Balanced Attack - Part 1

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

A hot topic for high school baseball families that comes up every year is how to approach the summer, fall, and winter schedule to maximize your baseball opportunities. Springtime always has the HS season as the focus, so that one is usually not debated much. However, how families choose to spend their time (and their money) in the other three seasons is one that is filled with a lot of different opinions and viewpoints.

One of the biggest mistakes I have seen parents make over the years as it relates to the college recruiting process is to fill their time (and budget) during these seasons by relying exclusively on college camps and showcases. Many parents get enamored with telling their friends and people in the community that we are off to “xyz school” this weekend for a big showcase, or “Johnny” got invited to “abc college” camp this weekend so we are flying out tomorrow, etc. In the end, this type of shotgun approach can turn out to be a frustrating experience for a number of reasons.

Parents need to understand that a balanced attack to the college recruiting process is required. It doesn’t pay to run off to every showcase or college camp invite, especially if the schools in attendance are not good fits for your son’s profile. These trips can be fun, and in certain specific instances are extremely valuable, but they can not be the only factor to consider when trying to determine how to best maximize your “baseball budget.”

At Baseball Factory, our staff constantly stresses to families that they need to look at four different areas of focus EACH year when determining their plan of attack to prepare for college baseball. Leaving out any of these four areas can create an unbalanced approach and leave you behind the curve.

As a parent, if this topic leaves you scratching your head and confused, check back next week when I go through the first two areas of focus.

Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.