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quote:
Originally posted by standup:
TPM
You have flushed me out of retirement.
As he kindly acknowledged I originally posed my question to PGSTAFF privately twice about a week apart but unknowingly did so at a time that was understandably inconvenient for him. Had it been a more convenient time the post would have never been made.
. Around here nobody even considers early signing for guys that just entered their junior year in high school. Even the recent Marlins MLB draftee Realmuto didn’t commit to OSU until the fall of his senior year as everyone does locally.
Sorry I didn’t answer your repeated question. I guess I missed it while attempting to address the 50 or 60 posts. As for the tournaments played in my son doesn’t pick them and just goes as part of the team. He is fortunate his coach makes a great schedule. I have met a couple of juco coaches at those events that told me they thought he could play and gave me their card and later reviewed his videos before calling me to express verbal interest. No tournaments compare to PG’s visibility from what I’ve seen. Though it is no big deal 29 college coaches have been in communication with my son including a half dozen personal emails and phone calls. You can see on his page that 62 coaches have viewed his profile and they all send questionnaires and camp invitations. At his favorite D1 School, he loves the coaches and they seem to really like him. I have never met them and stay out of the way. They have seen him almost every week this fall when he was not traveling.
I have been positive about all of the players mentioned and they were mentioned only because another poster questioned the quality of the pitching.
When I see undrafted guys like Brendan McCurry from Roff Oklahoma hit 130 homeruns in high school including 47 in 72 games and play for the Elk City Travelers with an ERA of 1.01 and twice as many extra base hits as strikeouts in a season, I have no illusions about my son’s (or most anyone’s) future in baseball but that’s what he loves to do and its taught him a lot of good life lessons.
It is pretty obvious to me that a PG ranking is valuable to a player, particularly if they develop to the point they are draft quality at the end of high school. Like many have said it’s not what you do but what they see u do and the endorsement of the most respected scouting service is a huge deal even if some guys can make it without it. The flip side is even with it you have to perform or it doesn’t matter. By the way, there is a PG nationally ranked 2011 player on his own team that my son beat out at 3rd base and I guess if I had made the comparison with him I would have had to add the other two returning senior players to the comparison because between the 3 of them combined had no homeruns and about a third of his extra-base hits in the same 28 games. But we all know now that is not what is important though it does explain my question on rankings.



Fascinating.
There are about 100 posts.
To me, the point of this thread is clear.
standup, or his son, did not get a ranking by PG. Others did.
standup feels that those who have ratings are either the same or not as good as the player on the website.
This is between standup and PG because PG apparently did not rank standup's son and did not respond to emails or PM's.
Everyone else is just getting in the way and nothing will get in the way of standup expressing his views about PG rankings and their being wrong or inadequate as they relate to his son and as they relate to those ranked.
I don't believe standup is asking for any input and don't think he cares about any responses other than PG. Suggestions of long term issues or repercussions are without meaning.
standup views his son to be infallible because of his skills, as they are supported by stats. He seems willing to take on all comers including PG to prove his point.

I do have to grin, though, standup on your view about the importance or relevance
of extra base hits vs. strikeouts.
During two years of HS and one Summer of Legion, our son went something like 220 or something AB's without a strikeout. During 2 different years in college, he struck out 7 times, or less.
Necessarily he had more extra base hits, even though he surely was not a power hitter..ever.
infieldad
Your insight is always appreciated. I think PG is awsome and wish we knew about them sooner. Clearly their are players out there who through no fault of anyone's are unknown and some other guys that may look great in a uniform and had their big day at a showcase. I'm also pretty confident that happens rarely. I understand that no ranking system is perfect and think PG does an incredible job. My son is far from infallible and has alot to work on but I understand your comment. It's pretty cool how your son had so few strikeouts. I first heard the term "professional hitter" used by a minor league coach describing a player with more extra-base hits than strikeouts which in that case was Dustin Pedroia.
Thats funny!
I think its real easy to pick out the flame throwers like Bundy, Bradley and Hope from Oklahoma as they may never set foot on a college campus going out of high school. If your strength is hitting its a little harder to be obvious unless your Bryce Harper or Buster Posey. It astounds me how few players make it to the level your son is at. He must have alot of heart and talent.
Standup, I believe I see a change of heart in you in these last few posts. Much less defensiveness and venom. And I commend you for that. The only thing I would have left to say, is what I have said before and what others have said. If you want your son publicly recognized, get him in front of the people who do the recognizing. I really don't think you can fault PG (the organization, not the person on this board) for not ranking your son, when your son has not been put in front of them. At some point, we have to take responsibility for what goes on in our lives. For you, the responsibility is getting your son noticed by the right people.

If your goal is to have him ranked by PG, get him to PG showcases and tournaments. BTW, that is not necessary if your goal is not to have him ranked. If your son's goal is to go to a particular college, then the coach and recruiting coordinators of that college are the ones you need to get him in front of. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks as long as those coaches think your son can contribute. It's really as simple as that.

Once again, I hope some of what people on this board have said has been helpful and I wish you and your son the best of luck.
quote:
Originally posted by standup:
There is a whole world of wonderful high school base ball players that ...


Let me finish that sentence for you...

...you have no idea about from your myopic Oklahoma view.

It's glaringly apparent that your knowledge of the baseball universe is very limited. That's ok, everyone starts there. But to come to a baseball site, with hundreds of people who have traveled the path long before you, and tell them how their bear cr@ps in the wood is just foolish.

Unlearned parents with more answers than questions are generally more damaging to their sons progress than helpful. I pretty sure that comment won't help you, as you stopped listening before starting this thread, but hopefully others that come along to read this may benefit.
Last edited by CPLZ
I am from the same school of thought as CPLZ. To come on here and bash people who have gone through the same exact things you are going through and are trying to help you through it is ridiculous. Then to try to retract everything you say and patch things up?...sounds like you are the president of the United States...

If your son wants to play baseball at the next level, keep doing what he's doing. You say he's getting offers from schools and having success- then who cares about the rankings? Your comments are rude, your diatribes are unnecessary and your interpersonal comparisons are inappropriate.

Best of luck to your son in his quest to play college ball. Its a fun ride if you let it be
A bit about comparing stats--- this is from the same area a few years back---the local media was touting a young man from a very very small school who had a great BA, supposedly 60 plus RBI's in 25 games. He was to be a major D-1 school player as well as a top round draft pick--one major problem--his league was very very weak--the numbers were suspect-- and he was not that good---he never got a D-1 offer; he never got drafted and never even made the local communit college team--

Bottom line-- so much for stat comparisons--the two players behind him in the local newspaper stat sheet, both players from large schools, went to D-1 programs and played 4 years.
Another small point. Your son is older than most of his classmates, probably more physically developed as well. This especially stands out in the first two years of high school. I'd be careful sticking your neck out so far and thumping your chest until he at least proves himself at the college level when everyone else is as physically developed as he is.
standup has taken his beating here and I think everyone has said their peace....

A couple of observations from my experiences here over the years...

In general, hype to me means insecurity. Deeds not dialog is the key.

We had a member here many years ago that came here like gang busters. His kid was the greatest thing since sliced bread and maybe the best prospect of all time (according to him) and he held a huge grudge against PG for not ranking him. His kid was the best sophmore prospect in the state (according to him) yet we heard little from him when his numbers tanked as a junior. Seems all they would throw his prodigy was junk balls because everyone feared the kid's ability to turn on the 95 mph fastball - oh my! There were always "explanations" (cough, cough excuses) when reality did not live up to the hype.

We got tons of inuendo about how all the southern schools were recruiting him yet he ends up with a mid D1 here in the midwest. We got tons of inuendo how all the pro scouts were after him yet he went undrafted in high school and after his junior year in college. In short, the father was obnoxiously infatuated with his own son. It has always stuck in the back of my mind whether or not the father cost his son opportunities because he simply was so over the top, people merely crossed the son off the list.

I am not suggesting standup is like this guy but am suggesting he let his son's actions do the talking and forget about hyping the stats. None of us are smart enough to discern what they mean. The hitting videos are a good idea however. There, people can make up their own minds.

One other story...

My only experience with a showcase type event was when my son tried out at Coastal Carolina University. Before the event, I couldn't believe what I was hearing in the stands. I thought I was going to be witnessing the reincarnation of Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Sandy Koufax. People were openly bragging about how great their kids were and in my own naive way, I was intimidated somewhat by that. I thought, well lets see what happens. After the event was over, it was clear to me that all the hype was merely from posers that were hoping their kids were good enough. These same people were shaking their heads after the event and muttering their kids didn't quite measure up.

standup - get your boy to an event and let that do the talking. Anything more detracts from the effort imho and very well could cost your son dearly.
Well said CD...

I remember Gatorade players of the year in their state, that couldn't make their colleges starting rotations (mid major 100+ RPI).

The thing is, college is different and they are not ranking players to project in HS, their rankings are based on how they'll fare at the next level.

A kid throwing straight high cheese at 95 is going to set state HS records for strikeouts and then get lit up like a pinball machine in college. Seen it happen. This is why HS stats are meaningless...and they are meaningless. Anyone who thinks they have an iota of importance beyond HS is deluding themselves. And they have absolutely zero meaning when it comes to comparative analysis in HS. You see the player and rate his tools, project his growth and maturity and then rank his potential vs. the others. HS stats mean ZERO....except as something to be proud of as a personal achievement.
Last edited by CPLZ
Before my son went off to begin his college career this fall, the father of one of the kids on his high school team pulled him aside and gave him some advice. The father played along side Barry Larkin at Michigan, inducted into UM hall of fame, played in Omaha for 3 years and had a nice minor league career. Basically he said ignore all the talk from the kids who shoot their mouths off about their accomplishments, rankings, etc and focus on getting better each day. The "talkers", he said, won't be around in a couple of years.

Good advice.
Last edited by igball
If your good you dont have to talk. If your good others will do the talking for you. If your good it doesn't matter what anyone else says good or bad. You let your play do the talking and you keep your mouth shut about yourself. The fact is no one wants to here you pump yourself up. No one wants to hear your mom and pop pump you up. The more they do it the more people will resent you and look past what you do well and focus on what you dont do well.

People may not want to hear that buts its the truth like it or not.
Late to the party but a comment about stats. A different sport, but how many college star quarterbacks who put up great numbers, never get drafted or fall to the late rounds. It's all about what works at the next level. 6'0" college QBs don't work in the NFL. (except D. Brees) 6'3" college QBs without big arm strength don't make it or project to the NFL. There are exceptions but not very many.

In any sport it's tools that attract attention not numbers. If you can really use those tools your a major leaguer. And if you have big time tools you'll get many chances to fail because of them. Jeff George may have had the best arm in the NFL so he got many chances to prove he didn't have anything else.

This thread is another example of the collective assimilating a newbie with an attitude. Resistance is futile.
Last edited by fillsfan
I for one can't figure out what the fuss is all about. we seem to have a real standup guy here and he's got all his documents in order. To be sure, I'm just another innocent bystander- but the more of his post's I read the more convinced I am that Jimmy should be one of the very top ranked hitters...
I totally agree, Jimmy got the shaft and Jimmy was completely disrespected.
Lovethegame2
What I got here was about a dozen valuable posts
from the kindest and most knowledgeable people. In addition,all kinds of well intended "sage advice" including warnings against projected consequences of behaviour that doesn't exist here like a player talking about himself or a parent talking to coaches or scouts and dozens of potshots and insults that has nothing to do with rankings or this situation. The situation is that though Oklahoma teams in the NCAA Regional Championship, Legion and USABF World Series outscored their opponents in winning those championships 213-74, there is only 1 guy rated in the Ooklahoma Class of 2012, a wondeful PO that hit .156 last year and got to bat in the area code games. Its not about me or my son but an entire group of hard working humble kids, most of whom are being ignored relative to other states coverage and not because of their performance or ability.
I don't think anyone insinuated the boy was talking about himself...

Lets try this from a different angle...

If you think it is tough getting recognized and recruited in Oklahoma, try getting recognized on the shores of Lake Erie when it is snowing out. Nobody goes to those games Smile

Seriously, I think we have beat this one to death.
Standup- have followed this from the start and had to "bite my tongue" several times when you kept coming back @ everyone.

It may not have been your intent but your 1st post sounded like a disgruntled dad talking up his son. PG was nice enough to come on here and discuss this with you. At that point I think you should have let it go.

You now say "it's not about me or my son but about an entire group of hardworking kids". Give it up, change your screen name to "Sit Down" and just take experienced posters advice about how to help get your son to the next level.

I hope all this doesn't get back to your son as it might embarrass him.

Good luck in the future for your son. Hope you get to watch him play baseball many more years.
standup,
You came out of retirement but you did the same thing that you did before you retired, which leads me to beleive that you really haven't listened to what those who have been there and done it and know how it works and tried to give you good advice. Comparing your player to another is just really tacky stuff, here, on a website or anywhere.

I agree you felt slighted because your son wasn't ranked. Being a junior and contacted by 29 coaches and 62 college coach views on teh site, the ranking at this time means nothing. FWIW, son received his first rating and not ranked until his junior year (as far as I know). He was pretty much on the radar already being a USA tryout, but he wasn't ranked by PG and we never felt slighted. He attended junior fall WWBA in jupiter and two PG showcases, that was it. I am not going to give you his rating or ranking as a junior or senior because it just isn't important for you or anyone to know but I can tell you it was very very good and he wasn't drafted. I also want you to know he had very good stats in HS, college but there were others with better, but it didn't stop him from getting a very good scholarship at a very good D1 program and drafted in the second round in his junior year. He still doesn't have what some may consider the BEST pro stats as a pitcher (except for his velo), so please, understand stats really don't tell a coach or a scout or an organization all there is about a player. There is so much more to it.

Someone brought up something of importance, if your son is older than many you compare him to, that is not going to work in his favor. In pro ball if you are 20 in a league where 22-24 year olds play, and keeping up (pretty even in stats) who do you think the organization is more high on? Do you honestly think the older player with the better stats is considered the better prospect?

I agree with CD, you remind me somewhat of that dad that came here complaining his son was not ranked by PG, and drew comparisons with other players (as his son was so much better in stats), shoved down our throats how many coaches called, the big programs where they were from, teh many phone calls he bragged about, etc., etc. To top it off, the worst thing he did was bad mouth a player that didn't have as good as stats as his son and drafted first round. His son didn't get the big scholarship from a CWS contender and he wasn't drafted, yet he did have very good stats. He was so p*ssed off. It just doesn't work that way and when people realize that, it makes the journey so much more pleasant.

Again, all you had to do was ask the question, without the website, without the talk of extra base hits, yada, yada, and you would have gotten an answer. The way I see this, you have drawn negative attention to your player (who I am sure is a great kid) and yourself.

Much less venom and defensiveness because he knows he made a mistake in who he addressed and the way it was done and I agree with infielddad, sounds like a lot of *** kissing at the moment, but really couldn't care less what we say here, as long as his son gets his ranking, the world will be alright.



Just some stuff from and "oldtimer".
My son just turned 17 as a junior and is not old. In fact he is about a year behind in his physical development according to his doctors because he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 3 years ago and almost died before being hospitalized losing 1/3rd of his body weight and dropping to less than 100 lbs. His coaches saw him become too weak to even take batting practice and would send him home 10 minutes into it for many months and he kept trying till he could.That year he hit all singles but he since has developed the endurance to play double headers in 105 degree heat. Since he has controlled his blood sugar through discipline and excercise he's grown 12 inches and gained 90lbs in 3 years. His male cousins and relatives are mostly 6'4"-6'6" and his mom and sisters are 6'0. He's grown a half inch in the past 2 months and through about 1000 hours of workouts in the past 3 years he has regained his strength. He's had to make alot of adjustments just to be ok and is blessed to have 20/15 vision in both eyes along with perfect blood pressure.Baseball has been awsome for his health and I'm more proud that he has overcome adversity rather than turn away from it like he could have.
Apparently some people don't like comparisons but the PG national rankings are truly that. This has not been an attempt to be ranked because it is my understanding that they only rank showcase players and he hasn't attended one. One thing is sure, if you look at the 3rd basemen from California's 2012's rankings(there are 50 compared to 1 for OK) their 60 times are not faster, only a couple infield velocities are and in their baseballweb tv videos the majority do not hit the ball as hard.We are happy for all those guys and I'm sure they deserve their rankings.There are many others who do as well.
Nobody said that your son was old, just older than his classmates. According to your website, he turned 17 in July. Typically the cutoff for classes is September 1. He will be 19 before he goes to college. That would make him older, not old.

With that being said, given his circumstances, it is good to hear that he is healthy.
You are right. If you have a July 31st birhday you will be either among the youngest or the oldest. When he graduates he'll be a few months younger than this years Realmuto and 4 months older than Yelich as if that matters.Since he does well now against JUCO pitchers like Seminole State and 19U college pitchers this past summer before he turned 17 I wouldn't think his age is an issue.
standup,

We know several kids who have been very successful with diabetes. The things you speak of in the last post are more important than his statistics. Those things tell me more than his statistics.

I will readily admit that Oklahoma is a state we could do a better job with. Typically we just see the very top guys from there. Don't think we have missed any that were drafted out of high school. I'm sure there are many we might rank if we saw them all.

I'm really sorry, but I just don't remember seeing any of those PMs you mentioned sending to me. I do believe you sent them. Did I ever reply?

Feel free to email me anytime regarding your son. Please understand that I get hundreds of emails every day. It is hard to keep up with it. I respect all dads who go to bat for their kids. I just don't think you've gone about exactly the right way.

BTW, Our rankings can obviously be influenced by going to showcases, but we rank players based upon what we know about their ability, not whether or not they have attended any certain event. We have ranked players who have never attended a PG event.

People sometimes don't want to believe that, but really... If it weren't true, why would I say that? Wouldn't it be better for "business" if everyone thought they had to attend a PG event?

Anyway, I'm betting that nearly everyone here would love to see your son be as successful as possible.

Best of luck
You continually try to mislead. There are 53 California players in the 2012 rankings compared to 1 from OK. There are not 50 third basemen and most of those who list 3b as a position are not primarily third basemen. Neither is the kid from OK.

quote:
if you look at the 3rd basemen from California's 2012's rankings(there are 50 compared to 1 for OK)


Who are you comparing infield velocities to? The kid in the rankings from OK has a cannon. A lot of the kids who list 3b as a position from CA have cannons. More than a couple have significantly higher infield velocities. So what? Infield velocities tend to vary quite a deal between players of equal arm strength. Some kids throwing motions don't lend themselves to throwing from the infield as well. When I see that Williams throws 88 across the infield I know he's got a great arm. I don't know how great because that may be close to his max or he may have another 8 or 10 mph in there.

If you haven't realized it there are a lot more kids playing baseball in CA than there are in OK. I doubt the ratio is 50:1 so even given the advantages CA has there are probably more 2012 kids in OK who deserve rankings. It is early. They'll get in there.

The 2011's have a total of 72 or so from CA and 12 or 13 from OK in the rankings. What that means is that more kids from OK get ranked per capita since the population of CA is more than 10 times as large as the population of OK.

This may be a shock but it is harder, not easier for the CA kids to stand out. There's just too many good players to choose from. The CA kids aren't inherently better. They tend to be a bit younger for their grade on average so that offsets the play year around advantage. There are just plain a whole lot of kids playing baseball in CA so there are more good players to choose from.
Last edited by CADad
PGSTAFF
I forwarded the 2 messages to your perfectgame.org address from my sent items box. You generate alot of respect from everyone here because of your ability to communicate with kindness and sensitivity even in situations where people disagree. I know I can learn from that example,it is appreciated and people who know me also know I am a sincere guy that says what he thinks even if it is unpoular to do so. Thanks
Christian Yelich wasn't ranked after his first showcase. He didn't get a hit, didn't look that great at the plate during the games, and he didn't show much arm strength. The kid has decent speed and he has been able to rake from day 1. One of the nicest line drive swings and most consistent ability to square up the ball I've seen. He's also a good kid.
Last edited by CADad
standup - there is a charm about you that I just can't quite put my finger on Big Grin

Seriously, I have done the same things you have done. I have looked at my son's stats and wondered why someone with lessor stats was considered a better player. Now that he is in the minor leagues, it is easier to do and yep, I still do it. We try to use it as fuel for the fire but I'll be honest, it gets old eating humble pie all the time.

I truly believe you'll be better off if you let others notice your son on their own. I see no reason to force-feed anyone. Your son's baseball abilities speak for themselves.

Sorry to hear about your son's diabetes by the way.
Standup, from my observations over the years one of the traits in most "one of those fathers" is that they never see it in themselves.

And if I mistake you for one, you are doing a great job of faking me out. A casual 10 minute conversation at the field would confirm or change my opinion. I'll probably never have that opportunity so I'll have to go by what you write here.

Good luck to your son.
quote:
Originally posted by fillsfan:
I'm glad I don't have to spend weekends watching 4 or 5 games having to dodge sitting next to this guy.
Standup, from reading this thread I just have to say you appear to be "one of those fathers".

Good luck to your son.


Guys like this drive me nuts at games, and there's no way you can convince me that someone who will do this on a national baseball website and completely disrespect PGstaff isn't going to be ten times worse in person.
quote:
Originally posted by Innocent Bystander:
quote:
Originally posted by fillsfan:
I'm glad I don't have to spend weekends watching 4 or 5 games having to dodge sitting next to this guy.
Standup, from reading this thread I just have to say you appear to be "one of those fathers".

Good luck to your son.


Guys like this drive me nuts at games, and there's no way you can convince me that someone who will do this on a national baseball website and completely disrespect PGstaff isn't going to be ten times worse in person.

Hey IB - long time no see!

If you refer back a page or two in this thread, I think you'll recognize the "that guy" I was referring to Big Grin

No way does standup come close to "that guy" imho.

I know exactly what fillsfan refers to and it is a turnoff. My experience here and other places has been in general, the better the player, the more humble the parent. I have seen it go the other way as well but that has been my general experience.
quote:
Originally posted by Baseballdad1228:
We are learning that rankings may not be reflective of what's actually happening with individual players in regard to colleges and the draft. The ranking might only tell some of the story.


Sounds familiar, an example would be Ty Colvin, who was not even considered D1 out of HS, and was not ranked as high as others his college draft year.
The opposite have seen many top 50-75 prospects out of HS become later draft picks in college.
Rankings don't tell the whole story, just a small portion. If someone feels that this is a make or break for a player, that's so not true.

JMO.
Why do I punish myself by responding to your posts? Because I dislike it when people cherry pick stats to try and prove a point. It is very close to lying. My son is from CA and his 60 time and his velocity were better than some of those you listed. He never was and never should have been ranked that high. Get over it.
Last edited by CADad
quote:
Not quite right. There is a wonderful DIII match up in San Antonio beginning on 2/4/11. Two teams who could be in the top 25 nationally.


Sorry infieldad! You're 100% right, my bad. I didn't realize D3 had a different start date than D1. I just learned something. No doubt it is D3 powerhouse Trinity U, but they haven't posted their 2011 schedule. We'll knock off two weeks and call it 90 days!
Last edited by fenwaysouth

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