Every year college coaches say the same things:
“We need competitors.”
“We need culture guys.”
“We want players who care about winning.”
But then recruiting season starts and we all get distracted by social media hype.
A bullpen video.
A TrackMan screenshot.
A velocity jump.
An Instagram highlight reel.
The truth is, you can’t recruit a player off Instagram.
Everyone looks good in a controlled bullpen. The game under pressure is different. That’s where character gets exposed.
If you want to build a winning culture, recruit people before you recruit metrics.
I want to know:
How do they communicate?
Do they return messages? Are they respectful? Do they ask good questions?
How do they work?
Do they love the process or just the attention? How do they respond to adversity?
Are they athletic?
Can they move? Can they make adjustments? Can they compete?
Do people follow them?
Because leadership isn’t a title. It’s influence.
Velocity matters.
Metrics matter.
But character matters more.
Some of the best players I’ve coached were never the most talented.
They were the guys everyone wanted beside them when the game was on the line.
Talent gets you recruited.
Character helps you win.