How do you stand out at a showcase?
When you are evaluating players at a showcase you are looking for the players that separate themselves from the group. The players that do this will show tools that allow them to do just that.
Fielding. Footwork , soft hands , athletic ability , ability to play through the baseball , fluid infield actions , arm action , arm strength.
Arm Strength.
Speed.
Short fluid swing that produces consistent hard contact.
There will three types of players present at one of these. The players that are out of water so to speak. They are not at the level of the group.
The group. Many will fall into this area. They all are pretty much the same in what they bring to the table. They pretty much blend in with one another.
The last group are the guys you have come to see. They stand out above the group. They do this by showing a tool or tools that makes them stand out. For some its hard to see. For others its not as hard to see.
When you do this stuff all the time and you have been around the game for a long time it becomes alot easier to see. I never look where the baseball is going when I am watching the hitters. I am looking at the swing process , the hands , the swing path , the bat speed , etc.
When I am evaluating the fielders I am looking at the approach - do they know how to approach the baseball , fielding actions , hands , footwork , athletic ability , arm actions , arm strength.
Some kids will stand out. They will be obviously guys you will want to take a closer look at and sometimes simply no brainers. They stand out like a sore thumb. Others will be on the other end of that spectrum its just the way it is. And the vast majority of the players will all bend in together.
There will always be a couple of guys that fall into the group that can flat out play the game. They are gamers. They dont stand out in a showcase or Pro Style Workout but they just can play the game. But all of these type of kids will have solid tools but not tools that jump out at you. These guys will eventually I will eventually find because I will see them in games over the course of the spring and summer.
If your kid goes to one of these and he is not one of the fastest guys , not one of the best fielders , does not have one of the best arms , does not produce one of the best swings - he will not be one to stand out. The more of these top tools at the event he has the more he will stand out. Sometimes he only has to show extremely well in one tool to get noticed. But being just as good as everyone else will mean he is average just like everyone else. Except the 2 or 3 that they are looking for.