Experience with PTW showcases?

My son attended PTW east in July. We found it to be very organized. Our session was broken up into a morning and afternoon group, so there were only about 50 kids per group. The coaches were all on the side to view the workout which was like any other with 60yrd(laser timed), infield, outfield. The pace was fast because there were only about 10  kids per position so there weren't alot of down time. We liked the setup of their simulated games. Each pitcher threw to 5 batters starting with 1-1 count. Position players had many opportunities to field during these games and college coaches are rotated into the field for these games. They list who is suppose to be where and at which game, so your son can plan accordingly.

There is about 1/2 hr at the end to interact with coaches. In our case, we were in the afternoon group. My feeling is that the morning group gets a bit more interaction because the coaches can't really go anywhere with the afternoon group warming up and a whole other set of kids to be seen. By the end of the 2nd group, the coaches have all been there for about 12hrs or more. I imagine some coaches are more eager to finish up if there wasn't someone they were seriously interested in. 

I feel that PTW is a great showcase for players that have target schools that they have prior contact with. Possibly good for initial contact, depending on son's skill level. Due to it being a total of about 7hrs in our session, it was also not draining. My son did Headfirst a few days later. Compared to Headfirst, PTW is more compact and your son really needs to be proactive about going up to coaches as there's no time to waste. If your budget allows for multiple showcases, I think PTW is worth it. Most coaches seem to like to see kids multiple times before getting serious. 

Thanks for that, Cigarboo. Very helpful!

My 2019 son attended PTW at Pomona-Pitzer last year as a Junior. I will say that your son has to make an effort to approach coaches at the conclusion of the event for it to be worth it IMO. For my son, he spoke with a couple of coaches after the event that began to follow throughout the rest of the recruiting journey. He also was approached by a couple of D3 coaches who gave him a business card and  wanted him to keep in touch with them when he was a senior. 

The school my son eventually committed to was at this event last year and it was one of the first contacts he had with them, so for him it was definitely worth going to PTW last Fall. For an uncommitted 2019, I think this would be a good event because if he performs, there will be many schools and others there still looking to fill out their 2019 rosters. I am aware of a senior that attended this event last year who was invited to an invite only prospect camp/workout at a D3 that saw him at this event. Also, more schools were added as the event got closer so that was good too.   

Good luck!

I have second hand information to relate about PTW, but I think it applies. A very good friend (whose son I coached) hired PTW to help get his son (2018 MIF) placed after his sophomore year of HS.  I think it cost him 4K plus the cost of the events. The benefits of doing that were well worth the cost IMO.  PTW evaluated film on the player, conducted an extensive interview, and developed a recruiting strategy based on their perception of the best fit. In the case I'm describing everyone agreed early on that the target was high academic D3s.  PTW used relationships they had developed with HA D3 coaches and promoted the player to these coaches.  At the PTW events that this player attended the HA D3 coaches already knew about the kid (and had seen video) before the event took place.  Events for the player to attend were selected based on whether or not the right coaches were there.  The strategy was successful and in the end the kid had a choice between Haverford & Swarthmore (and a near miss with Johns Hopkins). He chose Haverford. But here is my point - PTW did things to successfully promote this player that you (a parent) cant do. PTW has a direct line to many HA HCs.  You don't. If you are considering their events you might want to consider hiring them to place your son.  HA is a bit of a niche target and they can help get you there. In general I don't recommend recruiting services but HA D3 is a place where the right service can really make a difference. Just my opinion but I had a front row seat and watched it happen for my friend and his kid.

Thanks Adbono! That's great info and much appreciated.

adbono posted:

I have second hand information to relate about PTW, but I think it applies. A very good friend (whose son I coached) hired PTW to help get his son (2018 MIF) placed after his sophomore year of HS.  I think it cost him 4K plus the cost of the events. The benefits of doing that were well worth the cost IMO.  PTW evaluated film on the player, conducted an extensive interview, and developed a recruiting strategy based on their perception of the best fit. In the case I'm describing everyone agreed early on that the target was high academic D3s.  PTW used relationships they had developed with HA D3 coaches and promoted the player to these coaches.  At the PTW events that this player attended the HA D3 coaches already knew about the kid (and had seen video) before the event took place.  Events for the player to attend were selected based on whether or not the right coaches were there.  The strategy was successful and in the end the kid had a choice between Haverford & Swarthmore (and a near miss with Johns Hopkins). He chose Haverford. But here is my point - PTW did things to successfully promote this player that you (a parent) cant do. PTW has a direct line to many HA HCs.  You don't. If you are considering their events you might want to consider hiring them to place your son.  HA is a bit of a niche target and they can help get you there. In general I don't recommend recruiting services but HA D3 is a place where the right service can really make a difference. Just my opinion but I had a front row seat and watched it happen for my friend and his kid.

^^^^^^ This is an awesome post from someone who knows what he is talking about. You have to focus on dialing in your exposure events to ensure the schools you are targeting are in attendance and know you will be there. Having an advocate for your son who the school knows and trusts is another key ingredient. Follow Adbono's advice...he is spot on.

GaryMe posted:

adbono posted:

I have second hand information to relate about PTW, but I think it applies. A very good friend (whose son I coached) hired PTW to help get his son (2018 MIF) placed after his sophomore year of HS.  I think it cost him 4K plus the cost of the events. The benefits of doing that were well worth the cost IMO.  PTW evaluated film on the player, conducted an extensive interview, and developed a recruiting strategy based on their perception of the best fit. In the case I'm describing everyone agreed early on that the target was high academic D3s.  PTW used relationships they had developed with HA D3 coaches and promoted the player to these coaches.  At the PTW events that this player attended the HA D3 coaches already knew about the kid (and had seen video) before the event took place.  Events for the player to attend were selected based on whether or not the right coaches were there.  The strategy was successful and in the end the kid had a choice between Haverford & Swarthmore (and a near miss with Johns Hopkins). He chose Haverford. But here is my point - PTW did things to successfully promote this player that you (a parent) cant do. PTW has a direct line to many HA HCs.  You don't. If you are considering their events you might want to consider hiring them to place your son.  HA is a bit of a niche target and they can help get you there. In general I don't recommend recruiting services but HA D3 is a place where the right service can really make a difference. Just my opinion but I had a front row seat and watched it happen for my friend and his kid.

^^^^^^ This is an awesome post from someone who knows what he is talking about. You have to focus on dialing in your exposure events to ensure the schools you are targeting are in attendance and know you will be there. Having an advocate for your son who the school knows and trusts is another key ingredient. Follow Adbono's advice...he is spot on.

 It sounds like Adbono's friend's kid had a great outcome, so that is great.  But from reading this, I would not want other parents to feel that only by using someone like PTW (which I had not heard of before this thread, to be honest) can a player be recruited by programs such as are named Adbono's post. Part of a coach's job is to find talent,  so D3 coaches spend a lot of time going to events like Headfirst, Stanford, AZ Fall Classic, Norcal WS, etc,  to find that talent. They don't wait  until a recruiting service shows it to them.  We have many, many folks on this forum, myself included, whose kids had great schools recruit them and commit them without help from recruiting services.

Thanks again for everyone's input on this so far. We've got a pretty clear plan coming together with events for the fall, etc. but I think it's probably a little late for my 2019 to consider employing a recruiting service. Of course, while not necessary, I could see where this could be of value for others not as far along in the journey, especially those who may reside in an area with fewer exposure opportunities, a less connected travel organization, or a son on the "bubble" as far as talent goes.

JCG posted:

GaryMe posted:

adbono posted:

I have second hand information to relate about PTW, but I think it applies. A very good friend (whose son I coached) hired PTW to help get his son (2018 MIF) placed after his sophomore year of HS.  I think it cost him 4K plus the cost of the events. The benefits of doing that were well worth the cost IMO.  PTW evaluated film on the player, conducted an extensive interview, and developed a recruiting strategy based on their perception of the best fit. In the case I'm describing everyone agreed early on that the target was high academic D3s.  PTW used relationships they had developed with HA D3 coaches and promoted the player to these coaches.  At the PTW events that this player attended the HA D3 coaches already knew about the kid (and had seen video) before the event took place.  Events for the player to attend were selected based on whether or not the right coaches were there.  The strategy was successful and in the end the kid had a choice between Haverford & Swarthmore (and a near miss with Johns Hopkins). He chose Haverford. But here is my point - PTW did things to successfully promote this player that you (a parent) cant do. PTW has a direct line to many HA HCs.  You don't. If you are considering their events you might want to consider hiring them to place your son.  HA is a bit of a niche target and they can help get you there. In general I don't recommend recruiting services but HA D3 is a place where the right service can really make a difference. Just my opinion but I had a front row seat and watched it happen for my friend and his kid.

^^^^^^ This is an awesome post from someone who knows what he is talking about. You have to focus on dialing in your exposure events to ensure the schools you are targeting are in attendance and know you will be there. Having an advocate for your son who the school knows and trusts is another key ingredient. Follow Adbono's advice...he is spot on.

 It sounds like Adbono's friend's kid had a great outcome, so that is great.  But from reading this, I would not want other parents to feel that only by using someone like PTW (which I had not heard of before this thread, to be honest) can a player be recruited by programs such as are named Adbono's post. Part of a coach's job is to find talent,  so D3 coaches spend a lot of time going to events like Headfirst, Stanford, AZ Fall Classic, Norcal WS, etc,  to find that talent. They don't wait  until a recruiting service shows it to them.  We have many, many folks on this forum, myself included, whose kids had great schools recruit them and commit them without help from recruiting services.

That's true, but to the OP's question, he was specifically asking about experience with PTW. I think the general premise of Adbono's post is: 1) have a strategy 2) go where those coaches are going to be 3) have an advocate who is known and trusted by that school as a person who can at least provide an initial vetting.

I don't think Adbono is necessarily steering people toward these services, he is stating that some of them do have merit and in his personal experience he saw PTW provide value and results.

We all know that 90% of what these services do can be done on our own at minimal to no cost, the intangible here is the relationships the people associated with the services have with the coaching staffs, which is often something the players/families are lacking an incapable of replicating.

Gotcha.  Sounds like this company is different than most in that they host showcases as well as run a recruiting service. 

JCG posted:

GaryMe posted:

adbono posted:

I have second hand information to relate about PTW, but I think it applies. A very good friend (whose son I coached) hired PTW to help get his son (2018 MIF) placed after his sophomore year of HS.  I think it cost him 4K plus the cost of the events. The benefits of doing that were well worth the cost IMO.  PTW evaluated film on the player, conducted an extensive interview, and developed a recruiting strategy based on their perception of the best fit. In the case I'm describing everyone agreed early on that the target was high academic D3s.  PTW used relationships they had developed with HA D3 coaches and promoted the player to these coaches.  At the PTW events that this player attended the HA D3 coaches already knew about the kid (and had seen video) before the event took place.  Events for the player to attend were selected based on whether or not the right coaches were there.  The strategy was successful and in the end the kid had a choice between Haverford & Swarthmore (and a near miss with Johns Hopkins). He chose Haverford. But here is my point - PTW did things to successfully promote this player that you (a parent) cant do. PTW has a direct line to many HA HCs.  You don't. If you are considering their events you might want to consider hiring them to place your son.  HA is a bit of a niche target and they can help get you there. In general I don't recommend recruiting services but HA D3 is a place where the right service can really make a difference. Just my opinion but I had a front row seat and watched it happen for my friend and his kid.

^^^^^^ This is an awesome post from someone who knows what he is talking about. You have to focus on dialing in your exposure events to ensure the schools you are targeting are in attendance and know you will be there. Having an advocate for your son who the school knows and trusts is another key ingredient. Follow Adbono's advice...he is spot on.

 It sounds like Adbono's friend's kid had a great outcome, so that is great.  But from reading this, I would not want other parents to feel that only by using someone like PTW (which I had not heard of before this thread, to be honest) can a player be recruited by programs such as are named Adbono's post. Part of a coach's job is to find talent,  so D3 coaches spend a lot of time going to events like Headfirst, Stanford, AZ Fall Classic, Norcal WS, etc,  to find that talent. They don't wait  until a recruiting service shows it to them.  We have many, many folks on this forum, myself included, whose kids had great schools recruit them and commit them without help from recruiting services.

The kid I referenced is good player but, like a lot of D3 players, he was never going to stand out in a showcase setting.  He has one plus tool and everything else about him from a baseball standpoint is pretty ordinary at first blush. He is the kind of player it would be easy to undervalue. PTW was able to make sure that didn't happen thru the relationships they have already established with HA D3 HCs.  Didn't hurt that the kid was a whisker short of being a national merit scholar.  So in this particular case, PTW had a lot to do with this kid's successful recruiting campaign.  PTW is heavily concentrated on the east coast & you are a west coast guy so no surprise that you haven't heard of them.  Also, I don't think I implied that employing a recruiting service was required to get recruited.  In fact, I said that I don't usually recommend recruiting services.  Both my sons were recruited without the help of a recruiting service. But I saw what PTW did for my friend so I'm passing that info on for the general benefit of the people on this board. Lots of good players fall thru the cracks every year and there is no debating that fact.  If you have a HA kid who is a good player (but not a showcase standout) and D3 is your target, PTW can help increase the odds of a good outcome.  That's all I'm saying.  

Gotcha.  How has his college career gone?

JCG posted:

Gotcha.  Sounds like this company is different than most in that they host showcases as well as run a recruiting service. 

Correct 

JCG posted:

Gotcha.  How has his college career gone?

He is a 2018 so he hasn’t reported to campus yet for his freshman year. But I have no doubt he will do well.  He takes the outside pitch to the opposite field better than any HS player I have ever seen. 

My son attended a PTW here in Chicago area in June and got looks from several great schools who followed up with him immediately as well as in subsequent weeks.  Since it was local, it wasn't a hardship and we'd say was worth it. We did not use the recruiting services, so can't comment on that.  

Reviving this thread with question specifically related to PTW's "consulting" service which adbono referred to back in 2018.  We have been in touch with them but quite pricy and wondering if worth the money.  Would love to hear other's experiences.  I guess I am surprised that they would have so much access to be able to call multiple HA coaches to recommend one of their clients/players.  Thanks for any insights. 

@gch4 posted:

Reviving this thread with question specifically related to PTW's "consulting" service which adbono referred to back in 2018.  We have been in touch with them but quite pricy and wondering if worth the money.  Would love to hear other's experiences.  I guess I am surprised that they would have so much access to be able to call multiple HA coaches to recommend one of their clients/players.  Thanks for any insights.

I would be happy to put you in touch with my friend that hired PTW if you like. Send me a PM if that’s something you want to do.

Can’t give any valuable insight but the initials are pretty cool if you ask me.

PTW says they don’t make calls but guide you through the process. If making calls is what you’re looking for I’d look for a Josh Rudd type. PTW is partnered with Showball and makes sure their kids get in front of the coaches at those events. Not just on the field but also private convos beyond the on field meet and greet. I would read their website carefully so you understand what they do.

If HA schools are the main goal I’d look at Showball and Headfirst and see if the target schools attend their events.

Thanks - not really looking for someone to make calls as he is being recruited already.  They reached out to discuss their services as I signed up to listen to one of their informational calls where they had a couple HA coaches on talking about the HA recruiting process.  Not sure how I feel about someone calling coaches on my kid's behalf and going outside the traditional process (although admittedly it seems a bit opaque and certainly much different now with the transfer portal).   

@gch4 posted:

Thanks - not really looking for someone to make calls as he is being recruited already.  They reached out to discuss their services as I signed up to listen to one of their informational calls where they had a couple HA coaches on talking about the HA recruiting process.  Not sure how I feel about someone calling coaches on my kid's behalf and going outside the traditional process (although admittedly it seems a bit opaque and certainly much different now with the transfer portal).   

What do you perceive to be the traditional process?

All recruiting is a combination of different pieces, depending on who and what you know.  My son was recruited to a HA D3 without a PTW-type recruiter.  Pretty much all we knew is what I had read on hsbbw.  His travel coaches didn't know much about HA recruiting, but they reached out to D3 coaches when we asked, even when they didn't know them.  He did one Headfirst, one D3 camp, played travel, etc.  Any combination, assuming the right baseball skills and academics, will probably work.  You can ask questions on this board and many people are happy to help - for free.  But, no-one here knows your son they way a recruiter should.