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Friday Five Tool Five (Dec. 3)
12/03/2021

Friday Five Tool Five (Dec. 3)

Introducing the Friday Five Tool Five. National Scouting Director of Five Tool Drew Bishop gives out thoughts and information on Five Topics on his mind. This new segment will be a weekly occurrence.

In today’s installment of the Friday Five Tool Five we touch coaching changes

1. Recapping Episode 23 of the Five Tool Podcast about coaching changes

In the past week college football has seen a massive wave of high profile coaching changes with Lincoln Riley heading to USC, Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame for LSU, and Billy Napier going to Florida. With changes of this magnitude comes a trickle down effect that touches support staffs, players, and recruits leading to unmeasurable uncertainty. For our intents and purposes, I thought I would touch on a few things to think about when going through the recruiting process in relation to coaching changes.

  1. When picking are a school, are you considering that the coaches currently employed may be gone before you get there or leave while you’re there? If so, does that change your opinion of that school or program? Some people choose a school for the school, some people choose a school because of the staff. Make sure to consider how you will feel if a staff or a certain coach leaves and what your response will be.
  2. In my time in college baseball, I had a front row seat to recruits and families who valued different things in the recruiting process. Everyone has their own reasons for picking a school and that is each recruit and their family’s prerogative. There really isn’t a right or wrong reason, but in my opinion, some items on a checklist should be considered more heavily than others. One thing I do find to be true is that you should ask yourself that if baseball wasn’t going well, would you be happy at that institution separately? Do you like the town, the school, your teammates, etc.? As we all know, baseball is a game of failure that even the best players in history always experience. That said, you need to make sure that when you inevitably go through those failures, you will be able to enjoy the experience outside baseball making it much more likely for you to stick it out through the adversity.
  3. One thing to keep in mind as you decide where you are going is to treat all the coaches and staffs that recruit you with respect for reasons outside of just being a good person. First, you never know if the person that you are ultimately telling no when deciding on a school might be your coach one day via a coaching change. Second, you could very well end up in a situation where you need to or want to transfer and if you handle the process poorly, you might find yourself with fewer or less ideal options.

At the end of the day, with almost anything, doing your homework to gain an informed opinion and treating people with respect goes a long way and that holds true in the recruiting process, just as it does in life. Coaching changes have ripple effects that need to be accounted for as the money grows in baseball and the hiring/firing cycles are accelerated from years past.

2. The Alston Case and how it affects college baseball

Recently, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of college athletes being able to be paid for education-related benefits and financial compensation for academic achievement. As a result, schools are allowed to pay student-athletes up to $5980 per year based on criteria set forth by the individual institutions. All schools will be able to offer this money, but not all will. Several Power 5 schools including Ole Miss, Texas, and OU have already announced that they will be paying the max. Each of these schools have different criteria to enable the student-athletes to receive the full amount so be sure to ask schools you are interested in if they have this benefit on top of your scholarship and, if so, how it is distributed amongst their athletes.

3. COMMITMENT SPOTLIGHT

Jake Melvin | 2023 RHP| Anderson HS | GPS Legends Baseball

Dallas Baptist snagged a big commitment this weekend from Austin Anderson HS RHP Jake Melvin. Melvin made a big jump this fall and gives DBU a potential future weekend starter to add to their already impressive 2023 class. The 6’3 righty has been up to 89 this fall with a fastball that really jumps late. There is a looseness in his arm and delivery coupled with a projectable frame that makes you think there is a lot more in the tank from a velocity standpoint. Melvin has shown multiple breaking balls and a feel for the change-up. From everyone I have spoken to, there is a work ethic and drive that paints a pretty clear path for development for him over the next several years.  It looks like DBU found another unknown gem at a recent camp and has to be excited at the thought of the impact Jake can have early in his career.

4. UNCOMMITTED SPOTLIGHT

Mac Rose | 2023 RHP/UT | Rockwall HS | DBAT-Bonesio

Mac Rose is a do-it-all player. The son of Rockwall Head Coach Barry Rose excels on the mound, at the plate and at multiple positions in the field. On the mound, Mac has been up to 93, possesses a swing and miss slider, and has feel for the curveball and change-up. At the plate Mac has a history of hitting for average and power. A mature hitter, Rose has the ability to drive the ball in the gaps or over the fence just as easily as he finds a hole to advance runners. As a member of the 2021 All-Summer team, Mac hit .431 with six doubles, three triples and five home runs in Five Tool events. A baseball junkie, Mac’s love and knowledge of the game really shows up in the field as I have seen him pitch, catch, play both corners and he has even shown the ability to play outfield. His leadership and willingness to play anywhere on the field, for any team at any time will be invaluable to whatever college program he chooses in the future.

5. Five Tool News-Academic Events

Starting in 2022, Five Tool will be putting an enhanced focus on offering events centered around academically strong student-athletes. Starting with an Academic Combine on January 8, we will begin a series of combines and showcases to bring coaches from strong academic schools across the country to watch a collection of players that will need to meet certain academic benchmarks to participate. Be on the lookout for more information on Twitter and on the website at www.fivetool.org.

Also, don’t forget that we’ve added new items to the Five Tool Shop. Visit www.fivetoolshop.com for some newly released gear including Nike long-sleeve dri-fits, Nike and a Jordan Jumpman hoodie.

If you missed out on anything in the Fall or are looking for a great holiday gift, be sure to check out our site!

Drew Bishop
Five Tool Baseball
National Scouting Director
@drewhbishop
drew@fivetool.org

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