Area Code 2009

Forget the camp before. Definitely go if he's invited to the actual tryout.

If he can play let him play. I had a kid that was a virtual unknown after his Junior Year and he wound up being a 4th round draft pick and it was his performance in the are code games that vaulted him up there.

We will attend - for sure - I can see that just being at the tryout will put him infront of scouts/coaches. Which is all one can ask for (especially when its FREE~ )

Id go.the tryout alone is heavily scouted.I got a few letters and calls(after july 1 of course) for attending this

Be prepared!

The Texas Rangers and other ML organization scouts run a very efficient, no nonsense pro style tryout.

Maybe 60 pitchers invited, throw a 20 minute bullpen with 100 radar guns beaming down on each pitch and for the afternoon game, only 25 pitchers will remain.

Bob Williams
Founder of the Area Code games 1987-2004

PS: Sunday, I was proud of our Goodwill Series American players who traveled to Australia last December. Four received pre-draft "work outs" in Houston, Tampa and Huntington Beach, California

are 2009 grad players eligible for this

Catchpop:

No.

when will the other organizations' invites be given out?

Thanks for all the great advice ... not sure how to prepare him for the "stress" of throwing a pen surrounded by scouts~

quote:

Originally posted by ncball:
Forget the camp before. Definitely go if he's invited to the actual tryout.

The flyers say the Area Code Camps are a good way to be seen by coaches who put together the teams. Is this not true? Son is a freshman looking for exposure. Are the Area Code camps a waste of time?
We live in Northern California and there is one in Stockton end of June.

I had the same question as the previous post. My younger son is 14 yr. old catcher and I wanted to know if the Area Code camp would a good idea?
He will start HS in fall,but has played a competitive high school's jv team in fallball and colt as a 13yr and others.He's always played up because of his brother,he has no problem playing w/"BIG" boys and does extremely well.A college coach made a comment he would take his verbal now,but I assumed he was joking,since my son is only 14...he said he'll be in touch and be watching? Watching-? HS? People keep saying to us "expose" him now.Hence the question about--AreaCodecamp??Are coaches watching younger kids?

I caveat this response with the fact that I have not been to one....this is from a friend of mine who is an agent and is familiar with their process.

There may be a couple of the kids from the "Camp" invited to the "Tryout". (less than 5) For your son, I would go only for the experience - at his age the chance of anyone really caring about him is nearly zero unless he is a major major stud. Personally, if I were you I would go to a couple of the actual games in Long Beach so he can see what he will need to look like as a rising Senior. You could also take him to the try-out to check it out if you have the time. Most likely he could easily wait a year or two for the camp.

Most of the kids who make the teams will be a rising seniors and a few rising juniors. Pitchers will mostly be throwing above 90 or high 80's. All of the kids who make the teams will be the best of the best.

I agree with BOF. 14 is really a little young. Perhaps have him go to the summer camp when he is a rising junior, and then again to the winter camp his junior year.

The talent level just at the tryouts is huge, and every one of those at the tryouts could probably make an AC team, a fact that is borne out by the high numbers of scouts in attendance even at the tryouts.

Your probably right. I think part of his success has been the relax-intensity he has learned to play with.And, he has had the benifit of learning and watching from his hard-working older brother.
I think we just kind of get caught up on everyone's
advice to hurry up,don't wait, etc.

Thank you for the responses.

It seems like you are talking about the tryouts or the games themselves. I am curious about the one day camps.
Are you saying these camps have the same skill/ability level? I wouldn't think players receiving invites to the tryouts would attend the camps.
I appreciate any clarification.

If you are invited to the tryout you do not go to the camp. To get a tryout you must be recommended by a MLB scout. As no11 pointed out the kids in these try-outs are all major major studs, and most are rising Sr's. I am not 100% sure but I belive this year the Brewers will only field one team from So Cal so you can imagine the level of talent on this team. Not all kids from the tryout make the team.

I talked to the west coast Area Code Camp director yesterday and he said they occasionally give try out invites to some of the camp kids. Last year it was 2. They are really separate.

If you are a borderline rising Jr it might be worth the $100 for the experience. Anything younger I agree that it would be better to go to an appropriate camp.

Traveler:

Can you define the phase "waste of time"?

During the 26 years of International Baseball and the Area Code games, this phase was seldom used.

If a player or parent learns from the event then it is not a "waste of time".

Maybe the pro scout, college coach and the event
organizer should consider their time.

My son had a word for it. "sense of entitlement".

Bob Williams
"Founder of the Area Code games"
1987-2004

The camp before, is were the lessor known player can really show well.
Catch some scout or coaches eye and they will remember the nextday during the Tryout's.

EH

Here is my understanding of how it has worked in the recent past. Several MLB groups throughout the country will field teams for AC games every year. These MLB groups are not always the same every year (many return year after year, but there can be a few new additions or deletions from time to time), and the games are usually in August (right before AFLAC) and have been in Long Beach, and most recently San Diego, CA. To get to these games on a team, you get invited to attend a tryout - repeat, the tryout is by invite only. Tryouts for the teams are posted on the website, and in California in the past, they have held two or three tryouts (usually in late June or early July), two in So Cal, one in Nor Cal. In the past the Brewers have had two teams - one from Nor Cal, one from So Cal, but you can be placed on either team if you make it. You can be invited to a tryout a couple of different ways - but always you must get on their radar. You can do that through regular HS season play or summer play (via a recommendation from a scout), or you can get invited from a camp (where their scouts will see you). Yes, it is harder to get invited by just attending a camp, but it does happen if the scouts see something they like. Camps are held two times a year, as I recall. Once in the winter - usually December, and then again in June right before the official tryouts. Perhaps, if you go to a camp before your junior HS season either the June camp or even the December camp), this might put you on the radar and they will watch you over the remainder of you summer season or your HS season, then they might invite you to the tryout. Perhaps you go to the camp in June right before the July tryout, and they see you there, like you, and invite you to return to the tryout in a couple of days. The tryouts are filled with players who could make any of the AC teams - many/most of the names you would recognize. Most AC teams will be rising seniors, but on occasion there have been rising juniors who have developed a degree of national/regional reputation.

Even the camps are beneficial - you will learn from it all because you will learn from the pros themselves. Nothing involved in the AC process is a waste of time.

But, Mr. Williams is the true voice on this one, as he is the AC creator.

#11 - guess that pretty much sums it up~

great job

quote:

Originally posted by Bob Williams:
Traveler:

Can you define the phase "waste of time"?

During the 26 years of International Baseball and the Area Code games, this phase was seldom used.

If a player or parent learns from the event then it is not a "waste of time".

Maybe the pro scout, college coach and the event
organizer should consider their time.

My son had a word for it. "sense of entitlement".

Bob Williams
"Founder of the Area Code games"
1987-2004

Wow! My sincerest apologies.
I did not mean to offend anyone. I let my ignorance show through, along with a poor choice of words. I was responding to the poster who said "forget the camp". My son has been to one "camp"(not Area Code obviously) and I have had friends send their sons to "camps" that were in reality for the benefit of the organization putting on the camp rather than the players.
Thank you for setting me straight and again my apologies.

Traveler, your most gracious apology is accepted (at least by me!) I too apologize, because I did not intend to berate your prior post - just to state as a matter of fact the benefit of the AC process, including the camp.

I do agree that sometimes camps can be organized for the benefit of the organization, but most of the time these camps will also benefit the player, because players will (or should) learn and get some degree of exposure.

Just wanted to say that my son,who is an entering freshman this Fall,attended the Area Code camp.He was not a standout,but he is only 14 and we didn't go into this having any expectations other than him doing his best. He did really well,and they commented to him that he should come back next year too.It was a great experience and you wouldn't have known he was 14,he held his own.Thank you all for the feedback,because it really helped us make up our mind as to letting him go this year or wait.It lets him know where he stands and where he can improve.Thanks again everyone!