Attend showcase with rust?

At 16 he'll have many chances, it won't hurt to miss this one, thats the pc answer.

My thought is that life is full of unprepared challenges and positive experiences. It sounds like your son is ready, maybe not at his best, but is "physically fit" ready. This may be a great time for him to see how mentally tough he is and how far he can push himself to reach his best effort without being at his best. Sometimes it's not the result, rather the effort to get a result.

Thanks for the advice. I probably should have mentioned he is a junior. We feel like there's a little pressure to get out there this year.

This is a real tough one. First off, you have to figure everyone is going to be rusty, especially up here this time of year. If he's been throwing at all, maybe you could go and kind of get a "baseline" reading.

However, you do have a ton of time to get out there and attend other events throughout the summer. What position does your son play?

My advice----never attend a showcase , no matter what time of the year, when you are not in tip top baseball shape----you may never get the chance to correct any damage done

I second what TRhit said. It is hard to undo a bad first impression.

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
My advice----never attend a showcase , no matter what time of the year, when you are not in tip top baseball shape----you may never get the chance to correct any damage done

Is anyone in "tip-top" baseball shape in January?

SS, pitcher and outfield. Usually in that order.

This is a tough call for us.

RZ

The kids in the warm weather climates are

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
My advice----never attend a showcase , no matter what time of the year, when you are not in tip top baseball shape----you may never get the chance to correct any damage done

Good advice IMHO.

I just saw that this was an indoor showcase and thought it was "less than favorable" conditions.

quote:

Originally posted by rz1:
I just saw that this was an indoor showcase and thought it was "less than favorable" conditions.

"Less than favorable..." It's currently favorable here only for downhill skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing, with a appropriate attire of course.

PG,

Pipe in here. What does PG expect to see out of these indoor winter showcases.

I still feel that if you sit on your hands waiting for that perfect opportunity you are going to watch most of them go by.

I agree with TR and others. The worst thing you can do is show up not ready. Excuses ? No excuses and even here in cold weather there are places to workout all winter. I would think not being prepared might send a real bad message not to mention injury.

Rz,

I usually try to stay away from these type questions. Most people who don’t know me, would think whatever said was partial.

We have several indoor showcases, especially in the north. Over the years we have seen a lot of good players at these off season events. We are always looking for talent above anything else.

In Feb. we hold a good indoor showcase at our home facility in Iowa. Rz, you might be familiar with Jason Berkin from WI., we never heard of him until seeing him in the winter at our indoor showcase in Iowa. He was a three sports star somewhere north of Green Bay. (Forget the town) I’m sure he wasn’t in the greatest baseball shape, but that winter appearance turned into a great career at Clemson, who also had never heard of him before that. He was drafted last year.

Of course, we are talking a high level talent in Berkin. I never know exactly how to answer questions regarding whether to attend something or not. Only after an event is over can someone determine the value of attending. If it’s an indoor event, I think the player should have been working out at baseball indoors, if not outdoors, before attending. I think they should be ready to throw without risking injury.

My standard approach when asked if someone who we are not familiar with should attend any event we do, indoor, outdoor, in season, off season…

If you have talent, you will more than likely be very happy you attended.
If you don’t have talent, you’re probably throwing your money out the window.

I know that sounds cold, but the purpose of showcase events isn’t to make someone a better player. It is to identify and evaluate players. We can’t always know before seeing a player just how talented he might be. In the end, I guess that is what we are all looking for… college, scouts, us, and the player. I don’t know what value there is in an evaluation if it’s not a good one. That is a decision someone else has to make.

Most important is making sure a player is in good enough shape so he doesn’t overly risk injury. No one is in mid season form, because it isn’t mid season. Certain things are very easy to see. Last year we had a LHP from Kentucky throwing mostly mid 80s. It was easy to see, he was capable of throwing much better. In the spring season he was in the low 90s. He’s now at an SEC school.

Anyway, I do think it is important to be in fairly good physical condition. If you are a top prospect already, you might be more concerned with performance. If you are unknown, have some talent and in good physical condition, it might be a good idea to attend. I don’t have any problem with anything people might suggest or recommend. Guess it’s a tough call for some and an easy one for others.

Hate to be wishy washy, but as in everything else, it could turn out to be good or it could turn out to be bad! Sorry, don’t know what else to honestly say. I sure have no interest in talking someone into attending something. If a player has any doubts or worries, he should probably not attend. Either way, it’s not the end of the world!

Another thing to consider is that alot of the local college coaches will be in attendance-I would guess UB, Niagara, Canisus, and probably St. John Fisher, Medaille, etc. It may be some good exposure for him to be seen by some local guys.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by PGStaff:

I usually try to stay away from these type questions. Most people who don’t know me, would think whatever said was partial.

[QUOTE]

I can't imagine anyone finding your post to be anything but a sincere attempt at providing some guidance to someone with a decision to make. I appreciate everything you said. Your posts are always direct and insightful. Just because you're in the business, doesn't mean you're "giving the business". Thank you.

pfbear - You are right on the local exposure, but only so long as he looks good. He is in good shape physically from a strength and flexibility stand point, so I don't think he'll be at any increased risk.

I'm going to have someone take a look at him tonight and get a professional opinion on whether he looks ready. If not, he'll keep working and wait until summer.

Thanks for all of the advice. This really is a great website!!

I think it's your son's decision. Sit a talk with him to see if he's mentally ready.