standup,
Sorry if you think I was slighting baseball in your area. We had two Oklahoma HS pitchers on the Aflac team this year and they are both ranked very high in the 2011 class. We know of a few more current Oklahoma HS pitchers who are outstanding. All of those pitchers played on summer club teams rather than, or in addition to, legion or HS ball. Doesn't necessarily make them better, just much more visible.
I will go out on a limb and say the pitchers I'm talking about are considered the top HS age pitchers in Oklahoma by the entire scouting community.
That said the depth of talent in Southern California is well recognized every year in the MLB draft. The number of draft picks and often very early draft picks is well documented. There's not much to argue about when it comes to that.
Even at that, we don't have (that other player) ranked so high because of what he did in high school. He has created quite a buzz in the scouting community by playing coast to coast against the best possible competition in the country with wood bats. And he has been an absolute animal at those events.
No one is saying your son isn't deserving of more recognition. It's always possible he could be one of the best. I think it's the approach that people disagree with. As far as rankings, we like to think we are the best. However, I assure you that we have been wrong many times and we will be wrong many more times. Everyone who evaluates talent makes mistakes and will admit it, that includes college coaches and MLB scouting departments.
Also I think you mentioned something about a PM. Sorry if I didn't remember, I really get lots of those and can't keep up with all of them.
I understand that you mentioned the other kid as being great while doing the comparison. You did not cut him down at all or I'd be the first to get POed. You were simply trying to describe your sons ability. Personally I think that is the wrong approach. Then again remember that I have been wrong many times before. I also think you might be getting a bit too defensive here, but that too is your decision. Heck I get that way myself at times.
Stick around and you will find lots of good people, who post here, pulling for your son. Even those who might disagree with you now. Lots of people who have already gone through what you are experiencing and will experience. They understand how stressful these things can be at times.
We hear from parents arguing about rankings and grades all the time. Sometimes they have legitimate points. But we have seen a lot... We have seen great scouts who can pick out talent in a heartbeat, but they can't evaluate their own son accurately. We know who a parents favorite player is. We also tell players to never be satisfied with what they have accomplished. Satisfaction is a baseball players biggest enemy! Maybe it's a parents worst enemy as well.
Most important is to let rankings do whatever they do. Maybe the right approach is to go about proving them wrong. I love to see kids prove us wrong, it's not an insult at all because we know we will be wrong or miss kids at times.
Best of luck to your son and to you too.