Verbal commitments aren't always 'commitments"

There are many stories going around this time every year about some big name D1 schools mysteriously backing out of some of their verbal commitments using lame and unbelieveable excuses. Can anyone speak to this really happening?

Thankyou and adios

 

I have definitely seen this happen and it leaves the kid out to try as most schools have already committed all of their money to other players.

 

Although not nearly as common as found in football and basketball, where a commitment is worth the paper it's not written on, it does happen in baseball---from both parties.

Sometimes a player and his family decide that the school is not the "right fit." Sometimes the school has changed coaches. Sometimes the player did not do his work in the classroom or on-off the field. There are many reasons this can happen, but in most cases when a player-coach give their commitment, all other schools back off and no longer contact the recruit.

In my opinion, the only satisfactory excuse for backing away from a commitment is a coaching change or a family life changing experience.

 

One of the myths of college baseball recruiting.

Overheard in the high school stands: "Someone knows someone who knows someone whose cousin was 'decommitted' by the coaching staff. Simply because they no longer wanted him!" (Often said of a rival program of the one liked by the person bringing the topic up.)

Reply: "Oh my gosh, you're kidding! Wait until I tell so-and-so that. Their son is thinking about committing there."

Confirming everything Braves has written here, simply backing out of commitments is very rare. It's a very different scene from football and basketball.

When it happens, it almost always happens for a good reason; from either side. Keep in mind that the cause can be embarrassing to the player and/or family (i.e. grades fell dramatically soon after the college committed). In those cases, it's sometimes more palatable to claim that Johnny got bumped to the curb for no reason other than the coaches liked someone better.

This one is loosely connected to the sideline conversation in which someone knows someone whose son received a "FULL BASEBALL SCHOLARSHIP."

Right.

;-)

 

baseball scholarships: %????????????

Anybody have any idea about the breakdown of Scholarships at D! schools, ie. what percentage are 25% offers, 50% offers, etc etc???



balls.......... woah, guess I ought to change my name abbreviation.

 

It's tough to generalize here; in part because quite a few programs aren't funded fully enough to provide their full allotment of 11.7 scholarships. Obviously, if their pool of allocable funds is smaller, the program's percentages are going to be smaller than that of the fully funded program. (As a result, that's a very good thing to find out early about a programs that seem interested in your son.)

However, since 2007, fully funded programs have been required to provide at least 25% of the player's total costs for 27 of the 35 players allowed on the roster. So, if a player is receiving a baseball grant-in-aid, he's going to receive at least 25%. Meanwhile, up to eight players on the full, 35-man roster would receive no athletic aid. (They may receive academic aid if their academic credentials are as good as those of non-athlete students receiving similar academic aid packages.)

A VERY rough rule of thumb would be that the majority of players receive at or just above 25%. A few, highly contributing position players and pitchers receiving regular innings would receive between 25% and 50%. Amounts between 50 and 75% would tend to be reserved for pitchers who are proven weekend starters or strong candidates for a weekend slot in the case of Freshmen.

Keep in mind that athletic scholarships are only good for a year at a time. It's not unusual for players who earn their way into considerable playing time to see their scholarship awards increase as they proceed from season to season.

This is the very sort of subject that ought to be discussed thoroughly with coaches and players (and their parents) before a commitment decision is made.

Having stated all of this, my strong opinion is that a "good" scholarship is the one that makes it possible for the player to attend the college that seems to be the best "fit" for him. That would suggest that the best scholarship might not be the one that covers the highest percentage of a player's costs.