College: Training for Success On and Off the Field

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

As I mentioned in my previous post, anybody who plays the game has dreamed of making it to the Major Leagues. It’s the ultimate goal to have as a baseball player, and I applaud anyone that shows the desire to make this dream a reality. However, I’m a firm believer in the role college plays in a young man’s development, both on and off the field. There are many reasons to continue your athletic pursuits in college, not only to have that guarantee for success after professional baseball, but to give yourself a chance to enjoy the game, learn and develop as a player.

Eventually, we are all told that we are not big enough, fast enough or strong enough anymore. For someone playing professional baseball, having a degree can act like a mental “safety net.” Instead of worrying about each game as “make-or-break,” you will be able to concentrate on your development knowing that you have insurance should your playing days end sooner rather than later. And the longer you wait, the harder it is to make it back to college. The professional season at the minor league level is accompanied by long bus rides, cheap hotels and living paycheck-to-paycheck. During the offseason, taking time for school has to compete with working part-time jobs and conditioning. Even this is before raising a family enters the picture!

From the development side, you’re going to be a better player if you enter the draft out of college. Each year, the draft features many players that were either drafted very late out of high school, such as Florida State’s Buster Posey (#5 Overall in 2008 out of college, 50^th Round in 2005 out of high school), or not at all, like Missouri’s Aaron Crow (#9 Overall in 2008 out of college). In 2006, former Exclusive Player Chris Perez was selected in the 1^st Round out of Miami after not being drafted out of high school. He’s now pitching in the major leagues!

Players that enter pro ball right out of high school are not nearly as developed as college players, and thus face a steeper learning curve. When they were in high school, draft-worthy players were able to rely on their athletic tools to get by hitters or pitchers. In the pro ranks, they face much tougher competition than they did in high school, and can no longer rely on these tools to be successful. By facing college competition, you will learn how to use your natural ability to its fullest potential and will be a more complete player.

Finally, one way or another, most players have to deal with being away from home for the first time and the reality of being in complete control of their lives. How will you deal with a slump or an injury? Can you learn to manage a schedule that balances your personal life with outside conditioning, personal upkeep and your professional endeavors? Not only will you have to learn to manage a schedule, but you will have the added responsibility of managing your own money and dealing with the consequences of your personal decisions. At least in college, you will have more opportunities to learn from the same mistakes you would make in the real world!

Having to choose between college and professional baseball means that you’ve got the natural ability to be a successful player wherever you go! However, I can’t stress enough the difference going to college will make for any baseball player. You will be more prepared for the pressures of professional competition both as a complete player and as a complete person. Remember, there is a difference between dreams, promises and FACTS.


Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.