Age of Perfect Game Showcases?

My advice would be to take a step back and just enjoy the moment of watching your son play the game and having fun. There is plenty of time for all the other stuff when your son gets older.    

11 to 14 is HUGE gap in youth baseball. Enjoy getting better, start working with a good hitting coach because it is fun and will benefit him right away and enjoy the ride.

While standballdad is correct, I will provide you with a little more info from MY perspective.

When a kid should attend a PG Showcase is not something you can predict when they are 11. There are certain levels, for some they are more like hurdles, that kids must get exposed to and cross before a showcase like that comes into play.

So when will you know when to take him?  My advice, let him just play for now. If school allows it let him get lots and lots of extra reps. Training is also fine. The more he learns how to do things correctly right now, the less has to be corrected later. Over time, should he continue to play, he will be exposed to better baseball. The teams and their players will be much better. By the time he is 14 you will start, should you not be one of those dads that wears rose colored glasses, to understand where he fits in. At that point you can decide.

My son is a HS sophomore, just turned 15 in August, and he just attended his first PG Showcase. You have to understand that the skills portion is just that, not very complicated. But the games, should your son not be ready to face kids throwing 85+, are something that may make you stop and reevaluate things.

A day at a time. He's too young right now to plan that far out in advance.

Eli,

 

No harm in looking ahead, but most of us who are a few years ahead of you will probably have the same opinion as standballdad. I have great memories from very mediocre 11U-13U baseball.

 

Just to get the lay of the land, Perfect Game showcasing is mostly about exposure for top prospects, and objective evaluation for everyone else. In regard to higher competition, you may be interested in Perfect Game tournaments starting around 14U. Looks like you're located in a great region for baseball. If you haven't already, take a ride out to LakePoint and catch some of the action at a PG high school tournament this month or next.

I would echo the others.  We started PG tournaments at age 14.  For my son single best evaluation tool for us in terms of where he fit in the landscape.   

 

Thanks guys. I think I'm already in line with what everyone is saying. I meant it when I used the word "measured". He could walk tomorrow and decide he wants to be an artist and I would pat him on the back and say ok. I just want to make sure I know what options are available that might be worth looking into as long as he is really enjoying the process. I thought that if I was missing something, someone would point it out here. I'm actually relieved that I am not being supplied a list of things that I should be doing that I currently am not.

 

To illustrate where my mindset is; he hit his first home run at his last tournament and we spent 30 minutes on the other side of the fence (after the game) just so he could talk about it. Now that was fun and those moments are worth everything. If it ended today, we had that moment.

 

What I didn't count on was that he would have a natural ability greater than I estimated. When I mentioned PG, I was referencing to what I had thought I interpreted as showcases where kids could go and get rated, etc. (He is not ready for that, of course.) I could be misinterpreting what I read. Anyway, I was only thinking of it in that he would be able to go participate and see the level of competition around him. Again, he thrives off being around kids with a higher skill set. It was not because I was projecting him into the future. 

 

I think I'm on the right course with the membership to the batting cages and possibly and few lessons with a position coach. I don't have the skill set to teach him. His coach does, of course, but I think we could help the situation out with some one-on-one lessons more for the baseball IQ end of things. We can, however, have hitting competitions between he and I (in the cages) with high stake wages such as milkshakes, etc. Thanks everyone.

 

 

 

 

I think PG is awesome and does an incredible job, but a PG evaluation at 14 is a waste of time IMO. (except for the super elite players, and if you have to ask your son is not one) You really have no idea what type a player he  will be until the get through puberty. Wait until 16 IMO.

 

 

Took my son at 15 after Freshman year.  May seem early to many, but I highly recommend that timing if you can swing it and he is physically where he needs to be.  Best thing we ever did and opened many doors.  He is a 2016, and it is early, but even he says "it all started at the PG showcase". 

I wouldn't worry about "showcasing" him until at least 14U...and probably 15U depending on where you live.....unless he's a freak...meaning 80+ by 14U.  Top, top level kids are getting serious looks at 16U....but most recruiting goes on at 16U/17U.  13-14U is good for "getting ready"...meaning play good competion to prepare for the coming years....but throwing big money at showcases as a 14U player is a complete was of your cash...and your time

Buckeye,

 

Waste of money? Perhaps

 

Waste of time? Never

 

There are many ways to waste time, but for a baseball player, playing baseball is not one of them.

Not sure I agree with some here. My son is playing 11u right now and he's not only attended one high school showcase (worked - catching bullpens and the home run derby), has been invited to a second this coming year as a player, but also made the regional cut for 12u Team USA and played in the NTIS games. Is he an elite player? No. Does he work hard and get opportunities? Yes. So far he has 6 high school programs wanting him to enter their Prep programs. Yet, he's only a 6th grader. I'm with PGStaff.. Waste of time going to national events at an early age? Never. But some kids handle pressure differently than others.. only you know what's best.

Great to hear how awesome your son is, but the OP's question and thread topic was about PG showcases, a lot different than what you are talking about.  Of course the local USA NTIS stuff is great.  My son did that as well when he was 13 and faired well.  Congrats and enjoy the recruiting process for his big HS decision.

       
       

My two cents on this...  I will most certainly take my son early.  Maybe even this coming summer at age 13.  Not because I expect D1's to come running over to me and my 13 yo son but so my son can see whats out there.  Any time he has gotten into an environment where he is surrounded by highly talented athletes it has inspired and motivated him.  Gives him goals to shoot for.  Shows him how hard he has to work to get there.  What I don't want is my son to be at recruiting age and walk into his first such event clueless and maybe then even nervous and lacking in confidence.   I want him walking in at 16 having been there before.  Still a big deal to him but in a quiet relaxed and confident way.

       
       

When he says "it started at the PG showcase" what did he mean?  Did it alter his perceptions?  Change work habits?  Increase confidence?  Very interested to hear how it impacted him.

 

The short answer, and if you asked him, is in terms of exposure.  It was truly exponential in that not only did he fair well against kids 1 and 2 years older, get a decent write up and top prospect selection (all of which is on the PG website for viewing), but it would lead to his being recruited aggressively by a couple of very high travel teams (they like to say "player development programs") that then do sooo much more in terms of getting their players exposure to college coaches.  He joined a new team and is still with them.

 

It also significantly increased his confidence and was a true, 3rd party validation that he would have a shot to play college baseball.  It was also a validation for our entire family that the work he was putting in and sacrifices we all were making (not really sacrifices because he and I love the game, but the time commitment) were worthwhile. And, yes, he absolutely was motivated to work even harder afterward.

 

A funny story:  I was worried that I may be taking him too early.  He is a big RHP.  I seriously considered canceling about a week prior, as I had no idea where his velo was (didn't want him to be concerned or thinking about it, etc.).  So, took him to local field for a bullpen the Sunday before with my brand new radar gun.  I was then even more concerned, as he was topping out..oh, about 6 MPH lower than were he would eventually top out at the showcase.  Turns out I was not aware of the impact of angles on the radar gun.  We probably had the gun at about a 20-25 degree angle vs. directly behind the ball.  The number he hit at the showcase was not off the charts by any means, but to me it was.  The angle of the radar gun really, really does matter (for those who are not aware).

 

The big thing, looking back, is that he was very relaxed as we had convinced him that he had absolutely nothing to lose.

 

 

And that nothing to lose mentality is exactly what I want for him the first time he goes.  And (no offense to PG contributor to this site) but the first one I might downscale to PBR or something.  Don't know if jumping right in to PG would be best.  You (bucsfan)sound like someone I should talk to.  Would love to know where your son stood at the various age levels.   I also have a big RHP (just turned 13 this month 6'1" 180).  And there is plenty of height in the family so he is not done yet.  There are days when his swing looks great and I think he has a chance there too.  Then there are other days when I just think he will never learn to hit the breaking ball and the sooner he settles for being a PO the better!  Do you mind me asking what he was gunned at that first showcase?

Actually, my larger question was more about what I can be doing for him now at 11 yrs old beyond the reps he is getting playing games on his current team. Looking back at my original post, I could have phrased the question better. At that moment, I was trying to wrap around what Perfect Game was and that deserved a question unto itself.

I simply want to know what avenues/opportunities that might be available to us at this age. We thought about trying out for some of the higher echelon teams in town just to see the competition so he could have a greater awareness of the level of play in his age group. Before last night, I was not aware there were such things as high school prep programs (or NTIS baseball). This is interesting because it, at least, gives me possible goals to shoot for. But I can't help with my son's path if I'm ignorant of the options.

Right now I am more concerned with finding a position coach in the Atlanta area that can teach my son and inspire him. While we are doing that, I need to be planning what could be next.

Jolietboy...what is PBR?

 

PM me if you have more specific questions.  PBR  (Prep Basebal Report...big in midwest for those asking) may very well be a good option.  They are a good organization and their reach/impact is growing.  My son had just turned 15 a month prior and was 77-81 at his first showcase.  At the time, he was about 6'2, 185lbs.  Your case does sound similar.  Coming up through the ranks, there were a few years when I was convinced he'd be a better hitter than P, but that changed.  Took me a while to convince him and others (wife, etc.) the merits of focusing on pitching, but it was a good decision. But, as a former RHP, I am totally biased.  Whatever works best for your son.  But, I go back to the point one D1 Head Coach made to my son this past summer:  being a P in college baseball is one of the best situations as it relates to supply/demand and "value".  He said, "How valuable are you to your team and how much impact will you have if you are the 3rd, 4th or 5th string QB in football, or goalie in soccer, or center on basketball team.  Now, how valuable and what is your impact if you are the 3rd, 4th or 5th best P."

PBR stands for prep baseball report and it may be more just a midwest thing.  But they also do showcases but tend to be just a notch or two below the PG events.  As for What you can do with an 11 year old...  as much as he wants I suppose.  I personally am a big fan of playing on the team that is the best combination of good and plays a lot of games.  Personally I am not a big believer in paying for instruction but that is just me.  Going to a high school camp cause you want the coaches to get to know you is a good idea.  I like going to college camps because making a high school team where I live is a forgone conclusion unless you are a corpse.  Since we are not rich and when he gets older I won't be able to take him to 10 or 12 different colleges we are doing it a couple a year for a longer time period.  Have to start at an early age so we can see a variety.  If when he is 17 he just did not develop enough then we had a few years of father son fun going places and dreaming together.  If he is recruitable then we will feel more prepared.  Its a no lose situation.  And last thing but by far the most important for a young player is reps.  Reps reps and more reps.  Swinging the bat is better than him listening to somebody for 20 minutes telling him how to swing the bat.  Skip the instructors save your money for travel teams camps etc.  Look at mlb players on video frame by frame and compare.  Kind of the DIY method.

Eli,

I see you are from Atlanta.  The Atlanta has some great youth baseball teams and tournaments.  It should be easy to see where your kid stacks up.  Is he playing on majors-level travel team?  Is he playing in tournaments at East Cobb against the best teams in the area (and sometimes nationally)?  If he's competing at this level than he's probably a very good little baseball player and he's probably getting good training.  If he's not this would be a better next step than looking into showcases at that age. 

I agree. That is the next step. I wasn't planning on showcases right now, just wanted to know what the options are so I'll know what (and how) to plan for it as he progresses.

Eli42 - I had similar questions and thoughts as you did when my son was 11 years old (he is now 13 years old - 8th grade). I can't emphasize enough at 10 or 11 years old, how important it is for a kid to play on a team where he is HAPPY above all else. My son did not start playing for a competitive or "elite" travel ball team until he turned 13 earlier this year. And even that wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He recently switched to an "academy" travel ball program and has started to play with some very good players as well as playing up vs 16U competition. I see him ultra motivated and happy -  this will serve him well as he enters high school and possibly showcases in the next 18 months.

 

As many others who are wiser and more experienced than me have indicated, let him have fun and also, enjoy watching him play and develop. I never pushed very hard and WCP Jr. played on a mid level travel ball team with friends and coaches who he liked. They won some tournaments and got absolutely destroyed in others but he had fun as he was learning the game. 

 

It has worked out for him. He made the 13U NTIS team for our region and had a great tournament both at the plate and in the field at USA Baseball in North Carolina earlier this month. I never took him to hitting or fielding lessons until this year. His pre-teen years were spent with us playing soft toss against a net and me hitting him grounders and fly balls. No hitting lessons, no strength and conditioning, etc.

 

It goes way too fast, so enjoy the "now" because all of the Perfect Game, USA/NTIS tryouts, etc. will be here before you know it. Hope I don't come off as preachy, it's just that I was in the same boat you are in with similar questions when my son was 11.

 

Good Luck!

 

WCP