There very well could be some good honest recruiting services out there. Here is our experience.
As a college coach I would receive information from recruiting services. At that time, it came in big stacks of papers or long lists. At first I read through all the info and once I actually followed up.
I saw a report on a 6-4/190 RHP from Northern Minnesota. The information gave glowing stats and claimed he threw a 93 mph fastball. It went on to say he had great control and was unknown by scouts because of the area he lived in. I called the high school coach and he assured me this was the best pitcher he had coached in his 20 year career. I called the parents and they expressed interest in our small college program.
Well… I made the 11 hour drive (each way) up north to see and try to recruit this young man. Their game was rained out, so that cost another day on the road. The one thing I did notice (I’m 6-4) is this kid was more like 6-1 at best, not the biggest deal, but the literature said he was 6-4.
The next day, I got to the park early and watched him warm up. I knew within minutes that this was a wasted trip. Sticking it out, mostly out of politeness, I watched him pitch 2 innings. No real need to, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
In the first inning… first pitch fastball… I got a whopping 77 mph on the gun. This ended up being the best fastball he threw in 2 innings. I actually felt sorry for this young guy, none of this was his fault. He was a nice kid, but got caught up in a complete falsehood.
Needless to say, that was the last time I used a recruiting service. The information that came in was promptly filed in the waste bin.
Then many years later we started Perfect Game. Times were tough trying to stay ahead of the game. One of our people thought it would be a great idea to start a RECRUITING SERVICE. Against my better judgement… We did!
We advertised this service to players in our home state. Several signed up, even some talented players. Then one day I was looking through our files and saw a player I knew. Nice kid, just couldn’t play baseball worth a darn.
I asked our people… How can we promote this kid to colleges? What could we say, that would be honest and cause this kid to be recruited? They looked at me and said, I don’t know, but the parents want to spend the money.
That was the end of the PG Recruiting Service. I told our people to tell the parents we are out of that business.
Once again, there very well could be some excellent recruiting services out there. My suggestion for those considering using a recruiting service is as follows.
When “applying” tell them you are 5-2/110 lbs, run an 8.5 – 60, and you’re a RHP with a 68 mph fastball. Tell them you have a 1.9 GPA with a 14 ACT. I'm exagerating but... If they still want to take your money, RUN away as fast as you can. If they tell you they’re sorry, but they can’t help you, you might have found a good one!
Or you can simply ask a college coach you know and trust, what he thinks about all of this.