Has anyone ever seen a PG grade of less than 7?

yes, I have seen PG grades of less than 7. A fair number of them actually.

 

But also you should know that if you score low you can ask PG to take your grade down.

 

Plus I don't think that is the current PG grading system exactly, but an earlier version.  If you go to the list of "top uncommitted players"  you'll see that the guys at the very bottom of the lists have scores of like 5, 5.5, 6. 

 

 

I'll be honest, I was very much a below average player in high school, and though this was quite a while ago, I got a 6 rating, which I thought was pretty high for me at the time... I'd probably give myself a 6 now lol.

I've seen below 7 as well.  I think the ratings are well done and generally a good reflection of the player, but I wouldn't let the number deter your son's desired path.

Wait there's ANOTHER baseball site? Don't share, I spend enough time here already!

BTW, here is PG's latest Rating System for grades. It has been updated since the list CaCo3Girl posted and this one seems much more reflective of the grades relative to where they may belong in the recruiting hierarchy. 

 

And yes, I have seen grades below 7 as well.


Perfect Game USA's Player Rating System

10 Potential very high draft pick and/or Elite level college prospect 
9 Potential top 10 round pick and/or highest level college prospect 
8 Potential draft pick and/or excellent college prospect 
7 College prospect, possible future draft pick with development 
6 Potential college prospect 
5 Possible College prospect and/or possible HS varsity 
4 HS JV 
3 Possible HS JV 
2 No prospect at this time 
1 The game is too dangerous 

People, my son hasn't been to a showcase.  I'm trying to gauge how this board thinks these numbers match up with what actually happens with the players.

i.e. Does an 8 actually get D1 attention? Does a 6 actually get to play in college?

I'm not sure I have seen anything below a 7 - maybe one 6.5.  The write-ups that accompany a 7 do not really seem to matchup with "potential low round pick" they often read as more of a "possible DII prospect".  On the other hand, there seem to be a good number of 9's and while these write-ups show excellent skills, not sure they meet "top 10 round draft pick" (which I assume means drafted out of high school).

 

As these require an invitation with some apparent selectivity, I would assume there is an internal cutoff of where the minimum rating should be.  I realize PG needs to fill the rosters but I am sure they prefer not to have many 5's or 6's in attendance in favor of 7's and 8's.

A former coach of my son's was rated an 8.5 by PG.  Was drafted out of HS.  forewent the draft,  Was drafted out of college.  Played several years in the minors.  As to the 6.0 he's not going to play at a D1 in all likelihood.  Put a PG rating is just one data point.   PGstaff who frequents this board is on record saying that they sometimes get things wrong.  PG is quite useful, but it's not the only measuring stick out there.

 

 

Here he is explaining their rating system:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q6tpEHpoRY

 

Yep, you can sort the list.  Lowest posted grades are 5.5  The others are blank, which I would assume means the player asked to have the grade removed.

This likely requires a longer answer than this.  As I've said many times, I highly recommend using the search button in the upper left of this site.  This topic has been covered over the years.  There is soooo much great content here....and most of it stands the test of time.

 

A lot depends on when the rating comes.  A player who is rated a 6 or 6.5, unless that rating comes very early and he improves a ton, IMO, will NOT be college baseball material.  Think of the rating system in some respects like some of the judging for Olympics.  Just by showing up and not tripping over oneself, a player can probably get a 6.  I doubt there has been a 5 or below given in a long, long time.  But, this is just based off of my experience, the amount of time I spend on PG and the number of profiles I see.  If a player doesn't receive at least a 7.5-8.0 at an initial showcase, I'd be concerned about whether he has the skills to play in college.  PG may disagree, but that is based on experience.

 

Also, keep in mind that a rating is just a point in time.  There are many examples of kids who were rated 7.5 or 8 early then end up at a 9 or even 10.  To have a rating "upgraded" or "updated", one must attend another showcase.  My son is actually a pretty good example.  I took him to a PG Showcase Summer after 9th grade.  He was rated a 2016 top prospect (size, projectable RHP), topped out at 81 and was given an 8 rating.  Since then, he has developed nicely, can touch 90 mph and is committed to a D1 and is ranked highly in our state and Top 500 nationally.  But, I've not taken him to another showcase (just a bunch of PG tournaments), so his rating is still an 8.0.  While there are no guarantees, I strongly suspect he would be rated higher, and possibly much higher, if I took him to another showcase.  Frankly, I wish PG would consider adjusting these ratings in situations where it is clear that a kid has advanced.

 

 

 

And what does a grade with a ".5" with it mean?  A 9.5 specifically.  

You don't want to go there.  A lot of "my 12u team is better than your 12u team" threads 

Call me crazy, but I think it means the player is in between and not clearly a - in your case - 9 or a 10.  It is an art, not a science, folks.  Same as a 9.7 being better than a 9.6 (or whatever) in figure skating.  Take it for what it is worth and don't read much into it.  There are many kids who will be high draft picks who have no rating.  Why? They never went to a PG showcase.  Happens less and less nowadays, but it happened a lot in the past.

I can only speak to my son's teammates but I have seen a kid with a 9 struggle to get any traction as well as a 7 and a kid with no rating commit to top programs. 

We can agree to disagree and right or wrong but I believe that college coach's trust their own ability to evaluate talent over all things. They might consider another's opinion but ultimately the thumbs up or thumbs down will be most heavily influenced by their opinion.

CaCo3,

To specifically answer your questions, my observations align with Bucsfan.  And be sure to watch the video link that Sluggerdad provided.  I think those two data points will best give you the info you are looking for.

In the video, as usual, Jerry admits occasional misses but understates how right they are with the vast majority.  I think the misses occur when players are particularly young and haven't developed near their potential yet.  I think most 8's would be borderline or not quite major or mid-major D1 potentially.  A 6 will have a great deal of work and development ahead if he hopes to see a college field unless it's a really weak college program.  That said, some players develop a bit more or less than expected in their late HS and early college years.  Some work particularly harder or particularly less toward achieving their potential.

I believe PGStaff has stated that it is fairly common to either take down or not post scores for players who rate fairly low (probably in the 5 to 6.5 range).

 

The grade scale, I believe, is generously slanted toward optimistic potential.

 

My perspective comes from having regularly checked grades for a period of several years of those who have played for me as well as those who played on showcase and scout teams with son and with others I follow. 

My take is that the overall rating is nice for public consumption, but means little in the eyes of a recruiter. The raw numbers and written evaluations carry weight, but that rating # is just eye candy.

Agree somewhat with Roothog. As to OP Question, yes there have been students with low ratings who have gone on to play D1. The rating may have come when the player was young and hasn't been to PG events/showcases last 2-3 years before graduation. I also know of a pitcher/hitter who is playing D1(multiple offers- one ACC,all state in HS) who doesn't have a PG rating.

Yes, scores of 8 and 8.5 play at D1s.

 

I know a young man who scored a 6.5 at a PG Showcase.  He was 14.

 

Nine months later he made unofficial visits to (2) ACC schools and an Atlantic-10.

 

Still uncommitted, but you get the point.