I heard a lot of people here talking about PG. After some quick research , I kinda know the difference between PG games and PG showcase. And I'd like my 2019 to attend a PG showcase.
Under the webpage: http://www.perfectgame.org/showcases/, there is a list of upcoming showcases. The questions is: are they essentially the same (except for location, and maybe age/class)? And there is a "Get Invite" button. So, who is better to submit the request? Me or coach?
Thanks
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PGStaff will likely chime in (and when he does, PlayballTX, know that he is founder and CEO of PG). Most all of the local showcases are the same with the exceptions of location and class that you noted.
Note that the showcases can be local, regional and national, with the talent pool increasingly better at each.
The showcases that tend to be significantly different are the National and Jr. National showcases which are the truly premier showcase events that tend to have the absolute top players of the class. Here you see a good measure of best against best. Also, the "uncommitted" showcases are just that, all participants have yet to commit to a school, so college RC's can take particular interest of seeing a lot to shop at these events.
I'm probably doing a great disservice with the brief description, so apologies to Jerry in advance when he chimes in, but that's my observation in a nutshell.
Thank you, NUKE83 for quick reply. I am looking at the two showcases (same day, same location) in TX. "2016 National Underclass South Showcase" and "2016 South Uncommitted Showcase". Since the first one is "national", does it mean it is very hard to get an invite (only for the most talented kids)? For the second "uncommitted" one, is my 2019 too early for that? Also, in general, how much chance do I get an invite after submitting the request?
My kid is for sure not a stud, we just want him to get into the database, and do not plan to travel out of state.
NUKE83,
I think that is a pretty good explanation. Other than there are a few more that are highly selective.
I would advise parents or players to contact us with any questions. Email staff@perfectgame.org
Our staff is vey good with making recommendations. In fact, we have told people not to attend certain events when it is not in their best interest. Many events are open, so anyone can request, but if we don't know anything about your son, it is hard to make any recommendations.
Agree...PG is the best of the best!
PlayballTx, what part of Texas are you in?
Look at the WWBA teams from Texas...Some of the best are Blackhawks, DBAT (out of Dallas), Houston Heat & South Texas Sliders out of Houston area. There are many others. You may want to have your son tryout for one of these teams, if possible, & your willing to go to Florida next Oct... They are essentially "showcase tournaments"...lots of scouts & recruiters.
If your son is wanting to stay in state for college, you may want to check out Texas Showcase League, http://www.tslbaseball.com/. Or Premier Baseball League, http://www.premierbaseball.net/view/premierbaseball
@playballtx Thank you for posting this question and titling it the way you did.
Maybe this is a question for @PGStaff but for my 2021 son (which is way to early to participate in a showcase...I know that) is there an option to watch a showcase as a spectator to get the feel for how they are run, what they look for, etc., just to get an understanding.
Thank you again for the question and to everyone for the responses.
COACH_TV,
Perfect Game Showcases do not have a gate charge, anyone can attend and watch.
The schedule will appear at the PG website, so maybe you can pick one out that isn't too far from where you live.
One of the best events we held this year was the 14u Select Festival. It was nationally televised and there was no charge to the players. These were most of the best 14u, mostly 2020 grads, players we saw at PG events, including showcases, tournaments, and the PG Series, during the year. Some of those young players have already made their college commitments to top college programs.
I would imagine it was one of the biggest baseball highlights those young players and there parents have experienced.
PGSTAFF,
You response begs the question: How are players evaluated by PG to be worthy of an invite to the event (say a National Underclass Showcase)? Seems like a lot of work on PGs part to see if a kid can hang with the caliber of players expected to be at the event.
It is a lot of work, which is what makes the organization so valuable to scouts and recruiters. They can be quite confident that if they take the time and effort to go to the National Showcase or the Jr. National, PG has indeed narrowed it down to the best of the best.
Keep in mind that not all of their showcases are equal or provide equal exposure opportunities. Some will have far more scouts and recruiters than others. This can be dependent on a number of factor; geography, timing, participation, etc. It is indeed part of the plan for many to make sure that PG has enough exposure to get a kid to the National Showcase (as an example) for the maximum exposure to colleges. I'll give you an example of how that can work.
My 2018 was lucky enough to garner an invitation to the Jr. Nationals last season as well as to the PG Underclass All American Games (thanks again, PGStaff). He didn't do so well at the former, but performed nicley at the latter. Now, he'd certainly like an invitation to the National SC next season. However, as it stands, he was limited this fall,for a couple of reasons, in his ability to show improvement to PG staff. As it stands, my best guess is that he would not at this time get an invite. I think he would need to show a little improvement to make him a shoe in. We have shut him down for the winter. Then comes high school season. There are very few opportunities between now and the time he would need to do so. In late May/early June their are a couple of events that are really the last chance to do so. One is in our back yard in Denver - the Rocky Mountain Showcase. Honestly, for straight exposure, it's not as good as almost any of the other showcases PG offers. Mainly, it's at a time of year where attendance by scouts and recruiters is at a minimum by PG standards. However, it is a BIG event if you need to show something in hopes of getting an invite to the two big National Showcases in late June. For us, it presents a problem, because it always is scheduled during the weekend of our state final four and I expect we will be there this year. So, there has to be planning. Do I try and get him into some PG Showcase in February before the HS season starts? Either way, exposure and the purposes for exposure have to be taken into consideration. So, ask yourself what it is you want to get out of the process and the answer will tell you what you need to do and which events make sense and which are a waste of time and $$.
edit: Just realized what a ramble this post was.
not trying to hijack...but to go to a PG event does the player have to go with a team or is it an individual event? Im thinking there's both??
Yes, the showcases are individual events.
Showcases are individual. Tourneys are team events but, I believe at least in past years, PG would assemble a handful of teams that were individuals not affiliated so those guys could appear in the tourney. I'm sure PG Staff will correct me if I'm wrong.
9and7, you are correct.
ROOTHOG, I think your son will be invited, so there is no reason to have him throwing until he is ready.
Please forgive me for saying this, but I'm always hearing people being concerned by how many scouts or college coaches attend a specific showcase.
Question... Is it better to be at a PG event with no recruiters or scouts or at another event that PG doesn't scout with a half dozen scouts and recruiters?
Of course, it might depend on who the recruiters are, but for the most part a player will draw "much" more interest by attending the PG event with no scouts.
You see PG has the most website traffic, by far, of anyone in amateur baseball. More importantly every top college and every MLB scouting department follow PG events and scouting info. So in one way you will be seen by a few recruiters and the other way you could create interest with pretty much everyone involved in recruiting and the draft. And if you lack the talent to impress PG, you are not going to impress recruiters. Not bragging, but we are very good at evaluating talent and most all decision makers know that.
There are many players that have found out what I've said above. And if someone shows us enough talent anywhere at anytime, we are going to get him to the best events in baseball, just as ROOTHOG explained. At those events, there will be PG there scouting and more MLB scouts and recruiters than you can imagine. In other words, the best of all worlds!
I just wish people understood, they are not wasting there time if PG sees them. In fact, it could be the start of something special. Obviously, everything, everywhere, depends on the players talent level. We can't tell all the DI coaches that everyone we see is a DI prospect.
I can definitely testify as to the above. The smartest decision we made was to attend the PG MLK tourney last January. January is a dead period, so there were no D1 recruiters there. However, he put up a nice number velocity-wise and just having the profile up with that number resulted in exposure and lead to an invite to the Jr. Nationals. That exposure has been worth far more than many other events he's been to that actually had recruiters on site. The first step in recruiting, as far as I'm concerned, is getting that PG profile up with numbers you can sell.
PGStaff posted:9and7, you are correct.
ROOTHOG, I think your son will be invited, so there is no reason to have him throwing until he is ready.
Please forgive me for saying this, but I'm always hearing people being concerned by how many scouts or college coaches attend a specific showcase.
Question... Is it better to be at a PG event with no recruiters or scouts or at another event that PG doesn't scout with a half dozen scouts and recruiters?
Of course, it might depend on who the recruiters are, but for the most part a player will draw "much" more interest by attending the PG event with no scouts.
You see PG has the most website traffic, by far, of anyone in amateur baseball. More importantly every top college and every MLB scouting department follow PG events and scouting info. So in one way you will be seen by a few recruiters and the other way you could create interest with pretty much everyone involved in recruiting and the draft. And if you lack the talent to impress PG, you are not going to impress recruiters. Not bragging, but we are very good at evaluating talent and most all decision makers know that.
There are many players that have found out what I've said above. And if someone shows us enough talent anywhere at anytime, we are going to get him to the best events in baseball, just as ROOTHOG explained. At those events, there will be PG there scouting and more MLB scouts and recruiters than you can imagine. In other words, the best of all worlds!
I just wish people understood, they are not wasting there time if PG sees them. In fact, it could be the start of something special. Obviously, everything, everywhere, depends on the players talent level. We can't tell all the DI coaches that everyone we see is a DI prospect.
PG staff ,
how is does a kid get invited to the Jr Showcase ?
edcoach posted:not trying to hijack...but to go to a PG event does the player have to go with a team or is it an individual event? Im thinking there's both??
Edcoach, I see from your profile that you have a 2020 and you live in OK. Let me simplify this for you.
On October 21-23 there was a tournament in the Dallas/FW area called 2016 PGBA 16u Texas Fall Championship. Had your son been on one of the teams playing in that tournament he would now have a PG profile. The profile is filled out by the coach of the team when he submits his roster for the event. It also has editable information that a parent can change such as height, weight, high school, Fall team...etc. All PG events have a radar gun, even the youth events, so had your son pitched in the event he would also have velocity numbers on his profile. These are recorded for each event. Cost per team to attend this event is $650.
On November 5-6, in Tomball TX, they are having the 2016 National Underclass South Showcase. There are instructions online on how to request an invite to that showcase...I think last time I checked they were around $650. If your son attended this showcase he would get a LOT more measurables added to his PG profile. The basics of a 60 time and bat speed, etc. Then there are position specific measurables such as Velocity from OF, Velocity across the infield, Pop-time...depending on his position(s). Obviously if your son does not play catcher he wouldn't have a pop time. He would also get a grade at this event, this ranges from a 1 (This game is too dangerous to play) to a 10 (Potential very high draft pick and/or Elite level college prospect).
Then there are the specialty events like Roothog spoke about...you have to be specifically invited by PG to attend these events, they aren't the type of thing where as long as you pay you get to play. On the contrary, the specialized events that PG puts on, like the 14u PG select baseball Festival they held this summer...those are free to the lucky kids who are invited.
Poke around the PG website for more info, put in some kids names that you think may have attended some PG events and you can see their profiles.
thank you CACO3girl! great info!! My son actually is a catcher and a short stop. Im thinking in the Spring and next fall going to start hitting showcases hard...or at least give the PG a shot.
My 2018 is in a different phase -- we're struggling to find the time and appropriate PG showcase (we're in Chicago) for son to attend to improve his PG grade. It's important to son because he's heard a lot of colleges are referencing PG profiles and he wants to improve his recruiting appeal.
He attended a PG Showcase 15 months ago when he was a 5'8 150lb guy throwing 76 from the IF and a 78 Exit velo. For a kid with his size and skill set he received a reasonable PG grade, along with positive comments about his fielding. We knew, and he knew, he didn't have the eye popping measurables, but he could play and it was ok for him to go for the experience.
He's now 5'10, 171lbs with an IF velo of 88 and Exit velo of 89, and ready to go to another PG showcase to improve his PG grade. Our problem is lack of time and figuring out which showcase makes the most sense. Tight schedules, ACT prep and testing, rest period so he's healthy for Mar 1 HS season, ramp up time. He's predominantly played SS with occasional stints on the mound, so we try to get 6-8 weeks of arm shut down.
How do kids stay in playing shape that enables them to to attend the end of year PG showcase? How are kids in playing shape for the MLK PG Showcase or Tournament? How do you attend the spring PG showcases when the kids are playing spring HS ball? Holy cow, I don't know how people do it...
Clearly a bit of a personal problem here, but I'd appreciate learning why people may have chosen one PG showcase over another. Also, how did people manage a shut down and rest period for their son's "arm", and then have the time to ramp back up to get playing ready?
2018 is motivated to attend a PG Showcase within next 6 months with hopes of qualifying for the PG National Showcase. Time, Time....
Appreciate your input and experience. Thank you.
Gov posted:My 2018 is in a different phase -- we're struggling to find the time and appropriate PG showcase (we're in Chicago) for son to attend to improve his PG grade. It's important to son because he's heard a lot of colleges are referencing PG profiles and he wants to improve his recruiting appeal.
He attended a PG Showcase 15 months ago when he was a 5'8 150lb guy throwing 76 from the IF and a 78 Exit velo. For a kid with his size and skill set he received a reasonable PG grade, along with positive comments about his fielding. We knew, and he knew, he didn't have the eye popping measurables, but he could play and it was ok for him to go for the experience.
He's now 5'10, 171lbs with an IF velo of 88 and Exit velo of 89, and ready to go to another PG showcase to improve his PG grade. Our problem is lack of time and figuring out which showcase makes the most sense. Tight schedules, ACT prep and testing, rest period so he's healthy for Mar 1 HS season, ramp up time. He's predominantly played SS with occasional stints on the mound, so we try to get 6-8 weeks of arm shut down.
How do kids stay in playing shape that enables them to to attend the end of year PG showcase? How are kids in playing shape for the MLK PG Showcase or Tournament? How do you attend the spring PG showcases when the kids are playing spring HS ball? Holy cow, I don't know how people do it...
Clearly a bit of a personal problem here, but I'd appreciate learning why people may have chosen one PG showcase over another. Also, how did people manage a shut down and rest period for their son's "arm", and then have the time to ramp back up to get playing ready?
2018 is motivated to attend a PG Showcase within next 6 months with hopes of qualifying for the PG National Showcase. Time, Time....
Appreciate your input and experience. Thank you.
There will be a PG showcase in St. Louis in late February if history holds true. Good timing too because it will be right as players are prepping for the HS season plus it will be early enough to get a National invite if all goes well. It is an indoor showcase due to the time of the year and not too far of a drive from Chicago.
Never considered that one.... Have you been to it? This might be the one where they don't run the 60, but a 5-10-5, 30yd, or H to 1st.... Thanks will look into that one.
Had friends attend and 60 times were recorded, along with all the other measured information taken at outdoor events. Hitters face live pitching but no games are played. Not 100% sure but I believe this is a one day event with Saturday or Sunday as an option.
Catch1721 posted:Had friends attend and 60 times were recorded, along with all the other measured information taken at outdoor events. Hitters face live pitching but no games are played. Not 100% sure but I believe this is a one day event with Satu
Catch1721 posted:Had friends attend and 60 times were recorded, along with all the other measured information taken at outdoor events. Hitters face live pitching but no games are played. Not 100% sure but I believe this is a one day event with Saturday or Sunday as an option.
Found the National Indoor Showcase... might be a good option. Thanks
On a somewhat related topic, it looks like PG has recently removed their "age" listing in player profiles. I wonder why.
The age listing is still there as of right now. At least on my computer.
roothog66 posted:The age listing is still there as of right now. At least on my computer.
It's still showing on mine also.
Gov posted:Catch1721 posted:Had friends attend and 60 times were recorded, along with all the other measured information taken at outdoor events. Hitters face live pitching but no games are played. Not 100% sure but I believe this is a one day event with Satu
Catch1721 posted:Had friends attend and 60 times were recorded, along with all the other measured information taken at outdoor events. Hitters face live pitching but no games are played. Not 100% sure but I believe this is a one day event with Saturday or Sunday as an option.
Found the National Indoor Showcase... might be a good option. Thanks
Looks like St Louis is the normal two day PG showcase.... both Sat and Sun including the 60 and team play. But the timing could work....
It doesn't look like the showcase schedule has been established beyond Jan 7-8 2017.
MomLW posted:roothog66 posted:The age listing is still there as of right now. At least on my computer.
It's still showing on mine also.
That's so weird. My son's isn't showing, and neither is his grad year. I looked at some kids who played with him this summer (at the one PG tournament he's done) and it was the same thing. But when I just looked up some random kid, both the grad year and age are on there. Weird.
Edited to add: the "Position(s)", "Ht/Wt", "B/T", "School", "Hometown", "Summer Team", and "Fall Team" are all on there. Just not the first two items ("HS Grad" and "Age").
2019Dad posted:MomLW posted:roothog66 posted:The age listing is still there as of right now. At least on my computer.
It's still showing on mine also.
That's so weird. My son's isn't showing, and neither is his grad year. I looked at some kids who played with him this summer (at the one PG tournament he's done) and it was the same thing. But when I just looked up some random kid, both the grad year and age are on there. Weird.
Edited to add: the "Position(s)", "Ht/Wt", "B/T", "School", "Hometown", "Summer Team", and "Fall Team" are all on there. Just not the first two items ("HS Grad" and "Age").
Go in with your parent password and see if those areas still have anything in them. If they don't, add it.
