Advice regarding Showcases please

463:

There is a forum entitled "Tournaments and Showcases" that has all the information you could want. If your question isn't answered on the first page of topics ...you can scroll through the other pages of topics at the bottom of each page.

I dont mean to be rude at all ...a lot of this info has been posted and re-posted and will be easily accesible. Also, make sure and peruse the other sections of the website first....there is tons of info.

The first thing you should do is take your son to a Villanova game when one of the better Big East teams come to town. Find out if any of the opposing pitchers are pro prospects. Then ask yourself and have your son ask himself, "Is this something I can compete against?"

Go watch a Temple game. They're mediocre (in a mid level conference) to be polite. There are players on the bench who were Catholic League all-conference.

son is a senior 08. we have been to all kinds. The best we attended was team one. Best value-They deliver the exposure promised. Also very honest. Son was included in select group from team one summer showcase for fall preview. Team One cancelled event due to lack of college coaches. Justin Roswell took it on the chin with many parents because of lost travel money, but did not want to have event with no college exposure. I hope this helps

There is not much value added by showcasing at this age. Too young to generate a lot of interest. The only benefit would be getting the experience of showcasing.

It would be better in most cases to wait until your son has played a year of Varsity baseball.

I would recommend getting your son on the best summer team as possible.

The typical showcase would include all of the things you mentioned (60 yard dash, position specific fielding, bp, games).

Is it worth it? It depends on the showcase. PG Showcases have definitely been worth it for my son.

If you want more info there is an excellent dvd called Showcase the Movie. Check out the web site www.showcasethemovie.com. It is well worth it. It used to be available on the PG web site too, but not sure if it still is. You can take a look www.perfectgame.org.

In some areas where high school baseball is very strong, many talented players aren't able to start until senior year. If that is the case, I wouldn't wait until then to do a showcase.

Sophomore year would be a good time to do 1-2 college showcases. They can run anywhere from $30 up to $200-$300. This would give your son the opportunity to feel comfortable with the format and "feel" of showcases before participating in a large one like Perfect Game.

A good time to do a Perfect Game showcase would be junior year. The rating your son receives would give your family a good indication of the level of college ball he would be best suited for.

Thanks for the feeback.

Villanova has showcases in the late summer, early fall. They run four sessions with only thirty-six participants in each. Have your son try it or at least watch it to see who's trying to get noticed. I watched almost all of one on a Sunday morning.

I saw four players of thirty-six I thought could play at the level of play in the Big East. I saw almost every player had the hands in the field to play D1. What I only saw in four players was the bat speed. I commented to one of the Nova players. He said those four were specifically invited by the coaching staff from other showcases around the country.

Villanova does invite coaches to the showcase from lower level programs who won't be stealing prospects like the local A10 programs, D2's and D3's. I believe last year the cost was $150.

Infield08 is absolutely correct that at some schools you might not play Varsity until your Senior year. That is why I said "In most cases".

PG offers State Showcases which are just one day, give you a good insight into what showcases are all about, and will help prepare you for their larger multi-day showcases.

PG puts on a Central PA showcase out in the Penn State area that is an excellent first showcase. We went out to watch once and then my son participated the next year.

RJM also has good advice with the Villanova camps.

Assuming your son is ready, the Summer after completing his sophomore school season would be ideal in scheduling 2-4 showcases, which can include a few college camps, a PG showcase, and perhaps a local showcase. If you get your son's name out there in the sophomore year, by showcasing and contacting college coaches, he may be put on a follow list for the junior season and -- just perhaps -- he may be a candidate for an early commital. Also, by doing showcases in both the sophomore and junior seasons coaches can track your son's progress.

You should not base your decision to showcase on whether your son played varsity or not. My kid was JV his sophomore year, and he did an early commit after playing varsity his Junior year. It also isn't important what his "stats" are. Those can and do change quickly between seasons.

Keep in mind, the most productive thing your can do to help your son's progress is to get on a solid off-season and in-season training program and play on a top travel team against the best competition. If you're not doing this, showcasing may be a waste of your time and money.

attend selectfest showcase your sophomore year