Official vs Unofficial Visits

Here's the caveat. You receive a letter to from a college coach. Everyone in the family is thrilled and believes you're being recruited. Well, you are not! True story...When I was a Senior in High School, I received a letter from Duke University. Yes, the one and only, Duke Blue Devils. It seemed as if they couldn't wait for me to come down and tour their campus, practice with the team and indulge in all of the University activities Duke students go through. I was elated, to say the least. As a senior, I held a .527 average with 10 home runs and a 1.34 ERA. In my mind, I was the best of the best. I thought I had "all" of the tools. At least that's what I thought....Until I brought the letter home to show my Father, a Retired, 82nd Airborne Veteran. He took one look at it and said, " Why the #@%& would Duke want you, with your grades and SAT scores? I thought, "because I'm that good!" Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. I soon learned that these letters (even 20 years ago), are letters that would generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for universities. You do receive some good instruction from college coaches and maybe you'll raise a few eyebrows, but don't expect much more. Don't get me wrong. You "will" have that occasional player that will be found there and eventually recruited, but they are few and far between. Many parents can be easily fooled by these letters and believe their child is being recruited, when they are not. And it's not that I'm not totally against camps at all. I will always recommend some camps to players so they can experience the college baseball atmosphere. There's nothing wrong with seeing it first hand. But to expect much more, can send many into an illusion that you "are" being recruited. Remember one thing. If you are being recruited, college coaches are calling/texting you multiple times. They are not vague in their language and there are no "gray" areas. They either want you or they don't. It's that simple.