Skip to main content

Reply to "Headfirst vs Showball"

2019&21 Dad posted:
Gov posted:
2019&21 Dad posted:

Similar question for my son's summer schedule. He is a 2019 P/corner IF. 6'2", 195. Low 80's FB, w/good control and secondary stuff. Pop in bat (86 exit velo). 1560 SAT 4.0 GPA, 1520 PSAT (perfect score). He is late getting on the recruiting scene due to an arm injury last year. He had surgery last Sept and went to the Harvard camp a few weeks ago and is back to form playing HS ball this spring. We are in PA but booked for HF in CA June 26-27. It will be part baseball, part college visits, part family vacation. Looking to fill out the rest of the summer with showcases/camps and not currently playing on a team other than potentially Legion to stay in shape and sharp. Thoughts on that approach?

Considering the following showcases/camps:

- Showball, ASBA Academic in July, Perfect Game Academic in FL, Duke's Camp in August, Baseball America (Top 96), maybe HF again on Long Island in Aug

Appreciate any thoughts from those who have been there before. 

How is his baseball skill?  Any PG grade, or accolades via PBR?  He's got the grades, and nice size for being a P or corner IF, how's the glove?  How's the speed?  Keep getting the exit velo stronger and becoming a better hitter.  Spring HS ball should get him good reps, but the downtime between that and showcases could be concerning due to not seeing decent pitching to hit against.  The showcases will have Pitchers of all levels - 80-92FB, he has to make sure he's timed up so that he gives himself a chance while in front of the college coaches. 

 Has he been on a competitive summer club team?  While grades are great, don't forget these are baseball coaches trying to recruit the best possible players for their college.  Whether it's Harvard or Amherst, they want players, that happen to have the grades and scores.

Does he work with a throwing guy?  With his size and weight along with refined mechanics should make him more projectable.  There's time for him to continue to refine.

I think multiple HF camps (June and July) could be good, giving himself repeated chances in front of the same coaches.  Duke Camp in August as an incoming senior is very late for a power conf college, unless he's RHP throwing 90+ with command, or a great glove corner launching bombs out of the park.  Duke picks up their last cherry picks at the PG WWBA and similar tournaments where the prospects are high level late bloomer pitchers, or high level hitters hitting advanced pitching. Same for other high academic D1's.  Georgetown and Columbia were still looking for two power hitting corner players at the PG WWBA and the Showball HC event the past July.  Harvard held off making some formal offers until their early August Camp.  The Ivy camps always have 4-6 other college coaches attending (normally D3's and Patriot D1's).  Princeton HC feeds some players he likes but has no room for to GTown HC.  

You need to find a way to stay in top baseball shape in between showcases.  Def more thoughts on this, but gotta run, hopefully no typos here.... 

 

 

Thanks for your well thought out reply Gov. To answer your questions, he has played on several high quality travel teams and had success so I think the baseball talent is there for a D3/Patriot (maybe Ivy). But his playing time and showcasing has been significantly hampered by injury. He did a PBR event last Jan '16, where he got his exit velo, but the injury hurt his arm velo #'s. He is a good fielder and getting faster although not fast (7.6 60). He has worked with a pitching coach and has very good mechanics according to one nationally known pitching guy. We were thinking Legion could be a relatively inexpensive way to help him stay ready between showcases, but you raise a good point as to the quality of pitching he may see there. 

Thinking once he is in top form in May we do a recruiting video and send it out to targeted schools with email telling them where he will be in the summer. Meantime keep training/refining/prepping and playing somewhere ahead of HF in June. Then do at least one or two more high academic showcases after that in the summer.  Does it make sense to do the PG Academic the week before the HF CA? Seems like PG's value is more in getting the numbers than about coach exposure. Just not sure that warrants spending $2k to go down there. 

As for schools of interest, he seems to favor technical schools (MIT, CalTech, Pomona/Mudd, U. Chicago) over Ivy's, and definitely wants the academic side to drive the process. 

If he is targeting the schools you listed, if given the chance and supported by the coach should really consider going ED. My son verbally committed to CMS (Mudd) but did not get accepted. His scores were higher than your sons so just a heads up.   

×
×
×
×