Showball Baseball Camp? Anybody have experiece with them?

The letter my son received said he had been identified as prospect "for" one of the colleges, not "by" one of the schools. I read it to be a general solicitation and not really an indication of interest by any of the schools. It is an impressive list.

If you search in this showcase forum you will find some other threads on Showball.

Twotex, son received same form letter. Thanks for the tip on search.

my son got the same.

we received it by email

My son received one as well yesterday and after researching it as well I feel the same as twotex.

We got same email, sound like they want our $595.

We got an invite for them but ours was in the L.A. area. I did ask some coaches and scouts about the camp. Most of them had not heard of it before. One scout gave us what I felt was a very valuable feedback about these showcase camps. He asked my son if he wanted to go to a college in the west. My son said "no". The scout asked him why he would want to go out there and waste the time and money when he could go to camps that schools he was interested in go to would be more likely to attend. My son admitted that it was more the fact that he was excited about getting the letter. Since then, he has received 2 from PG and numerous other smaller camps. He has become much more selective about which camps he wants to attend. He also realizes that a lot of these camps are people's paychecks and that they send out hundreds of invitations so they can get as many kids as possible to attend.

There is no doubt about it.....I've coached in college for the last 6 years and camp publicizers say your son has been "identified" as a prospect to everyone they send it out to. The big time schools that attend only attend because they get paid $1000 to do so. They rarely find players from those type of camps. check out this article i wrote.... http://baseballfieldgeneral.com/2011/hsbbshowcase/

Thanks for all of the questions and responses. Let me add that this is a fantastic opportunity for anybody that signs up. Sure, this information goes out to more than 100 kids and yes, the coaches are paid to be there, but lets keep focused on the opportunity at hand. There will be 30 big time coaches there to provide your kids top instruction for 2-3 days. While this opportunity might not be for everyone, it is certainly a valuable tool for many kids that want to play college baseball.

I know we all grew up in a time and era when showcase camps did not exist, but I don't know why there is so much resistance to them. Do the organizations make money? Of course! Do the coaches make money? Of course! I can't think of too many businesses that are set up to lose money or make no money at all. Showcase camps just happened to be run by people who are baseball lovers that are making extra money while doing what they loved. They stay involved by providing these wonderful events for kids to be seen and learn.

I can tell you that over the course of the last 5 years, we've seen many success stories of kids attending these camps who have moved on to play college baseball.

Please keep in mind that every organization (including "Perfect Game") charges a fee to attend any of there events.

So, if you're going to pay to go to an event, why not choose one where there are 30+ top college coaches guaranteed to be in attendance?

Again, we respect the opinions and views of everyone(including any articles), but we just want to make sure that the correct information is being portrayed to the parents and kids. These camps are as valuable if not more valuable than any other opportunities out there.

The recruiting process has changed over the years and playing on your high school team is just not enough anymore. That's why travel ball, showcase tournaments and showcase camps exist.

Again, please stay focused on the thread. If someone wants to know about Showball, please provide them with direct feedback on your experiences with the organization. Please try to refrane from showing your articles. We certainly do not see this information in threads regarding other organizations (ie: Perfect Game, TPX, etc...)

If you have any questions about any Showball events, please don't hesitate to contact us directly or the the coacehs who are working our camps. We have some of the top recruiting coordinators and top assistants in the country.

Thank you for your time and we wish everyone luck in their journey.

My 15 years old got the same letter, was flattered, but also said that he didn't think that he was ready for that kind of showcase. I agreed and was more proud that he thought that way than I was of the "invitation". I guess I would ask the same thing. If you think that your son is ready and could honestly play for the colleges that were listed, then it might be worth a try, but be realistic.

The camps do what they say.  Lot of colleges represented, camps is run very well. It is very hard to say if it really gives your player much exposure.  The player gets very little time in front of all the coaches.  In the Florida Mega camp for a 1st base player, you got 4 ground balls, 8 swing batting from a righty, 8 swings from a lefty, you took throws from the other infielders about 10 times and the games are not really games.  4 batters per inning, outs do not matter, each batter starts with a 1-1 count, coaches are calling balls/strikes from behind the mound with a wide strike zone.  In the 2 games you get 5 or 6 at bats.  It display pitchers the best.  The coaches are not paying a great deal of attention, they move around a lot, talk with their peers a lot.  The player needs to  be on their A game if they expect to get any notice from coaches.  They also have some coaches give them basic fielding warms up and tips during the process.  My opinion is you would get far more going to a camp sponsored by the school you want to attend.  This did show my son there are plenty of talented players available so you need to work hard at improving to lift yourself above the pack.  I probably would not attend again, but the camp does do what they claim and given the number of players it runs smoothly.  I listen in on several player evals and very little feed back is given except for pitchers.  

In the summer of 2014 my 2015 MIF attended the Showball Academic Showcase on Long Island. It was very well run and almost all of the coaches appeared to be actively looking for players. He received an offer there and several other colleges started to recruit him.

 

This past weekend he attended the Showball showcase in Orange County, California. It was not quite as crisply organized as the showcase on Long Island. Also, more of the coaches did not seem to be paying close attention to the players. However, again, he had coaches start recruiting him.

 

In sum, I wold go to the one on Long Island again.

2016 was also at Florida Mega and I would agree with much of Hallson’s assessment.  The event delivers what it advertises:  puts your kid in front of a large group of coaches from across the broad spectrum of college baseball (i.e., high D1, mid-majors, D2, D3, and JUCOs).  Attention levels were tied to talent displays.  The most talented kids drew rapt attention, while the others attracted notice commensurate with their skill sets.  I suspect these guys know their business, and so when to sit up and take notice and when to shoot the breeze.  I’d never be confused with a talent evaluator, but I don’t recall seeing too many North Carolina or Virginia Tech kids.  Some mid-majors, with lots of D2 and D3 candidates.  Format definitely favors pitchers.  No shock when you consider the composition of a college roster.  In our case, we used it as a learning experience and kid was fortunate to perform well enough to kindle interest.

 

My one bit of advice for prospective attendees:  take stock of your skills before you commit.  It’s a bit pricey for MIF’s who can’t throw across the diamond, catchers who can’t reach second, and pitcher’s topping mid-seventies.  I hope this isn’t perceived as arrogant.  My own is definitely no stud, but some kids who came a long way and gave up a nice chunk of change looked to be out of their element.

 

Lots of info on this camp over the past years, just do a search.

 

IMHO,

West coast camp was very helpful to our player. First attended after sophomore year. Had a great time, learned a lot and started to generate interest from several colleges. Our player was contacted & invited to specific school camps after attending. The camps he attended followed him right up to the time he committed and signed. You need to be cautious and make sure there is geninune interest. Once your on a list the email blasts go out. For most kids, college chooses you, not the other way around. Great way to get exposure from all levels. In the end, if your not in the top 1% or the projectable future stud this is not a bad way to go.

The format is great, most all coaches are present for every game so they have the opportunity to view each kids performance. If there not paying attention when your son is on the field, maybe they already have his spot covered or just not interested. Whether you like it or not, these guys get paid to find the next best stud and for most, its that much. It's also a great opportunity for your son to figure out how to communicate with these guys, ask questions and become comfortable in that environment.

in the end, you will see if your kid has the talent to play at the next level. Yes, these showcases do make money and you should be able decide if you are getting value or just adding to their profits.

We attended the Orange County showcase December 20-22, 2014. It was well organized, and ran ahead of schedule. The first game day we played two games. There were 12 coaches at the first and 15 at the second (out of the fifty 'promised'). The last day there were maybe 15 behind the plate and another 5 in each dugout. Sometimes they were paying attention. They were offering tips and conversation in the dugout, which was cool.

 

Son did well, hit a home run and two power doubles (out of maybe 6 at bats) and was one of the stronger arms there, which he should be as he is a senior. He talked to several coaches. Two coaches contacted him the next day after we returned to tell him they are "officially recruiting" him. It may open a door or two.

 

The assistant coach he really wanted to meet (and who's head coach has been chatting with him over email for several months, a big reason we attended the showcase as they don't do many events) didn't know who he was upon introduction and was one of the handful of coaches who did not seem personable or engaged, unfortunately. Chalk it up to "risks you take". Should son follow up again with the head coach? Don't seem to be making much headway although coach has said repeatedly "we think you're a great fit here". No mention of money and son always initiates. We thought getting in front of the AC would be helpful and IMO son stood out at this showcase. Not sure the AC even saw him however. Advice?

 

I doubt there is a lot of D1 offering/recruiting going on at this particular showcase. The talent was decent, but not standout (IMO). The conversations we heard about were all D3, and it's a good venue for them. The D2 schools were primarily Cal State schools, who don't really have any out of state kids on their rosters (but it might be good for the CA kids?). It's great that there was a good mix of schools, all levels and though mostly West Coast, there was a smattering from other areas too (Michigan, Amherst, Harvard).