I played D2 college baseball as a two-way player. Over my career I started games at third base, second base, shortstop, DH, and pitcher.
I never pitched in high school. Got to college and had to figure out managing a pitching workload on the fly while also playing the field. That forced me to understand the game from angles most players never have to think about.
What I learned is that the most versatile players aren't just more valuable — they see the game differently. You start understanding what a pitcher is thinking from the mound because you've been there. You understand what a hitter is looking for because you face them too.
Now that I've started coaching, that perspective has changed even more. Seeing the game from a coach's eyes makes everything I thought I knew more complex.
Anyone else play multiple positions or both ways? How did it change how you see the game?

Everyone talks about velocity, bat speed, and athleticism. But some of the best players I played with in college had skills that never showed up on a radar gun or a stat sheet.
Things like reading a pitcher's release point before the ball left his hand. Knowing exactly where to be on a cutoff before the play developed. Communicating constantly in a way that made everyone around them better.
The stuff that doesn't get highlighted but separates players at every level.
What do you think is the most underrated skill in baseball?

Curious what this community thinks about the recruiting email process. Most players either never reach out at all or send generic copy paste messages that coaches can spot immediately.
The ones that stood out from what I heard were short, specific, and showed the player actually knew something about the program they were contacting.
Has anyone been through this process — either as a player or a coach? What actually works?

These are subject to Baseball Playing Rules Oversight Committee approval on 8/24

The Quick Version, if I am reading this right:
ABS will be allowed.
In D1, teams are limited to 30 seconds between batters, for offensive timeouts, and for mound visits.
In D1, the bench can no longer have electronic contact with the batter or runners.
Teams will be allowed 6 offensive conferences per game, of which up to 3 can include a coach; an additional coach-included one is added in extra innings.
The double first base is now mandatory.
18" bases will be allowed. (It is not clear if, if an 18" base is used at first base, it has to be double. Note that there is a new high school rule for 2027 that says either a double 15" or a single 18" base must be used at first base.)
A foul ball that might have been fair, and any tag play, can now be challenged.
(apparently, I didn't read that right)
Correction: a fair ball can be challenged to see if it was actually foul; also, all tag plays can be challenged, even if the tag is not "in the immediate vicinity of the base"
Bats can have data-gathering sensors in them.

There are also two experimental rules, which appear to require conferences to ask for approval from the NCAA:
It is a balk if a pitcher disengages the rubber more than twice against the same batter, unless it results in a successful pickoff.
A relief pitcher must pitch either to at least three batters, or to the end of the half-inning.

The recruiting process is one of the most confusing and stressful things a young player and their family can go through.
Looking back there's so much I wish I understood earlier — how coaches actually evaluate players, what grades mean for your options, how to actually reach out to programs the right way.
Most players focus entirely on showcases and stats when there's so much more to it than that.
What's one thing you wish you knew about recruiting before going through it?

Very, very interesting timing.

Location: Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, Taichung

Watch: MLB.com

Edit: Corrected link to stream

Spent years training the wrong way before I figured this out.
I was focused on getting bigger. More muscle, more weight on the bar, more size. What I eventually realized is that baseball doesn't reward the biggest guy — it rewards the most athletic one.
The best players I played with in college weren't the strongest in the weight room. They were the most explosive. The fastest. The most mobile. They trained like athletes, not bodybuilders.
Biggest shift I made was adding sprint work, rotational exercises, and daily mobility instead of just chasing size.
What training mistakes did you make early in your career that you wish you could go back and fix?

Is a Baseball America subscription worth it for the offseason reports? I’m a D1 subscriber and love their content but curious if BA offers anything different?

Clearly had a number which he told teams he would not go after in the draft. Glad he's back, absolute weapon.

Played college baseball and one of the biggest things I wish someone had told me earlier was how to actually take care of my arm — not just ice it after games.
Most young players spend all their time throwing and zero time recovering. No arm care routine, no mobility work, no understanding of the difference between normal fatigue and actual pain.
The guys I saw get hurt weren't always the ones throwing the hardest. They were the ones who never learned to recover properly.
What do you think is the most overlooked part of arm care for young players?

Location: Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, Taichung

Watch: MLB.com

Location: Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, Taichung

Watch: MLB Network

While he DID NOT PLAY for Duke, the fact that he GOT drafted with the Cardinals in 2020 WHILE BEING ORIGINALLY COMMITTED TO BLUE DEVILS BASEBALL (thus going straight into the minors and MLB) shows that college baseball commits are still a powerful force in our sport as they prepare to become rookies in their freshman year.

Congrats Jordan. You did not get your chance to play for the Blue Devils, but you are an inspiration to all who are already committed to collegiate varsity baseball everywhere! You will be an inspiration to all the rookies of all 8 collegiate varsity leagues in the USA and to all across the world in the few collegiate varsity leagues there are!

Greetings from all of us!

John