What should high school baseball players actually focus on during the season? In this conversation, I sit down with Sam Sharf of RPP Recruiting to unpack how the high school season fits into the college recruiting process. If you’re a high school player with college aspirations — or a parent trying to help your athlete navigate the pressure of the season — this episode will give you a clearer framework for what actually matters right now.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Introduction
01:00 – What high school players should focus on during the season
03:45 – Why competing and helping your team win matters most
07:30 – What to do if you’re not getting the role you expected
11:15 – Why the high school season prepares players for summer recruiting
15:20 – Learning to compete instead of analyzing outcomes
19:30 – The challenge of staying patient early in the season
23:45 – Why players should communicate with their coaches
27:30 – Varsity vs JV: how to think about game reps
31:40 – What college coaches are actually watching in games
36:00 – Why tools and metrics aren’t enough
40:15 – The importance of body language and competing on every pitch
44:30 – In-season development: strength training, reps, and routines
48:00 – Time management and building habits for college baseball
51:00 – Sam’s advice for every high school player: build your process
🧠 SHOW NOTES
In Episode 89, I sit down with Sam Sharf of RPP Recruiting to discuss what high school baseball players should really focus on during the season.
For many athletes, the spring season feels like a constant evaluation. Players worry about statistics, playing time, and whether college coaches are watching.
But Sam explains that the high school season plays a different role in the recruiting process.
Instead of chasing exposure or obsessing over results, players should focus on competing, developing a consistent process, and helping their team win games.
We discuss:
Sam also shares practical advice on in-season development, including strength training, getting extra reps, and managing time effectively during the season.
If you’ve ever wondered how much the high school season actually impacts recruiting — or how players can make the most of their opportunities — this episode provides a clear roadmap.
🤝 CONNECT WITH SAM SHARF
🌐 Website:
👉 https://rocklandpeakperformance.com/
📷 Instagram:
@RPP_Recruiting
@RPP_Baseball
@sharfsam_
🤝 CONNECT WITH MICHAEL HUBER
⚾ Spring Training for the Mind
👉 https://tinyurl.com/HuberSpringTraining
📩 Free mental performance insights for athletes, parents, and coaches:
👉 https://michaelvhuber.com/newsletter
🌐 Website:
👉 https://www.michaelvhuber.com
📷 Instagram:
@michaelvhuber
Michael Huber (00:00.298)
Hey Sam, good morning, what's going on today?
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (00:03.054)
I'm doing great. Thanks for having me, Mike.
Michael Huber (00:04.972)
Yeah, it's my pleasure to have you on. It's always great to see you. So I think one of the things I wanted to focus on with you today in our conversation is kind of what players should be focusing on during the high school season. Travel balls, obviously, it's its own animal. But in the high school season, what are some of the things you're telling the guys you work with to focus on at this point in the year?
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (00:29.496)
Yeah, absolutely. I think the priority always, right, is you start to get into the season. You got to go into compete mode, right, and really, you know, take that mindset day in and day out. Obviously, you know, you got to, number one, you know, go in there and help your ball club win games, right? The goal, particularly in the high school season, you know, is to try and go win a state championship. So you want to be, you know, in a situation where
Michael Huber (00:36.843)
Hmm.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (00:58.04)
you know, through your play on both sides of the ball or for your pitcher every time you, you know, you get on the mound, you're helping, you know, your ball club get a win. You know, certainly I think you can then start to build from there in terms of your mindset as a player, you know, where you're now starting to take, you know, hopefully the development that you achieve throughout the course of the winter and start to implement that into your game, right? Certainly, you know, as a high school player, you know, you're in a situation where...
Michael Huber (01:21.804)
Okay.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (01:27.758)
you know, you have short term or long term goals, you know, related to your career path, you want to be able to at least achieve to your highest potential, right? Any walk of life, that should always be a personal goal. you know, you hopefully have, you know, really taken time over the course of the winter months to, you know, continue to grow your skill set. And you want to see that implement into your, you know, on field product now, right? So, you know, if you, you know,
hypothetically, we're a guy who really worked on being able to defensively play with more athleticism laterally, right? You wanna be able to go out there, especially early in the high school season, and really be able to work on your first step, right, and your angles defensively to make sure that that work is translating to the game setting.
Michael Huber (02:19.254)
So I guess the thing that comes up for me there is, obviously baseball, for a lot of kids, be an all year round proposition, right? And they work really hard in the world here to get better at some of those things, like you just mentioned, right? Getting more athletic, having a better swing, getting stronger, all those things. They spend a lot of time and energy and they sacrifice a lot of things. What do you tell a kid who comes into the high school season and maybe doesn't have the role that they think they should have, or they feel like
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (02:27.992)
for sure.
Michael Huber (02:47.98)
the role that they have is limiting their ability in the recruiting process. Like how do you sort of kind of help a kid through that sort of situation?
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (02:58.68)
Yeah, absolutely. I think that goes back to the first point, right? Where it's all about competing and you have to take advantage of the opportunities that you do get, right? You know, so it might be, you know, going in there to pinch run early in the season, right? And being able to, you know, go two bases on a ball and play. Now you help set up your team, you know, to win a game late and that might, you know, earn trust from a coaching staff that now says, hey,
he's doing a really good job in this role, let's get him a start. Right now you get a couple of A.B.s, you catch a couple of barrels and your role can grow from there. So where things start is not necessarily how it's going to continue to build as the season goes on. You can't take a mindset of, know, this is my role today and let that affect your attitude, your effort, the way you prepare.
And if you're doing those things, if you stick to your process, right? I know you talk so much about that with players, right? And whether you're playing shortstop hitting in the three hole or right now you're a backup corner outfielder, your process is your process, right? And leading up to first pitch, right? You have to be able to stay inside of that system to make sure you're prepared for whatever the opportunity is going to entail that day, right? Because that's ultimately how you're going to earn more playing time, right?
Michael Huber (04:17.76)
Yeah.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (04:22.338)
being the guy who sits at the end of the bench and sulks and, you know, isn't engaged as a bad teammate, like that's a really good way to cement your spot, you know, in that, in that situation throughout the course of the spring. So I think you just got to really hone in on being a great teammate, bring the energy every day. And again, it might be a sack bunt. It might be on the pitching side, right? Like, Hey, it's a, you know, games out of hand one way or another.
You're getting thrown in there to eat up some innings, but you're going to go in there and you're going to dominate and show coaching staff. Hey, I'm a guy who, you know, this might be my, you know, my role today, but like you could trust me to, go in there and compete. Again, ultimately the goal, I think for everybody, coaching staff, players, people around the program, right. Is to, is to win games. So if you prove that you could be an asset in that area, more times than not, you're going to start to carve out a role. you know, I think similar to obviously college dynamic though, sometimes.
Hey, you've got an older guy ahead of you, right? And yes, the best guys play, but if there's a, you know, a young man who's been in the program for maybe two, three years and has been a starter, like he's going to get the first crack at it and you got to stay patient. And, you know, maybe you've got to be flexible too, where, hey, you know, we've got, you know, older group of infielders and, you know, you're an athletic kid, be open-minded, right? Go play, go play in the outfield.
Michael Huber (05:34.252)
Mm.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (05:46.722)
just find a way to get on the field. So it's really important though, again, I think it all goes back to your process and ultimately understanding that, you know, your job is to help them win games. And if you start to fit into that, you're to start to ultimately, you know, get more opportunity.
Michael Huber (06:02.71)
Yeah, yeah, I think the thing that ultimately comes up from what you just said is controlling what you can control, right? It's a conversation I do have all the time, which is, hey, we don't control the decisions that our coaches make, but we can control whether or not we put the work in to get better and ultimately are ready to sort of contribute, whether that's in a reserve role as a good teammate or ultimately being given an opportunity to kind of expand that role. You mentally want to be ready for that. And I think a lot of kids struggle with that.
So I guess the question that comes up for me is, I think there might be a perception, maybe I'm wrong about this, and maybe this is more global than just baseball, but maybe put the focus on baseball. Do kids, do the athletes you work with perceive, hey, if I was a junior playing behind a senior, and I'm not starting on, my varsity team, I think the perception might be that, hey, how am I going to get recruited if I can't even start on my own high school team?
Could you kind of talk about how college coaches view that? Because obviously there going to be some programs where guys are really deep and guys are really good and they might not start as a varsity player, but they're still good enough to play at the college level. But I would imagine the kid struggles with that. Is that something you sort of come up against at all?
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (07:18.112)
Yeah, I I think, you know, every situation is so different, right? If you're in, you know, one of the, you know, preeminent high school baseball programs here in the Northeast, right? Where we're from, I'm going to miss some here. So hopefully I don't piss too many people off. But you start, you know, places like Poly Prep and Del Barten and Don Bosco and St. Augustine. Just to name a few, that's not all of them. Let me emphasize that again. But places like that.
Michael Huber (07:27.051)
Yeah.
Michael Huber (07:32.748)
you
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (07:47.694)
You know, you're talking about a very high level of high school baseball here in the Northeast and it might take you, you know, a few years to get on the field or you just might be roadblocked, right, where there's some guys ahead of you that are, you know, high level recruits, potential draft guys, right, at programs like that. You know, and it might, again, take away from your playing time a little bit, but I think college coaches understand that.
And even getting into you know your regional high schools writing in your you know smaller high school programs Group one for example here in the state of New Jersey now sometimes Hey, you're you're a junior shortstop, and there's a senior captain ahead of you And it's just like hey you're gonna play second base this spring and I've never seen that kind of dynamic really You know influence the recruiting process to an extreme right I think
The biggest thing for me always with guys is you know got to find a way to get game reps in the spring because ultimately You know the summer evaluation period is going to be you know extremely pivotal for most players when we start to talk about the recruiting process and you want to make sure you're heading into June you know with enough at bats or enough innings logged where you feel like you're really ready to now play to your top level and That's always a tough dynamic of the spring as well
Not to change subject too much, but we kind of throw these guys right into it. Certainly, I think that the infrastructure here, at least in the Northeast, has gotten way better. You're able to at least go live indoors, but you're not getting the same game feel. High school baseball starts mid-March, you get two weeks of scrimmages. Hopefully there's no snow, hopefully the weather cooperates, and then it's like, April 1st, let's roll out there for real.
look at just like the big leakers for example right they're getting you know weeks of spring training to get themselves acclimated so you know I think sometimes to you know be patient with yourself right you've worked hard all winter don't you know don't have a bad you know five-day stretch of games and try and now go reinvent the wheel so like just trust the process trust your work you know really start to again focus on competing
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (10:06.722)
How do I help the team win? Yeah, maybe I'm struggling a little bit offensively right now, but I had a really good at bat there in the middle innings and hit behind the runner and got the guy to third with less than two outs and somebody knocked him in. Take that as, again, a really good moment and start to build on that. So I think that's how you have to start to, again, think about the high school season and that compete factor and how that can help kind of jumpstart your season as well.
Michael Huber (10:31.5)
Yeah, know, and you made me think about one of our mutual clients, right? And a big part of the impetus for my interest in this conversation was his experience last year in the spring where there was a lot of stress about high school, right? About the high school season and performing and living up to an expectation because he had a big role in the team. And it really became more about developing the process through the spring of being, how do I compete? How do I focus on what I can control?
How do I learn how to reset myself and get better at sort of managing all of that so that when the summer comes and the competition level in his case was a lot better, he was ready to deal with that. And that worked out really well. And I think what you said is really important, right? Because kids are coming out of indoor facilities and then they're being thrown onto the field when it's 45 degrees and they're expecting to be perfect right out of the gate. And that's just not realistic or reasonable.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (11:27.0)
for sure.
Michael Huber (11:29.312)
And that can lead to a really heavy duty spiral, right? If you start off slow and you're only focused on the outcomes, like it's going to sink you through the spring if you can't like get bounced back from that. then that's ultimately could have a negative impact on confidence in the, in the summer, which is obviously from a recruiting perspective, more important. So really focusing on that process and being like, Hey, I just want to get good at my process and competing, not worrying about outcomes, just going out there and doing whatever it takes to help my team in the spring.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (11:46.766)
certainly.
Michael Huber (11:58.88)
so that when the summer comes, I'm ready for that and I can handle it. I think that that's really important. And I think, you know, I guess the question I have for you, and maybe this is just based on your experience, like, do you feel like baseball players are looking at it sort of holistically like that? Are they looking at it like a 12 month cycle? Are they looking at it season to season? I think I know the answer by the smile on your face.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (12:21.198)
Yeah, I would say sometimes, you know, they look at it game to game, right? And, you know, the big picture, you know, sometimes escapes them. And, you know, again, these are...
You know the demographic we work in most regularly, right? You're talking about 15 to 18 year old, you know young men, but they're certainly developing, you know, that mental process, right? In a game that, you know, is built on failure, right? That famous saying and you know how they can, you know, start to control, you know, the emotions that come along with it. Again, that's where I think, you know, going back to that compete factor, right? Is so important and
Michael Huber (12:38.092)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Huber (12:51.937)
Yep.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (13:06.008)
The high school dynamic ranges drastically. We talked about some of the top programs in the region, but then you have guys that are extremely talented playing in some small, sometimes to be blunt, less...
competitive cultural baseball settings right and you know for those guys right like you can't let the circumstance dictate how you approach every day and not to get into you know anybody personally but you know the player you reference right he's a division one committin you know he's in a in a high school baseball environment that is you know not as
Michael Huber (13:35.489)
Yeah.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (13:51.842)
you know competitive in terms of the way they go about their day to day structure and I think he struggled with that a little bit last year and it took him really coming up with his own process to have a standard and to execute that to that daily but that not being result oriented either and just because that's the level of play doesn't mean you have to go and hit 700 but just having an understanding of what you need to do to execute your level of play
Michael Huber (14:15.307)
Right.
Michael Huber (14:20.201)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (14:21.776)
know, the standard on a daily basis. And, you know, again, I think that's a good, you know, growth moment for guys who are in that predicament. And I think that's the little bit again, the tricky dynamic of high school baseball, right? It ranges so much, right? you know, somebody who watches, you know, a lot of baseball, a lot of different areas up and down the East Coast, you know, throughout the course of the spring period. Again, you can show up one day and see, you know, upper 80s arms going at it and a really clean.
Michael Huber (14:33.846)
Yeah.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (14:51.956)
athletic game and you can show up in the same state just a few miles down the road the next day and see.
you know some ball that just isn't to that same level right where the pitching the strike throwing just the speed of the game really you know doesn't doesn't play to the upper echelon right of its demographic and but you could see a really good player in that same game set right so how guys go about their business
I is really important during this time of the year. And you start to see guys, I think, separate themselves from, this kid's really skilled, right? You saw him all winter.
He's able to develop from a physicality standpoint, maybe a skill perspective, the metrics, the data is really intriguing, but hey, he just can't translate it to the game setting, whether the game speeds up on him or that compete factor is just not there. I was on the phone with a college coach a couple of weeks ago and we were having a conversation about some of the players that I work with and he had seen some video on a few guys.
your 2027 class looks really good, man. That's exciting. said, yeah, it is. I think we've had a great winter. you know, ask me that same question in May, right? Like once I get out to see guys in the game setting and can they translate those tools and skills into the game and just how do they handle all the things that we're talking about, right? Like, you know, we have some really talented kids that are going to be behind some older guys in their high school environment this spring, right? And can they stay locked in and
Michael Huber (16:10.124)
Yeah.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (16:32.13)
continue to you know again meet the standard on a daily basis. You know we have some other guys that are going to go off to their high school settings and you know have been around a very competitive very intense you know culture all winter in a private setting and now they're going to go back and hey can they maintain that same level of focus that same level of discipline you know inside of their day-to-day actions.
Because those are the guys who start to now you say, he's got a real chance, right? Because he doesn't let the environment dictate how he operates. And then they're obviously able to go play at a high level on a consistent basis. That's when you start to have a clue that that kid's a little bit different. He has a chance to continue his career at a higher level.
Michael Huber (17:19.008)
Yeah. Yeah. I think for me, you know, working with it's so interesting because every athlete is different, right? Some athletes love and they relish that role or sort of being the guy on their high school team. Some don't like it, right? Some want to play more. Some like being in a secondary role, right? They don't like the pressure, like being able to help them sort of make sense of that. Right. But ultimately for me, it comes down to, I think some of the things that you're saying and maybe we're saying it again, which is like,
using that high school season as an opportunity to get better, right? In whatever capacity is sort of being put in front of you, right? Like, we're gonna ask you to play in your position. You're gonna come off the bench. You're gonna come out of the bullpen. You're gonna be the guy, whatever that is, using that as a springboard to be like, hey, I'm gonna use this opportunity to get better, to improve my process, to become more competitive, to not focus on the things I can't control and learn how to do that at a high level so that when I get to the next...
of this, whether it's summer ball or college in some cases, I'm preparing myself to be ready for that next step in my progression as a player versus looking at this season as sort of the end all be all evaluation and like, like that idea of like going game to game, like I was 0 for 4 today with two strikeouts, like I suck versus like, hey, what did I learn from this? Let's just keep trying to get better because it's just one game, right? Like that's a really hard thing.
to help a player learn how to do when they're 15, 16, 17 years old. So, you know, if we could do that, it's actually probably a really valuable use of our time as professionals.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (18:58.028)
Yeah, absolutely. Again, you know, big believer in 1 % better every day. And particularly for guys who have, you know, goal of playing at the college level, like those experiences that you're going to have during your high school career, they're probably going to replay at some point in college.
Michael Huber (19:04.586)
Yeah.
Michael Huber (19:16.768)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (19:20.878)
Potentially right because you're not going to show up on campus and be the guy right there are very few freshmen at any level of college athletics right that are able to to Make that jump in year one and be an instant impact guy So, you know if you're a high school sophomore right in your part pretty talented program or maybe stuck behind some older guys and You got to learn how again to build
Michael Huber (19:21.526)
Yeah.
Michael Huber (19:36.128)
Yeah.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (19:50.016)
a process in that situation because it's probably going to play out, you know, four years down the line when you're in college, right? And if you can lean on those experiences, that's incredibly valuable as your career continues because there's nothing like firsthand experience, right, in any walk of life. So you get to really take that, you know, again, we talked about, right, that big, big, big picture perspective, understand what it is, help build your toolkit into the future.
Michael Huber (19:58.988)
Yeah.
Michael Huber (20:10.145)
Yep.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (20:19.958)
And go from there. know, look at everybody wants to go out there and, you know, play their position, hit the middle of the order, be the Friday night guy, right? Like, you know, especially, you know, to the guys that we work with, you know what I mean? In our different capacities that, you know, have big aspirations for their career, right? Like as a high school player, you want, you know, you want that role. But sometimes it just is, you know, coming, right?
Michael Huber (20:28.875)
of course.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (20:49.696)
Ultimately, you can't allow this current situation to start the high school season, impact what May, June, July, and August are going to look like. Because ultimately, if you're not able to handle that here in the short term, again, it tells you more about that kid long term, and what the prospects are of him being successful down the road into his college career and really beyond.
These same things, we always talk about sports being a microcosm for life and being this great teaching tool, right? These same things are gonna probably come up when you want a promotion at work, right? When you're a little bit older and baseball has come to an end. So these are life skills for you and you just have to understand how to handle them. You gotta make sure the people around you, right? Your circle of people can also help you as well. You know I mean?
These are conversations that we're having right now with a couple of my college guys, right? So ultimately, I think that how you go about your business on a daily basis, the structure is gonna be really a good predictor of your success as the season continues and then into the future.
Michael Huber (21:51.18)
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Michael Huber (22:10.592)
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, listen, something I'm always preaching to the guys I work with is be ready, right? Be ready for what comes next, whatever that next is, right? But if you're not playing, you want to be ready to take advantage of that opportunity when it comes versus I'm not playing. I check out. I'm working all winter. Things aren't going my way. And I'm not starting on day one. And it's like, well, F this coach, you know, and you hear that I'm sure fair amount. I know I do. You know, there's a lot of like, you know,
disdain and like bitterness about like maybe I'm not playing right away versus hey, coaches got to make decisions. Whatever the decision is, it's not up to you. It's not personal. Be ready because you the last thing you want to do is check out, you know, and then they look over down at the end of the bench, say grab a bad or go get warm and or you're to start tomorrow and you're not ready because you've been checked out mentally, right? You got to be ready to handle whatever comes next, good or bad, right? And I think a lot of kids just don't
necessarily look at that way. have to sort of be guided to say, hey, this is not the end of the world. You want to be ready because if they look over and they point to you and say, hey, go in the game and you go in there and you execute your role, like you said before, is going to expand. I guess I am curious about something you said earlier, right? go ahead, Sam.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (23:28.13)
Yeah, just one point on that, right? I the other thing, and we're all guilty of it. I think players look at these things solely through their lens, right? They don't necessarily understand what coach is trying to do or the entirety of the roster, right? And the complexity of a clubhouse and all the different moving pieces that that coach is responsible for.
Michael Huber (23:37.344)
Yeah. Yes.
Michael Huber (23:48.812)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (23:52.686)
I try and challenge players anytime these conversations come up to try and think about it from that side of the table, right? And you know, you have a senior, right? That's been part of the program for four years. Like, yeah, he's done his part. He's a, you know, a plus kid. He's a, he's a leader. He's a person who has embraced the culture of the program. Like he deserves an opportunity at the first shot. Like that's the way this goes. that, that's, you're going to want that same respect when you're in that situation. So, um,
Michael Huber (23:57.622)
Mm-hmm, yes.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (24:22.594)
I think that's a really important concept for players and I would say for parents to understand and challenge their kids and themselves to think through that lens more so than just the me, me, me.
Michael Huber (24:34.728)
Absolutely. mean, that that point is so important in terms of a conversation I have all the time is like, it's not it's not personal personal. It's you trying to understand and put yourself in the coach's shoes is really important because it can give you some perspective on, hey, this isn't all about you. Like I used to work with a coach, baseball coach who said like the players would be like, why don't you like me, coach? And he'd like, I like you a lot. That's not what this is about. Right. Like he's like, if I didn't like you, I wouldn't like talk to you in like
you know, be friendly with you and like care about you. It's just, I only have nine spots on the field and you I got to make choices about what's best for the team. And the other thing that comes up and I'm sure you can appreciate this and I think it was sort of lined in what you were just saying, which is like coaches make decisions and they build rosters and they build lineups for many, many different reasons. Sometimes they don't play the guy with the highest ceiling. They play the guy with the highest floor, right? The guy that they can trust.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (25:29.238)
Absolutely.
Michael Huber (25:30.752)
to show up every single day and give him the same level of effort and attitude and performance, knowing that, hey, this is exactly what I'm going to get versus, hey, this guy's, his ceiling is crazy, but then what if he doesn't show up today and now he's down in the ditch and I can't rely on him, right? I think kids don't see that too. They'll say, I'm better than so-and-so, but they don't think about it as are you consistent as so-and-so, or is there something the coach is trying to do that has a specific reason for playing that guy over you?
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (25:54.542)
for sure.
Michael Huber (25:59.85)
and you just don't understand it, right? So if you want to understand it, go ahead.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (26:02.018)
No doubt.
Yeah, I think one of the things that often comes up in those situations and I ask guys like, how are you practicing?
You know, guys are, you know, if they don't have a good answer to that, it's usually an indicator because a lot, you know, again, there are certain dynamics, right? You know, senior captain, right? That guy's going to get a chance. But if it's close, right? Hey, maybe there's two underclassmen go, you know, going for the same position, the same type of role. The guy who's, you know, doing better at practice, right? With obviously the execution of his skillset, but then the effort and the attitude and the energy.
Michael Huber (26:20.929)
course.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (26:39.586)
the way he fits into the team, right, in terms of culture and being a good teammate, like, that guy's getting the first crack at the end of the day, right? So, you know, these are all things that are super important that you have to be aware of. It's just not about, I wanna play.
Michael Huber (26:39.616)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Huber (26:57.196)
Exactly. So something, something you, what I was going to ask you is something you said before, like, you know, like talking about trying to get as many reps as possible in the spring so that you're ready for the summer. So like, what, what, what do you say or like sort of how do you help your players think through like, Hey, I'm a fringe guy on varsity. Maybe I'm an underclassman, I'm a sophomore on varsity. I've got like sort of a reserve role, but I can be up there and play against better competition and practice with better guys versus
Hey, I can get a ton of it bats a ton of innings on JV sort of how do you like take them through that conversation? Cause I would imagine that that probably varies by by player.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (27:34.574)
Yeah, we tend to have a lot of guys who fit into that predicament as sophomores, you know, usually. It's a tough dynamic, right? I think it really starts with the high school coach and what their plan is for the kid. I've always said, think the most ideal, you know, kind of guy is, or...
Michael Huber (27:49.164)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (28:02.606)
Ideal situation for that kind of guy is, come beyond the varsity, practice, you know, play when we can get you game reps, but then, you know, kind of work you into, you know, the JV squad most likely and get you, you know, consistent game reps so that you're continuing your developmental arc. That's probably the most ideal way to handle that situation. Does it always play out like that? No. You know, I've, you know.
Michael Huber (28:25.174)
Yeah.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (28:32.578)
talked with players, had this conversation many times over the years, going to that guy and saying, it's okay to walk into your head coach's office respectfully and say, hey coach, we're having a great season, I'm really excited about it, this is an unbelievable opportunity. Obviously, as a sophomore right now, we've got some older guys ahead of me. I was just curious if there'd be maybe a chance to go down and play with the JV a couple of times here in the next few weeks, just so could play.
and get some more innings and some at bats and see what the conversation is. Again, I think like anything, how you approach those conversations, the word choice, the style of communication that you utilize will impact probably how that is. again, coach is the boss, right? He might say, hey, we need you here and I want you to be around the older guys and be ready for the opportunities you get.
Michael Huber (29:00.502)
Yeah.
Michael Huber (29:08.693)
Yes.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (29:29.24)
Some guys might be okay with it, but I think that conversation is always okay, again, as long as you approach it correctly.
Michael Huber (29:36.086)
Yeah, I'm glad you said that because that's like one of the things I wrote down. Like communication is such a, it's such a big part of my work because I think the thing that I see as a mental performance coach is the uncertainty creates anxiety about like, I don't know why I'm not playing or I want to position myself for the future, right? Recruiting wise and I'm not playing what's that mean? And so they're all these ideas go through their head about what's going to happen.
They're playing at the future before they even get there. The best thing that they could do for themselves most times is to set up a meeting respectfully, maybe email coach and say, I talk to you? Prepare for that conversation. Try to go ahead. yeah, yes, a hundred percent. Right? And I've gone through that a lot with high school and college guys. Like, Hey, you need to go talk to your coach, especially high school, email your coach or go knock on his door and say, can I talk to your coach?
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (30:13.944)
Yeah. You do it though, not mom and dad.
Michael Huber (30:32.306)
frame it as I want to contribute, right? I want to help the program. I want to help the team, right? What do I need to Exactly. Exactly. And then you get the feedback, whatever that answer is. And I would say this, I say this to the kids all the time, whatever that answer is, you might not like it, but it's better than not knowing, right? Because then you could take it and go, Hey, you know what? I understand. I don't like it, but I understand what he's thinking. At least I'm not guessing anymore. Now, maybe I can make some changes or he says, Hey, I don't see a role for you on varsity.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (30:35.34)
Absolutely.
What can I do to help win games?
Michael Huber (31:02.198)
Hey, can I get some at bats on GV? Yeah, we can probably work that out. Now you're getting, you're working on getting better and you're taking ownership of your career versus like feeling like I can't do anything about it and I'm stuck here and I'm mopey and sulking and I didn't get the at bats or innings I wanted. Now going into the summer trying to like rebuild my confidence when now maybe there's more eyeballs on me because it's that time of year, right? So I think that that's really, really important. So I,
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (31:06.455)
Absolutely.
Michael Huber (31:31.946)
You talked about competing and that's I've been on a couple of podcasts myself talking about how do we get guys into compete mode? And you know, there's a whole, think, winter element of that, trying to incorporate things into winter training that start to point them towards competing. But I have a story that you probably were at the same game about to tell you about that was at a high school game a few years ago, back when one of your guys was playing in like a in like a state level.
Championship type game here in Monmouth County and I was standing next to a college coach a division one coach who I didn't know but I could tell who he was based on his his his gear and I asked him I Roughly asked him the question like so what are you looking for in a game like this? Because it's kind of odd to see a college coach at a it's like a high school game in the spring He says I want to see how guys compete when the games are meaningful, right? I only usually get to see him in travel ball where it's a totally different dynamic. I thought that was really interesting. So
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (32:01.379)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Huber (32:30.27)
What happens, what's happening during the high school season in the recruiting process is, are there things that coaches are able to do and are looking for, or is it just more of an anomaly because they're in season and they just don't have the time to sort of look at kids play in those more competitive situations?
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (32:48.726)
I would say anytime a college coach is going to get out in the spring period, it's to see a specific player, right? Maybe somebody that they've seen, you know, in the previous season that they're actively recruiting, maybe as a kid that camped, right, you know, during the winter months that they really liked and want to try and get ahead on prior to the summer. Usually it's very targeted. know, seldom are you going to see a
Michael Huber (32:55.372)
player.
Michael Huber (33:02.657)
Mm-hmm.
Michael Huber (33:06.732)
I
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (33:16.088)
high school excuse me, college coach just show up to a high school game to see what's on the field. That doesn't occur very much in the summer either, but even more rare. In the spring season, again, like you said, their own season is going on, so the time is just precious. Maybe caveat being, you get poly prep first like the Stony Brook School right out on Long Island. And you can kind of look across all nine positions and
Michael Huber (33:40.097)
Right.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (33:45.774)
Pretty good chance you're see a division one commit or a future division one commit, something like that. that's a unique setting though. I think like I said, in the spring, if a college coach is there, they're very interested in the player. They're trying to do their due diligence before you get to the summer. Maybe try and lock him down right before the rest of the college baseball world throws their hat in the ring.
Michael Huber (34:08.14)
You
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (34:12.398)
And yeah, part of what you're trying to see is, you know, how they compete in that setting. But one thing I'll say, and yes, there is no doubt that the environment around a big, you know, big time high school game and, you know, travel ball is different. But I think the best players I've been around, like even inside of that summer setting, like they find ways to compete, right? They make it about winning. They make it about.
Again, playing to their standard every day and that's what starts to separate themselves.
Michael Huber (34:44.886)
Yeah, yeah. And I think, you know, the compete part of it is, I think, really hard for kids. I feel like nowadays in the sense that there are so many eyeballs, they're always being evaluated and they're very conscious of that versus, I'm just going to go out there and lay it on the line and have fun and do whatever it takes. And even if I ground out to the right side and move a guy over, like, I feel good about that because it's all done in service of winning versus like, hey, what's this coach going to think? But I think
You know, one of the things I say to kids, just thinking back to the story we were just talking about, is, you know, one of the things I always say to them is you never know who's watching, right? Like in that example, right, there's a Division I head coach on the sideline, right, where you don't even know he's there. He's sort of watching maybe a specific kid, which probably was the case, but you're there. And if he sees you and you do something extraordinary, you might get his attention, right?
And I think a lot of kids don't think of it that way. Or even in the summer setting, I'll say to them, hey, coaches are watching, but they're not only watching your performances, you're at bats, your innings, you're playing the field, but they're watching you run off on and off the field. They're watching you interact with your coaches and your teammates. They're watching your body language and your facial expressions. Like even if you go for four, they probably have been there because they've probably played the game and they know what it's like to struggle. How do you handle it is also part of what they're watching, right? So.
I would imagine that's a big part of a conversation you have with, you know, one of the kids you're advising about, hey, you got to carry yourself a certain way, not just perform well, but you got to show up and like, make sure that these coaches don't give you any, have any excuse to sort of dismiss you from the recruiting process.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (36:26.678)
No doubt. think, you know, oftentimes, right, you'll see it in the summer months where Gal, you know, get up and have his hat back and right coaches will lock in and want to see obviously the skill evaluation. But then, you know, they'll go down the opposite line of the dugout you're in and they're to look into the dugout and they want to just see how you interact with your teammates, right? And, you know, start to get a feel for who you really are. You might not think, hey, I just got up there.
Michael Huber (36:35.873)
Yeah.
Michael Huber (36:45.388)
you
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (36:55.79)
you know, caught a barrel, hit a ball in the, in the pull side gap and, know, you know, show some athleticism on the bases. Like, Hey, really good. But like, you know, if you come off and, um, you know, you just go sit in the corner and you're not interacting or, uh, you know, again, big moment in a game and, know, guy scores a run and you're just kind of off by yourself and not engaged. Like, trust me, guys are, they're picking up on those kinds of things. And, um, you really need to be.
Michael Huber (37:22.209)
Yeah.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (37:25.358)
aware of all those different aspects and again I think it just goes back to like are you competitor? A lot of this at the end of the day and the recruiting process boils down to that, you know, the skill evaluation obviously is critical but when you really start to look at the skill portion like they're recruiting guys of a similar skill level, right? Whether that's, you know, the ACC, the SEC, you know, or
you know, a great Division III program. Like, they're recruiting guys of a similar skill set. The guys who start to separate themselves usually have that compete factor. And it's such an integral part of success at the next level because it only gets harder. Like, whatever you think you're going through right now as a high school player, it only gets harder at all levels. So you really need to be, you know, equipped with that skill. And it really is a skill, I think.
Michael Huber (38:13.494)
Yup.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (38:21.258)
It's a hard skill to develop, the guys who have it, the guys who are able to really hone in on the essence of what it means to be a competitor and then bring that level of attitude and effort that goes along with that on a daily basis. Those are your guys who play every day in college right there.
Michael Huber (38:43.734)
Yeah, well, I think for me, from a mental standpoint, being a competitor is really about being as present as you can be in the moment to win that pitch, right? And not be thinking about the thing that just happened before or what's going to happen next. Because it's hard to compete in that place where you're worried about, what did that last pitch look like? Or why did the umpire call it a ball? Or whatever that thing is that's kind of taking away your attention from
How do I go and find a way to beat this guy right here, right now? And I think that's the biggest challenge that I, one of the biggest challenges I see where it's like they're more, the players are more concerned about the outcomes, right? Versus the competing is about being in the process of being like, hey, I'm going to play. Like I'm not worried about anything else, whatever happens. Like I can't do anything about that. I'm just going to win this battle and I'm going to find a way to lock in right now.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (39:27.372)
Absolutely.
Michael Huber (39:41.024)
That is really hard and I think some of it, and I don't want to sort of go down this road necessarily too far, but I think some of it has to do with the way they're evaluated, right, from a data analytics and metrics standpoint, which I think are all valuable, right? I'm not gonna belabor that point. I think it's really valuable. I've talked about this too recently where that's all just information, right? But you don't want to be thinking about that when you're trying to win a game, right? You don't want to be thinking about how hard am I throwing or what does my pitch look like or what does my spin rate look like or.
any of that stuff, you want to be thinking about how do I get this guy out? Even if it doesn't look perfect, if I get him out, I get him out. That's my job.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (40:15.544)
Yeah, I look, I think data and metrics are extremely important, right? Like, I mean, you can go through any of the players we work with. I have a feel for all that information. It has its place in the recruiting process. It has its place in player development. I think it's something that, you know, the baseball player in this day is keenly aware of. And I think that's all right at the end of the day. They should be, you know, because it's a part of their
Michael Huber (40:18.678)
Yeah.
Michael Huber (40:38.4)
Yeah.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (40:43.726)
you know, pathway to college baseball. But again, I think it goes back to what I was saying earlier, like all the guys that you're being recruited against, like their metrics and data look very similar, right? Like it becomes, you know, we always talk about it, right? It's really a barrier to entry, right? Right? Once you start to put these metrics together, right? You can now start to talk about a certain level of play because most guys at certain programs,
Michael Huber (40:54.753)
Right.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (41:10.132)
have these type of skills and data that go along with their level of play. But those guys then also have the ability to go out there and put it together in the game setting. They're able to translate their skill set to success on the field, which is a different task. On top of that, the guys who are really the best now have that compete mode. And they're able to, in the finest moments,
push through because of that approach to everything that they're doing, right? Whether it's a dirt ball read, right? Like turn on college baseball. 90 feet is critical. The guys who can, you know, gain 90 feet or prevent it, right? Hey, you know, by, you know, balls hit down the line in right field instead of trying to throw the ball ahead, right? They just dump the ball in the second base and keep the batter runner there.
and eliminate that guy moving up 90 feet and the next ball in play has nothing to do with the right fielder who just made that play but maybe it's a 6-4-3 double play that gets you out of a jam, right? But the ability to, you again, look at how all these things come together, right? Like, you could have a really big throwing arm, right? You could be 90-plus from the outfield but if you don't know what to do with it, right, or you're not able to, you know, translate that into the game setting, it's really just a tool, right? So...
Michael Huber (42:33.867)
Right.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (42:41.434)
These have become really the critical points of yes the recruiting process but more so you know do you have the ability to get on the field because I can tell you this much like if you can't do those things at the college level you're not going to play. It's that simple. You might get there but you're not going to play.
Michael Huber (42:58.06)
Yeah.
Yeah, and some of that's projection and right like, you some places, right? We see a toolsy guy and we're going to project, we're going to draft him or we're going to recruit him. But if you can't, if you can't execute, not getting on the field no matter how much physical ability you have, if you can't play the game at a high level of IQ.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (43:18.286)
There are guys at every college program in America, again regardless of level, who are super tools-y for that program, who don't get on the field.
Michael Huber (43:29.802)
Yeah, and I would have to imagine that trickles down in high school, particularly in some of those high schools, those kinds of high schools that you mentioned, right? Like we've got a bunch of depth, right? We've got nine guys who can play from top to bottom. If you can't hit the cutoff, if you can't anticipate, make a good read, stay locked in mentally, be resilient, right? I'm going to find the guy that can do that because he may not be as good as you, but he's going to be damn close. And I need that.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (43:56.3)
Yeah. Yeah.
Michael Huber (43:57.674)
because that's gonna help us win state titles. It's not like, hey, this is not a showcase. You gotta go out and play the game. So yeah. So I guess a couple more questions before we wrap up. So like in terms of in season, we've talked about getting in season reps. Like what are some of the things you suggest to your guys to be doing in season? Obviously with very limited available time when they're playing games and practicing, et cetera.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (44:04.13)
No doubt. 100%.
Michael Huber (44:24.726)
What are some of the sort non-negotiables in terms of what are they doing away from the field in the springtime?
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (44:32.014)
Yeah.
Obviously time management is critical, even more so during this time of the year. You gotta keep up with your grades, right? So continuing to do well in the classroom is vital. On the player development front, you gotta be in the weight room, right? One to two times a week to maintain the strength and power, right? That you were able to build throughout the course of the winter months. If you're not consistently executing your in-season strength programming, you're gonna lose a lot of those gains by the time we roll around to May.
Michael Huber (44:46.06)
And.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (45:02.412)
Now we're getting into that critical juncture right of the recruiting process as June rolls around so the weight room is huge I think you know again it depends now a little bit on where you are right like if you're a guy who's you know down the depth chart a little bit like you got to find ways to Replicate at bats right it might be you know some late nights. You know In the cage right seeing velocity and seeing spin off the pitching machine. Is it the same? No, but it's the best way to recreate it You know if you're a guy who?
Michael Huber (45:06.801)
and
Michael Huber (45:24.94)
Yeah.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (45:32.334)
Maybe struggling defensively a little bit like you have to go and take your extra ground balls and work on, know, whatever it is. Um, you know, from a pitching perspective, you better stay within your routine, like the, you know, um, so not to knock high school baseball coaches. I think oftentimes they're just disadvantaged in terms of the resources that they have, but like, you know, there's been times that I've worked with players and like, you know, they're throwing once a week, but.
You know, if they're throwing on Mondays, you know, in their conference games, like, there's really no schedule for them the other six days. And it's like, you got to throw your bullpen, you got to do your arm care, like all these things. you know, ultimately it's your career, right? And obviously there's a team structure and you're a part of that and it is your job to do what is being asked of you.
Michael Huber (46:11.286)
Right.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (46:23.63)
from a coaching staff perspective, but you also need to maintain the other pieces of your skill set that are going to allow you to be successful. Right. And if you're, you know, an infielder by trade and you're to be recorded as an infielder, but you're playing center field because that's the need this spring, then you got to make sure you're going to get ground balls. Right. And, um, there is time, you know, because I can tell you this again, it only gets harder at the college level, right? You're, you're, you're not practicing 20 hours a week.
Michael Huber (46:41.324)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (46:52.748)
right now as a high school player. You're not traveling, you know, seven hours on a bus as a high school player. There's more going on at the college level. Those guys find a way. You can too. Again, if you have big goals, right, your habits better meet your goals. ultimately, the guys again, who are able to put the work in and continue their development in season.
Michael Huber (47:19.724)
I'm
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (47:22.69)
the guys who, whether they're an everyday guy or a reserve guy looking to continue to get ready for the summer, whatever their role, the guys who continue to invest in their development, those are the different guys, right? Those are the guys who are gonna be most successful.
Michael Huber (47:37.324)
Yeah, I think the word there you said time management for me comes up all the time prioritize, right? What's the priority, right? Like you've got to cut something out probably because there's only so many waking hours in a day and a lot of them are spoken for. What are you doing with those discretionary hours? Right? Are you on your phone? Are you, know, goofing around and that's up. That's fine. But don't expect that by doing those things that you're going to get to where you want to go. And I think you're absolutely right. You got to prioritize.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (47:54.465)
No, no.
Michael Huber (48:06.046)
getting what you need in those situations and being willing to sacrifice maybe some of the things that you'd like to have. And not everybody's willing to do that. That's okay, but I think that it's important to be self-aware enough to know that like, hey, this is probably not gonna get you to where you wanna go.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (48:13.217)
Absolutely.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (48:24.974)
No doubt. And look, think this is obviously very individualized, but if you're not willing to do those things now, you probably have to have a tough conversation with yourself in terms of what your goals are. If you're not finding ways to get extra work as a high school player, college baseball is probably not for you.
Michael Huber (48:30.613)
Yes.
Michael Huber (48:49.548)
That's right. Yeah.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (48:51.702)
you know, generalization, but pretty accurate statement. I would say the overwhelming majority of the time.
Michael Huber (48:58.678)
Having worked with a lot of college baseball players at this point now, it's a full-time job, right? Classes in a lot of cases are managed around baseball practice and lift. And when you're in season, you're on the bus on Wednesday, right? Or Thursday, you're traveling and you're coming home on Monday because you play a game. If you're, you know, seven hours away, you're probably not coming back Sunday night. You might be coming back Monday. Like you have more time on the road than you do.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (49:05.176)
Mm-hmm. Absolutely.
Michael Huber (49:28.042)
in your dorm during the spring. You just got to be ready to do that. So now is the time to sort of start to prepare yourself for that, even though you can't replicate it. Like you said, if I need reps off of velocity, I might hit off the machine. Is it ideal? No, but it's the best I can do. Well, you should be getting ready for college now because you're not going to be able to replicate it, but you can damn well try.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (49:51.182)
Yeah, absolutely. 100%. You you gotta live the lifestyle, right? It's something we talk about with players all the time because again, as you transition to the college level, the habits you're creating today are going to be things that you can fall back on.
Michael Huber (50:08.384)
Yeah. Yeah. So the last question. So if there's one thing that you could sort of pinpoint or one thing that you could sort of leave a high school baseball players going into their season, you know, here in New Jersey, you know, we're getting started now or in the Northeast. Like if there's one thing you could sort of leave them with, what would it what would it be? Like what's one suggestion?
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (50:31.662)
Yeah, I mean, build your process, right? In terms of what your day to day looks like. You know, we've talked a lot about that during this course of the conversation. I think the guys who have that structure and can stick to it and execute on it, they're the most successful. And we spend a lot of time with that with our players, right? Like, you know, oftentimes like, hey, let's go Monday through Sunday. What does your week look like? Right? And can you now execute on that?
Michael Huber (50:40.811)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (51:01.166)
Um, and the guys who were able to, again, develop all winter and then translate that into the spring on the field from a competition standpoint, but then stay locked in, terms of their overall long-term development. Those guys are going to be successful again. Sometimes the trace just might look a little bit different, right? The guy who's six, four, two 20 versus, you know, five, nine, 170 pounds. But, you know, I think.
Michael Huber (51:08.768)
Mm-hmm.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (51:30.402)
I know I said it earlier, but the goal for every player should be to maximize their opportunity and their potential. And if you're building a winning process, you're going to feel really good about how your career develops and where you're ultimately able to take it.
Michael Huber (51:47.82)
great way to finish. Sam, thanks so much for joining me on the podcast. It was great to see you as always.
Sam Sharf - RPP Recruiting (51:52.502)
Absolutely. It was great to catch up and thanks for having me.
Michael Huber (51:55.02)
Thanks, Sam.