Just trying to get a "heads up" on when they first should attend.Would love to here of your experiences and would also like to hear what some of the showcase directors think
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If you don't get a lot of responses, check prior posts on this subject, as there has been quite a bit of discussion on this topic in the past. Someone recently stated in one such post that they felt that when a player can compete effectively against varsity players is a good time to start showcases. I would imagine it may vary depending on the player and what he is looking for. For example, my son definitely wanted to continue baseball in college but wanted to put a high priority on academics, so chose to look at top academic DIII schools. (As a junior he was throwing mid-80's and topping out at 87, so he probably could have pursued some DI schools if that was his choice). That enabled us to cut down on showcases. We first identified schools he was interested in and then found one showcase and one camp that included most of those schools. We then sent videos to those schools to let them know of our interest and that we'd be at the showcase/camp. Total cost for home-made videos and the two events was about $1200 and he got the interest from the coaches he was hoping for. Combined with the fact that he played legion ball, not a fee-based summer travel team, we got off pretty cheap. I know you will hear a lot of different paths for those pursuing DI schools. Good luck!
Oh...I failed to directly answer your question in my post above. We did the showcase and camp the summer after his junior year.
summer before senior yr
The fall of his Junior year was when we started.
summer before senior year. most were free by invite. those day's are over.
Fall of freshman year.
My son's first tournament showcase was at 15, summer going into his sophmore year with USA tourney tryouts. IMO, this is an important place to start, if you can, try to get your son on a team to attend.
The next big ashowcase tourney was jupiter WWBA as a junior in the fall, his first showcase was junior winter in Ft Myers, underclass showcase with PG and PG national senior summer. Senior summer was spent with a strong travel team.
That essentially was it in the recruiting ride.
The next big ashowcase tourney was jupiter WWBA as a junior in the fall, his first showcase was junior winter in Ft Myers, underclass showcase with PG and PG national senior summer. Senior summer was spent with a strong travel team.
That essentially was it in the recruiting ride.
Fall after freshman year (rising Soph) did a Baseball Northwest showcase. After sophomore season did the Jr. Olympics, Baseball Northwest, PG Jr. National, Mariner Cup, and Jr. Fall Classic in Arizona. After Jr. season did the Stanford camp, Sr. Fall Classic, and PG World showcase. Then a pre-draft showcase with Baseball Northwest.
..but of more value were the two Washington State Cougar camps Bum, Jr. went to, allowing him to connect personally with the coaches and program. Go Cougs.
..but of more value were the two Washington State Cougar camps Bum, Jr. went to, allowing him to connect personally with the coaches and program. Go Cougs.
A small one Fall of Freshman year, just to get feet wet. Fall of Jr. Year in earnest.
I did a small one this past summer (Summer before Soph. year) It was more of a camp though. College Baseball Advisors in Clearwater, FL. I really did it so I could get more of a taste of what I had to do, and get my name out there early. I knew the two people who were running it, so it felt like a safe thing for me.
quote:Originally posted by quillgirl:
A small one Fall of Freshman year, just to get feet wet. Fall of Jr. Year in earnest.
Good post. The most important thing to remember is be realistic about the player's talent level. The benefit of going to a showcase before the Junior year, is the assessment of the player's skillset, compared to the older players in attendance. If the kid really wants to play college ball, this will be a huge advantage, in knowing, and motivating where he currently stacks up against older players.
I know it only pertains to a small percentage of young players out there, but times are changing!
Each year more and more juniors are committing. It wasn't too long ago that the top colleges would sign lots of kids in the late (spring) signing period. Now, many top colleges are finished recruiting in the early (fall) signing period. In fact, some colleges are done recruiting during the summer and they start working on the next class.
For example, 2009 class done - 2010 class well underway. There are many 2010 kids who have already commited. This trend is getting bigger every year. I don't see it stopping anytime soon. We get more calls from colleges asking for information about players in the 2010 class than in the 2009 class.
So if you are a top level talent, I think the sophomore year now replaces the junior year in "recruiting" importance. That does not mean the Junior year is no longer important. The Junior and Senior year are still most important for the draft.
Not trying to alarm anyone, just thought people should be aware of this. Things do change and they are changing slowly but surely!
Each year more and more juniors are committing. It wasn't too long ago that the top colleges would sign lots of kids in the late (spring) signing period. Now, many top colleges are finished recruiting in the early (fall) signing period. In fact, some colleges are done recruiting during the summer and they start working on the next class.
For example, 2009 class done - 2010 class well underway. There are many 2010 kids who have already commited. This trend is getting bigger every year. I don't see it stopping anytime soon. We get more calls from colleges asking for information about players in the 2010 class than in the 2009 class.
So if you are a top level talent, I think the sophomore year now replaces the junior year in "recruiting" importance. That does not mean the Junior year is no longer important. The Junior and Senior year are still most important for the draft.
Not trying to alarm anyone, just thought people should be aware of this. Things do change and they are changing slowly but surely!
Just an observation............
Prior to the advent of showcasing, all levels of college baseball programs were able to field teams with little problem.
Showcases appear to benefit professional baseball more than college baseball by providing a venue to identify talent more precisely. In the past, a high school player was more locally evaluated-scouted and today, that player has the opportunity to compete before the draft against his national peers. The showcases today corroborate scouting opinion one way or another.
As far as college. It appears about the same players would still be recruited. Maybe where they end up playing is more the product of.......meaning more options.
Prior to the advent of showcasing, all levels of college baseball programs were able to field teams with little problem.
Showcases appear to benefit professional baseball more than college baseball by providing a venue to identify talent more precisely. In the past, a high school player was more locally evaluated-scouted and today, that player has the opportunity to compete before the draft against his national peers. The showcases today corroborate scouting opinion one way or another.
As far as college. It appears about the same players would still be recruited. Maybe where they end up playing is more the product of.......meaning more options.
quote:Prior to the advent of showcasing, all levels of college baseball programs were able to field teams with little problem.
quote:As far as college. It appears about the same players would still be recruited. Maybe where they end up playing is more the product of.......meaning more options.
OLDSLUGGER,
I agree!
The big showcases actually have a negative affect in many states. The top players who used to go to the State Colleges are now leaving the state in many cases because they are being recruited by top national programs.
Then in the states that have an overabundance of talented players there would be many overlooked who could contribute in many other areas of the country.
Also, being the majority of draft picks come out of college these days, I think college is the main goal for most players and most showcases.
It is quite obvious that the top showcase events are beneficial to colleges. All you have to do is count the college coaches at those events. They're there for a reason. Of course, no showcases would mean they go back to the old way. They could all go back to the old way, now, if they wanted to.
Not sure that "more options" is always a good thing, but both the colleges and the players and the MLB clubs, have many more options today, than they had 15 years ago.
It's not just showcases either. Summer baseball, video, camps, etc. have changed recruiting and scouting. For example www.baseballwebtv.com has 554 college coaches who use that video based site. The 554 was from last week and that number has been growing fast. These colleges include most of the DIs, many DIIs, over 100 DIIIs, over 100 Jucos, and even many NAIA schools.
Spring "Sunshine" event right after sophomore year. Wish I would have started one year earlier and spaced them out a little further to show more improvement.
If your player throws 90s, hits right field bombs or runs a 6.4 sixty then attending one PG showcase in your rising junior summer is fine.
If your player throws mid to upper 80s with good stuff, hits well consistantly, or maybe runs a tad slow but has a gun of an arm then get the player in front of PG a few times.
Start with a "freshman" event in Dec of Frosh year. Do an "Underclass" event Jan of Sophhomore year or a "Sunshine" event in the spring of the same year.
Do two in the junior year. The "underclass" and the "Sunshine" try to get the "National" invite out of the "Sunshine" event. You dont have to pay for the National event if you pay for the Sunshine event.
If you are still uncommitted maybe a "Top Prospect" event in Aug before you senior year starts.
The reason I suggest this is the more your kid is seen by PG the better picture they get of him. And, college coaches use PGcrosschecker/BBWebTV. (Personally, every coach we spoke with was addicted and they like to see a few different event results and comments and videos)
I am very high on PG... they really did a lot for my player. My player is not a top 100 ranked player, he is a mid two hundreds player. The PGCrosschecker did a lot of talking to coaches so he did not have to. We sent our letters that included photos, stats, state and national rankings and told them to check the kid out on Crosschecker.
If your player throws 90s, hits right field bombs or runs a 6.4 sixty then attending one PG showcase in your rising junior summer is fine.
If your player throws mid to upper 80s with good stuff, hits well consistantly, or maybe runs a tad slow but has a gun of an arm then get the player in front of PG a few times.
Start with a "freshman" event in Dec of Frosh year. Do an "Underclass" event Jan of Sophhomore year or a "Sunshine" event in the spring of the same year.
Do two in the junior year. The "underclass" and the "Sunshine" try to get the "National" invite out of the "Sunshine" event. You dont have to pay for the National event if you pay for the Sunshine event.
If you are still uncommitted maybe a "Top Prospect" event in Aug before you senior year starts.
The reason I suggest this is the more your kid is seen by PG the better picture they get of him. And, college coaches use PGcrosschecker/BBWebTV. (Personally, every coach we spoke with was addicted and they like to see a few different event results and comments and videos)
I am very high on PG... they really did a lot for my player. My player is not a top 100 ranked player, he is a mid two hundreds player. The PGCrosschecker did a lot of talking to coaches so he did not have to. We sent our letters that included photos, stats, state and national rankings and told them to check the kid out on Crosschecker.
The info you are getting from PGSTAFF is right on the money. I think he knows my son who is currently a sophomore, who has only attended two PG events, but both were tremendous exposures. This trend of young players committing early is coming on strong. Aggressive schools with big time programs are no longer waiting to the last year to form their nucleus.My son has a verbal with a Southeast Conference powerhouse.
I haven't discussed it much, but it was where he wanted to go to school. That being said, when they want you and you want them, it can't be better. All the pro scouts I talked too said it was a great offer, and I know it is. What is the benefit? Well I have watched many parents agonize the last year not knowing what if any offer was coming. Not knowing, is worse than knowing, especially location. There are certainly outs on both sides if coaches change, injuries, etc. but piece of mind is great, and we can actually start some semblence of a plan, economically, transportation, etc.
I know they are also committing juniors now. Some schools will continue to stay traditional, yet others are going to shift the paradigm.
Pg events make it possible for boys to leave their home state and schools the ability to economically view a wide cross section of talent all condensed in one facility for a few days. I would say attend early if the opportunity exist.
I haven't discussed it much, but it was where he wanted to go to school. That being said, when they want you and you want them, it can't be better. All the pro scouts I talked too said it was a great offer, and I know it is. What is the benefit? Well I have watched many parents agonize the last year not knowing what if any offer was coming. Not knowing, is worse than knowing, especially location. There are certainly outs on both sides if coaches change, injuries, etc. but piece of mind is great, and we can actually start some semblence of a plan, economically, transportation, etc.
I know they are also committing juniors now. Some schools will continue to stay traditional, yet others are going to shift the paradigm.
Pg events make it possible for boys to leave their home state and schools the ability to economically view a wide cross section of talent all condensed in one facility for a few days. I would say attend early if the opportunity exist.
There is a lot to be said for summer baseball.
There is a lot to be said when you arrive on campus and the player finds out that all the players are talented.
Showcases benefit MLB scouts moreso than colleges. Regardless of how many college coaches show up at showcases, they seek and observe repeated performances by players, mainly in proximity to their home base. Look at every roster, from #1 to # 299 in D1, and you will see what I mean.
There is a lot to be said when you arrive on campus and the player finds out that all the players are talented.
Showcases benefit MLB scouts moreso than colleges. Regardless of how many college coaches show up at showcases, they seek and observe repeated performances by players, mainly in proximity to their home base. Look at every roster, from #1 to # 299 in D1, and you will see what I mean.
Our son's experience confirms this comment, especially as it applies to the non-top-DI college prospect:
Son is 22 and pitched for 2-1/2 years for a DIII college before a series of shoulder injuries ended his baseball playing days at age 20.
He first attended a Perfect Game showcase in early spring of junior year of HS. The most valuable part of that experience for him, besides the fact that it was exciting and he enjoyed it, was finding out where he stacked up against college-hopeful players around his age and one year ahead (seniors). He found out that he was "projectable", but that his velocity was significantly lower than needed for college ball. He got some help to improve his pitching mechanics, starting the summer between junior and senior HS years. (A very nice dad from this site actually helped him long distance.) If son had started that process earlier, the next few years might have been a bit less bumpy.
But thanks to that showcase experience, he did end up realistically targeting an appropriate level of college baseball for him (DIII) and got some innings on the mound starting freshman year of college.
Obviously the top players probably benefit more in terms of "exposure" than "education" at major showcases, but even those top players learn whether they can compete at the very top or not.
Julie
quote:The benefit (ONE benefit?) of going to a showcase before the Junior year, is the assessment of the player's skillset, compared to the older players in attendance. If the kid really wants to play college ball, this will be a huge advantage, in knowing, and motivating where he currently stacks up against older players.
Son is 22 and pitched for 2-1/2 years for a DIII college before a series of shoulder injuries ended his baseball playing days at age 20.
He first attended a Perfect Game showcase in early spring of junior year of HS. The most valuable part of that experience for him, besides the fact that it was exciting and he enjoyed it, was finding out where he stacked up against college-hopeful players around his age and one year ahead (seniors). He found out that he was "projectable", but that his velocity was significantly lower than needed for college ball. He got some help to improve his pitching mechanics, starting the summer between junior and senior HS years. (A very nice dad from this site actually helped him long distance.) If son had started that process earlier, the next few years might have been a bit less bumpy.
But thanks to that showcase experience, he did end up realistically targeting an appropriate level of college baseball for him (DIII) and got some innings on the mound starting freshman year of college.
Obviously the top players probably benefit more in terms of "exposure" than "education" at major showcases, but even those top players learn whether they can compete at the very top or not.
Julie
There has been several mentions of these showcases helping out the pros more than the colleges, but I have heard several college scouts that come to East Cobb say that this has been more help to them because, due to budget cutbacks for travel expenses, it is the only way they can see this many quality players. They just don't have the travel budgets anymore to drive all over their region scouting kids. They can come to East Cobb and stay for 4 weeks or so and see thousands of kids from 14-18. The pro scouts have the same advantage, but to say that they only benefit the pros doesn't seem to be completely the case.
I don't have a kid that has gone through this yet, but we do go over and watch many games every year because there are a lot of great players attending.
I don't have a kid that has gone through this yet, but we do go over and watch many games every year because there are a lot of great players attending.
