NAIA:
The discrepancies in characteristics are very severe when it comes to NAIA baseball. Some NAIA schools are playing at a DII level, while others are competing at a lower DIII level. NCSA found a mix of D2 criteria and D3 criteria make up the recruiting guidelines for this league.
Junior College Baseball:
Unlike NAIA, junior colleges do have 3 divisions for the purpose of separating stronger JC programs from the weaker ones. While there may be somewhat of a drop off in talent between Division III junior college and Division I and Division II junior colleges, there is little difference between DI and DII junior colleges. Many of the junior college players lack the ‘polish’ to be considered DI players coming out of HS, but they already possess the necessary physical tools to be successful at the DI level. All they need to do is harness and polish those skills. The GPA’s of most of the junior college athletes are lower than those attending 4 year schools, suggesting that these athletes need to two years to mature academically as well.
Preferred Grades for All Divisions:
3.0 GPA +24 ACT + 1000 SAT (out of 1600) (No scores needed for underclassmen)
In order to compile these Recruiting Guidelines, NCSA tracked hundreds of former NCSA student-athletes who have gone on to compete at the collegiate level, polled college coaches across the nation, and materialized college rosters at all levels of competition.
Baseball by the Numbers
Schools Offering Baseball
NCAA Division I
291
NCAA Division II
242
NCAA Division III
373
NAIA
213
Junior College
394
Total
1,513
Athletic Scholarship Opportunities
Division I (per school)
11.7
Division II (per school)
9
NAIA (per school)
12
NJCAA (*varies per school)
24
Student-Athlete Participation
NCAA Division I
10,195
NCAA Division II
8,603
NCAA Division III
11,588
NAIA
6,390
Junior College
11,820
HS Student-Athletes
478,029
Note: Division III schools offer merit, academic, and need-based scholarships
Advice from another source
Advice for Travel Baseball Players
By Jake Chapman, Showcase U Founder
I have spent the better part of this summer watching a lot of baseball, specifically travel team tournaments and showcases. The players I've seen this summer have varied greatly in speed, size, arm strength and overall baseball talent. And depending where I sit each game, either near the parents or with the college coaches and scouts, I find that although everyone may be watching the same players - we all see them from a different perspective. It is interesting to listen to the college coaches talk about players, coaches and parents. It might surprise you to learn what "little things" they take very seriously. So without further ado, here are just 5 simple tips to help you, your teammates, and coaching staff make a good impression to coaches at the next level. 1. Have your updated information available. I learned from college coaches and scouts that that one of their biggest pet peeves is an incorrect roster or a team with no roster at all. Let's face it, some coaches are great on the field, but not very good at administrative duties. If this is the case for you and your travel team, take control of the situation. Make sure for every tournament your team plays, your roster includes current, correct info. Include player name, number, grad yr, ht, wt, position(s), academic highlights and relevant contact info for the team AND each player. Coaches take these rosters and make notes on them. It is to your advantage for them to be able to contact you if they like what they see. Keep extras available and proudly pass them out to coaches in attendance if the tournament promoters have not already done so. 2. Get out of the box and hustle down the line. 3. Take your infield/outfield round seriously. There may not be a more important tip than this one. If you are lucky enough to have college scouts in attendance during your infield round, this may be your only chance to showcase your skills. You may not get a ball hit to you all game, and if you do, it may not be a play in which you'll be able to showcase your range, hands, or arm strength. Remember there are eyes on you at all times. Hit your cut-off man, throw accurately, and NEVER unleash the rainbow or "grenade toss" from the outfield. While it might feel good to bypass the cutoff man and throw it on the fly to 3rd or home, if you can't do so on a low line, you are only hurting yourself. Practice like you play, for it could perhaps result in a scholarship for you over the guy on the other team. 4. Take care of your body. As many travel ball season are long and played during the hottest time of the summer, fatigue can set in. Don't let those long rides and extra inning games beat you. The mentally tough players separate themselves from the others in these conditions and scouts certainly recognize it. Some simple things that you can do might be considered obvious, but worth mentioning. 5. Exhibit stellar baseball behavior. Don't allow you and your team be part of any game that results in college coaches and scouts saying those dreaded words --"that was some bad baseball." You want them to leave saying, "those kids play the game right" or "that team was well coached." This makes them want to come back and watch more games. If you are a player that exhibits some of the behavioral traits listed below, you might be on the right track.
This may sound like a no brainer, but I've witnessed countless examples where good players take bad swings and jog down the first base line. Any baseball player should know that scouts bring 2 main tools with them to baseball games. The obvious one is a radar gun...the other -- a stop watch. They use it for many things, but in this case they want to measure how quickly you can get out of the batter's box to first or second base after you've put the ball in play. I sat next to 2 Division I coaches who both raised eyebrows and nods of approval after they saw a player ground out sharply to second base, but ran home-to-first in 4.1 seconds. With every at-bat, you have an opportunity to showcase a skill - power, the ability to drive the ball the other way, speed down the base paths to name a few. By not hustling out every play, you are giving the scouts a reason to not like you. The serious player won't allow this to happen.
