All eggs in one basket??

Interesting question - welcome to the hsbbweb!

We were basically unaware of the benefits of showcasing but looking back, I would have had my son do at least one event as a sophmore. You could of course use that evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses. You might even generate some early recruiting interest. More importantly, it will acclimate him to the process and likely take away some of the jitters when it really counts between the summer of his junior and senior year. In other words, it probably is a good idea not to place all the eggs in the junior year tryout. There are many different opinions on strategies. A MLB team tryout is a way to gain exposure, learn the ropes of trying out, and keep the costs down. Again, welcome

Welcome Cadet_Dad! What a great question for a first post. You're in the running for "rookie-of-the-year."

I had started to write a long answer to your question...but rather than try to cover all bases, I am certain there will be a lot of opinions on this question and so I'll let the others express their own.

My personal opinion (I have one finished with college ball...now in the minor leagues and another who is a 2011 too)...is that if money is an issue and you feel confident in this coach...I think you can wait another year...or try to do a hybrid where you mix this coach's instruction (awfully nice to get some personal attention from someone who cares) and pick 1 or 2 'events' or tournaments with some visibility to attend.

Now put on your seat belt because your question sometimes evokes a lot of discussion.

Good luck! And keep on postin'!

Cadet Dad Welcome

My son is also a 2001. Play JV a freshman with a lete season call up to varsity for a couple of starts.

I have the same question about this summer after his soph year. He is going to play Legion ( started last year as fresh) and going to do one or two showcases this summer. He will also pitch for an 18u team in some bigger tournaments later this summer.

I did send him to an showcase that was mostly Ivy league coaches last summer, figured a kid coming off freshman year would not get that many looks and be a low pressure way to get the showcase experience

Our approach is going to play legion this summer, pitch for this 18u team in a couple of tournaments and do another show case or two....I really struggled about legion versus some of the summer teams that have asked him to play.

He could not commit to them because of his commitment to legion....figure next summer will be the year for those teams. Also I like the Cleveland Dad idea of MLB tryout...other people have recommend that to us.

Good luck

In general, I agree with ClevelandDad and Justbaseball. My son was a 2008 so I am also looking in the rearview mirror.

Looking back on it, the Junior summer was definitely key and the time that you need to be out there - but I also think that attending one showcase (perhaps a Perfect Game underclass in your region) and one college camp (perhaps a local/nearby college) is a good idea.

College camps and showcases do serve a very important role in the Junior summer - and by doing one instance of each as as Sophomore, you accomplish three things:

1) Your son get an understanding of the process of these events so that the junior ones are not a big mystery and the jitters are reduced

2) You will get some good feedback on things to work on - and your son can also analyze his performance and think about how to show off his skills more effectively. He can also see how he measures up to the others at the camp/showcase and do a self assessment of how he measures up.

3) You get on the radar - and have a better shot at the higher level PG events - which if he has the right skills, are simply wonderful in terms of getting national exposure.

08

I agree that he should do at least one event such as a PG underclassman to get his numbers established and give you an idea of where he stands compared to others. Start getting some video together, fill out some college on-line recruiting questionaires and you should be in good position.

quote:

My son is a 2011 pitcher/middle inf. He played varsity and lettered as a frosh. he has been involved in top (midwest) summer programs as a 13/14/15 y/o.

For a second I thought you kidnapped my kid. But, there were too many seniors in a large high school for my son to play varsity as a freshman. He will start as a soph.

He's played on very good travel teams the past three years. He played up a year in the summer and two in the fall. This year he'll be the shortstop for a very good 16U team that feeds into an 18U showcase team. The team plans to go to a PG event. He may do one other showcase for the experience. However, I believe summer of junior year is the more important year for exposure. Last fall I had him watch a D1 program's showcase event for a few hours to see what he'll be competing against talentwise.

Welcome to HSBBW!

I agree that you should have your son attend/participate in at least 1 showcase prior to his Junior year. It'll help him in so many ways, i.e. confidence, what to expect, how to act, calm nerves around college/pro scouts, etc.

Looking back I wish we had done it as well.

I'd do (1)regional showcase if I had the money. Perfectgame has established itself as one of the top resources for rising underclassmen but there are others. TPX Top 96 and Baseball Factory,just to name two off the top of my head. Once you attend (1) you'll get invitations to many so be prepared to say, "No Thanks." You can overdo it easily.

There is an another option and it is usually cheaper. Pick a college that hosts a showcase/clinic that also advertises numerous colleges DI, DII, DII and NAIA or JUCO's in attendence. This I believe is where you get the best bang for your buck.

Good Luck.

One thing you might want to consider is the degree to which the player is maturing physically. Had you pushed him into a top-notch event like a PG underclass showcase after his freshman year, he would be competing with and be judged alongside kids who are already in their junior years.

The junior will have had two more years to develop, two more years in the weight room, two more years of everything. When PG selects their top prospect teams, their basis for comparison will be the other kids at that particular event.

Before you say "well, he held his own against juniors during the high school season", bear in mind that the juniors at PG events are generrally going to be solid ballplayers who are committed to reaching the next level. I suspect this is one reason why PG offers events limited to freshman participants.

Just by way of example, I am familiar with a 2011 kid, good player, who went to an upper class showcase as a freshman. He still had not hit his growth spurt, and I think he was just overmatched in comparison to the physically more mature kids. I'm fairly certain he will be back for more showcases, and I don't doubt that he'll show improvement as he moves closer to the top of the food chain. I'm pretty sure PG takes notice when a kid who they rated a 6.5 or so comes back the following year and rates an eight or better. The difference is that some families may have the disposable income to allow for multiple showcases. If expenses are an issue, then by all means hold off a bit longer on these premiere events.

Now, if your son is a man-child pituitary case, then all bets are off.

PG Staff: please feel free to correct or clarify any of my assumptions or observations here.

There have been many good post on this topic for you to make an educated decision. I would like to share my son's experience, knowing it may not be the norm for many.
He attended his first Perfect Game showcase after completing his freshman season (get prepared event) and yes there were many older players. In the end, I felt confident he was rated on his talents (tools). The showcase, to my knowledge, did not necessarily place him on anyone's radar sceen but it did solidify his belief that he could compete against some of the best. Turns out, that was his only showcase. It has been through playing high school baseball and with some excellent summer teams (many Perfect Game tournaments) that he gained the most exposure. His college recruiting bio (prepared by the college PR) even listed the Perfect Game events he had attended. For me, this demonstrated the respect and value that coaches, scouts and baseball fans have for the Perfect Game Organization.
I have the utmost respect for the organization and always recommend attending at least one showcase and as many tournaments as possible. I say all this so you will know my biases for attending.

I don't know how good his high school team is, or the league in which they play. Do they regularly send players to the next level? But here is some generic advice...

Play on an excellent travel team which will hit all the big time tournaments this summer (like JO's and PG). That will get him all the exposure and the confidence he needs. Stay away from "legion ball." Go to showcases when you are bigger and stronger as a Junior. If he is already bigger and stronger than all the other kids, go to a showcase this summer. If not, heed the advice of "no one of consequence."

I like the idea of the old coach/family friend "mentoring" him and promoting him later, but a big time travel team where he will PLAY, not sit, is the answer. If he is not good enough to start/play regularly on a travel team like that then go to a trainer and get him stronger and faster.

Just gotta add my 2 cents to the good advice above. If your son is playing at a level that is above that of the average player in your area, I would think that you would find any money invested is showcase/travel would be well spent, if for no other reason than to make sure your son can compete at the next level, and to give him some options as far as where he may be able to play. My son is a year ahead of yours. He played his soph HS season, played Legion, went to a PG showcase, then played fall with a team that played in some PG tourneys, and finished the season in Jupiter in October. The two musts to me were the PG showcase--you wouldnt believe how many coaches place a lot of merit in what they say, and the Jupiter tourney. That gives PG 2 chances to see your son, and if your son can compete well in Jupiter, you will have very few recruiting worries as far as attention goes, especially if he is a pitcher.

Just wanted to thank you all for your thoughts and recommendations. Looks like we have a few different things to consider.
I left out a few key ingredients in my original post(thanks brod). The team has traditionally finished in the middle of the conference, very small school, not a ton of talented players. Strong teams in the area, had 3 area teams play for state championships last year. A few d1, a lot of d2, naia etc. The team has a lot of young talent and should be very successful in the next few years (played 6 freshmen regularly in post-season last year).
The summer league team has also been an area power. However a quality team from northern Indiana is much different than powerhouse from the south and we know that. I guess next course of action would be to see how he stacks up in that kind of setting.
Thanks again for making me feel welcome, keep up the great work.