17U Travel Ball or just Showcases?

I'm afraid you will need to all of the above.  I'm more of a camp guy than many on this site, but you still need to be on a travel team as well.  We mixed both and when my son caught interest from coaches at camps and showcases, they then came to see him pitch in games.

If you're not on a team, then you're expecting to get an offer directly from a camp, and I don't think that happens much unless you're a complete stud.

If you had to give one up due to time or money, I would skip the camps. 

Time shouldn't be an issue for your son this summer to get his workouts in, if he wants it bad enough.  He or his friends will be driving by then, they can go to the high school every day and work on their skills and conditioning, while you're working on bringing home the bacon.

Good luck!

Welcome to the site.  You are wise to "not break the bank".  Whatever the recruiting strategy, that should always be top of mind.  

Continued development is a given/must at this stage.  IMO, playing competitive games is also a must.  Like CTball said, the strategy is usually a combination of travel, showcases, camps and training/instruction but is different for each player.  It is very important to get in front of the right target audience.  

Here in California, Scout Leagues are part of the equation for many.  Most offer very competitive play, are quite affordable, travel is often within a reasonable geographic area and there are plenty of connections.  I have heard that this is available in your area as well but I'm not positive.  Is that an option?

He should be playing for a travel team. Even if he goes to a camp and the coaches like what they see, they're going to want his travel schedule/coach's contact info to watch him play again. Offers rarely come after seeing a player once, especially at a camp. 

If I were you I would join a new organization. One where they have sent players or have connections to schools your son is interested in. Depending on the state/how far you're willing to travel I'm sure others can give you recommendations, but if you don't see his recruitment progressing with his current program it would not be wise to spend the money.   It is on the later side, but if your son has size and can play there will always be room for him on a roster. You're going to have to do your homework here. 

As for the colleges. Your son's numbers are good, but none really jump out as elite. I'm sure there are plenty of D1 schools that recruit those metrics, but it would probably be wiser to stay away from the P5 schools and powerhouse mid-majors. As those numbers might not get a lot of attention and those schools are mostly finished recruiting. But there are still plenty of D1s recruiting and will continue to do so all summer so he still has time.

PS. If you're looking to save money PG showcases are not the way to go. 

Lots of numbers in your post except GPA, which is a factor as the HA D1’s and D3 recruit later...I would recommend a measured mix of camps and tournaments.

Thanks. His GPA is 3.8 and scored 25 on  ACT and going to take it again. 

My son is a 2020 as well. We pushed hard over the last year with a local (Phoenix, AZ) competitive team that plays in a few select tournaments in the summer, Stanford camp, PBR showcase, and a few select school camps. I would do as much as you can fit in and afford, but you may need to find a new team that can better help your son with his recruitment process. Also, make sure that you target the right level schools. If your son can improve his ACT, that will broaden his options. Good luck!

Play travel. Have a plan and work the plan; identify schools where he fits academically and baseball and send them profile and short video indicating his interest. Send them updates during his HS season and where he will be playing in the summer once he gets his schedule. If he wants to stay in TX, UT Tyler is reclassifying to DII, Trinity, and TLU are top national level DIII programs that based on his numbers he fits perfectly. 

Get an invite to Area Code tryout (free) and go to Az Fall Classic and go to academic game tryout. 

"His GPA is 3.8 and scored 25 on ACT and going to take it again."

With his grades and scores, think about attending Headfirst and/or Stanford camps (regardless of whether you decide to play travel ball).  (Or any other HA type events which attract HA coaches from around the country.) Many of the high academic non-scholarship/unfunded schools will be looking for 2020s this coming summer (all NCAA divisions). (I just spoke to a HA D1 coach who asked me to keep an eye open for local 2020s.)

BOF posted:

Get an invite to Area Code tryout (free) 

This could be the most beneficial and I would make getting an invite a priority. Tons of college coaches giving more attention to the uncommitted guys there. Even if he doesn't make the team it can be worth it. 

A good travel coach sells the player. He makes pre event contact to inform prospective college programs of a player to watch and how he would fit into the program.

If a player only shows up to showcases he’s throwing spaghetti off the wall to see what sticks. Unless he’s a top shelf, pro prospect stud there’s nothing that sets him apart from about 500-1000 players at his level of ability. 

Lets say a kid is very athletic. He could play anywhere on the field. He has strong character. He’s a good teammate. He’s baseball smart. He’s very coachable. He’s academically strong. 

These are recruiting differentiators that don’t necessarily show in a day or two in a showcase. But what if a travel coach pre sells it? Now it’s only about talent. The kid has been separated from the pack before the event.

I suggest your son attend one of The Complete Showcase events.  There are a number of them in DFW every year - usually in McKinney.  The events don't cost very much and are well attended by college coaches - mostly D2, D3 & JUCO.  Every player gets a written evaluation (usually from 4 different coaches) and a chance to discuss the evaluation with the coach(es) that wrote it. This is a good way to get a feel for where your son fits after high school. Once you know what your target is you can then develop a better strategy.

PABaseball posted:

BOF posted:

Get an invite to Area Code tryout (free) 

This could be the most beneficial and I would make getting an invite a priority. Tons of college coaches giving more attention to the uncommitted guys there. Even if he doesn't make the team it can be worth it. 

Agree but these are generally pretty tough to come by if you are not a top shelf stud.  I could be losing touch... has this changed in recent years?

cabbagedad posted:

PABaseball posted:

BOF posted:

Get an invite to Area Code tryout (free) 

This could be the most beneficial and I would make getting an invite a priority. Tons of college coaches giving more attention to the uncommitted guys there. Even if he doesn't make the team it can be worth it. 

Agree but these are generally pretty tough to come by if you are not a top shelf stud.  I could be losing touch... has this changed in recent years?

You are correct. AC invites are still pretty tough to come by. 

cabbagedad posted:

PABaseball posted:

BOF posted:

Get an invite to Area Code tryout (free) 

This could be the most beneficial and I would make getting an invite a priority. Tons of college coaches giving more attention to the uncommitted guys there. Even if he doesn't make the team it can be worth it. 

Agree but these are generally pretty tough to come by if you are not a top shelf stud.  I could be losing touch... has this changed in recent years?

It's not easy, but it is definitely easier than in the past. There were definitely some kids at our AC tryout this past year that were clearly a step below the rest of the players. 

Dallas;

why not '18 and under or '19 and under travel teams. It will improve his reactions.

When he appears in College he will be competing  with players 4-5 years older.

Bob

'founder" of the Area Code games and Goodwill Series [1983-2019]

Its not too difficult to get an AC invite. I believe a scout must refer you.   The tryout alone is a great thing .The AC Games is a whole level above anything I've ever seen and such a cool event .

''Ac tryout invite that is

Consultant posted:

Dallas;

why not '18 and under or '19 and under travel teams. It will improve his reactions.

When he appears in College he will be competing  with players 4-5 years older.

Bob

'founder" of the Area Code games and Goodwill Series [1983-2019]

This wouldn't help his recruiting efforts. Plus, the class of '18 is already in college. 

College coaches really prefer seeing a position player play several times before offering.  It really makes sense to play 17U travel ball in addition to showcases & camps.  

Thanks! I really appreciate all the great suggestions and comments! 

I would say do showcases for the mere reason is that you are guaranteed to get in front of coaches...unless you are on one of the big name/top notch travel teams that get attention just based on their name.

With the travel team tournaments you may be relegated to one of the satellite fields (i.e random high school within a 50 mile radius) and never see a coach the entire week...yet you are still paying travel team + travel prices/costs.

With the showcases, you are guaranteed to be in front of several (dozen) coaches. However, pick and choose which ones you go to in order to get the most bang for your buck. There are plenty of good options out there besides PG (which are way overpriced in my opinion). Also, contact schools you are interested in before registering to make sure they are actually going to be there and let them know you are interested so they can highlight your son and make sure they watch for him.

We put more of our eggs in the travel team basket and only attended a couple showcases with my son. At most of the tournaments he never saw a coach unless his team got lucky and got scheduled at the main field. All of the interest he got for playing in college came from the showcases and led him to where he is playing now.

With all that said, baseball is a team sport, so he should also be on a team in the summer...even if it is just a legion team. I just would spend more money on showcases than I would for the team he is on.

Whether a player is seen or not is why it’s important to play for a team where coaches have connections and credibility in your target market. You want to play for a coach who presells players telling college coaches to come see a player he believes fits in the program.