I know this did veer off OP, but a couple of comments struck home.
@ReluctantO'sFan They can't see into the heart of a kid to see if he will truly grind,
@baseballhs they just can't see a kid's drive or commitment from a showcase
@PABaseballOnly the coaches making the offers are the one's with any opinion that matters
So I looked back at PG's state rankings for kicks, my son's year. Of the dozens rated in front of him ( including five draftees), only 2 are still playing in minors. At the time,we had always thought of going to more PG events to "raise his grade", but actually felt that individual showcases were more beneficial to him and for the cost. RipkenFan has a set of tools that are different (80 grade run tool, bright player, plus defense and contact hitter/high OB%, and "intangibles" others noted above.)
One P5 school who recruited him later told HS coach son didn't hit enough for power (son liked that this was HA school, but team also struck out over 35% of the time, so wasn't a good fit). As it turned out, son found the best fit (baseball and otherwise) in college. My wife and I were talking the other day about how many college coaches would have stayed with a player who began his college career, 1 for 22? Coach called RipkenFanSon into his office around this time and said something to the point, "Do you think I am glad I recruited you? Go out and have fun and keep at it" After this meeting, son hit over .400 for the next 10-11 games. " You never know...
Back to the original OP (Francis). My son, hoped to be a starter as a freshman or at least have the opportunity. I remember believing that I thought he would "travel" due to his versatility (IF or OF), pinch run or pinch hit. Once son did crack the starting lineup (during fall actually) it was his mission to work just as hard to stay there.