Academic camp for Freshman?

Save your money, wait until his Jr year. 

Hey Bogey - while I can't disagree with BOF's sentiments regarding spending $$$ on freshmen, we also have a high academic 2018 and have done a lot of research on this topic. Conclusion we came to was to send him to the Stanford Future Stars Camp July 3-5. This camp is focused on 9th & 10th graders, and provides a full evaluation, and its a chance for the family to visit the San Francisco area for 4th of July so its not all about baseball. 

 

For what its worth, from the feedback we received on this site and through our high school & travel coaches, most everyone felt that if you were going to spend any $ this year, that would be the place to do it. 

 

I agree with BOF.  Save your money as a freshmen.  

 

Truthfully, I'd put the money toward an SAT/ACT prep course his sophomore/junior year.  If he can nail a great SAT/ACT score late soph year/early junior year and showcase junior year then he could turn some heads.  But he has to be ready mentally for the SAT/ACT and physically for the showcasing.  If a high academic coach sees a kid he likes and that kid already has the necessary SAT/ACTs then that recruitment can get a lot easier and quicker.  JMO.   

I sent my kid to the academic Top96 camp as a freshman.  It was close to home so there were not a lot of travel costs, I signed him up early so got a 20% discount, and I did not pay for all of the extras.  He liked it a lot and got some great feedback from the coach who met with him individually after the first day.  So it was worth the cost to me to get him the experience.  What I have learned since is that I am glad I did not send him to one of the more expensive camps yet based on what Fenway and some of the other folks have said.

Im with the others.  Wait until Jr. year.  

 

My 2017's travel program runs two private showcases a year for the kids in their program as well as some other select invites.  They usually get somewhere around 30 or 40 college coaches showing up.  Its been my experience that all but 5 or 6 of them are out of there after the Jr's have finished up their showcasing.  They do them in order of graduation.  No one is paying attention to the Soph's or Frosh's.  

If it won't break your bank, HeadFirst is a no brainer.  My son is a 2016 who is committed to an Ivy League program and, while it may not work for all, FWIW here was our process (in addition to a ton of hard work, a great travel program and some talent).  [Of course, he has to be "ready" to showcase...will he stand out with his current skillset as being a prospect to watch or projectable?].  Also, Fenway knows best about this stuff, so don't overlook his advice.  Just saying what worked for us and answering the OP's question:

 

June after 9th Grade:  PG Academic

August after 9th Grade: HeadFirst (yes, he was one of only about 15 rising sophomores, but in my mind, that is/was a good thing..got him comfortable with the process)

August after 10th Grade: HeadFirst and Stanford All-star Camps

Oct. of 11th Grade (after WWBA, Ft. Myers): School (where he committed) Prospect Camp

 

It was a whirlwind and not cheap but it was worth it, and he was able to be seen by the schools he was targeting (so, no excuses).

 

Good luck and PM me if you have specific questions about our experience.

 

I'm with Fenway. The earlier you get that testing out of the way, the better.

 

I'd also add this: if he's not yet well into the physique he'll have at least as a junior, it's tough to project his development.

 

S attended both the Stanford and Headfirst camp as a rising junior; his testing was done, grades had a track record (a ninth grader will have one year of - probably - basic courses completed), course rigor was readily apparent (again, a ninth grader hasn't the academic track record demonstrating the rigor demanded by the top academic schools), and he had grown to be at least half-pint man size (to the point where his college physique was pretty clear). He caught the eye of some coaches which played to his benefit when he returned the following year.

 

The differences between a rising 11th grader and a rising 12th grader aren't as extreme as between a rising 10th grader and a rising 12 grader. If you son can hold his own against the rising seniors who attend these camps, then he may catch a coach's eye for the future; if he will be dominated by the older kids, it will not effect his potential recruitablity, but he will not catch a coach's eye and your money may be better spent in things like lessons, local travel, etc.

 

i would also suggest planning visits to schools so the family can begin the learning process of college selection (e.g., big city, rural, northeast or south, D1 or D3, etc.). While his preferences may evolve over time, might as well get started early.

Wow, a lot of great advices quickly. My takeaway is that showcase is not that important for freshmen and he's better off focusing on developing academically and physically. And maybe attend some local showcase just to be comfortable with the format.

 

Speaking of locally, not a lot of these events come to the Pacific Northwest. I saw Top96 has one. There's a local company called Baseball Northwest, which organizes a lot of "Prospect Evaluation Camps". Is this organization legit, or more "take the money and run" type?

Bogey: Much information in the replies so far that should help you out. I too wouldn't spend the $$ yet on high end showcases. Even when my S went to HF as a rising junior much attention was paid to the rising seniors for the high academics because these schools await the transcript to see if son can get through the door. It is good to start early in the process which you plan to be.

I would recommend a PG showcase to get your son a rating and evaluation of what your son's strengths and weaknesses are. These baseline numbers will also allow him to compare with his and other classes. Wattsboro above offers a good alternate recommendation too in the Top 96 Academic which isn't as pricey as HF, and is worth it if you don't have to incur high travel expenses as well. As Wattsboro mentioned you get an eval at the end. Going to a showcase here and there too will help your son "know what to expect" when the showcase matters more in later years.

I too learned much from Fenway's posts on recruiting among theIVY league/high academic schools, when my 2015 went through the process.

If you are in the Seattle area go see Kyle Boddy at Drivelinebaseball. (even if you are not go see him if it is not too far) I agree with fenway spend the time/money on SAT/testing. See where he really fits academically and also baseball wise, then you can prioritize your events. 

I agree with Fenway and BOF.  Work on the standardized test scores.  Become a better baseball player.  Get bigger, faster, stronger.

 

Many focus on grades/GPA which is great, but the real head turner is the combination of a great SAT/ACT, high GPA in a robust college prep curriculum, and a stud baseball player.  Your son would have a lot of options in that scenario.

 

I'll add that doing a showcase or two if time and $ allow during Soph year and the Summer before Junior year can be very helpful.  A superstar may not need it, but most kids benefit from understanding how the showcase process works prior to attending a camp or showcase that schools from your player's vetted list attend. 

 

For Soph year, Top96 may be a lower cost option and will have a camp or two in your area.  Stanford and Headfirst are stellar and pricier.  I would pencil in the Stanford Future Stars camp for the Summer between Soph and Junior year. 

Baseball Northwest is a very good organization. However, you now have to be invited to one of their player evaluation camps. If your son hasn't received an invitation, there is info on their website on how his HS or travel ball coach can recommend him. From these evaluations, Baseball Northwest will choose rosters for various tournaments, including many of the big national tournaments. The key is to get a recommendation so your son can get the invite.

We also have a 2018 with a good gpa. He did a local college camp over winter break to start training and just to learn about the atmosphere and what college coaches are looking for. We will probably do a Top96 showcase this summer, again just for experience. They are less expensive and close to home. We just want him to feel comfortable with the showcase process for future reference.

Others talked about Driveline Baseball. We are looking at opportunities to get to Driveline, but we don't live close, so it's not something we can do regularly. He does have a teaser on his site for web-based instruction coming soon, so we're watching for that as well.

Good luck!

I'm with everybody else on saving money and waiting till summer after Sophomore year. Especially like what Fenway pointed out about test scores. The sooner the better. Seems like it takes several tests and lots of prep work to pull a high score for some guys. If a student was to start prepping 2-3 months before first test and then take additional tests ( Which are spread out 2-3 months) The process can take close to a year.

Not sure if this was already said, but once a college likes a kid on the field, The next thing they want are transcripts and TEST SCORES. And the thing about test scores is that if you don't have them, It isn't something the player can produce quickly. That process takes time. At least that is my experience. College bound Baseball players have a different timeline w/Standardized testing than regular non-baseball students.

That being said, I can vouch for Standford Futures Camp. By far, the best camp/event I've ever paid for. And it did a bunch for my kid with recruiting. 7 of the 10 Sept 1 Jr year letters he received were from schools that saw him at Stanford. I have also heard terrific things about Headfirst. I have also learned that as far as high academic camp , Stanford and Headfirst are really your only choices (I learned that the hard way $$$ )

A great plan for summer before Sophomore year is a highly specialized skill camp. My son did 3 weeks pitching camp w/ a renowned pitching coach at a Pac -12 school during his summer after Freshman year and it changed his life.