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Hey there, my son is a 2022 sophomore Pitcher, 3rd baseman. Last year his freshman year he got alot of notoriety for his pitching. He was gunned at multiple games throwing 88-90 consistently. He has had a number of colleges reach out to the coach and he has contacted them. He also played on a Scoutball team this fall and  He also has an advisor. He is a multi sport athlete which all the coaches seem to like. This year he is getting stronger and looking as better than ever. 

So my main question is, should he be doing showcases? If so when? 

Is Scoutball pitching well and an Advisor enough? 

I want to make sure I am getting him the exposure he needs. 

 

Thanks for any advice. 

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If your kid threw 10 mph slower I'd know what to tell you.  There are other parents with bona fide dudes who are much more qualified to comment.  My GUESS would be to get him on a good travel team (and there are many in San Diego) and just let him keep getting better.  Pay attention to what the coaches say to him and learn how to read between the lines.  You will absolutely know when a coach wants your kid.  Ignore anything not clear as a foghorn.  With those numbers, you should hear a bunch of foghorns.  How big is your kid?

I'm not sure you need an advisor, though.

Last edited by smokeminside

He’s pretty tall. 6’5” 175. Super lean because he play water polo. 

The advisor reached out after watching him pitch. He’s a great guy and comes out and works out with my sons pitching almost weekly. He has been very candid and seems to think my son is on the right path not playing year round. But I need advice from more than one agent/advisor. 

After reading on these boards it seems like there is vast knowledge of kids in similar situations. 

Thanks

My son is a 2022, throws 85 and had/has interest. I'm sure your son has a ton more, that's awesome. I don't have much advice other than with your son's metrics he's going to be invited to everything. Be careful, find someone or a few people you can trust. You don't need to be pitching in everything that comes along, etc.

What  exactly do you mean that he has "an advisor"?

I agree with NYC.  My 2022 attending a showcase in Arizona and their was only 1 kid throwing 90 out of the thousands who attended.  Your son is in the top 1%tile for pitching velo for his grade.  You could go to a well attended showcase (emailing coaches in advance) or you could take some video with the velo being measured and email coaches for schools you are interested in.  That way you can control/direct the onslaught of interest your son should be getting now/very soon.

Mac dad posted:

Hey there, my son is a 2022 sophomore Pitcher, 3rd baseman. Last year his freshman year he got alot of notoriety for his pitching. He was gunned at multiple games throwing 88-90 consistently. He has had a number of colleges reach out to the coach and he has contacted them. He also played on a Scoutball team this fall and  He also has an advisor. He is a multi sport athlete which all the coaches seem to like. This year he is getting stronger and looking as better than ever. 

So my main question is, should he be doing showcases? If so when? 

Is Scoutball pitching well and an Advisor enough? 

I want to make sure I am getting him the exposure he needs. 

 

Thanks for any advice. 

Welcome to the site. With your son already touching 90 as an incoming sophomore, he will continue to get plenty of attention. Recruiters from the top baseball schools will want to see him pitching against top competition.  SoCal Scout ball used to be just that.  I have heard it has been watered down at least a bit in recent years with the addition of several teams that are not necessarily top notch.  So, depending on which schools (in addition to scouts) are showing up at those events, and which schools your son is targeting, he may or may not need to also form a strategy to be seen in the key events with top competition.  That may mean aligning with a top travel team, at least as an occasional guest pitcher or working toward invites to the top showcase events or some combination of.    

So much of this comes down to what school and what academic major the student/player is interested in.  You just have to get the good product in front of the right consumer.   There are more than one paths you can take to accomplish this.  It is generally much harder to screw up when you are a 2022 that throws 90 

Do make sure that you and he don't get caught up in what you will undoubtedly face - people will start telling you that he has to attend a multitude of key events.  Map out a plan that puts arm care very high on the priority list.

Honestly your son is past the point of recruiting advice. At 6'5 175 and already hovering around 90 scouts will be drooling over him not just as a college prospect but as a potential draft round pick assuming he can actually pitch and continues his development. I don't mean to jump the gun but if your son is a halfway decent player this is the type of stuff that gets you invited to All America games and at the very least PG National. Get in contact with the best travel teams in the area and country. SD Show, GBG, CBA, BPA all in California and then Evo Canes and Team Elite, SF Giants scout team - unless he is already on a team of that caliber. Contact those guys, take care of his arm, and honestly start talking to some of those schools that have reached out. Play your cards right and he'll never have to pay for a showcase again. 

Thanks, for the advice. 

All of you guys Echo what  his advisor who is a real Agent/Scout has been saying. It’s great to get the same responses. We have been talking to the colleges who reach out, some of who are very good Baseball colleges. 

My son has been reluctant when the high level travel teams call and just want him to PO for a tourney but it sounds like that is normal for a good pitcher, regardless of his bat or fielding. 

Hopefully a great year to come and a summer of selective baseball and stay with the Scout Team. Arm care and build strength and technique. 

Once again thanks for the support 

Mac Dad

(when my son was going through this) Most of the kids with good measurables got offers right after Perfect Game's Junior Nationals (for your son, next June, after sophomore year).   Get a good offer, then wait for the draft.  

If you seem to get conflicting or questionable info from your advisor, check back here.  There are several posters who's sons have been drafted out of HS and I'm sure you can PM them.

FWIW, two of the eventual 1st rounders my son played with in high school went to college first.  Neither were drafted out of high school.

 

Mac dad posted:

Thanks, for the advice. 

All of you guys Echo what  his advisor who is a real Agent/Scout has been saying. It’s great to get the same responses. We have been talking to the colleges who reach out, some of who are very good Baseball colleges. 

My son has been reluctant when the high level travel teams call and just want him to PO for a tourney but it sounds like that is normal for a good pitcher, regardless of his bat or fielding. 

Hopefully a great year to come and a summer of selective baseball and stay with the Scout Team. Arm care and build strength and technique. 

Once again thanks for the support 

Mac Dad

My 2022 LHP with similar stats has always played the outfield when he’s not pitching other than when he played in the Area Code games. I say let them do both as long as they want. I wish my kid had that height though 🤪. 

Yes I agree. He is a quality infielder and loves the game so the goal is to let him play the game he loves then when it’s college or beyond he knows he will be a pitcher. It’s hard when they are 15 and getting this special attention for what comes natural. It’s hard for me too. 

Thats why I joined this site, to get some impartial info from knowledgeable baseball folks who have nothing to gain (Coaches, Travel teams, etc..). College is the goal for now. 

Appreciate the help. 

with what you have offered there will be no problem with exposure. travel if you want for sure to some of the big events and keep playing the best competition you can find locally. From what I have read the train already left the station, you just have to manage where he wants to go and what the best path is. 

Continuing to improve is mandatory. Get in the weight room this fall. 

A 2022 throwing 90 would be well advised to become a PO right now, or play for a travel team that will keep his pitch count very low (or both!).  There are a ton of travel coaches who will use up a kid like that's arm chasing trophies.  It happens.  A lot.

Its a great problem to have, because if he stays healthy he will almost certainly play bigtime D1 Baseball, however the travel ball landscape is littered with kids either broken or stuck cruising in the mid to upper 80's who threw 100 pitches and then went and played 3B or SS the next day, over & over again all summer, after being overused in the high school season in the Spring.

Been there, seen the carnage.  Everybody thinks it won't happen to their kid.

Your son will likely have many opportunities coming in the next few years. Sounds like you're doing a great job guiding him. Best of luck to him.
Here are some numbers for the class of 2022 from Perfect Game events during 2019.

Number of pitchers who recorded 90+ mph: 42
Number of pitchers who recorded 90+ mph who are committed: 25
Number of CA pitchers who recorded 90+ mph: 4
Number of CA pitchers who recorded 90+ mph who are committed: 2

Wow, thanks. Those PG numbers sure are interesting. 

His high school coach is very conservative with his arm. Since he plays waterpolo and basketball he has a lot of time out of baseball besides his weekly pitching and practice. No baseball games during waterpolo season. Waterpolo may have to be taken off the table as this baseball situation develops, not sure. He is a top type waterpolo player nationally  but baseball is his #1 for sure. 

After seeing those PG numbers it looks like his pitching prowess is going to speak for itself as far as recruitment. He is in the weight room now and getting stronger. 

We have had our share of coaches wanting him to basically get a trophy and overuse him over the years, so trust is an issue for sure. He is young and strong and I want him to stay healthy so he doesn’t get used up before he matures like the stories before him. 

Very exciting. 

My son was 87-89 touched 90 early sophomore spring.  I would say, pick his dream schools and go to camps there.  They will see him which is great, but he will also see them and the school and get an idea if it is a fit for him.  Showcase wise, we just went to the big ones: PBR Futures (best in my opinion if you haven't committed by August of next summer), Area Code tryouts,  PG National Underclass, PG Underclass All American (not as important in recruiting, but good experience and top talent).  We played for a club without exposure (it was friends) and it still worked out well.

Mac dad posted:

Thanks, for the advice. 

All of you guys Echo what  his advisor who is a real Agent/Scout has been saying. It’s great to get the same responses. We have been talking to the colleges who reach out, some of who are very good Baseball colleges. 

My son has been reluctant when the high level travel teams call and just want him to PO for a tourney but it sounds like that is normal for a good pitcher, regardless of his bat or fielding. 

Hopefully a great year to come and a summer of selective baseball and stay with the Scout Team. Arm care and build strength and technique. 

Once again thanks for the support 

Mac Dad

Welcome to the site.  Advisors are a good tool to help navigate through these next few years.  They will offer much insight, recommendations, contacts, etc which will help tremendously.  IMO you mentioned "his advisor"  from which I assume you/son decided to use this person's wisdom.  Keep in mind that the INTENT of an advisor is to eventually become his agent when the appropriate time comes around, though there is no formal commitment.  Word may get around that your son already has an advisor, which may prevent other "advisors" from trying to approach your son, even though they may know more, better personality mesh, and such.  There is plenty of time to select an advisor who you will work through solely.  My son probably met with 15 - 20 advisors (though in college) and took about a year to decide who he wanted to work with.  After hearing many advisors do their thing, you learn which points are important, some you never would have thought about, different philosophies, different approaches, and such.  Best of luck, sounds like your son has a bright future!

Last edited by Trust In Him

Bottom line. Keep him healthy and take care of his arm. As long as you attend upper level PG events, can get an area code invite, and/or get on one of the So Cal scout teams (Mariners scout team operates up the I-15 from you) he will get the exposure he needs. My son, who was not invited to any of the upper level PG events, did his damage via Area Code tryouts and his scout team...which led to D1 interest/offers. Your son is way ahead of where my son was as a rising junior - with those measurables and his size - future is bright! Good Luck!!!  

Last edited by WestCoastPapa

Sounds like your "advisor" is not an advisor as we talk about one on here.  He is a guy who wants to invest in your son.  If he is a scout, he is not able to legally be an advisor in baseball terms but don't let that one go.  Anybody who knows the system and is investing in your son is a good thing.  When you say Scout Ball, that means a lot of things.  There are a lot of teams that call themselves scout ball.  I think you need to quickly narrow down your top schools or conferences.  That will help you determine what team you need to play for.  If it is in California then you can stay local, but if it is somewhere else like SEC you made need to find a national team.  Just know that terms in this sport mean a lot.  Scout ball does not mean the same for every team and advisor does not mean normal term of advisor.  You are in the right place to get advice.  If you need help, you can read some posts and see who has similar situations and pm them if you don't want to ask publicly. 

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