Hi, folks,
given the feedback/questions on a couple other threads, I thought I'd describe our experience at this last weekend's HF event in Jupiter.
Sat am was devoted to showcase "drills" for lack of a better term. My OF started with two 60's, then moved to two throws each from rightfield to third, and then to home. Then there was a batting session where the kids warmed up for their actual BP show case. Also, somewhere in there, was another set of outfield drills that looked like it was more for passing time until the hitting showcase ended. There were no coaches at that drill.
60's were timed by Headfirst guys, so it's useful because it's measured by a neutral party. (thanks, Mkbaseballdad, for finding out they do distribute the times to the coaches. I couldn't remember if they did, or not.)
The outfield drills are done in front of ALL scouts/coaches. They're lined up twoor three rows deep down the first and third baselines between home and the first/third base bags. As far as I could tell, they watched all kids throw.
After the defensive drills the coaches move to the out door batting cages and watch each kid hit. I didn't watch that, but son said it went okay, and that's where they told him his bat/ball exit speed, or whatever it's called. He said the highest he heard was 89, and most of the kids whose #s he heard were in the high 70's.
I think the reason the only written evaluations done by HF personnel are for pitchers is because EVERYONE watches the defensive and hitting drills, but the pitching "drills" are actually the games, so individual coaches are assigned to particular pitchers (or games) and put the gun on them, as well as take notes.
There were breaks each day for some brief talks, which son thought were pretty good. I liked the emphasis on college fit, and making good choices with small decisions. The coaches' talks were good, too. Coaches for several colleges talked very briefly about their schools, but spent more time talking about generic but helpful stuff. I did not get the sense that speakers were trying to sell their particular schools, so they probably were! Some have posted here that the Sullivans talk too much about themselves, but I didn't think so. I did think the last talk Sunday was a little long, but it didn't really bother me. Son like it but thought it was too long, though.
Games started after noon on Saturday. Sixteen teams with about 14/15 players on each team including PO's. Team remained intact throughout the weekend, but had two/three different coaches each game, so kids got seen by a lot of coaches in the dugout as well as by a group of 6-10 coaches who sat behind a screen behind home plate. That group of coaches was fluid, with some guys sitting there the whole game, and some moving from field to field. One or two coaches also stood in the shallow outfield, and a headfirst employee umpired. If coaches weren't on the field they were in the middle area between the diamonds watching from a distance and being available for casual conversations with kids who weren't playing in that slate of games. Four fields in a clover leaf with snack bar at the center. Each team played two six inning games on Saturday and Sunday. If your team played in the first and third game on Saturday, you also played in the first and third game on Sunday.
After some initial prodding, son did well tracking down coaches he had written before hand. In almost all cases the conversations were 3-4 minutes long, confirming son's interest. Son would come back to me and say for the div 3 guys it's a bit early for 2017s but they were all glad he had emailed them ahead of time so they could put a face to name as well as watch him play. The div one guys (Ivies, Patriot League, A-10, ACC) were attentive and spent more time with kids, though I'm not sure why. One coach told son that he was one of 15 players he was there to evaluate. Another Div 1 coach who son didn't meet until Sunday playfully asked son what took him so long to introduce himself. From a distance, it was hard to tell what exactly was being accomplished by all this, in terms of "Progress" towards picking a college and (a college picking a kid***). What WAS happening was son's comfort with the whole process was increasing, and he got to shake hands with 15/20 coaches he had never met before.
Admittedly the most comfortable conversations were with coaches son had some obscure personal connection with. One coach had coached son's high school coach. One young coach went to a rival high school. One coach played with someone who had been my student.
The overall experience was quite good, especially if your son is interested in high academic div 3's. Lots of coaches, lots of informal time for connecting with those coaches, lots of active scouting.
Finally, something happened at the very end of the weekend to a kid I never saw before and doubtful I'll ever see again. It is exactly what several folks on this board have told me could happen and it was amazing to see it play out. A coach came up to a kid who was standing next to me with his father. i had no idea who they were, and there was no reason for us to be in proximity to each other, but he was so close I could hear every word exchanged between the coach and the boy. Coach basically introduced himself, asked kid where he was looking to go to school, and told him he liked how he pitched, and after a few minutes of answering kid's questions invited him to campus and said "I'll email but I think I have spot for you."
So it DOES happen.
And one last word of advice: if your kids go to an event like this, make sure they're programmed to swing the bat. Counts start at 1-1 and I lost track of how many kids struck out looking. Coaches HAVE to see swings.
