Recognizing the Intangibles

A baseball player’s talent is always going to be top of mind with coaches and recruiters when considering if that player is right for their program, but the decision goes beyond just skills. 

While some things may seem obvious—a strong work ethic, leadership skills, a positive attitude—other subtle traits may pique their interest and determine if a player has a future in their college baseball program. 

How you carry yourself counts

Matthew Schirm, regional advisor with College Athlete Advantage, has 13 years of college baseball coaching experience and spent recent years advising high school players about the recruiting process. He noted that a player’s competitiveness is something that resonates strongly with coaches. 

“It’s a tough thing to measure, but when college coaches are out watching games, they can get a feel for that based on how the players play the game,” he said. “Are they hustling in and out of the dugout? Are they running out routine ground balls and fly balls? Are they still playing hard and have good energy even if their team is way up or way down? A lot of these are intuitive.” 

Character is another trait that Schirm points to, as coaches don’t want someone who is going to be difficult to deal with off the field. 

“It’s tough to see on the field what they are like off the field, but there are definite red flags that stick out,” Schirm said. “For instance, if a player is throwing his equipment or is not engaged with his teammates. That could cause the coach to dig deeper into what someone is like off the field.”

Dick Cooke, associate director of athletics for Davidson College, who collected 601 wins as coach in his 28 years leading the team, said every coach has different metrics for judging who they want on their team, and more emphasis has been placed on discerning character in recent years. And that could mean talking with coaches, travel coaches, teammates, and teachers.

“It’s becoming harder to determine [character] now. A college coach needs to talk to a number of folks to really determine that,” Cooke said.

Going through someone’s social media can also be important to a coach and the recruitment team, he noted.  These accounts often tell a lot about a player’s maturity level, how arrogant they are, and if other issues could be detrimental to a team. 

Act fast or miss out

John McCormack, head baseball coach for Florida Atlantic University for the past 16 years, noted that with roster changes, anyone coming in has to fit a specific need and they need to understand the urgency.

“They return phone calls, or when you ask for their transcript, it doesn’t take two weeks,” he said. “When you take weeks to get us stuff, we’ve moved on. Recruiting works very, very quickly.”   

Another thing that gets under McCormack’s skin is when he gets a player on the phone and they just don’t engage on the call. 

“If we want you to play for us, I want to hear what you have to say,” he said. “If he’s afraid to make a phone call or isn’t good at that, how’s he going to lead a defense if he’s a shortstop or command respect from his teammates?” 

McCormack warns that players and parents who try to hold off schools because they are waiting to get a better deal are taking a big risk. The same holds true for those who aren’t honest about other scholarship offers, as coaches will check with other schools. 

“Don’t do that; you’re not going to beat the coaches, they’ve been doing this far too long,” McCormack said. “If we find someone is lying, we don’t want to get involved with those people.” 

Grades aren’t everything

While most coaches will say that academics are super important, the reality is that it depends on the school and coach. 

“It’s often not as important to some coaches, especially if it’s a really good player,” Schirm said. “As long as a player can get admitted to the school and has the ability to help the team win, they are not going to care too much about their GPA. Where it may matter is if it’s a tie breaker, with two players being about equal… they will probably lean towards the more academic kid.” 

Cooke added that for some players—especially those who aren’t going to be a draft pick but have the character that he likes for his team—grades and classes he takes could be the wild card in making a final decision. 

Talent gets you noticed, but intangibles seal the deal

A lesson Schirm learned during his years coaching is that it’s best to figure some of these attributes out before it’s too late and a player is added to the team, which is why he feels coaches are putting more stock into these traits than ever before. 

“These intangibles are critical for some of these players,” he said. 

When it comes to college baseball recruiting, talent may open the door, but it’s the hard-to-define traits—character, work ethic, and communication—that truly determine who walks through it. 

Don’t miss out on the latest tips and insights—sign up for the weekly Travel Baseball Guy newsletter!