Underclass Recruiting

Unfortunately that's a generic invite....probably sent to every kid within a couple hundred miles that they could get the name of.  That being said, if your son has (or may have) D1 talent, the price is ok, he's interested in the school and it's reasonable to attend you may want to do it.  Typically there are other schools in attendance, especially if it's a winter camp.  You can probably find info on the school's website that says who will be there.  Again, it's likely a lot of kids got it, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not worth going.   Good luck

Looks generic. However, I have seen invites where the invitees were clearly targeted and the clue was $99 camp fee,a third the cost of a typical fundraising camp. Upon arrival the staff indicated it was a group of (multiple years) they had targeted for further evaluations.

Either way, you won't know if it's worth taking in, if you don't go.

Thanks ! For what's  it worth , my 2019 did reply at the time and said thanks but he couldn't attend since we were going to be in PG Ft Myers , and send him his schedule , the Head coach did reply back and say thanks , but again don't know if it means anything , but we will be a camp next week that will have multi coaches and he will be one of them , my son does have D1 talent and I'm told by coaches and scouts , just trying to feel what's real 

If he's at a camp that that coach is attending and is able to say hello to him, by all means have him do it.  He'll get a pretty good idea based on the coach's response where he stands with them.  My son always made it a point to introduce himself and shake hands with coaches at camps.  Other kids didn't.  He had several coaches comment to him that it was great of him to make the extra effort to do that.

It does look very generic. But then again, sometimes these camps are how players are identified.  Our sons did go to camps for schools they were highly interested in and targeting and in some cases they generated more interest and even offers.

You can know its real if there is a personal message directed specifically at your son.  An example might be, "Joe - we saw you at X-event and are very interested in seeing you more - if you can attend our camp it will give us just that opportunity - please call us at <phone> to discuss this."

Note the 'we saw you' phrase alone is only a half personal message.  Something more like 'give us a call' or 'please stay around after the camp so we can show you around' is a solid interest message.

justbaseball posted:

It does look very generic. But then again, sometimes these camps are how players are identified.  Our sons did go to camps for schools they were highly interested in and targeting and in some cases they generated more interest and even offers.

You can know its real if there is a personal message directed specifically at your son.  An example might be, "Joe - we saw you at X-event and are very interested in seeing you more - if you can attend our camp it will give us just that opportunity - please call us at <phone> to discuss this."

Note the 'we saw you' phrase alone is only a half personal message.  Something more like 'give us a call' or 'please stay around after the camp so we can show you around' is a solid interest message.

Thx !!! He  has Been given the one about if you call us we can't talk  , but leave a message and say when you will call back . 

My favorite mailer is "We saw you at XYZ showcase" and the player wasn't there.

My son, who is a sophmore in college this year still gets some camp emails. Most are revenue streams to pay coaches etc. If your target schools invite you, it may be worth your time to attend to show interest beyond emails etc. Who knows what could happen. Otherwise know that emails like this are more common and sent to the masses so the program can make money.

I would have saved a lot of money over the past several years with my son by not going to school specific camps.  The only ones where the Recruiting Coordinator or Head Coach sends a specific invite after seeing your kid play at a tourney or showcase or calls him directly are worth attending.  Technically, these generic invites are accurate in that they do have kids now in their programs that went to their camps, but those are kids who were identified elsewhere and then got specific requests to attend the school's camp. 

Glad you were able to save your money through the conflict he had.

Backstop22 posted:

I would have saved a lot of money over the past several years with my son by not going to school specific camps.  The only ones where the Recruiting Coordinator or Head Coach sends a specific invite after seeing your kid play at a tourney or showcase or calls him directly are worth attending.  Technically, these generic invites are accurate in that they do have kids now in their programs that went to their camps, but those are kids who were identified elsewhere and then got specific requests to attend the school's camp. 

Glad you were able to save your money through the conflict he had.

I mostly agree with you, however, I can give you a very direct example of a Pac12 school that knew nothing ahead of camp, but all but offered by the end of the one-day pitching camp.  Ultimately, they made the highest offer of all.

If you have something to show, it will indeed "show" even at a bulk attendance, money making camp.  But you gotta have something big to show.

My son got an emailthe summer before  his Soph year from a school that was obviously generic. The next summer he got a more detailed letter from the same school declaring their need for 2017 players still and the letter encourged us to attend their camp...my son is a 2018.

I have seen all kinds of camp invite tricks... BEWARE.

I took my son to a camp at his dream school.  He is a 2020 so it was a little early, but he had a blast and the price was reasonable.  60 kids at the camp and 6 were committed by the following week.  I watched a 2018 that no one had ever heard of go out there and throw 94 and was committed the next day.  Kid had missed his HS season due to injury and is from a town of 1000 people.  Word spreads fast as I saw that he was on the roster of some top teams at Jupiter and the Underclass. 

If it is a school that your son is interested in and you can afford it, go and have fun.  He will get to interact with the players and the coaches and it will be a good experience for him.  He might do something that catches their eye in the process.  At the camp we went to it was easy to see who they were interested in.  My kid threw 76 at 6'3, when he walked off the mound no one pulled him aside.  Another 6'3 2020 kid hit 81.  The coach had him cornered before he got to the dugout.   My son will definitely go back to the camp next year and probably a few others once he starts narrowing his list of schools. 

These mailings are kind of silly most of the time.  I live in GA, why is my 9th grader receiving invites to camps in PA and WV? Plus four showcase invites so far...did I mention he's a just turned 14 9th grader?  Makes zero sense!

My 2016 AND my 2012 still receive camp invites.  The vast majority were/are generic.  Camps are a source of income for coaches.  And camps can be a source of potential recruits.

It never really mattered to us whether the invite was generic or targeted...if the school was on either son's vetted list of schools, then it might make sense to go...but there were a lot of other considerations even then, e.g., ability to showcase something meaningful, other colleges attending, etc. 

Both boys got a number of targeted invites from schools they were not interested in, so in those cases, they weren't going even though it was a direct invite from a coach.

IMHO, starting with a vetted list of schools helps filter out the noise and keeps the player and family focused.

CaCO3Girl posted:

These mailings are kind of silly most of the time.  I live in GA, why is my 9th grader receiving invites to camps in PA and WV? Plus four showcase invites so far...did I mention he's a just turned 14 9th grader?  Makes zero sense!

A parent that has been around this site for more than 60 days is "in the know" about camp invites because we have been educated by this site. To the naïve parent of another 14 yr old freshman, a generic invite to Big State U Prospect camp may lead them to believe their ballplayer is being recruited.  The learning curve is pretty quick but I've had freshman parents tell me within the last couple weeks that their son was invited to a showcase or a in-state U camp and their excitement was obvious.  If they ask my opinion, I provide it and if not, I let them experience it.  Fortunately, I found this site well before my 2017 entered HS and when the "recruiters", sorry, all the invites started rolling in through email, the mass mailings were easily identified. 

This site really does have a lot a value.  There are opinions that are different than mine but I've learned a lot, even from differing opinions.   

CaCO3Girl posted:

These mailings are kind of silly most of the time.  I live in GA, why is my 9th grader receiving invites to camps in PA and WV? Plus four showcase invites so far...did I mention he's a just turned 14 9th grader?  Makes zero sense!

Since an email costs a fraction of a penny, it makes perfect sense.  

One person's junk email is another person's marketing plan.

Look to see if the coach included a cell phone number in his email.  That is an invitation to call, and a sure sign of interest!

exception... Stanford.... they only send invites to the players they really really want.

Rule of thumb.... if they want to see you play... they will find a way... it's not really up to the player to make himself available to college coaches.   Maybe at Juco, NAIA, D2 D3... most of the time if you are D1 talent they will contact you.  Just keep working hard...

bacdorslider posted:

exception... Stanford.... they only send invites to the players they really really want.

Rule of thumb.... if they want to see you play... they will find a way... it's not really up to the player to make himself available to college coaches.   Maybe at Juco, NAIA, D2 D3... most of the time if you are D1 talent they will contact you.  Just keep working hard...

I think is pretty spot on, I think it actually is pretty true about the other levels as well. if they think you are a player they will contact you. My son is 2017 and had dreams of D1, didn't happen. had he pursued them maybe...but I doubt it. The truth is he since September of his JR year he never attended at showcase, he never attended a camp. He simply went and played where is travel team was at, the coaches did what they do. He never send his schedule to a coach or contacted a school unless he was reached out to first. He had plenty of options on where he wanted to attend and play.

Again I think he was highly desirable for where he was being recruited that may explain why he didn't have to go out and solicit interest. That being said he is not a kid who is ever going to do that, he is never going to be in sales or marketing...he is an accounting or finance kid. He likes things organized and in a process, he wanted to go play at a quality school that has a good baseball program where he was highly wanted...I believe we checked all the boxes.

The coach told him he had seen him play 5 times before contacting him...we never realized his future team was watching him until the RC called out of nowhere and asked him if he would be interested in setting up informal visit to get to know each other... from there is just kind of flowed.

One of the big mistakes is taking an attitude that D1 baseball is the pinnacle ..... I cannot stress enough, as many before me, if you want to have the best college exp. and play ball, find the schools that fit your academic and then target those for baseball......

I know its hard as a 2020 , 2019 even a 2018 to not have the dream of playing pro ball, or playing SEC ball, but  its likely not going to happen.... BUT I can tell your from exp.... that all levels of baseball are exciting and when your playing Juco or D2 and your competing , what some D1 team is doing will never enter your mind.   Playing the game, building friendships, getting an education  all vastly more important than the level.

My sons have been to PG tourney's but never a Showcase.... I would have liked to taken them , but $$ was a factor.   If you can afford a PG showcase , then it's the best money you will spend.   Remember recruiters talk all day long about players....

bacdorslider posted:

One of the big mistakes is taking an attitude that D1 baseball is the pinnacle ..... I cannot stress enough, as many before me, if you want to have the best college exp. and play ball, find the schools that fit your academic and then target those for baseball......

I know its hard as a 2020 , 2019 even a 2018 to not have the dream of playing pro ball, or playing SEC ball, but  its likely not going to happen.... BUT I can tell your from exp.... that all levels of baseball are exciting and when your playing Juco or D2 and your competing , what some D1 team is doing will never enter your mind.   Playing the game, building friendships, getting an education  all vastly more important than the level.

My sons have been to PG tourney's but never a Showcase.... I would have liked to taken them , but $$ was a factor.   If you can afford a PG showcase , then it's the best money you will spend.   Remember recruiters talk all day long about players....

so if you had a choice to attend a camp  with 25+  D1 coaches(HC or RC) having interactions with your son  for 2 days , or attend a PG showcase witch would you pick if money is a factor and the price is about the same?

c2019 posted:

bacdorslider posted:

One of the big mistakes is taking an attitude that D1 baseball is the pinnacle ..... I cannot stress enough, as many before me, if you want to have the best college exp. and play ball, find the schools that fit your academic and then target those for baseball......

I know its hard as a 2020 , 2019 even a 2018 to not have the dream of playing pro ball, or playing SEC ball, but  its likely not going to happen.... BUT I can tell your from exp.... that all levels of baseball are exciting and when your playing Juco or D2 and your competing , what some D1 team is doing will never enter your mind.   Playing the game, building friendships, getting an education  all vastly more important than the level.

My sons have been to PG tourney's but never a Showcase.... I would have liked to taken them , but $$ was a factor.   If you can afford a PG showcase , then it's the best money you will spend.   Remember recruiters talk all day long about players....

so if you had a choice to attend a camp  with 25+  D1 coaches(HC or RC) having interactions with your son  for 2 days , or attend a PG showcase witch would you pick if money is a factor and the price is about the same?

Very good question.  I cannot provide "the" answer, but with lots of questions, it could depend on the situation and circumstances.  A camp with 25 D1 HC or RC is probably not going to be a full slate of Power 5 teams, so there is some need to vet the coaching list - and perhaps see if there is some good fit,  Might also depend on whether you are a position player or pitcher.  If a pitcher, then PG may have the advantage if in fact you have the velocity.  Camp may win out if you have are lacking velocity, but maybe can demonstrate other attributes.  An "average" position player might get lost in the shuffle at a bid PG showcase, so the camp might have some added benefit.  These are just a few situations that come to mind that could change the answer between these two options.

2017LHPscrewball posted:

c2019 posted:

bacdorslider posted:

One of the big mistakes is taking an attitude that D1 baseball is the pinnacle ..... I cannot stress enough, as many before me, if you want to have the best college exp. and play ball, find the schools that fit your academic and then target those for baseball......

I know its hard as a 2020 , 2019 even a 2018 to not have the dream of playing pro ball, or playing SEC ball, but  its likely not going to happen.... BUT I can tell your from exp.... that all levels of baseball are exciting and when your playing Juco or D2 and your competing , what some D1 team is doing will never enter your mind.   Playing the game, building friendships, getting an education  all vastly more important than the level.

My sons have been to PG tourney's but never a Showcase.... I would have liked to taken them , but $$ was a factor.   If you can afford a PG showcase , then it's the best money you will spend.   Remember recruiters talk all day long about players....

so if you had a choice to attend a camp  with 25+  D1 coaches(HC or RC) having interactions with your son  for 2 days , or attend a PG showcase witch would you pick if money is a factor and the price is about the same?

Very good question.  I cannot provide "the" answer, but with lots of questions, it could depend on the situation and circumstances.  A camp with 25 D1 HC or RC is probably not going to be a full slate of Power 5 teams, so there is some need to vet the coaching list - and perhaps see if there is some good fit,  Might also depend on whether you are a position player or pitcher.  If a pitcher, then PG may have the advantage if in fact you have the velocity.  Camp may win out if you have are lacking velocity, but maybe can demonstrate other attributes.  An "average" position player might get lost in the shuffle at a bid PG showcase, so the camp might have some added benefit.  These are just a few situations that come to mind that could change the answer between these two options.

lets say pitcher and catcher

My 2017 is both a catcher and a pitcher, so we have gone through the various options for showcasing and camps.

I would say if your son has some good metrics to be captured, then be sure to do at least one PG Showcase.  It does not really matter where, but sign-up as a dual player and PG will make sure your son gets to do both.  The Pitcher Only players sit around a lot at these showcases and then they get to pitch multiple innings in one game.  By signing up as a catcher, my son got his Pop time measured and his batting measures like Exit Velocity.  Then when he checked into camp he always asked the PG guys if he could get an inning or two on the mound on Day 2.  Each time he got a chance to pitch, and the PG guys would measure his pitching measures like FB velocity, curve and change-ups.  And each of his scouting write-ups wrote him up for both catcher and pitcher.

I caution that if he does not have good metrics, at least yet, then do not do the PG showcase and instead focus on the showcase camps (like Headfirst if he has the grades or Showball).  I saw a fair number of catchers at PG who had poor Pop measures, and scouts will note the pitching velocity too even if it is in the 70's.  My 2017 waited until the end of Junior year to do his PG showcase when we knew he would score pretty highly.  Ideally, play on a great travel team and that will get your son into the PG database and into tourneys where scouts will watch him play.

As a 2019, your son has plenty of time to get exposure.  As another thread indicated, for many of us, our reflection is that the best thing you can do now for a Sophomore is get on the best travel team you can find for Summer ball going into Junior year and then Fall travel as well.  If your 2019 is D1 talent, it will be obvious going through his HS season as a Sophomore on Varsity then playing on a strong travel team against top competition in the Summer and Fall.  If he has not been "found" by Junior HS season, then it is pretty rare that he would get a chance to play D1.  It took my 2017 awhile to accept that reality, but now he has a lot of options at the other levels and he is excited about finding the right match for academics, location and baseball.

Pitcher will be noticed anywhere they go in a matter of minutes if they are that good.

catchers also get looks very quickly if they are that good.

you won't be both P&C, it is either one or the other.

Pitchers and catchers are the easiest positions to get noticed at the showcases. Heck , most showcases cater to the pitchers anyway. They get t o pitch against competition that has no idea what they will throw and has never seen them pitch before. They know the batters arent going to walk or bunt so they dont worry about those. They try and strike out as many batters as possible and their velos are up because they are usally jacked up from the adrenaline at the showcase. Position players are another story altogether....

c2019 posted:

bacdorslider posted:

One of the big mistakes is taking an attitude that D1 baseball is the pinnacle ..... I cannot stress enough, as many before me, if you want to have the best college exp. and play ball, find the schools that fit your academic and then target those for baseball......

I know its hard as a 2020 , 2019 even a 2018 to not have the dream of playing pro ball, or playing SEC ball, but  its likely not going to happen.... BUT I can tell your from exp.... that all levels of baseball are exciting and when your playing Juco or D2 and your competing , what some D1 team is doing will never enter your mind.   Playing the game, building friendships, getting an education  all vastly more important than the level.

My sons have been to PG tourney's but never a Showcase.... I would have liked to taken them , but $$ was a factor.   If you can afford a PG showcase , then it's the best money you will spend.   Remember recruiters talk all day long about players....

so if you had a choice to attend a camp  with 25+  D1 coaches(HC or RC) having interactions with your son  for 2 days , or attend a PG showcase witch would you pick if money is a factor and the price is about the same?

It would depend on how many schools at the camp are interested in son.  If you have few that are really interested , I mean really, not correspondence. Then go to the camp. 

BUT PG is going to also give a ranking that any RC can see.  I would take my target list of schools and contact them and tell them you are going to be at the PG showcase.  

But just remember camps are money makers... sometimes a recruit will luck up on an offer,  most of the time they are there to observe.

d-mac posted:

I took my son to a camp at his dream school.  He is a 2020 so it was a little early, but he had a blast and the price was reasonable.  60 kids at the camp and 6 were committed by the following week.  I watched a 2018 that no one had ever heard of go out there and throw 94 and was committed the next day.  Kid had missed his HS season due to injury and is from a town of 1000 people.  Word spreads fast as I saw that he was on the roster of some top teams at Jupiter and the Underclass. 

If it is a school that your son is interested in and you can afford it, go and have fun.  He will get to interact with the players and the coaches and it will be a good experience for him.  He might do something that catches their eye in the process.  At the camp we went to it was easy to see who they were interested in.  My kid threw 76 at 6'3, when he walked off the mound no one pulled him aside.  Another 6'3 2020 kid hit 81.  The coach had him cornered before he got to the dugout.   My son will definitely go back to the camp next year and probably a few others once he starts narrowing his list of schools. 

Yep. Obviously, assuming it's the camp I think, my 2018 has been three time and each time I've seen at least one kid committed within days of the camp (one year three). I also personally knew that at least two of those kids showed up with no prior communication with the school. 

Since your son is a 2019, wouldn't it be wise to wait maybe until after the summer to see where his strength lies and do a showcase to determine that?

It's not healthy to continue to do both, and I just don't get why so many folks feel the need to rush.

Camps can be a great learning experience and provide a fun day or weekend if an overnight camp. However, keep in mind the real purpose, to raise money.

As far as those attending camp and getting an offer, more than likely the coaches knew about the player beforehand, and camp was prearranged.

How would you feel about an UNinvitation?

2018 went to a camp a few weeks ago. Coach called after and said they were very interested, but where was son in the process? 

He said "early."

Coach said, okay, you're in our database so you'll get all our camp invites, but we know you. You don't need to come to another camp.

I THINK it was good because the two of them have long text chats about workouts and schedules, and so forth, but sometimes I wonder???

Iowamom23 posted:

How would you feel about an UNinvitation?

2018 went to a camp a few weeks ago. Coach called after and said they were very interested, but where was son in the process? 

He said "early."

Coach said, okay, you're in our database so you'll get all our camp invites, but we know you. You don't need to come to another camp.

I THINK it was good because the two of them have long text chats about workouts and schedules, and so forth, but sometimes I wonder???

Some players are asked to attend camp because the coach cant really talk to him any other way. Or, there was  recommendation by a scout or coach.  

My point is dont believe that players show up and after one time seen by the coach they get an offer out of nowhere.

Seriously, I dont think that I would want my son to committ to an offer first time seen by a coach, and if that is true, what else does he know about my son to make that decision in the first place if he never had seen him play or spoken to him. 

Thats not recruiting in anyones best interest, IMO.

2018 was invited to a camp, I didnot want him to go but the coach said , that he would cut the cost and his offer, campus tour etc was waiting for him on the HC desk.  SO we went to this camp....... BUT if I did not know before hand the offer was there, we would have passed.

Its really straight forward how this stuff works.  If they are very interested, I mean making an offer you are one they really want... you will know it without question.   If they are somewhat interested then you still have a chance, if their 1st pick decides on another school.  Or maybe they take both of you and you are offered less money.   Make sure you ask the RC  where you are at on their list.  If they do not make an offer you are not the 1  and they are trying to get you to hang out , keep you interested enough not to sign elsewhere until they get to you.. If they are hot for you and then go cold, they got there 1 guy.

bacdorslider posted:

Its really straight forward how this stuff works.  If they are very interested, I mean making an offer you are one they really want... you will know it without question.   If they are somewhat interested then you still have a chance, if their 1st pick decides on another school.  Or maybe they take both of you and you are offered less money.   Make sure you ask the RC  where you are at on their list.  If they do not make an offer you are not the 1  and they are trying to get you to hang out , keep you interested enough not to sign elsewhere until they get to you.. If they are hot for you and then go cold, they got there 1 guy.

Excellent analysis. Been there done that and have several T-shirts as proof.

bacdorslider posted:

2018 was invited to a camp, I didnot want him to go but the coach said , that he would cut the cost and his offer, campus tour etc was waiting for him on the HC desk.  SO we went to this camp....... BUT if I did not know before hand the offer was there, we would have passed.

Not allowed by NCAA rules fot D1 program to give a discount for camp unless they give it to everyone.

They get around this, however. They are allowed to prorate if you don't attend the whole camp. 

roothog66 posted:

They get around this, however. They are allowed to prorate if you don't attend the whole camp. 

Do you think that I dont know that? 

Thats not what was stated.

TPM posted:

roothog66 posted:

They get around this, however. They are allowed to prorate if you don't attend the whole camp. 

Do you think that I dont know that? 

Thats not what was stated.

I did doubt you knew that or you wouldn't be calling backdoor out as if he's were lying.

roothog66 posted:

TPM posted:

roothog66 posted:

They get around this, however. They are allowed to prorate if you don't attend the whole camp. 

Do you think that I dont know that? 

Thats not what was stated.

I did doubt you knew that or you wouldn't be calling backdoor out as if he's were lying.

I have known him for a very, very long time.   I never implied he was lying, but rather he was giving misinformation.

One thing about bacdorslider and he knows, he has to think twice what he has written.