Does The Transfer Portal Outweigh Recruiting High School Players

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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.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome back to Baseball Coaches
Unplugged, the podcast where weget real about the game.
I'm your host, Coach KenCarpenter, and today we're
diving into a topic that'schanging the way college
baseball operates from theinside out the recruiting
dilemma.
Do you go all in on high schoolprospects or do you hit the
transfer portal and grabseasoned, battle-tested players?

(00:23):
This is the new balancing actfor college coaches and it's
reshaping rosters around thecountry.

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Welcome to Season 3, episode 38.
Be sure to hit the subscribebutton and look for a brand new
show every Wednesday, where Isit down with some of the best

(02:32):
coaches from around the country.
I'm your host, coach KenCarpenter, and today I'm going
to dive into a topic that'schanging the way college
baseball operates from theinside out the recruiting
dilemma.
Do you go all in on a highschool prospect or do you hit
the transfer portal and grab aseasoned, battle-tested player?

(02:55):
High school tournament play ishappening and it's on to travel
baseball for exposure to collegecoaches.
Not so fast.
This is the new balancing actfor college coaches and it's
reshaping rosters across thecountry, the new recruiting
landscape.
Let's set the scene.
You're a D1 coach trying tobuild a winning program.

(03:17):
Do you take a chance on an18-year-old who just finished
his senior prom or do you goafter the 21-year-old transfer
who's already lulled 250 collegeat-bats or has thrown 80
innings against SEC or mid-majorlineups?
That's the decision coachesface every single week in the

(03:39):
recruiting world.
Coach Mitch Cannon, oregonState'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 todevelop.
It's almost as if am I going totrust an 18-year-old who has
never played Division I baseballto come in and do this, or are

(04:00):
you going to get a 21-year-oldtransfer who has 100 of at-bats
in experience?
That quote hits hard and it's areflection of many college
coaches right now but many maybearen't saying this out loud why
the transfer portal is soattractive.

(04:21):
Let's be real.
The transfer portal is the fasttrack.
You can fix holes in yourlineup immediately.
Need a lefty bat with gap power.
There's 20 of them in theportal right now.
Lost a Friday night guide tothe draft.
You might find a fifth yearsenior who's ready to slot in
this weekend.

(04:41):
And for the programs that areunder pressure to win now, the
portal gives them a way to staycompetitive.
There's less risk.
These are older players,physically developed and
mentally tougher, already usedto the grind of playing college
baseball.
For coaches trying to keeptheir jobs, win conference
titles and make postseason run,it's not hard to see why they

(05:11):
lean that way.
But here's the flip side.
What happens to that highschool player, the kid who's
always dreamed of putting on acollege jersey, grinding in the
cages, showing out intournaments, emailing coaches
and attending prospect camps?
Now he's competing not justagainst other high school
players but against grown menWith life experience and three
years of college ball undertheir belt.

(05:33):
That's a tough sell.
Talented high school kids aregetting squeezed out, not
because they don't have thetools.
Kids are getting squeezed outnot because they don't have the
tools, because they're not readyright now.
Coaches can't afford to waitthree years for development.
They need production, not justpotential.
Where does that leavedevelopmental coaching Programs

(05:55):
like Oregon State used to beknown for developing guys over
time, but, as Coach Canham said,there's less and less space to
keep guys around.
That long-term investment modelis disappearing and that's tough
, not just for players but forthe game.
Baseball has always been asport where late bloomers thrive

(06:17):
, guys who figure it out in yeartwo or three.
But with the portal and rostercrunch, fewer of those stories
are going to exist.
We're heading to collegebaseball environment that's
older and more transactional and, frankly, less patient.
So what's the answer?
Honestly, there's no perfectfix right now, but here's what I

(06:40):
believe as someone who talks tocoaches from all over the
country High school players, youmust be ready now more than
ever, physically, mentally andskill-wise.
You need to project as acontributor early.
If not, that opportunity mostlikely will not come.

(07:02):
College coaches, the eliterecruiters, will still take a
few high school guys and developthem, but they've got to be
selective.
They're looking for baseball IQ, makeup, strong work ethic and
not just having all the tools.
Parents Parents, please listen,understand that process has

(07:26):
changed.
Getting recruited today is notjust about your son being good
enough.
It's about timing, rosterdynamics and experience level.
Final thought the portal isn'tgoing away and neither is the
dream of high school kidsplaying college baseball.
But we're all going to have toadjust players, coaches and

(07:48):
parents if we want them tothrive in this new world.
It's not better or worse, it'sjust different.
That's a wrap on this episode ofBaseball Coaches Unplugged.
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Baseball Coaches Unplugged.
If you took something away,drop a quick review and share it
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New episodes drop everyWednesday, same time, same

(08:09):
dugout.
Until then, keep coaching hardand leading with a purpose.
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(08:31):
listening to Baseball CoachesUnplugged, thank you.