Tyler Johnson is the recruiting coordinator at Dallas Baptist University. Before DBU he coached at McLennan Community College, played junior college and Division III ball, and spent a year with the Texas Rangers. On Episode 92 of the Baseball Forward Podcast, most of his conversation with Ross Hawley was about evaluation. This guide turns it into a checklist a player can use before his next event.
Watch the full conversation on YouTube
What is the first thing a Division I staff looks for?
Physicality. Johnson says a lot of people repeat the word without understanding it. DBU teams are big and strong, and that starts with recruiting big, strong players. That does not mean every recruit is 6-foot-4. It means a body that is built for the work and still getting stronger.
What to do: take the weight room seriously now, not after you commit. Strength shows up on the field and on a body that coaches can see from the stands.
Why do coaches watch the games that do not matter?
This is the test most families never hear about. DBU's staff wants to know whether a player is the same player in every setting. Is he going about it the same way in a consolation game late in a weekend as he did in the championship game?
"It's 100 degrees outside. This is probably your 50th game. But you look like it's your 50th game, and it looks like it's 100 degrees outside. We don't want to know that."
Nobody rises up on command for the big game. You either play hard or you do not. And coaches want to see that you enjoy it, because a player who has fun is one they can trust on a Friday night with a regional on the line.
What to do: treat the last game of a long weekend like the first. Sprint on and off the field. Coaches often show up when you least expect it.
How do coaches evaluate how a player handles failure?
Johnson wants to see failure, because college baseball is hard and every recruit will struggle. What he grades is recovery speed.
"If you're sitting there concerned about your failure, that means truly you're concerned about yourself, and you're not trying to help your team win."
His framing for players: you always have a job to do. Strike out with the bases loaded and you still have to play shortstop next half inning. Being upset for a moment is fine. Carrying it into the field is not.
He also explains why: a player stuck on the last pitch is living in the past, a player worried about the next one is anxious, and the only pitch anyone controls is the one in front of him.
What to do: build a short routine for moving on after a bad at-bat or outing. Coaches notice when a player has one.
What does a "selfish player" look like?
Most people picture the player who sulks. Johnson's definition includes success, too. A selfish player keeps the attention on himself when things go well and feels sorry for himself when they do not. Both come from the same instinct.
The antidote DBU preaches is serving your teammates. A player who credits his teammates after a big hit is easier to coach, and it is hard to think about yourself when you are focused on the guys around you.
Does where a player puts his identity matter?
Johnson thinks it matters most. If a player's identity is only "baseball player," every slump becomes a crisis:
"If your identity is in you as a baseball player, that's something built on sand, and when a storm comes it's going to wash it away."
Families can talk about this at home. A player who knows who he is outside of his stat line handles adversity better, and coaches can see it.
Does it matter what level I start at?
Johnson played junior college and Division III before coaching at both a junior college and a Division I program. His takeaway: every level serves its purpose, and if a player is good, someone will see him. Many of his McLennan players moved on to Division I, and the ones who went to DBU told him junior college had prepared them well.
If your son is weighing junior college, read our guides from NJCAA president Dr. Christopher Parker and Blinn College's Dusty Hart.
A quick self-check before your next event
- Would a coach know from your body language whether you were winning or losing?
- Do you sprint to your position in the last inning of the last game?
- What do you do in the 20 seconds after a strikeout?
- After a big hit, who do you talk about?
- Who are you when baseball goes badly?
Keep researching
- See the Dallas Baptist program page for location, cost, and roster details.
- Learn how to get in front of the right coaches with our Recruiting 101 timeline guide.
- Ready to reach coaches directly? Become a Prospect List Member.