Come back every Tuesday for Recruiting Horror Stories™, athletes' first-hand stories on what can go wrong during the recruiting process.

This recruiting horror story is pretty embarrassing: it's about a high school pitcher who thought he was ready to prove himself but quickly learned a lesson. 

Thisl pitcher who could throw pretty hard was a very dominant player. The problem? He thought he could go straight to the pros and didn't need to play college ball. One day, a major league baseball scout was looking at the pitcher, so he threw them a bullpen session where he topped out in the low 80's.The major league scout said to not call him back unless he was throwing much faster. 

Generally, a major league scout is going to look for a pitcher who can throw a fastball in at least the high 80 MPH range with good off-speed pitches and a solid breaking ball, and this one didn't make the cut.

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Even though this was embarrassing it was still a learning experience for the pitcher. He knew that it wasn't time for professional ball but he could still make it at the college level so he went to play for a division one team. I believe that is a smarter decision–he needed to grow his game in college because major leaguers are much bigger and stronger. 

The proof is in the pudding. Many major league baseball players did go to college. It is a great place to work on your weaknesses and progress. You can grow and learn the game without all the pressure of being a professional. So even though this was a recruiting horror story, It was a blessing in disguise so this young athlete could flourish in college and get his ball speed up–one of many reasons why you should always grow your game in college and get yourself an education while you're at it.

Have a horror story of your own? Email us at [email protected]

* Originally published on November 1, 2022, by 2aDays Staff