CaCO3Girl posted:gunner34 posted:all seems like great advice, my 14 yr old 8th grader 6"1 160 is throwing 80-82 and I kind of figured he will get noticed fairly quickly once he starts playing on summer teams in high school and was actually thinking we might not need to attend a show case, but likely will be playing in PG events as his pitching coach takes teams every year. Is that taking it too far the other way?
Hi, I'm the parent of a 9th grader who is 14. Since most of the players get talked to during or after their Junior year I don't see the harm in not showcasing until he's a rising Junior. I made a comment in another thread about seeing the appeal of an early commitment being able to relax and not have to put his name out there and not have to email colleges and going to showcases...etc. PG responded with:
"The worst thing any young player who has committed early could do is avoid showing off what he can do. Not only because that commitment isn't the LOI and things could change, but recruiters want to see their commits compete against highest level competition and all players need to develop.
We do some showcases where most all the players have already made a commitment. Many early commits are also thinking about early draft status. And the best players simply love being around others considered the best players. Committing early and thinking you have accomplished your mission... Is a recipe for disaster! IMO"
So...I'm guessing you should do the showcase routine regardless.
CaCo, I'm not sure if you are asking about before commitment or after? My opinion is that when you are starting the process- don't showcase until you are confident there's something to showcase, if he's ready, then go ahead. just make sure that you are going to showcases that are reputable, and that coaches will be attending.
After commitment, then the advice we received was to play at the highest level you can, and go to everything the pro scouts invite you to." no need to continue with showcases- you'll naturally stay in front of college coaches if you are playing at a high level.