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My son (2022 C/IF) has been asked to catch for a team playing in the Arizona Senior Fall Classic in October.   He played on very competitive 17U and 18u teams this summer so I am confident he can compete at this level.  My question is whether it is worth it from a recruiting perspective for a sophomore to attend this event since it's primarily geared toward seniors.     

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Go to the event’s website and take a look at the schools who attended last year’s event. Most D1s attend looking for a late bloomer pitcher. The rest of the schools are basically only looking at seniors to fill holes in their recruiting class. That’s not to say don’t go, because it is a great event for seniors, but just know that it may not be the right event right now for your 2022. If there are schools who attended last year’s event that you are pursuing, by all means attend it.

Last edited by collegebaseballrecruitingguide
JDUBSDAD posted:

My son (2022 C/IF) has been asked to catch for a team playing in the Arizona Senior Fall Classic in October.   He played on very competitive 17U and 18u teams this summer so I am confident he can compete at this level.  My question is whether it is worth it from a recruiting perspective for a sophomore to attend this event since it's primarily geared toward seniors.     

My '22 catcher is going with a California team. I've heard nothing but good things about the event. Might be premature for our boys, but can't hurt and the competition should be terrific. Let me know via DM what club your boy's with - maybe they'll face each other. Best wishes.

Unless you are already talking to a school, and you know that school is going to be there and is coming to see you play, the chances of a 2022 blindly turning heads at this event are low. These coaches go into this particular event with a shopping list for this year’s recruiting class. Unless your underclassmen really “go off”, the event is going to just be another notch on the belt of recruiting events attended.

collegebaseballrecruitingguide posted:

Unless you are already talking to a school, and you know that school is going to be there and is coming to see you play, the chances of a 2022 blindly turning heads at this event are low. These coaches go into this particular event with a shopping list for this year’s recruiting class. Unless your underclassmen really “go off”, the event is going to just be another notch on the belt of recruiting events attended.

This is exactly what I was going to say.  If you aren't already talking to schools in attendance, you aren't really on their radar and this event wouldn't really change that.

Agree with previous posts but going to highlight the "go off" comment made by CBRG. A good performance made by a HS soph catcher is probably not going to be enough for anyone to notice but a "go off" performance along with some measurables could get you on someones radar. If, upon honest evaluation, this is a possibility, then I would send him. If finances are not an issue and he just wants to go out, compete, and see where he stands against some older competition, then I would also send him.

My son attended an event at a P5 program that was definitely a reach based on where he was at the time. However, he was encouraged to do so by someone we trusted in terms of evaluating, had some measurables (velo and athletic), and was really excited to compete against some talented players. Then he had a "go off" outing at the event and it started the ball rolling which concluded with an opportunity that may have never existed without reaching for something that others would have said was above/beyond his capabilities.

Best of luck to your son!

 

collegebaseballrecruitingguide posted:

Unless you are already talking to a school, and you know that school is going to be there and is coming to see you play, the chances of a 2022 blindly turning heads at this event are low. These coaches go into this particular event with a shopping list for this year’s recruiting class. Unless your underclassmen really “go off”, the event is going to just be another notch on the belt of recruiting events attended.

Should have been clear that I agree as well and my son is contacting those schools to give them his game schedule. 

For those who are going as Sophomores, it may be worth watching the All-Academic tryouts to get an idea of how they are set up in preparation for the Junior Fall Classic next year! The tryouts are held the morning of October 10 with the All-Academic game happening that same night. You will be amazed at the number of coaches and scouts in attendance!

A quick update/review of the Arizona Senior Fall Classic: 

*The hype you hear from other parents/players about this event is true.  There were a lot of scouts at almost every game (except for our 7:30 a.m. game on Sunday when they straggled in a little late).

*The competition was outstanding with virtually no "cupcake" teams that I could see. Obviously, there were some teams that had more depth or overall talent, but all three teams my son's team played were solid, with quality pitching throughout.

*The facilities (Mariners/Padres complex and Royals complex) were terrific and the event was well organized (ran on time, good umpiring, etc...)  Also, it was nice to be able to stay in the same area instead of driving all over the valley for games like you have to do for the JO's.

*Best of all, the weather was great for Phoenix.  No 110 degree days like the JO's.  Instead, it was 68 at night and 90 during the day.  I even considered wearing a sweatshirt to the 7:00 p.m. game, but realized I hadn't even brought one.

*Finally, don't be afraid to go to the Senior Fall Classic if you are a sophomore or junior.  While the teams were mostly made up of seniors, there were quite a few juniors out there and few sophomores.  If you have played varsity ball and/or higher level travel ball in a competitive area, and you can hit quality pitching, you will be fine.  My 2022 actually had his best tournament of the year, and while I am not sure if it will show in his recruiting, he definitely enjoyed playing against quality competition and playing with great teammates.  He can't wait to go back next year as a junior.

Again, thanks to all the members that responded to my original post.   

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