Dugout Dish: In the Clubhouse with EMD | What's your Market Value?

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. [00:00:11] Speaker B: Welcome to this week's edition of in the Clubhouse with EMD Baseball. I am Andy. Kira Kutis joined with my wonderful co host, Keith Glasser. How we doing? [00:00:19] Speaker A: Great. How are you? [00:00:21] Speaker B: Good. Today we're going to talk about market value, if you will. We're getting to that time of year. Right. We're in the middle of June. Things are starting to heat up. Right. Summer tournaments are starting, guys are going to camps, they're going to showcases, and you're starting, you should be starting to get a feel for where you fit in this whole process. Right. And we all know a lot of kids strive to play at specific levels. Right. D1, for example. But it's not in the cards for everybody. And I think it's the right time to talk about how, as a player and as a family, you need to be able to read the tea leaves in terms of what's out there in front of you and what opportunities are going to present themselves. So with that thought, Coach Glass, let's take this conversation away. [00:01:20] Speaker A: Sure. I think one of the hard things in the recruiting process is being able to balance where you currently are and being recruited and where you and. Or people that are behind you are telling you you should be going. Right. You know, so there's a lot of people that obviously want you to get to the highest point that you can possibly get to, and maybe they don't have all the information in front of you. It could be outdated information, whatever it might be. But I think, you know, the, the market dictates where you're going to be recruited. Right. And it's, you know, especially if you're, you're attending camps, you're going to showcases, you are playing in your, you know, big tournaments, like, you know, like, let's say you're in the Northeast, you play Super 17, the Boston Open, the Blue Chips tournament. Like, you go to all those tournaments that a vast majority of college coaches in the Northeast are going to, you know, and you're playing in front of them and you think you're a Division one guy and you have zero Division one interest. The reality is you're not a Division one guy right now. They've seen you play. They have passed more or less on you. And in this scenario, you have a lot of Division 3 interest and no Division 1. Right. You are profiling as a Division 3 baseball player. And I think sometimes people can kind of get discouraged in that they, they're not getting the interest in which they think it is that they deserve. And the time, the energy, the Effort, the sacrifice, all of that stuff. You know, they feel as though they should be a Division 1 guy when in reality all of that stuff is true for every single player who's going to go play college baseball, regardless of division. So, you know, you're, you're an outlier in that you can go, you have the opportunity to potentially go play college baseball, but you're not an outlier from the standpoint of what it's taken you to get to that point. And I think that that can get a lot of people jammed up when you start realizing that your market value is that of a high end Division 3 baseball player. And that is perfectly and utterly fine. Right? Like you're going to go play college baseball and with the 8% of high school seniors that are going to move on, you know, But I think it's, sometimes it can be a little bit more of a tough pill to swallow of, you know, I've done all this, I think, and people have told me I should be a Division 1 guy, but no one's calling like, okay, let's read the room here then. You are a Division 3 baseball player and again, that's fine. You're going to play high level Division 3 baseball, you're going to compete nationally, you're going to have a great college career and you do have the potential under, under current college baseball landscape to be able to transfer up if you pop, you know, but go where you're wanted. Go where people are recruiting you. Go where the coaches are showing genuine interest and wants you to be a part of their program. If you're just going to chase down, you know, a bunch of coaches that don't want you to be a part of their program and they've seen you play and they know that you're good enough. You're, you're spinning your wheels like you're, you're, you're forcing things that aren't, aren't really in the cards for you while potentially letting go of things that could really benefit you long term in your recruitment process and for your college baseball career, you know, so I, I think the, the market value, if you will, is telling. And it's going to be, it's going to be tough for a lot of kids over the course of the next couple months when you're not getting a lot of Division 1 interest and you think you should be because you start comparing yourself to other people that are out there, right, like, well, I have the same amount, I have a higher average than this guy and blah, blah, blah, blah. He's committed to a Division 1 school. Like it, it's not apples to apples, you know. So like you, you need to worry about yourself. You need to worry about and increase your own market value and land at a place where you're getting genuine interest and people legitimately want you to be a part of their program. [00:05:53] Speaker B: Yeah, I think the, the market value piece, it's key to understand. Right. And you hit on a lot of really good things. I think we're, I think where people get jammed up is they don't understand the market. And this is why we preach watching college baseball. This is why we preach going to college baseball games. This is why we preach education. We, when it comes to the recruiting process is because fundamentally that's where it starts. Right. A lot of people don't understand the barrier to entry to play at a really good Division 3 program. And that's part of the problem, is that there's not enough education out there. And we make these sweeping statements about kids based on random metrics. And you're not taking into account the other stuff that coaches are really looking for. Right. I think you kind of a really good example is like because it's more tangible would be pitchers in terms of, you know, the right handed pitcher who's 84 to 87 right now. Right. There might be some Division 1 schools that like that kid because maybe he's 63 and he's 175 pounds and there's a ton of room for projection and he's a really good mover. Maybe he's a two sport guy. So like you can project out like this kid's going to be really good or he spends a really, really high level breaking ball. But the reality is in today's world, in college baseball most right in the pitchers who are in that 84, 85, 86 range, their sweet spots, Division 3 baseball, that's what it takes these days, that's what it takes to play college baseball. And it doesn't mean the kid who's not, who's 82, 83, 84 isn't going to be able to do it Right. But people make sweeping statements and we see this with some travel ball coaches, we see this with parents in general is that they want to associate certain traits with whatever is going to validate what they think the situation should be. And we talk about it all the time. It is way more nuanced than that. It's not that straightforward and you gotta, at a certain point you have to look in the mirror and go all Right. All these Division 1 schools have seen me. None of them are calling, but I've got some really, really good Division 3 schools that like me. I've. I should probably start paying attention to those schools, because you can. If you see a velo jump or you go and you play really well at a tournament, you can always keep those doors open. Right. This process for a lot of kids is really fluid. And you'll see kids who will go into the summer 84, 85, and then by the end of the summer, they're 87 to 89. Well, that. That equation for that kid, the process for that kid just completely changed. But what we're getting at is, at a certain point, you got to read those tea leaves. And it's hard because it's. It can be a real punch to the ego for the kid. It can be a real punch to the ego for mom and dad. When you go in with these preconceived notions of like, this is where I think I fit, and the rest of the baseball world doesn't agree with you, and you don't want to lose out on those opportunities, that really good schools that you have a chance to go and compete early in your career, get a great education, so on and so forth, maybe really good financial fits, geographic fits. You don't want to dismiss those schools because of how you think things should be and don't have the awareness or kind of the, what's the best way to put this humbleness to be able to look at and go, you know what? Yeah, I think I should be a Division 1 guy, but right now I'm only getting interest from Division 3 schools. I need to go and kick the tires on these schools or Division 2 schools, whatever it is. So don't get caught up playing that game. And you got to come to that realization of, this is where I fit at some point in the process, or else you are going to lose opportunities with a lot of other schools. And the only other thing I'll add to this is be wary of people who blindly reinforce what you think should be true. Right. Trust people who are willing to tell you that you might not be what you think you are, because those people are probably doing it because they want you to make a good decision. Right. There's a certain level of trust that comes with somebody who says, hey, I know you want to go pitch at such and such school, but right now you're not good enough to do it. We need to go look at some of these other schools. That advice will help you Somebody telling you that that coach is wrong and they're not good at their job or they didn't see on a good day and they want to reinforce that behavior, be wary of that conversation because it's likely not going to be beneficial for you. [00:10:39] Speaker A: No. And I think it's where you end up in tough spots where you feel like you're settling rather than finding the place that is the right fit for you. And that's a vastly different feeling in the recruiting process of like, well, I settled here because all these other people didn't think I was good enough. You can certainly use, you know, use not being recruited at the level in which you think you should be as a chip on your shoulder to be able to go get, you know, better and develop and maybe make that jump. But, you know, I think the understanding when the vast majority of coaches, if not all of them that are reaching out to you and have interest are Division 3 schools, then that's where you slot in right now. Like, there's a lot of division ones who have seen you and have, you know, more guys on their board ahead of you, and they might, like, you might be on their board, but they might never get to you. And that's just the reality. There's a lot of guys out there that are going to be like that, you know, and that's with rosters going to 34. And, you know, I think the other side of it too is that, you know, we're seemingly don't have a roster limit in the fall until December 1st of 2025. Like, you might want to ask some questions about, hey, how many guys are going to be on the roster in the fall? Because it might feel all warm and fuzzy to get recruited by a Division 1 school and then you show up on campus and there's 62 dudes there. Well, only 34 are on that roster come December 1st. So you have to be better than a lot of guys that are there. And you might find yourself in an awkward spot and needing to transfer out and do all the things that you're going to have to do to be in the transfer port of the following year, you know, so going where you're wanted, understanding your market value and making sure that that is a priority in your process to, to really understand and get. And it might be a tough pill to swallow for a while, but, you know, it. It sure beats the alternative of going to a place where you might not necessarily want it. And it is a complete uphill fight. And are there going, like, for the listeners Are there people out there that are going to defy the odds? Absolutely. But they're outliers, and we have to. We cannot make outliers. The rule in things like this, like, you need to understand where you're at, what you're doing, who likes you, who wants you, and base your process and what you're doing around that. [00:13:19] Speaker B: Well said, coach. Almost had a long pause there, but I think I rebounded, caught it quick enough. [00:13:24] Speaker A: Can't have a long pause. People don't like long pauses. [00:13:27] Speaker B: Don't like long pauses. [00:13:28] Speaker A: They have to keep looking to see if the. The podcast is still going. [00:13:36] Speaker B: Yeah, it's. Can be a tough pill to swallow. Right. But I think it's one that you got to come to terms with right in. In order to get this right. And I don't want this to be. Cause it is, like, it's a little bit of a downer conversation. Like, you're telling people, hey, like, you're probably not as good as you think you are. Right? But the. The flip side of this, of this is. And like, the positive side of it is, is that if you can. If you can figure out where you fit best, you can focus your energy on. On schools that you should be focused on, right? And you can maximize your ability to get recruited by those schools. Right? And if you end up out playing those schools over the course of the summer and you get some interest, like, great, that's awesome. If you end up going to one of those schools, you end up out playing that school, and you can leverage the transfer portal. Great. That's awesome. But I would. I hate hearing about stories. I hate getting phone calls in what would be like September of October this year with kids that I've seen that I know are good enough to be college baseball players. And they call and they say, hey, I don't have anywhere to go. Can you help me? And you do a little bit of research and you find out, well, they spurned five or six Division 3 programs because they thought that they were better than those schools. And ultimately, the schools that they thought they could play at told them they weren't good enough. And if you could just rewind the tape and go back to July and go, hey, you should go visit that school. You should keep that line open. You should talk to that coach. You should return that text message. You should respond to that email, you'll have that option. But once you burn that bridge, most of these coaches aren't coming back to you because they want guys. There's no shortage of guys that are good players. They're shortage. There's a shortage of guys who are good players that want to be at certain schools. And trust me, coaches want guys who want to be on their campus. It's huge, Right? We recruit guys, right. And we try to sell them on. Hey, this is the right place for you. But we don't want guys who come in with one foot in and one foot out or they're unsure of whether they want to be there or not. We want guys who call us and say, you know what, Coach, I did my research. I think you're awesome. The school's a perfect fit for me. Like, I'm in. Let's do this. We don't want the kid who calls and says, hey, coach, you know, I'm going to apply. Do you still have a spot for me? Like, n. We don't want that guy. We want the guy who's invested in it, who wants to be at that place. And we're early enough in the process now that if you're listening to this, do not spur an opportunity. If somebody shows you interest, you need to at least run that down and better understand if that's a good fit for you, if it's not a good fit for you. If. If you're from New York State, if. And you get a call from somebody at a school in Iowa and you have no interest in going that far away from home. Yes. Tell them, hey, it's not going to be a good fit. But if that school checks even a couple boxes for you, talk to that coach. Get to know that coach. Maybe go check out that campus. Don't burn that bridge because you want the world to be the way you want it to be versus taking advantage of an opportunity that is in front of you. [00:17:03] Speaker A: Well put. [00:17:06] Speaker B: Anything else you would like to add, Coach Glass? [00:17:12] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I think just from a number, not to be dramatic, but, you know, we're going to 34 man rosters like it's a shade over 10,000 kids on rosters that are going to be Division 1 baseball players. Like, just from a perspective standpoint, right? So, like, understanding your market value and understanding what actually goes into this, you know, you're talking about a little over 10,000 people that are going to be playing Division 1 baseball next year. 299 times 34, 10,166. You know, so it's. That's. That kind of gives you the perspective of where you got to be, and that's including kids that are currently on rosters. So, you know, you can probably. If we're doing it from a fair standpoint, we can divide it by four if you want to, for all you. You math majors out there. [00:18:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:08] Speaker A: Because there's four classes, 2500 kids. You have to be one of the best 2500 kids in the country to. [00:18:15] Speaker B: Play Division 1 baseball, so. [00:18:17] Speaker A: Yes, to play Division 1 baseball. So that's just like. It's just. That's just. That's the reality of it. And I don't want to be negative. I don't want to be. I don't want this to be a downer conversation, but you have to know the facts and what you're getting into. When people start throwing around, that's a D1 guy, that's this, that's that. Like, you got to be entirely. You got to be one of the best 2500 players in the country to go play at that level. So that's just the reality. And if your market is telling you that you're not one of those best 2500, then, hey, like, it's fine to go play Division 2 and Division 3 baseball. It's fine to go play juco. Nai. There's really good baseball being played all over the country at all levels. It's fine. But just understand that like this, you know, the D1 mindset and all these things. Like, the market is going to tell you where it is that you're going to fit in because a lot of eyes will be on you, a lot of different coaches will see you, and that market will start to tell you where you are at over the course of the next couple weeks. You know, the next four to six weeks, you'll have a pretty good idea of where you fit in. If you don't call us, we'll help you. [00:19:27] Speaker B: Facts. Hashtag facts. I don't know what the kids new lingo is. I know they have some new words that define. It's not skibidi. Right. Skibidi's bad. Isn't that. [00:19:42] Speaker A: I couldn't tell you. [00:19:44] Speaker B: Feel like I heard somebody say skibidi the other day, and I think. I think it means, like, sketchy, perhaps. [00:19:50] Speaker A: Really? [00:19:51] Speaker B: Sure. Yeah. Yeah. We're just making up words now. I'm. I guess. I guess we probably did the same thing back in the day. [00:19:59] Speaker A: Yeah. The one my kids used to always say was low key. Low key. And then they would say something. I'm like, that makes no sense to me. Like, low key. This place is really good. Like, what. What does that even mean? I don't. I don't know what that means. [00:20:14] Speaker B: That mean, like, on the DL, the down low? [00:20:17] Speaker A: I, I, I think, I think. But be like, low key. Olive Garden's really good. Like, what? [00:20:27] Speaker B: No, it's not. [00:20:27] Speaker A: What are you talking about? [00:20:29] Speaker B: Olive Garden is, is not good. Whatever, whatever your opinion is. I, I would disagree on that one. I'm out on the Olive Garden. [00:20:38] Speaker A: I haven't been in the Olive Garden in decades. [00:20:41] Speaker B: Not me neither. Me neither. I guess when you're in college, you just eat whatever you want, though. So, hey, whatever somebody else is paying for, that's probably the best. [00:20:51] Speaker A: That is right. [00:20:52] Speaker B: What do we, what was the place we went down? We Ryan's. Ryan's Steakhouse and Buffet. We ate there a couple times on the road with the old red Foxes. Ryan's not the finest of establishments, but. [00:21:06] Speaker A: When I was at West Alabama, it was the Golden Corral. [00:21:09] Speaker B: Ah, Golden Corral. Old Country Buffet. That was another one, though. [00:21:14] Speaker A: Gosh. [00:21:16] Speaker B: You get a lot of, you get a lot of food for your meal money at that place? [00:21:19] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. It was like five bucks. All you can eat. [00:21:25] Speaker B: Walk away. [00:21:26] Speaker A: Beat it. [00:21:27] Speaker B: Walk away with there with a good case of diabetes. [00:21:30] Speaker A: Yikes. [00:21:31] Speaker B: Yeah. All right, enough the food talk. Get an understanding here in the next couple weeks and don't be stubborn with how you view this. Seek out opportunities, capitalize on interest, and don't be that person that gets to September and October and looks back and goes, you know what? I probably should have pursued those schools. Don't be that guy. Anything else, Coach? [00:21:57] Speaker A: Nope. [00:21:58] Speaker B: All right, thank you for listening, everybody. Tune in next week. We will talk to you then. Thank you for listening this week. If you're watching on YouTube, go ahead and hit that subscribe button and smash that like button for us. Check us out on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, as well as Spotify. You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram MD Baseball. If you want to find out what me and Keith do to help families and players navigate the recruiting process, go ahead and check us out on emdbaseball. Com. Take a few minutes to check out our new online academy. I promise you'll get some good information out of that. Thanks again for listening. Check in with you next week.