Only a few weeks after taking the reigns as Recruiting Coordinator in addition to my role as Director of Player Development, I have developed my own catch phrase. My role is simple in theory: Get players better, and get better players. If my daily actions aren’t moving one of those two areas forward, I am wasting my time.
That leads me to the theme of this week’s post, “re-recruiting” the team. I have heard the idea of “re-recruiting” the players you already have on your roster thrown around by a few of the top developmental programs in the country, but what does this entail?
Before that question can be answered, I believe we need to take a step back and examine our goal in recruiting. Put most simply, if you remember my new mantra, we recruit to get better players. We look to fill holes, reload, and/or improve upon what is already there. Maybe we as coaches are looking for a particular skill or a cultural fit that we feel will catapult our program forward.
But external recruiting isn’t always needed. Yes, natural turnover from seniors graduating is expected, but recruiting within the program isn’t so much about adding more players, it is about lighting the fire within the current players all over again. Although re-recruiting may be an afterthought to many teams, it can lead to increased trust, a stronger culture, and more committed athletes.
The need for re-recruiting is probably best served by first sharing a quick story. A stellar infielder I know joined a solid collegiate program on the rise prior to the 2018-19 season. While he struggled a bit offensively, he was regarded as one of the top defensive players in the nation with the stats to prove it. To raise his draft stock, he followed it up with a grueling off-season plan to boost his offensive abilities. When the 2020 season shut down, his average and OBP were up over .080 and .100 points respectively. All sounds well and good, but he never “felt the love.” Whether it was in regards to his defensive prowess, his above average speed, or his significantly improved hitting in 2020, the kid never felt valued by his coaches. This is a kid like many others who has dreamed of playing big league baseball, and as the dream approached a tipping point, he felt lacking support from the coaches of the program he boasted across his chest. From his perspective, they were more focused on finding his replacement. Consequently, the best infielder on a rising D1 program recently elected to transfer for his final year of eligibility in hopes of finding the support system he feels he needs to continue to elevate his level of play and push him closer to his big league dreams. Keep in mind this is a top of the order guy who played everyday and is considered one of the top defensive players in America, not a disgruntled role player.
How could this have been avoided? Obviously, that is a tough question to field with so much going into it, but I believe all he wanted was a plan and some feedback. I am not saying that every player needs a packet explaining how great they are, how they will never be replaced, and/or how they will one day see their jersey retired. Players simply want to be cared about, and know that their highest ranking goals matter to their coaches. That goes for both academics and athletics.
The best compliment a coach can receive is being called a mentor, is it not? Therefore, re-recruitment isn’t limited to what happens at the field. As the NCAA loves to say on their commercials, “just about all of us will be going pro in something other than sports.” That should be supported and even celebrated. Working towards a degree is a big deal, and networking connections are probably even bigger. A coach can greatly assist in developing that network. Although it may not have seemed like it as a young student-athlete, looking back, I now appreciate just how much academia can make or break an experience. While most colleges have academic advisors who purport to fill this role, in my experience, most players are far more likely to have their views regarding a university’s academic opportunities shaped by their coaching staff.
If we look back to the brief story above, the player discussed told me he never felt he had a sense of direction with what he was doing. He operated in the ever so common darkness of, “if I just do my thing, the scouts will notice.” To a certain extent, that might be true, but as a coach, so much more can be done to assist in helping a player accomplish his athletic goals.
First and foremost, a coach should simply ask each player what his baseball aspirations are. From there, create a detailed development plan that begins with an objective assessment of where a player stands currently versus where he wishes to be. Businesses refer to this as a “gap” analysis where you first define the “current” state and then fill in all the missing pieces necessary to achieve your “desired” state. Performance metrics and analytics can help define the current state as they offer a simple method of comparison and allow for easy improvement tracking. From that point comes the pseudo-individualized practice/drill/exercise prescription for the individual to achieve the desired state. Again, metrics can be of assistance. This does not mean you send the player off on his own to work solely toward his individual goals, but rather, it might mean you create a different looking batting practice plan than the previous player or a different series of drill progressions in a bullpen. This may seem simple, but I assure you, individualization, regardless of how minor, makes anyone feel special. And when we look back at the recruiting process, isn’t that how we are trying to make players feel?
The re-recruiting process does not need to be terribly complex by any means. As stated previously, recruiting involves academic, athletic, and personal development, so the re-recruiting process should offer just that. From an academic perspective, it starts with honoring and supporting the efforts of the guys. Academic check-ins are a great start, but not every guy will need a check-in. I am a firm believer in picking a student of the month. Academics should be celebrated within athletics as this continues to push athletes off the field and may assist in their future careers. Additionally, I believe a networking group should be created. We all recognize that often who you know matters more than what you know. By establishing a networking group, players can create connections with alumni or other sources that players can take advantage of for the rest of their lives (as an aside, this is also fantastic method to keep alumni involved, but I won’t dive deep into that in this post). These connections allow players to see what it means to represent your program both as a student-athlete and then in the work force. It puts meaning to the degree they will one day receive.
Moving back into the practice/skill development setting, player engagement, or “buy-in” as many would say, is essential for team success. Engagement also keeps players attached to the program. Although most think of engagement to the team, I contend that being engaged to one’s own personal development process is essential as well. Think back to the story above. The player mentioned that he felt as though he did not have an individual plan to help him reach his goals, regardless of team success, and that was the source of his discontent. Monthly meetings or even informal check-ins to go over both short-term and long-term goals as well as projections should be used to keep guys on track. A player then can see how much his coaches care about him as an individual, and not as just another number on a jersey. From these meetings, each player should be able to articulate precisely what he needs to do each day to advance towards his goals. Either formal or informal check-ins by coaches as to how a player is progressing on his short and long-term goals, whether the goal is tied to performance or mental approach, will go a long way in helping players feel special.
Now in a team setting, player engagement during a grueling off-season or deep into the dog days of the season can be tough, especially for those who do not log a lot of innings on the field. A great way to manage this is through competitions and awards. I am a big proponent of awarding a practice player of the week, a best positional group of the week, an Iron “insert team mascot here” award, etc. These honors bestow a greater meeting to the grind associated with being a collegiate athlete, especially for those who may not receive the glory associated with playing time. Recognition and awards will keep them coming for more and will build commitment amongst the team.
A final, easily actionable component of re-recruiting is the use of social media. Although using social media is likely far from the number one priority of any college coach, social media provides a platform to show off what it means to be a part of your program. Hype up your guys. Post stats. Share videos. Recognizing your players on a social media platform only furthers the program. By posting about your players, they will feel the love, the community will feel more involved, and scouts will have greater access to information. All of this puts the players already in the program on a pedestal.
In review, so much of college baseball involves looking for the next best thing. This can commonly leave current players, even key contributors, feeling under-appreciated. Instead of constantly focusing on getting better players for the future, focus on getting current players better through re-recruiting. Show them why they made the right choice by selecting your school just a year or so ago. Performance/development meetings, academic check-ins, and intra-team competitions are a great way to keep everyone committed and feeling important. Also, don’t hesitate to boost your guys up. Everyone wants to feel loved and recognized. Social media is a great tool to show off the program and allow the guys to feel special. This practice of re-recruiting increases trust, creates a stronger culture, and results in more committed athletes. When planning for the future, you cannot forget about the present.
Thanks for your time,
Adam Moreau, MBA, CSCS
Director of Player Development and Recruiting Coordinator
Eckerd College
419-250-7243
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