How do I get my son noticed?

The 6'4" is a great start!

And if he happens to find $3100.00 laying around the coach's office and decides to pocket it...he'll get noticed!


Now seriously...

First...welcome aboard the HSBBW!

Second...you've come to the right place to start. You've posted a lot of information about your son...you're sure to get many responses.

Enjoy the ride!

Go to the MLB website. They will have a listing of free tryouts. I think 16 is the minimum age and a parent will have to sign a form that allows him to try out.

Unless his high school is really good and attend top tournaments during the summer, I really don't think he'll get much attention from D1 schools and he'll be lucky to get seen by a pro scout. But that is just my opinion. He sounds like he has a lot of size and a strong, big body. Best of luck to you.

How about contacting the Midland Redskins in Cincinnati? They are one of the top high school select teams in the nation and their players are seen by all the scouts.

http://www.midlandredskins.org/home.html

Check out college and junior college web sites for camps or showcases this summer and try to attend a few, even if you are not interested in that particular school. Most of the time, there are coaches/recruiters from other schools there. Every time my son attended one, there was always a new group of coaches calling. In our area (north Alabama) most of the showcases are in the late summer/early fall.

A 6'4" sophomore who is already touching 90? All he needs to do to get noticed is SHOW UP!

Get this kid out of the house and onto a field somewhere!

Seriously, get the kid to a Perfect Game showcase and maybe 1 or 2 Perfect Game WWBA events. Next thing you know he'll have a top PG ranking in his class and things will take off so fast you won't believe it. You'll have elite travel teams ringing your phone off the hook as they try to land him. Start with the Warhawks or, as indicated above, Midland (the very best but not out of reach if your son is as advertised). Also, just to put your mind at ease, if Midland accepts him the whole program is FREE. Only team I know that does that for you.

Then, get that kid into training with a baseball training expert. If he starts adding muscle weight to what must be a splinter-like frame right now, and if he puts the muscle in the right places, I think the word you'll start hearing is "projectable". As in "I project he might do well in Division I." Or, "I project he might go high in the 2009 MLB draft."

quote:

All he needs to do to get noticed is SHOW UP!

There is no possible way to improve upon this advice

Midlo Dad - I suspect you write for a living. Always enjoy reading your observations

CD provides excellent advice to heed Midlo Dad's excellent advice. Specifically, I might aim toward finding a team that will appear at WWBA 18 and under tournament in Marietta this summer. You could start with the Ohio teams. Ohio WWBA Teams

The boy needs to be on the right right high profile platform---the posters have already given you some great leads

For what it's worth...
go the main page on this site and review all the links under "Latest News and information"


A couple of things that come to mind right away are:
1-has he been to any showcases or ID camps.
2-You mention velocities you Son has hit are these velocities being told by scouts or at camps?
3-Has he written to colleges...any feedback from schools?
4-As others have mentioned he should probably play for a strong summer team that attends, showcases and tourneys...
5-Read the info on this site...no matter what the talent level is your Son needs to put some work in (writing to schools etc) to get as much interest generated as possible

Good Luck

Mulholland,

Your son sounds like a player who WILL be noticed if you just get him to the right place. Look at the banner at the top of this page, and click on the Perfect Game logo on the left side. Perfect Game is amateur baseball’s largest scouting service and also a sponsor of this website. If your 6'4" skinny pitcher attends a Perfect Game event and performs as you described above (especially the part about touching 90 mph), he will almost immediately become known to MLB scouts and DI coaches.

Best wishes, and keep us updated. The parents on this site enjoy following the progress of all of "our" boys!

Welcome to the HSBBW!

You have gotten great advice.

If I may state an observation, you have not mentioned one thing about your son's academics or test scores. If your son wishes to attend and play D1 ball at a top program (or any for that matter), there is more to it than being a talented player.

The first thing you have to discuss with him is where he would like to attend school, then do your homework. Maybe he doesn't want to go to school but go pro early.
You can go online to any school and fill out a player questionaire.
Attend camps, attend pro tryouts, look for a scout team or good summer travel team that may play at a PG event. I see you said he plays for his HS team, unless they travel, it may not have teh exposure that you desire.
Best of luck.

I agree with TPM. Based on what you have described about your son, he should seek to be on a more high-profile team.

If he's throwing 90, I'd also bet his current coach would try to talk him out of it!

Good luck

I don’t know about Ohio, but around here, the ML and college scouts can tell you the life story about every current local HS P who has ever touched 90, let alone has all the other things this boy has. Maybe BBScout or some other current scout can correct me if I’m in error, but that’s a pretty strong light to keep hidden under a bushel, even on a very poor HS team.

I can see how going to showcases and playing in prestigious tournaments would definitely widen the field of what colleges would see him, but I can’t believe he’s not a very bright blip on at least the MLB radar screens already, and quite a few colleges too.

Can it be that his age is a big reason there aren’t a ton of contacts already being made?

I have seen players here in the state of Florida, where scouts flock by the dozens to games not notice a player until late junior year, senior summer, senior fall.
I always feel that it is being seen by the right person at the right time and place, if you are not there or they are not there, a player will go unnoticed.

Agree with TPM. Players in SoCal can fly under the radar for quite a while. We've seen one player who will probably be an early round choice next year who would have been completely ignored by scouts until his senior season if he hadn't showcased or gone to a camp.

TPM,

I’ve seen the same thing, but usually its because the player wasn’t doing a whole lot worth noticing until late in their HS career. Not every player who’s “GREAT” at 18 and ready to graduate was “GREAT” at 16 and just getting ready for his 1st year of V ball.

I sure wish one of the scouts would comment on this because I’m only guessing based on what I’ve seen. But I have never seen or even heard of a HS P who could hit 90, not being well known by just about everyone. Heck, in this entire baseball crazy area, if there are 10 P’s a year who can legitimately hit 90, I’d be surprised. So, if there is one who can, logic dictates that even of he’s playing for Podunk Prep, he’s on the radar.

Maybe PGStaff can comment about how many HS P’s who can commit, in a radius of say 100 miles, are legitimate 90+ guys, since he usually sees nothing but the prime cuts of beef.

CADad,

I don’t want to imply you’re wrong, but I would like to know what makes you think he would have been “COMPLETELY” ignored if he hadn’t showcased or gone to a camp. Completely ignored is a mighty strong and all encompassing statement.

Do those things help widen the players horizons? Absolutely! But to think a HS player who will be going in an early round wasn’t going to be noticed at all seems like a stretch. With all the College scouts and their “stringers”, plus all the MLB scouts and their “stringers” and contacts, surely a player such as you suggest had to be noticed by someone!

quote:

Originally posted by Scorekeeper:

I sure wish one of the scouts would comment on this because I’m only guessing based on what I’ve seen. But I have never seen or even heard of a HS P who could hit 90, not being well known by just about everyone. Heck, in this entire baseball crazy area, if there are 10 P’s a year who can legitimately hit 90, I’d be surprised. So, if there is one who can, logic dictates that even of he’s playing for Podunk Prep, he’s on the radar.

Maybe PGStaff can comment about how many HS P’s who can commit, in a radius of say 100 miles, are legitimate 90+ guys, since he usually sees nothing but the prime cuts of beef.

I am not a college coach - nor a professional baseball scout - but I would be shocked if there were a kid throwing 90+ within 100 miles of me and I did not know his name.

Players all know who the real players are - and parents mostly do (although speeds tend to creep up when parents observe).

The central coast area of Northern California has some real pitching talent in the Junior and Senior classes this year - but the 90+ guys are still few and far between - I can name the 3 legit 90+ guys in the area. Probably another 10 that are in the 85-90 club.

08

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Scorekeeper:
TPM,

I’ve seen the same thing, but usually its because the player wasn’t doing a whole lot worth noticing until late in their HS career. Not every player who’s “GREAT” at 18 and ready to graduate was “GREAT” at 16 and just getting ready for his 1st year of V ball.


It might very well be that the player WAS NOT hitting 90 last year, last fall, etc.

The parent asked how does he gets his son noticed, because he obviously feels he needs exposure.

The advice given has been what we give here all the time as PARENTS, get your son seen, don't wait for them to come looking for you.
As I stated I have seen many players even here in FL, progress to be D1 players and even drafted early rounds, that were not TOP PROSPECTS since they began HS.

I am sure if you ask PG, there have been instances where they were not aware of a player until they were seen by someone of importance.

Instead of doubting anyone cannot beleive a player throwing 90 has not been noticed, without knowing where he has or not played, the best advice IS not to hide in your corner in HS, but get out and be SEEN.

Hi Mulholland, and welcome to the HSBBW. I have enjoyed reading on this site much more than I post and gained valuable insight from others that post here.

I would recommend that your son (and you) pick out 2 or 3 colleges as YOUR TOP choices. Then attend every camp/showcase you can at these colleges and visit them to watch practice/games. This tells the coaches that you are interested in their program and you will know if they are interested in your son by the way they talk to your son (or not). This was very successful for my son.

If your son is hitting 90+ he will get noticed. There are usually other colleges helping out at the college camps/showcases as well and this may lead to other letters from those that attended the event.

We did travel ball and PG and value the experience and would do it again because you should pursue every path available (and that you can afford). But going to colleges you believe will work for your son (and your budget, no full rides you know) and talking to them and getting to know them and letting them get to know you may produce results for you like it did for my son.

These topics that are indirectly related to our business are not my faves!

However, here is another person’s unbiased (I hope) take.

We see lots of pitchers who throw 90 or higher. I remember a while back some debates on this board about how many high school players “really” throw 90. Some thought it was a handful and others thought they were a dime a dozen. Our experience has been that there are hundreds of them, but when looking at the numbers involved, that still makes them (90 mph guys) very rare.

Scorekeeper, We actually see “most” of those who can throw 90, but not all of them. We also see a much larger number of pitchers who do NOT throw even close to 90. And we see pitchers who throw in the 80s who are better than some who throw 90.

Each year we find pitchers who are seniors throwing 90 or better, and we’ve never heard of some of them before. So unless we are hearing about every single one of them, (highly doubtful) there are some out there who haven’t been found! At least by us! Each year, there are guys that were not recruited by DI schools and were not drafted who end up at small colleges throwing in the 90+ range. Some who don’t even go to college and we hear about them throwing 90 or better in town leagues. So there are probably some who threw 90 that simply quit playing after HS and no one ever knew it.

Now if you live in Miami or San Diego or any other large hotbed and play against top level competition, you’re a lot less likely to be missed. If you are in other parts of the country, you stand a good chance of being missed.

Then if you are a late bloomer…. Someone who threw low 80s/mid 80s last year and are throwing low 90s this year, you could get overlooked.

There’s always a bit of luck involved in everything. People here are saying… “be in the right place at the right time”. That in it self could take some luck. But there are things a player can do to increase his odds. Or you can just wait for them to find you… But that will decrease your odds of the right people finding you, dramatically.

Truth is… If a player is truly outstanding… There are things he can do that will almost eliminate most of the luck factor! Those that are really the best, benefit from having everyone knowing as much as possible about them. That will not happen by simply staying home and waiting, in most cases! But it can happen and it has! Colt Griffin is an example of a first round pick that was somewhat unknown before his senior year. Then again the results of his short career only makes scouts want to see people play against and with the other top prospects even more before investing huge sums of money.

I could go on forever about things that pertain to this subject. But I’ll give this example and leave it at that. About 6 years ago the best prospect (by far) in Iowa was a 6’2/190 SS/RHP who had all the tools. He threw 92 from the mound, ran 6.7, hit with power (set the all time HR record in HS. He played in our leagues and everyone knew who he was. He ended up playing at a local college. The reason he was not drafted or recruited by national power colleges? When we had games scheduled in town, he was always there. When the games were scheduled outside of town with better competition he would not be there. He never did what the other top players who went to national powers or became high draft picks did. No trips to Florida or Texas or California to see and compete against the best. He didn’t think he needed to do that! It turned out he was wrong! Moral!.... Sometimes, you have to show how much you really want it! Staying home didn’t work in his case!

08Dad, One last comment… We maybe see more high school players than anyone. Especially those among the top guys. Just last week we had a kid throw 90 that we didn’t know could throw 90. He lives less than 10 miles from our building and has played in many PG events. If we wouldn’t have seen him last week, we wouldn’t have known he could throw 90, because the last time we saw him he couldn't throw anywhere near 90. Every so often, a new one pops up!

Scorekeeper,
He played JV as a junior and was injured prior to that, so he wasn't on anyone's "radar". He's throwing mid 90s now and will probably be an early round pick next year. PG probably has a pretty good idea who I'm talking about and I bet they didn't know a thing about him at that point.

In this area some pitchers who would be the ace of most staffs spend their entire season on the bench or in extreme cases at the JV level.

Our league has several pitchers throwing in the 90s and one team may have 2 or 3 hitting 90 with a couple others in the high 80s. There's also the mid to high 80s guy who is probably the best pitcher in the league but they won't be looking at him as a pitcher when he gets drafted in the first or second round this year.

PGS,

I’m sure that what you say is very true, at least from your perspective.

But as good as you guys are, you don’t profess to have the same resources as all of the college and MLB scouts combined do you? That’ isn’t a knock on PG at all because they are a tremendous organization, but there have to be plenty of players who simply can’t afford the service, and other who really just aren’t aware its there. So although its likely that several at least fall through your cracks, that really doesn’t mean they’ve missed every boat that’s sailed.

Look, I’m not arguing that more exposure isn’t “better”, and good exposure isn’t better still, but I am looking at it with perhaps a slightly different take than most people who live and die baseball.

There are some kids out there who really couldn’t give a rat’s patoo about turning pro or going to the best baseball college in the county. Mebbe dad’s a billionaire, they have aspirations toward other careers, they have planned for and can afford getting their education without the aid scholarships provide, and I’m sure many other things.

The point is, I wasn’t trying to say doing things to help the kids get exposure is wrong, but my experiences are much more like AL MA 08’s. Players, especially P’s who can legitimately or even be rumored to be able to hit the 90 peg, become local celebrities whether they want to or not.

When that happens, its very unlikely that either a college or a MLB scout isn’t gonna hear about it. Granted it might not be all colleges or all MLB scouts, or the PG data base, but they’ll be on the radar.

There are just too many local stringers and connections, at least around this place, to allow me to believe otherwise. Heck, I’ve note cards from 2 different scouts and another from a retired player to let them know if I see anybody I think they might be interested in, and who am I? And there’s a lot of guys exactly like that around here.

Mebbe this place is significantly different than everywhere else, or mebbe all these guys who say they’re scouts and whatnots are just full of bull, but the “baseball inner community” here is so tight, I honestly can’t picture a player who has any possibility of playing at the next level, being completely missed.

However, I do agree that considering the vast numbers we’re dealing with, there’s definitely got to be a few Von Ryan Expresses, Rockets, Perdros, RJ’s, and a lot of other HOF probables that have been overlooked one way or the other.

There have been some excellent posts in this thread btw. Really enjoyed PG's.

My one other thought - Actions speak louder than words.

Scorekeeper,

I have one gigantic EGO problem…. It’s when someone mentions honesty! I take HUGE pride in honesty… From any perspective! I simply don’t say things that aren’t absolutely true when it comes to baseball. If it’s only my opinion… I will state (IMO)!

Now the only way to answer is by using your favorite method! I'll answer in red!

I’m sure that what you say is very true, at least from your perspective.
Everything I’ve said in that post is absolutely the truth, by all perspective!

But as good as you guys are, you don’t profess to have the same resources as all of the college and MLB scouts combined do you?
Of course not, but we do have more people out there scouting than any one MLB Scouting Department or any one college. Our scouting department is larger than any one of the others. They don’t ALL work together. In fact, there are MLB scouting departments who will tell no one about an unknown prospect they might have spotted. If we spot one… Everyone in baseball is going to know about him!

That’ isn’t a knock on PG at all because they are a tremendous organization, but there have to be plenty of players who simply can’t afford the service, and other who really just aren’t aware its there.
The service we are talking about (finding prospects) doesn’t have to cost anyone a dime. We usually find them before they ever go to a PG event. We don’t just pull names out of a hat when we send out invitations to teams and players. We already know they are good! They don’t pay anything to us if we see them at Area Codes, East Coast Pro, The Sunbelt tournament, Junior Olympics, The Lions Tournament, and hundreds of other places we scout.

So although its likely that several at least fall through your cracks, that really doesn’t mean they’ve missed every boat that’s sailed.
Of course, someone else could spot them. But chances are pretty slim based on past history that someone who is exceptionally good and been highly recruited or a early draft pick and we have never heard about him. And YES! There are lots of top highest level players that everyone including us have missed!

Look, I’m not arguing that more exposure isn’t “better”, and good exposure isn’t better still, but I am looking at it with perhaps a slightly different take than most people who live and die baseball.
It wasn’t my intent to argue at all. Or even be scrutinized for that post. Please note the first sentence “These topics that are indirectly related to our business are not my faves! I’m simply giving my perspective regarding this topic. I wasn’t the least bit interested in making it a marketing thing.

There are some kids out there who really couldn’t give a rat’s patoo about turning pro or going to the best baseball college in the county. Mebbe dad’s a billionaire, they have aspirations toward other careers, they have planned for and can afford getting their education without the aid scholarships provide, and I’m sure many other things.
Sorry, What does that have to do with THIS topic?

The point is, I wasn’t trying to say doing things to help the kids get exposure is wrong, but my experiences are much more like AL MA 08’s. Players, especially P’s who can legitimately or even be rumored to be able to hit the 90 peg, become local celebrities whether they want to or not.
That is not always true at the time! Sometimes they become celebrities later on as they achieve more recognition. Sometimes they never achieve celebrity status because no one knows how good they are. There was a pitcher in Southern California. He was the #2 or #3 guy on his high school team. His teammate was a first round draft pick. Another teammate played at one of the top programs in the country. This kid headed off to a JC. Scouts flocked in when #1 was pitching, but never got a good look at this kid. Fast forward… #1 never made it! The college star recruit never made it, but this overlooked kid had been in the Big Leagues already! BTW, his teammate was the famous Matt Harrington! Everyone knows about him but Dana Eveland was also unknown to us until he showed up at the World Showcase after his first year of JC ball.

Here is the report we wrote on him from that event

Eveland was a giant surprise to us and the many scouts who saw him for the first time. In fact he caused quite a buzz among scouts wondering “where the hell did this guy come from and how could he possibly of went undrafted last year”. Eveland showed four, that’s right, 4 average to plus pitches. All with outstanding command. His body does not remind you of major league baseball, but his arm sure does. Unless this kid gets hurt, he won’t have to worry about getting his chance. Lefties throwing in the 90s with plus breaking balls, good slider and change and outstanding command are hard to find. We just found one from Texas, via California in the winter time in Florida!

When that happens, its very unlikely that either a college or a MLB scout isn’t gonna hear about it. Granted it might not be all colleges or all MLB scouts, or the PG data base, but they’ll be on the radar.
Eveland ended up at obscure Hill College in Texas. Not exactly where a lot of top prospects end up.

There are just too many local stringers and connections, at least around this place, to allow me to believe otherwise. Heck, I’ve note cards from 2 different scouts and another from a retired player to let them know if I see anybody I think they might be interested in, and who am I? And there’s a lot of guys exactly like that around here.
Yes, we have literally thousands of people doing the same thing and they still miss a few.

Mebbe this place is significantly different than everywhere else, or mebbe all these guys who say they’re scouts and whatnots are just full of bull, but the “baseball inner community” here is so tight, I honestly can’t picture a player who has any possibility of playing at the next level, being completely missed.
That’s great, it is always best if no one ever gets missed. But we live in a much easier area to scout with a lot less players to see and we’ve had some get missed by everybody!

However, I do agree that considering the vast numbers we’re dealing with, there’s definitely got to be a few Von Ryan Expresses, Rockets, Perdros, RJ’s, and a lot of other HOF probables that have been overlooked one way or the other.
We will never really know if they were totally missed. Most of them get found, it’s just a matter of when and where. In Eveland’s case (used as example here because he is from Cali) he was found while he attended a small college in TX. And his high school team from California was one of the most scouted teams in America his senior year.

Please, I’m not interested in arguing, but people should be aware of things that have actually happened. I guess your suggestion to “Mullholland’s” original post would be… Move to Sacramento! BTW, that’s not a bad suggestion! I hear they have one of the nation's top scorekeepers out there

I love SK's advice. LOL

A poster comes on asking how to get his son noticed - and SK says - (in a style only Dostoyevsky could imitate) - No need - they will find him if he is good.

Nice.

That will help out alot I'm sure.

quote:

Originally posted by itsinthegame:
No need - they will find him if he is good.

Kind of interesting that I have heard a few scouts (paid scouts) say that exact thing. And if I'm not mistaken, more than a few have expressed that sentiment on this board.


However, to increase the chances, I would personally recommend that Mullolland Son make it to a PG showcase Perfect Game website and try to find a team with which to attend the World Wood Bat tourney WWB. A top tier select team would also be a good thing for the player.

quote:

Originally posted by Texan:

However, to increase the chances, I would personally recommend that Mullolland Son make it to a PG showcase Perfect Game website and try to find a team with which to attend the World Wood Bat tourney WWB. A top tier select team would also be a good thing for the player.

Now thats a good answer. Short - to the point and helpful. IMO.

BTW - Texan - looks like you took only a piece of my post. LOL - Why didnt you quote the whole thing? - LOL

quote:

Originally posted by itsinthegame:
I love SK's advice. LOL

A poster comes on asking how to get his son noticed - and SK says - (in a style only Dostoyevsky could imitate) - No need - they will find him if he is good.

Nice.

That will help out alot I'm sure.

Texan - give it another go. LOL

PG,
You don't have to defend yourself, you were ASKED to comment. BTW, loved your last sentence.

I am not sure what half of what SK posted has to do with the topic, but that's what normally happens. Hijack!

quote:

Originally posted by Scorekeeper:
PGS,

I’m sure that what you say is very true, at least from your perspective.

I love the subtlety of this insulting preface to yet another rambling dissertation. And the emoticon adds a special touch too.

The implication being - of course - that PG is not - in fact - telling the truth.

With prefaces like that - you are gonna get cyber gonged - early and often.

LOL

Hello;

as a parent you don't get your son noticed.
He alone has the tools to be noticed.
For 18 years, since 1987 I received 1,000 of phone calls from parents to provide a ML team tryout for their son for the Area Code games.

Always I referred to a pro scout or an agent to make the call. Of over 3,000 players attending the AC games, only 10 players called me direct

One player, Bobby Bradley [1st round Pirates] is a story to be told later. Same year as Beckett and Albert Puljos.

"have fun, keep playing the game for yourself"

Bob Williams

quote:

Originally posted by itsinthegame:

quote:

Originally posted by itsinthegame:
I love SK's advice. LOL

A poster comes on asking how to get his son noticed - and SK says - (in a style only Dostoyevsky could imitate) - No need - they will find him if he is good.

Nice.

That will help out alot I'm sure.

Texan - give it another go. LOL

No need to do so. The only pertinent or meaningful part of your post was quoted. What I said stands.

You were derogatory toward someone for saying what I have heard scouts, more than a few posters on this board - and coaches for that mattter - say.

I may not agree with it as an absolute statement. You may not agree with it. But I have known some folks with pretty good baseball credentials who do agree with it. However, I can disagree with the opinion without ridiculing the poster.

At least my post held something of use. More than I can say for yours.

I could be wrong - but I dont think Texan will be voting for me in the upcoming elections. LOL

You running for dogcatcher?

Did like your substantive reply.

Yes, actually I am.

Do I get your vote?

LOL

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:

08Dad, One last comment… We maybe see more high school players than anyone. Especially those among the top guys. Just last week we had a kid throw 90 that we didn’t know could throw 90. He lives less than 10 miles from our building and has played in many PG events. If we wouldn’t have seen him last week, we wouldn’t have known he could throw 90, because the last time we saw him he couldn't throw anywhere near 90. Every so often, a new one pops up!

I probably should have taken more time with that last post - absolutely - kids do improve from season to season or even week to week. And then there is another one...

The point I was trying to make is that 90+ guys are rare - and that they become quickly well known - at least in this area. There have been a number of examples cited in this thread of exceptions to that rule - so I guess that I was wrong on that point.

Bottom line - getting back to the original post - a kid like this is no different than any other high schooler in one respect - it takes getting the right person to see you on the right day.

There are tons of posts and articles on how best to do that - but my advice is to try multiple avenues - do a local PG showcase - if it goes well, do a national PG showcase. Do college camps, particularly ones which are run by coaches from multiple colleges. Get on to a good travel team - one that goes to national events. Look for a pro tryout camp in your area. Try to get into the the area code games.

When the time and money runs out, you have given it your best shot.

If he can play they will notice