Anybody else going to Arizona for the Junior Fall Classic this week? My 2021 is going to do the academic tryout as an OF. We assume it is the usual showcase format. Has anybody been to this event in the past, any advice?
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I took my oldest to the AZ Academic tryout 2 years ago. There were 50-60 coaches that attended the game that night (all players tryout during the day and those selected play in the game). Typical showcase format and it went 10 innings. It was well run, well-attended and was instrumental in helping my son find a place to play college ball. Taking my 2021 there in a few days. It requires a 3.7 gpa to participate. For those with younger players, I would highly recommend you attend this showcase.
A 27 ACT or 1200 SAT can also get you qualified.
While my son was at the Sophomore Classic this past weekend I did some reading re AZ Classics and Academic tryout/game here in the forum. This thread had a lot of great info that you might find helpful, but there were at least a dozen others:
https://community.hsbaseballwe...70#51559056164102270
Please post your experience when you get back. Junior Academic game (next year) is part of our recruiting plan at this time. My son is an OF too, but will probably tryout as a pitcher. He loves the outfield, but knows colleges are going to want him for his arm on the mound. Working hard in the cage to stay two-way as long as possible.
Good luck to your son!
My son participated in the Academic Tryout and played in the Academic Game last year. It's a highly scouted event and it was a great experience. Tryouts are in the morning and, if selected for the game, they play the same night. My son is a RHP and he pitched in like the 9th inning... It makes for a long day so plan accordingly with rest and food! Good luck and make sure you register early for the tryouts, spots fill up especially for position players.
Other than Area Code tryouts single best event he participated in, (Jr and Sr) in terms of exposure and cost.
billsfanla posted:Anybody else going to Arizona for the Junior Fall Classic this week? My 2021 is going to do the academic tryout as an OF. We assume it is the usual showcase format. Has anybody been to this event in the past, any advice?
My advice is:
- Make sure kid (and you) stay hydrated. In can be brutal there. Bring snacks as there are not a lot of options nearby.
- Go see an Arizona Fall League game. Great baseball.
- Keep your eyes peeled - I saw a roadrunner in the parking lot!
Is there any way to track game progress or results?
Attend the game in AZ, or know someone who is there and scoring electronically
It is a showcase format so no scores are kept.
Report from the Arizona Junior Classic: Academic tryout was a bit disappointing. Outfielders ran a 60, fielded 4 balls, threw 2 to 3rd and 2 home. Got 12 swings at batting practice. Mine is a lefty, and first in his group, and wouldn’t you know a lefty was throwing BP. First round wasn’t great, but he hit one out the second round. They chose 12 out of about 50 outfielders, he didn’t make it.
I heard the academic game had tons of scouts, but not a good game. About 100 batters, and only 12 hits, also lots of errors, was a long day for those guys. Good money maker for the organization.
As for the games themselves, they batted 5 each half, each player usually got 2 at bats each game. We were disappointed in the pitching, someone said the guys throwing 90 are all committed, so the best pitchers weren’t there. And the games themselves didn’t move along as fast as we thought they would.
Scouts everywhere. Saw most all of the west coast schools, and many others like Northwestern, Xavier, the military academies, and the Ivy’s. Our coaches have good connections, so we would typically have 10 or more scouts at each game, one against another good team had over 20 watching. However, they seemed to be interested in the pitchers and maybe catchers, outfielders not so much. They would wander off after watching the pitcher for a while.
Overall a very good experience. My guy had a few hits, including a triple, so he felt good about it. We would recommend the event to others. Feel free to ask me any other questions you might have.
billsfanla posted:Report from the Arizona Junior Classic: ...they seemed to be interested in the pitchers and maybe catchers, outfielders not so much. They would wander off after watching the pitcher for a while.
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Add in SS as targets of interest and you have the formula for the majority of showcases and exposure events. Other position players can always expect for it to be very difficult to garner attention. It comes with the territory. Be consistently productive at hitting, at least decent defensively and carry yourself well and you may get noticed. Frequent power can do the trick as well.