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Hello all,

 

Been following this board for 3 years now and decided to jump in since my son is getting closer to start the recruiting go around.  Before beginning I just want to thank all posters for the information you have shared, it has helped out a lot!

 

My son is a 2021-16U (C/RHP/utility) in the Twin Cities-MN metro area that plays HS for a strong 4A (largest class), VFW/Legion (summer) and fall club for a good program.  He is looking at mid-major D1, D2 and D3 (non HA) colleges in the upper midwest to pursue academics/baseball.  Are there any camps/showcases that he should attend this year or next that target these schools?  I am especially interested in hearing from players/parents who have a son in or targeting the upper midwest.  Headfirst or other HA camps, Stanford and PG showcases would not apply to my son for various reasons.

 

He has attended some local college prospect camps this winter and will be doing his first PBR showcase this spring in hopes of getting an invite to the PBR Future Games this summer.  The plan moving forward is to start reaching out to coaches this year, attend selective college camps and do a couple more PBR showcases.  Am I on a reasonable path or is there something I am missing?  Thanks. 

 

 

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PBR does a nice job in the Midwest....Ohio, MIchigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois.   There are a lot of D2 and D3 schools in those states and quite a few mid-major D1's.  Most of the MAC falls in those 5 states.  Playing Legion in the summer, as opposed to playing with a recognized travel organization is almost going to force you to go the Showcase/Camp route as I don't know of many (if any) schools that are scouting Legion teams.   Is it possible to get your son some games with a travel organization, even on a part time basis?  It's much easier to have a coach come see you at an event with multiples teams/players than it is for him to come out to a Legion tourney where his options for college level kids are going to be limited.   What are your son's measurables, Ht, Wt, Pop, 60, Fastball, etc?   Those would give us a better idea of where to point you.  Your son is a sophomore, this summer is important if you want to get him started in front of some D1's....not quite as critical for D2-D3, summer after his junior year would be fine for those schools

Burger posted:

Hello all,

 

Been following this board for 3 years now and decided to jump in since my son is getting closer to start the recruiting go around.  Before beginning I just want to thank all posters for the information you have shared, it has helped out a lot!

 

My son is a 2021-16U (C/RHP/utility) in the Twin Cities-MN metro area that plays HS for a strong 4A (largest class), VFW/Legion (summer) and fall club for a good program.  He is looking at mid-major D1, D2 and D3 (non HA) colleges in the upper midwest to pursue academics/baseball.  Are there any camps/showcases that he should attend this year or next that target these schools?  I am especially interested in hearing from players/parents who have a son in or targeting the upper midwest.  Headfirst or other HA camps, Stanford and PG showcases would not apply to my son for various reasons.

 

He has attended some local college prospect camps this winter and will be doing his first PBR showcase this spring in hopes of getting an invite to the PBR Future Games this summer.  The plan moving forward is to start reaching out to coaches this year, attend selective college camps and do a couple more PBR showcases.  Am I on a reasonable path or is there something I am missing?  Thanks. 

 

 

There's one that's held in Apple Valley in the  summer...I for the life of me can't remember who puts it on. MIAC, UMAC, and most NSIC programs send someone.

Buckeye 2015 posted:

Is it possible to get your son some games with a travel organization, even on a part time basis?  It's much easier to have a coach come see you at an event with multiples teams/players than it is for him to come out to a Legion tourney where his options for college level kids are going to be limited.   

While the showcases are necessary, if his team is playing in the Legion tournaments in the area (especially the Gopher Classic,) there will be opportunities to be seen.

Buckeye 2015 posted:

PBR does a nice job in the Midwest....Ohio, MIchigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois.   There are a lot of D2 and D3 schools in those states and quite a few mid-major D1's.  Most of the MAC falls in those 5 states.  Playing Legion in the summer, as opposed to playing with a recognized travel organization is almost going to force you to go the Showcase/Camp route as I don't know of many (if any) schools that are scouting Legion teams.   Is it possible to get your son some games with a travel organization, even on a part time basis?  It's much easier to have a coach come see you at an event with multiples teams/players than it is for him to come out to a Legion tourney where his options for college level kids are going to be limited.   What are your son's measurables, Ht, Wt, Pop, 60, Fastball, etc?   Those would give us a better idea of where to point you.  Your son is a sophomore, this summer is important if you want to get him started in front of some D1's....not quite as critical for D2-D3, summer after his junior year would be fine for those schools

I would be cautious about PBR in IL.  

For the level(s) he is looking at, you would be better served holding off until next summer before taking the showcase/camp route. Not to say it will be useless, but schools of this caliber do almost all of their recruiting heading into senior year from June-October, especially the D2/D3s. So might be best to save some of that money for next year.

If the schools are more local (within an hour or two) it is possible that they can attend some HS games (but don't count on it). Ask his HS/legion coaches if they have any relationships with the schools he is interested in and start there. 

Buckeye 2015- Thanks for the advice on travel vs legion during the summer.  Unfortunately, not too many travel orgs (least nationally recognized) in my area that do summer tournaments.  The club scene here is more focused on fall and winter since legion is still strong during summer.  Are there specific tournaments in the midwest that are more focused for D2/D3 scouting, if so, what would you recommend?  As for measurables: 5'11"/185lbs, Pop 2.0, FB-cruises mid/upper 70's top 80, EV-85, IFvelo-77, Cvelo-74, 60-upper 7's.  He plays better than his metrics so it is more important to get him in games to be seen.  

Matt13 - Please reply back if you remember the tourney in Apple Valley.  Good to hear that colleges do scout the legion tournaments still since his HS has a strong legion team as well.

Joes87 - Following up more about PBR, does it make sense to do a PBR showcase in more than one state since they are regional entities or does it not matter as long as you have verifiable numbers to send to the coaches?

PABaseball - I understand what you are saying since it has been mention many times on this board.  I rather be a little early than late with regards camps/showcases since they are held 1-2 times per calendar year and the need to space them out properly. Thanks for the advice regarding HS/legion coaches.

Thanks everyone.

Thanks 3and2fastball, this is the type of information I am looking for.  Do they make up teams from the showcase participants and play any games afterwards?  PBR in MN does a 2 day upperclass showcase/games event in July where they run a showcase and afterwards have the participants divided into teams to play in 2-3 simulated games that is scouted well since it is right before the state legion tournament.  PBR in MN just started the same thing for underclassmen in June this past year.  What I really like about this is that you do not have be affiliated with a regular team to participate in. 

Burger posted:

Buckeye 2015- Thanks for the advice on travel vs legion during the summer.  Unfortunately, not too many travel orgs (least nationally recognized) in my area that do summer tournaments.  The club scene here is more focused on fall and winter since legion is still strong during summer.  Are there specific tournaments in the midwest that are more focused for D2/D3 scouting, if so, what would you recommend?  As for measurables: 5'11"/185lbs, Pop 2.0, FB-cruises mid/upper 70's top 80, EV-85, IFvelo-77, Cvelo-74, 60-upper 7's.  He plays better than his metrics so it is more important to get him in games to be seen.  

Matt13 - Please reply back if you remember the tourney in Apple Valley.  Good to hear that colleges do scout the legion tournaments still since his HS has a strong legion team as well.

Joes87 - Following up more about PBR, does it make sense to do a PBR showcase in more than one state since they are regional entities or does it not matter as long as you have verifiable numbers to send to the coaches?

PABaseball - I understand what you are saying since it has been mention many times on this board.  I rather be a little early than late with regards camps/showcases since they are held 1-2 times per calendar year and the need to space them out properly. Thanks for the advice regarding HS/legion coaches.

Thanks everyone.

What I'm thinking of in AV is a showcase...for the life of me I can't remember who runs it, but they're based out of Wisconsin.

Welcome to the journey  First off there are several excellent club teams in MN and it is a growing industry.  My advice would be to subscribe to PBR and begin gathering information.   See where kids with similar metrics have been going.  Notice where they played summer ball and it will give you some indication of summer club affiliations.  If you are looking at college baseball I would advise not wasting entire summer with Legion.  Also check out scholarshipstats website to see which schools have baseball. 

Right now put your money into refining skills and speed.  Upper 7's 60 time will be a drawback even for D3's.  You hit, you still have to get on base.

IF true focus is D3's, you have time. You don't want to go to PBR or even larger Hitters type Showcase before the metrics are within range.  Lots of colleges tap into the results provided by the big camps.  PBR at this point will highlight measurables - make sure you have a good idea where your son is at before you sign up.  Again, better to put the money into strength, skills, and speed. 

 

We are in Iowa and I know we played some fall tournaments in Milwaukee and Minnesota, but I don't remember where or when (sorry, it's a blur). But you might check with the team we played with — Sticks, out of West Des Moines — they would have a good sense of options out of that area since they travel there. PBR in Iowa also did a nice job for us. I asked a lot of people for guidance along the way, and while everyone certainly was selling their services, they genuinely seemed to want to see my son do well.

I agree that you don't want to put a bunch of money into showcases until the measurables are there, but we started the season with one inexpensive showcase to get measurables, and then later added a second one at the end of the season to see measure any improvement. When he joined the Sticks, those were included in our package price. They probably were still a little pricey, but it was easier to swallow since it was all packaged together.

 

Burger posted:

Thanks 3and2fastball, this is the type of information I am looking for.  Do they make up teams from the showcase participants and play any games afterwards?   

Yes, the first day begins with typical Showcase stuff (measureables, 60 times, BP, Fielding/Throwing Velocity etc) and then the afternoon of Day 1 is a simulated game or "BP Game" with coaches throwing.

Then Day 2 is straight up games, everybody plays 2-3 games on Day 2.

Thats the way they've done it in the past at least, not sure if they'll change things around this year.  

Thanks northland, matt13, iowamom23 and 3&2.

Gov - My son has been doing lifting and speed/agility with professional trainers for a number of years now.  Speed has/will always been an issue for son and we have worked on it for as long as I can remember.  The funny thing is he is always in the top 3 for stolen bases (not on pass balls) on his teams because he reads the P/C so well and his game speed is better (maybe because he is running for his life) than his timed speed.  It is kind of like a smart kid that has a hard time with standardize tests.  This is why that showcases which include games will be more beneficial for son because he plays better than his metrics. 

PBR is good in MN. You don't really have to go to another State. Target schools you are interested in, and start filling out recruitment forms. You can direct them to PBR for your measurables, and also link to a Youtube page, should you have one.

   Blizzard is the grandaddy of the travel teams in MN. They  have travel teams both in the summer, fall, and winter that go to all the usual National Tournaments. They are by no means the only organization. Just ask around in your area and find out where the good local travel teams are. It tends to change depending on the age year.

  Mankato has an excellent D2 program, NDSU is a decent Mid-major, and the MIAC, as well as some other conferences in MN, Iowa, and WI have some good D3 baseball, with St. Thomas and a couple/three of the WI schools being the big dogs. Iowa has lots of good JUCO's. I would focus on somewhat local schools, if they are to your taste. Chasing after a TX or FL school is probably not the way to go about things, unless your son is a standout.

   Once you go to a showcase or two you will see where your son slots in baseball wise. Try to be as realistic as you can, and see if you can get your son to produce at least one attention getting stat. You will also find that very few schools will plan on using him as a P/C combo, so you'll probably be wise to plan on him choosing between the two.

   We are in the Twin cities also, but my 2018 went the HA route, where most of the opportunities were far away. In some ways it made things more difficult, in other, easier.

Last edited by 57special
Burger posted:

Thanks northland, matt13, iowamom23 and 3&2.

Gov - My son has been doing lifting and speed/agility with professional trainers for a number of years now.  Speed has/will always been an issue for son and we have worked on it for as long as I can remember.  The funny thing is he is always in the top 3 for stolen bases (not on pass balls) on his teams because he reads the P/C so well and his game speed is better (maybe because he is running for his life) than his timed speed.  It is kind of like a smart kid that has a hard time with standardize tests.  This is why that showcases which include games will be more beneficial for son because he plays better than his metrics. 

Game speed, Field IQ can’t be replaced - excellent.  Didn’t intend to be harsh on 60 comment but we dealt w a lot of pain w that w my 2018.  Finally son got below 7.0 late Junior yr... he always  played well at showcases, he had the game speed.... but running 7.2/ 7.3 crossed him off lists unless they happen to see him in a game. Was 6.85 at Showball August as incoming Sr.

Check this out: son is working his butt off, goes to a HF Camp runs a 7.2, and they recorded him as a 7.8 from the guy next to him .   At this HF HC Boretti (Columvbia) is on the field two games watching him, standing behind, great plays, advances on few bases, and Boretti says:  “you sure don’t look like a 7.8 kid”.  Son ignores comment wondering where the 7.8 came from.

Monday after, Son calls RC for WashU and talks about his performance: RC says: “w a 7.8 you won’t be playing college ball”.  So defeating ... 3 weeks later HF changed his time, alerting all attending coaches ... little late.  Lots of coaches at that event said they’d watch him, now we know they didn’t wAtch.   The coaches will use the metrics to prioritize where they will spend their time watching whom.  

 Sounds like your son has a great attitude! Good luck! 

57special - Thanks for the good advice.  Son wants to stay within the upper midwest with MN, WI, ND and SD being target areas due to reciprocity for tuition and MN being the most logical since he can transfer his HS college credits on over to knock off a year.  JUCO route does not make sense since he will have a year or more of college credits under his belt by the time he graduates from HS.  I do understand that son won't be a 2 way guy but he wants to keep on competing at both until someone says otherwise.  Hitting (power/avg) has always been his best tool followed be pitching/throwing and then at the very bottom speed.

Gov - No offense taken about the speed comment.  If he can't make a college roster based upon his speed then he can keep playing baseball in a mens league during the summers and still enjoy the game.  Thanks for your story and sorry to hear about the mishap with your son on his 60 time at HF.  I may want to carry a stopwatch around at his showcases just in case. 

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