How to write an email to a college coach 📩

During the year, I speak with thousands of student-athletes and their families about the college recruiting process.

Often, the first question I am asked is how to contact college coaches directly.

A thread 🧵 In a world of social media and instant messages, college coaches truly prefer direct contact from a student-athlete.

I will stress the “direct from the student-athlete” many times, parents will draft emails on their student athletes’ behalf.

The best coach ⚾ I ever had in my life between the ages 13 - 15 never played a day of college baseball.

❌ There's no such thing as lessons for a 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 year old.

That's not how a child should learn ❗

Basic athletics 🏅 are learned through simple repetitions. We need to learn how to make contact with a ball with a round barrel bat.

Learn how to catch a baseball with a leather glove.

How to throw a baseball to their partner, whether it's you as a parent, a friend, or potentially a teammate.

Travel baseball ❓

As a coach, who should I trust?

More importantly

Who should I trust as a parent?

When looking for the QUALITY of a travel organization... Don't worry about who has played in that organization.

Focus instead on who's coaching...

What's their background?

High school baseball parents:

Do you have a high school athlete who may be affected by the NCAA transfer portal?

I receive many emails asking me how the transfer portal works.

I thought I would answer that question here while we are heading into the semester break.

THREAD 🧵 The college baseball transfer portal has been around for decades, it’s nothing new. It’s been changed and enhanced to give student-athletes more options.

Travel baseball is transient in that it is not uncommon for young athletes and families to switch between travel programs.

Going to share something with Twitter followers, rather than continue to opine on social media about the murky waters of youth baseball, I have decided to take action steps 🧵🧵 When I use the term Youth Travel Baseball, I want to make sure people understand where I am coming from. I am not in any way trying to paint a picture with broad brush. While MANY are solely after the $$$ there are several that truly give back their time ..🧵

The Importance of Baseball College Camps ⚾

Today's question was submitted by a parent in Kenner, Louisiana:

“Is it better to attend showcases or college camp as far as a recruiting tool?”

A thread 🧵 Over the last thirty-plus years, the college camp question is an often-asked question.

In today’s world of youth baseball, the college camp has become an extremely valuable tool and resource for college coaches from across the country.

Recent changes to the structures of the MLB draft as well as the reduction of minor league teams are expected to bring significant change to the landscape of youth baseball and college recruiting.

THREAD 🧵 The upcoming shift will affect the way athletes are going to develop, which will impact how young athletes are going to have to prepare for competitive college baseball.

🧵Harsh realities of Baseball Parents: The Journey is filled with ups and downs. Here are a few (of MANY) of the mistakes I made as a baseball Dad... 🧵 Your High School athlete is going to have days of social stress. You cannot see it, you will not here it, most of all you probably won't recognize it. The stress of a teenager, girls, friends, schoolwork, weight of expectations are burdening the student athlete play a role