Transfer Portal Outweighs Recruiting High School Players

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Send us a text The college baseball landscape has fundamentally changed, and today we're pulling back the curtain on the recruiting reality that coaches and players are facing nationwide. At the heart of this transformation is a critical choice: developing high school talent or tapping into the transfer portal for seasoned players. When Oregon State's head coach Mitch Cannon candidly admits, "With a roster of 34, you don't have room to keep a whole bunch of guys around to develop," he's voic...

Send us a text

The college baseball landscape has fundamentally changed, and today we're pulling back the curtain on the recruiting reality that coaches and players are facing nationwide. At the heart of this transformation is a critical choice: developing high school talent or tapping into the transfer portal for seasoned players.

When Oregon State's head coach Mitch Cannon candidly admits, "With a roster of 34, you don't have room to keep a whole bunch of guys around to develop," he's voicing what many coaches are thinking but few are saying aloud. The transfer portal has become the fast track to filling roster gaps with battle-tested talent. Need a lefty bat with gap power? There are 20 available right now. Lost your Friday night starter? A fifth-year senior might be ready to step in this weekend. For programs under pressure to win conference titles and make postseason runs, these immediate solutions are increasingly hard to resist.

Meanwhile, high school players find themselves competing not just against other teenagers but against grown men with years of college experience. This isn't just changing recruiting—it's transforming the developmental foundation of college baseball. The space for late bloomers is shrinking, replaced by a more transactional environment that values immediate contribution over potential. For players, parents, and coaches navigating this new reality, understanding these dynamics isn't optional—it's essential. Whether you're a young player with college aspirations or a coach rebuilding your roster, this episode provides crucial insights into baseball's recruiting revolution. Subscribe, share with someone who needs this perspective, and join us next Wednesday for another deep dive into the game we love.

Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality.

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Chapters

00:00 - Welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged

01:28 - The Transfer Portal Recruiting Dilemma

03:31 - Why Coaches Prefer Transfers

05:11 - High School Players Getting Squeezed

06:35 - Navigating the New Recruiting Landscape

07:51 - Final Thoughts and Closing

Transcript

WEBVTT

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Hello and welcome back to Baseball Coaches Unplugged, the podcast where we get real about the game.

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I'm your host, Coach Ken Carpenter, and today we're diving into a topic that's changing the way college baseball operates from the inside out the recruiting dilemma.

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Do you go all in on high school prospects or do you hit the transfer portal and grab seasoned, battle-tested players?

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This is the new balancing act for college coaches and it's reshaping rosters around the country.

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Welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged with Coach Ken Carpenter, presented by Athlete One.

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Baseball Coaches Unplugged is a podcast for baseball coaches, with 27 years of high school baseball coaching under his belt, here to bring you the inside scoop on all things baseball, from game-winning strategies and pitching secrets to hitting drills and defensive drills.

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Discover how to build a winning mentality.

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Inspire your players and get them truly bought into your game philosophy Plus, get the latest insights on recruiting, coaching, leadership and crafting a team culture that champions productivity and success.

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Welcome to Season 3, episode 38.

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Be sure to hit the subscribe button and look for a brand new show every Wednesday, where I sit down with some of the best coaches from around the country.

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I'm your host, coach Ken Carpenter, and today I'm going to dive into a topic that's changing the way college baseball operates from the inside out the recruiting dilemma.

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Do you go all in on a high school prospect or do you hit the transfer portal and grab a seasoned, battle-tested player?

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High school tournament play is happening and it's on to travel baseball for exposure to college coaches.

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Not so fast.

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This is the new balancing act for college coaches and it's reshaping rosters across the country, the new recruiting landscape.

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Let's set the scene.

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You're a D1 coach trying to build a winning program.

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Do you take a chance on an 18-year-old who just finished his senior prom or do you go after the 21-year-old transfer who's already lulled 250 college at-bats or has thrown 80 innings against SEC or mid-major lineups?

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That's the decision coaches face every single week in the recruiting world.

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Coach Mitch Cannon, oregon State's head coach, nailed it when he said with a roster of 34, you don't have room to keep a whole bunch of guys around to develop.

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It's almost as if am I going to trust an 18-year-old who has never played Division I baseball to come in and do this, or are you going to get a 21-year-old transfer who has 100 of at-bats in experience?

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That quote hits hard and it's a reflection of many college coaches right now but many maybe aren't saying this out loud why the transfer portal is so attractive.

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Let's be real.

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The transfer portal is the fast track.

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You can fix holes in your lineup immediately.

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Need a lefty bat with gap power.

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There's 20 of them in the portal right now.

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Lost a Friday night guide to the draft.

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You might find a fifth year senior who's ready to slot in this weekend.

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And for the programs that are under pressure to win now, the portal gives them a way to stay competitive.

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There's less risk.

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These are older players, physically developed and mentally tougher, already used to the grind of playing college baseball.

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For coaches trying to keep their jobs, win conference titles and make postseason run, it's not hard to see why they lean that way.

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But here's the flip side.

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What happens to that high school player, the kid who's always dreamed of putting on a college jersey, grinding in the cages, showing out in tournaments, emailing coaches and attending prospect camps?

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Now he's competing not just against other high school players but against grown men With life experience and three years of college ball under their belt.

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That's a tough sell.

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Talented high school kids are getting squeezed out, not because they don't have the tools.

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Kids are getting squeezed out not because they don't have the tools, because they're not ready right now.

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Coaches can't afford to wait three years for development.

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They need production, not just potential.

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Where does that leave developmental coaching Programs like Oregon State used to be known for developing guys over time, but, as Coach Canham said, there's less and less space to keep guys around.

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That long-term investment model is disappearing and that's tough, not just for players but for the game.

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Baseball has always been a sport where late bloomers thrive, guys who figure it out in year two or three.

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But with the portal and roster crunch, fewer of those stories are going to exist.

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We're heading to college baseball environment that's older and more transactional and, frankly, less patient.

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So what's the answer?

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Honestly, there's no perfect fix right now, but here's what I believe as someone who talks to coaches from all over the country High school players, you must be ready now more than ever, physically, mentally and skill-wise.

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You need to project as a contributor early.

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If not, that opportunity most likely will not come.

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College coaches, the elite recruiters, will still take a few high school guys and develop them, but they've got to be selective.

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They're looking for baseball IQ, makeup, strong work ethic and not just having all the tools.

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Parents Parents, please listen, understand that process has changed.

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Getting recruited today is not just about your son being good enough.

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It's about timing, roster dynamics and experience level.

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Final thought the portal isn't going away and neither is the dream of high school kids playing college baseball.

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But we're all going to have to adjust players, coaches and parents if we want them to thrive in this new world.

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It's not better or worse, it's just different.

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That's a wrap on this episode of Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

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If you took something away, drop a quick review and share of Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

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If you took something away, drop a quick review and share it with the coach who needs to hear it.

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New episodes drop every Wednesday, same time, same dugout.

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Until then, keep coaching hard and leading with a purpose.

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Baseball Coaches Unplugged is powered by the Nettie Professionals improving programs one facility at a time.

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Contact them today at 844-620-2707 or visit them online at wwwnettingproscom.

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As always, I'm your host, coach Ken Carpenter, and thanks for listening to Baseball Coaches Unplugged, thank you.