Guidance regarding Showcases

They will find your son at high school if he's a jaw dropping potential pro prospect. Otherwise you better build a business plan on getting seen where the colleges coaches will be. I recommend a balance of local showcases and college camps with trips to PG at East Cobb and Jupiter thrown in. If he's a top student look into Head First.

Start by making a list of up to fifty colleges your son might want to attend. Do some homework on each so you know where your son can be seen by them. Find out if their camps are legitimate venues to be noticed or just fundraising for their spring trip. If schools are somewhat local attend some games and talk to player's parents about their recruiting experience. I found parents love to talk about their kids.

Do not spend more than you can afford on the journey. If you look for financial ROI on your expenditures you may end up disappointed. It's about getting there and not going broke. Emphasize academics to your son. There's a lot more academic money than athletic money. If you're fortunate he'll get some of each.

In support of RJM's excellent advice, the old "they will find him" may work so long as you don't care who finds him. If, however, his destination does matter to him and to you; it's worth figuring out how best to get in front of recruiters from programs/schools that make sense for your son.

Best of luck to him!

A list of fifty schools may sound like a lot. But it isn't early in the game. We started with, "Do I believe I can compete in this conference?" Five conferences could be more than fifty. Then cross off schools that may be undesirable based on your needs. We crossed off some due to academics, location, and baseball facilities.

My son and I dropped by an exceptional college's baseball field. My son's reaction was, "This would be the worst field in my high school conference. Plus it's freezing here in the winter and spring."

As a friend of a player that was ranked in the top 500 players in the country - but for many reasons beyond his controll he was unable to market himself - let me assure you - even with a top 500 ranking - they may not find you.

Also - just because you can compete in a particular conference or at a particular school does not mean that is where you belong unless baseball is the ONLY part of your analysis. There are so many other factors!

Keep working hard at grades - baseball - and "marketing" - good luck!

I am also the dad of 2015 pitcher. When his travel team (nationally ranked top 10) disbanded last summer, we were looking for another great team and landed on a high profile showcase team with several former team-mates, many of whom are 2014's. In retrospect we jumped into showcase baseball earlier than necessary. That being said, we did get to see a lot of great D1 venues and played against 2012/13 talent which helped build the vision for the future but I doubt anyone noticed our 14 year old last fall. I think the summer after his sophomore year is a good time to get in front of the institutions of choice and by all means a PG event. Others can correct me if I am wrong, but any earlier seems pre-mature. As others have stated, so much depends on your son's ability, passion and vision for his baseball future.

For everyone but top shelf stud prospects summer and fall after junior year is the key period for showcasing. It's ideal to start fall of senior year with a verbal. But the summer following soph year can get a player on coach's radar screens. Experience after soph year also gives a kid a handle on what he's dealing with for post junior year.

Go Blue 55,

RJM provides excellent advice which should be followed closely. If the boss still doesn't understand the long term plan that RJM has laid out, you tell her to mind her business, get in the kitchen and rustle up some grub.

Of course, should I make the same suggestion to my wife, she'll come out of the kitchen with a frying pan and smack me in the head.

Kitchen? The best thing my wife makes is reservations.

quote:

Originally posted by Proud Dad 24:
Of course, should I make the same suggestion to my wife, she'll come out of the kitchen with a frying pan and smack me in the head.

Good for her.

I am going to suggest that you get this book for her, Official Visit. Very easy for her to understand how things work.

Don't argue with her about it now, it's not necessary, just let it unfold, start contacting programs at the right town that might be a good fit for ypur LHP and keep tabs on what goes on in the classroom between now and graduation.

Take baseball completely out of the argument. Don't even bring it up. Have your wife and you sit down and talk to your son about what he wants to major in when he goes to college. Now once you have a few ideas about what he wants to do in college ask your wife this - now that we have an idea what he wants to do with his life after college are those schools going to find him or does the family have to go out and find what schools offer what he wants?

Nobody is going to come looking for him to be an engineer or lawyer anymore than they will for baseball or football. People end up in college because they go find the right fit for them and that does include being seen by the right people. If he wants a scholarship to attend for engineering then he has to get out and be seen by the school he wants to attend for engineering.

The number of players or engineers or whatever that are "just found" are less than 1% in my opinion. Even those bluechip football / basketball high school players you see on ESPN had to get out there and be seen at AAU or whatever type of combine they went to. Once they were seen by those schools then the school was interested. Same with your son - if he wants to go to University of This School then he needs to be seen by them or the list of 50 like RJM said.

Good luck and if you want to move to North Carolina I think we can find a place for your son. You can't coach someone to be a 6'4 LHP at that age. I'm sure we can find a spot for him LOL>

My son at 15 had no clue (other than to play baseball) what he wanted to major in at college. We didn't even ask because we didn't expect him to know. Unless your son has dreamt of being a (fill in the blanks) all of his life, then go for it. But don't expect an answer and if so don't hold him to it.

You can't take baseball out of the equation because baseball is most likely going to help pay for his education.

Let him play and develop his skills and when the time is right, most likely closer to junior year, introduce the concept of showcase (what it is) and let her understand exactly how it can be used as a tool for recruiting (positively).

Better yet, introduce her to the HSBBW and let her do some reading, plenty of moms here to give her advice (see the ladies lounge).

Make a video. Send it and an intro email to colleges on your list. Give them your son's coaches' contact info. Hopefully his grades are good...if so, include that information.
I would also suggest looking into prepbaseballreport.com for showcases in your area. Right now they have them in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio and I think they are expanding into other states.
(No...I am not affiliated with PBR)

I am far from being a pro at this stuff, but it did help my son. I am only his mom , but between my older son and me...we were the ones that did the legwork. Tell your wife (from one woman to another) being proactive is really, really important for your son's future.

Good Luck!

All right 2709, the recruiting WAR is on. In Kansas we not only have a place for him (only at my school though) we have all the wheat and sunflowers you could ever imagine!

Skipper that is an enticing argument but where we are in NC is on the coast. Beautiful weather, beautiful ocean, beautiful fields and one or two days a week beautiful women in skimpy bathing suits. He sees all this then he may just choke on the sunflower seeds LOLOLOL.

TPM I wasn't trying to say pin the son down to a future at 15. I was trying to give dad some way of convincing mom that no matter what son's future is you can't just sit around and wait for it to happen - even in the field of academics. You probe a 15 year old enough he can come up with an answer or two as to what he might want to do but ultimately it's to show mom that even without baseball he still needs to market himself to schools.

Hopefully if she starts to come around then you can bring baseball back into it as a way to help pay for the education. Overall I agree with you that it's early for him and dad to concentrate on this but at least he's too early instead of too late. Better to think ahead and form a plan than to realize it's too late and have to react.

Also, very good advice in getting her to come on here and read about what goes on with recruiting from the mom angle.

Thank you all for your advice and information! Fortunately so far my son has the academics going very well understands that this will open many more doors 3-4 years from now, regardless of where baseball takes him (and certainly a plus if he's blessed to play beyond high school).

I also agree that he has time and showcases will be much more important in the coming years. I will take all of your advice as I begin to lay out a "business plan" for his future. I see potential in him with a current velocity between 78-80, and assuming he will continue to mature and get stronger.

As for my wife...great rec'd (most of them ). I think time will take care of many questions as will her involvement throughout the process.

Great network....looking forward to the journey

GB55,

You know I was just kidding (though my wife might get the frying pan out)

GB55,
I do hope that you were kidding about sitting down and making a "business" plan. Your son hasn't even played his first HS game yet, has he?

I think that it's good to make a plan, but as you will see, this time next year (and the year after) things (and your son) will change from what it is now. So sometimes it's hard to make a plan if you are not sure which direction to take. I know when son was a freshman, we knew he had talent but I couldn't tell you which direction he would go, until junior in HS (which IMO is the most important year for the HS player). We just let it unfold and when the time was right we began to follow his plan.

It is too early to make videos or begin sending out information to coaches.

As far as sitting down and talking to a 15 year old as to what they want to do in 8 years (after college graduation), I think it's important to make your children understand the importance of continuing education after HS, the rest will take care of itself as he matures (mentally, socially and physically) and future career goals change.

No problem coach, I was just giving my perspective as a parent and as a MOM.

Hi,

We have a 2013 pitcher. Started sending emails and filling out recruit forms after his high school sophomore season.

We did have son do a Prep Baseball Report showcase to "get his feet wet' during his Soph year and for him to get a look at the competition.

I noticed that you are located in Chicago.

As a Junior consider the Cangelosi College Development Camp. You attend two showcase sessions on consecutive weekends. There were at least 40 college coaches there. Different coaches on each weekend.

Hope this helps.

look at it this way---it may help ev eryone

applications for admissionto college, this includes athletes, are up all over the country---UCONN just admiited they had over 20,000 appilcants---being a ballplayer and having a coach that wants you can make a huge difference

Oops didn't notice that he is just a freshman. Yep, might be a little early for the video and intro to coaches. But if you can afford doing a few showcases I would do them. Especially as a way to become more comfortable with them as he gets older.

Good luck!

Yes - was kidding about business plan and will be very patient to let things develop in the coming year or so. My son spends time at the Cangelosi dome and plans to attend winter college development a year from now.

Looking forward to tryouts next week and starting the spring season! Thanks again and hope to share more...and learn more...in the months/years ahead.