It is no secret that certain positions are awarded more scholarship money than others. Typically the most athletic players are in the middle of the diamond. Catcher, shortstop and centerfield and of course, pitchers will typically be recruited first by a team and get the bulk of the scholarship money. Players and families need to understand the basics of how this process works.
Every year a college team will lose a certain amount of players to graduation, the professional draft, transfers, etc. The coaches know what positions they need to fill and what their budget for awarding scholarships will be. It is their decision who gets the scholarship money. No one is telling them they have to follow a set protocol. However, most of the time teams go after top rated pitchers first, a catcher if they need one and then the athletic shortstop or fast outfielder. The power hitting corner infielder will sometimes get scholarship money also but their bat usually has to be a plus tool to earn it. This does not mean that a right fielder or second baseman will not get scholarship money. Keep in mind that a D1 college has to give a 25% minimum for athletic scholarships. D2 schools can give any amount so there scholarships usually spread out to more players. The recruiting of talent is just part 1 the coaching staff deals with. Then it is the business end which is their budget they have to work with. In some cases, the school has scholarship money come available due to players leaving for various reasons. They may give this to some of their current players or use it to recruit the positions they lost. What you need to understand is that it is complicated. The coaching staff does not have to share with you or anyone else how they award their scholarships. You must prove through your performance that you should earn your scholarship!
After reading the above paragraph, many players will decide they are going to be a middle of the diamond player to get more looks and potential money. This is a smart plan if....you are good enough to play those positions. A player that lacks certain tools to play a certain position will only hurt himself by playing out of position. It is very important to understand the player that you are and use your strengths to get recruited and not try to be a player you are not. If you do not have speed and try to play centerfield, it will be noticeable. If you do not have good feet and hands and go out for shortstop, it will be noticeable. You will only hurt your chances of getting recruiting by doing this. Focus on your strengths and remember one very important saying that you have heard your entire baseball career, "If you hit, you will play!"