So, this is our first year really doing any showcase events/tournaments. My son is playing up tomorrow at the PG 16U WWBA tournament at East Cobb. His organization asked him to come pitch for one of their teams. Said they would be lots of RC and such there and it was a good opportunity for him to be seen. Given what I've seen about PG lately, do a lot of scouts/RCs really come to these events? Have these events become too watered down? I mean, 428 teams?!?!?
Replies sorted oldest to newest
There will be a lot but they are not just randomly watching games hoping to discover a kid. They have kids they want to see, clubs they know are loaded with dudes, etc… and those are the games they watch.
@22and25 posted:There will be a lot but they are not just randomly watching games hoping to discover a kid. They have kids they want to see, clubs they know are loaded with dudes, etc… and those are the games they watch.
Hopefully it's his game!! Lol! His organization had him come down to pitch a specific game and time. Our organization is pretty good and son's been getting some interest. But, I truly was just wondering with all those teams how the RCs/scouts kept up with it all! So crazy! I played volleyball and basketball in college and don't remember all this craziness...but that was a year or a hundred ago!! Thanks!
Depends on the organization. For example if a coach puts out word they need a left handed pitcher, more than likely they would let the coach know. This is just an example.
Wishing your son success, let us know how it goes down, good luck!
Have seen over a hundred and none. According to who is playing and how good they are.
You don’t want to go to a major PG event hoping to be discovered (aka throwing spaghetti off the wall to see what sticks). You want to go presold by your travel organization to the colleges on your list. If not, at the least you’ve exchanged emails with the coaching staff along with video and they’re interested. Coaches have a list of players they want to see. You want to be on it.
Otherwise, a player better look awesome while coaches are there to see someone else in that game. You won’t see coaches watching games of inferior teams. A friend complained they didn’t see a coach at any of their games all week. It was a team of all D3 prospects.
when they were at Lake Pointe, most of the scouts were there. Not sure now. If you are playing a good team with top prospects, chances are better. Most teams list pitchers, that helps too. Our first WWBA we got one game at LP and it started at 1am. There were still scouts there. It was 15u and my son got his first contact. The Duke coach was there to see a kid on the other team, so all luck. Another time, PG tweeted that he was pitching (one advantage of having been to a showcase) and there were probably 40-50 RCs. It was bad because he imploded but they definitely do show up to see guys they want to see.
4 games in and we had 2 games with tons of scouts when the other teams weren’t very good at all, and 2 games with a couple scouts against very good teams.
It also depends on how many are already committed. Many guys go to the 17U thinking they will get recruited but by then most of the guys are already committed to the schools that attend WWBA. It is not always about the level of teams playing but who is pitching or a certain player. Son's recruited really took off when he was facing a guy throwing upper 90's and hit a HR off him at LP and pitched a complete game 1 hitter off his team. Scouts were there to watch the other team and son was collateral. Some times it helps to be lucky.
@BaseballMOM05 posted:Hopefully it's his game!! Lol! His organization had him come down to pitch a specific game and time. Our organization is pretty good and son's been getting some interest. But, I truly was just wondering with all those teams how the RCs/scouts kept up with it all! So crazy! I played volleyball and basketball in college and don't remember all this craziness...but that was a year or a hundred ago!! Thanks!
I may be a little late, but going forward...
If your son has a target list of schools, have him let them know he is pitching X game at Y field. If he has any schools that have shown interest, he should let them know when he pitches. The travel coach(es) should help with these contacts. Even if your son says "I'll never go there!", still have him let them know, interest begets interest in a player.
Even if it is a "quiet period/he's too young for coaches to call" etc., he can text them when he is pitching. They can't reach out to him, but he can text or call them.
@TPM posted:Depends on the organization. For example if a coach puts out word they need a left handed pitcher, more than likely they would let the coach know. This is just an example.
Wishing your son success, let us know how it goes down, good luck!
Thanks for the well wishes! He did pretty good - I think anyways! He pitched 6 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 9 strikeouts and 4 walks.
@Go44dad posted:I may be a little late, but going forward...
If your son has a target list of schools, have him let them know he is pitching X game at Y field. If he has any schools that have shown interest, he should let them know when he pitches. The travel coach(es) should help with these contacts. Even if your son says "I'll never go there!", still have him let them know, interest begets interest in a player.
Even if it is a "quiet period/he's too young for coaches to call" etc., he can text them when he is pitching. They can't reach out to him, but he can text or call them.
Thanks! Good to know. He recently sent an introduction email to some schools he is interested in along with his summer schedule. I know his coach asked for his list and so did the head of our organization so I believe they are working behind the scenes to make some things happen!
So, when can coaches call, etc. to kids? How are kids already committed as 2024s and 2025s if they are too young for coaches to talk to them? I am still trying to figure out this whole thing! LOL!
Good Stuff! Don't worry about the ones that are already committed.
If you feel that he did well, he can update coaches that he has already contacted.
My suggestion would be to talk to the organization he is with. My sons success in finding the right fit, which should be the goal, was due to his travel organization.
@BaseballMOM05 posted:Thanks for the well wishes! He did pretty good - I think anyways! He pitched 6 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 9 strikeouts and 4 walks.
Stats are nice. But the coaches are looking at velocity first to go with the stats. They’re trying to project current physical size with future size and how velocity will improve and does the projected velocity fit in against the competition.
@RJM posted:Stats are nice. But the coaches are looking at velocity first to go with the stats. They’re trying to project current physical size with future size and how velocity will improve and does the projected velocity fit in against the competition.
I have to admit, I don't know much about baseball with regards to "projectability", "future size", peer stats, etc. I am trying to learn so I can be in the loop and offer assistance, if and when needed. I usually just offer moral support, cheer the team on and scrub the white pants clean. But, I did play sports in college and my son more recently has been asking me about my recruiting process and playing in college so I want to be knowledgeable about baseball. These boards have been a great tool and I have learned a lot!
I can offer you this and maybe you can help me with where he compares? 2024 is 15 (will be 16 in October) 6'5", 175lbs, FB sits 82-87, curveball 69-74 and he hit 91 at the USA Baseball NTIS tryouts recently. His legs were shot this Sunday, as, against our advice, he went and worked out Friday with some football buddy's and had to "show out" for them on squats. LOL! 15 year old boys. (I bet there were some girls at the gym too if I had to put $$ on it) PG had his FB in the 81-85 range Sunday. They did a nice little Twitter blur on him. Thought that was cool.
LHP or RHP?
Again, speak to the folks that know him best. If he tried out for USA his stats are in the books.
@TPM posted:LHP or RHP?
Again, speak to the folks that know him best. If he tried out for USA his stats are in the books.
He's a RHP. He did make the NTIS Southeast team. Are those stats public? My husband and 2024 are the ones that have the dialogue with our organization. I think I'll ask to be involved more! That will probably help me a lot to understand his personal journey and their thoughts/plans. Again ~ thanks so much!!
When son was in HS, he tried out, didn't make team, he was young, but it was a decent try out and we used stats and experience in his bio and he got lots of attention from most ACC and SEC schools. PG was much smaller then but his college pcoach found him at a game junior fall, using sophomore information.
I am pretty sure his stats were recorded somewhere.
Size is projectability. His size will get him about 3-5 mph in a coach's mind. So don't let him get frustrated with the velo in itself because his size will give him an advanatage. My son was never tall and didn't have the velo but had the pitches and pitchability. Everyone is given something and you have to use what you are given. At 15, he may be able to grow a couple of more inches.
As parents, we can only do so much but maybe next time talk to his ego and remind him that the leg workout takes away velo and the velo is what the coaches are looking at first and foremost. Son did a leg workout the other day that was required and he said he knew it affected his velo 2 days later as a 21 year old.
Just remember that your role is just as vital as anyone in the process. He always needs a cheerleader in his corner no matter what else you provide.
This is why, IMO young players need guidance in proper training.
@TPM posted:This is why, IMO young players need guidance in proper training.
Absolutely!! The infuriating thing about it is that we pay good money for him to attend a very monitored and controlled baseball centric training facility. He's been attending for 4 years. He even has the training schedule and metrics on his phone if he can't make it into the gym. He just decided to go rouge Friday! But, he did learn a valuable lesson and promised us he would not do that again!
But, you are absolutely correct - proper training, especially at a young age, is very important.
Your son needs to think through being 100% physically and mentally prepared for events where he will be seen.
From having been through this process with two kids I know it can be hard to tell 15/16yos what to do. They’re at know it all age. So to give them something to think about I would ask, “Are you reaching your goals by do (fill in the blank)?”
I found I was telling them what to do and not do without actually telling them in their minds. I was giving them something to think about. They knew I was right without having to agree with me.
I played college baseball. Recruiting changed so much from my time to my kids it wasn’t comparable. I grew up in an era when you had to be found by word of mouth. Now kids can select where they want to be seen and by whom.
Your son has everything going for him size wise. As long as he appears sensible, coachable and having a strong work ethic he’s going to get a lot of benefit of the doubt on projection.
@BaseballMOM05 posted:So, when can coaches call, etc. to kids? How are kids already committed as 2024s and 2025s if they are too young for coaches to talk to them? I am still trying to figure out this whole thing! LOL!
No-one ever answered your question: coaches can't directly call a kid, but they can talk all they want if the kid calls them. So, a college coach contacts the travel or HS coach and asks him to tell the kid to call at a certain time.
@anotherparent posted:No-one ever answered your question: coaches can't directly call a kid, but they can talk all they want if the kid calls them. So, a college coach contacts the travel or HS coach and asks him to tell the kid to call at a certain time.
Thank you!! That makes sense!!
@anotherparent posted:No-one ever answered your question: coaches can't directly call a kid, but they can talk all they want if the kid calls them. So, a college coach contacts the travel or HS coach and asks him to tell the kid to call at a certain time.
It’s an absurd rule. Coaches shouldn’t be able to go near athletes until junior year. How many fourteen and fifteen year olds know what they want for a major in college? A lot of eighteen year olds don’t have a clue.
Been there, watched my kids do it. Girls physically mature sooner. My daughter committed (softball) when she was fifteen. Had she not committed the offer was going to be pulled after being on the table for a few months.
@RJM posted:It’s an absurd rule. Coaches shouldn’t be able to go near athletes until junior year. How many fourteen and fifteen year olds know what they want for a major in college? A lot of eighteen year olds don’t have a clue.
Been there, watched my kids do it. Girls physically mature sooner. My daughter committed (softball) when she was fifteen. Had she not committed the offer was going to be pulled after being on the table for a few months.
I completely agree! I changed my major in college 3 times. It is absurd to ask a kid "hey, what do you want to do with the REST OF YOUR LIFE" when they can't even remember to turn their bedroom light off half the time or bring down their dirty dishes! It makes me so mad too that IF you want to, and are good enough to go to a big school, they push you to commit 9th and 10th grade year. I don't want my son to have to think about these kinds of decisions right now - I want him to have fun with his friends, go fishing with his buds, work hard in the weight room, play lots of ball! That is what 15/16 year olds should be doing.
Personally I am going to figure it out soon...I feel like 50 should be enough time!
I agree on the major. It's great if your kid knows but when I was 16 I thought I wanted to be a heart surgeon and now I happily work in international development. LOL
We just had my son say business. He had a side gig where he would buy and sell bats, gloves etc. so that counted as a business interest and gave him something to say. Mostly the coaches want to be able to tell you about how their school has a great "(insert major) school/program." Most of the time the kids forget that the coaches also have to talk to way more 14-16 years olds than they really want to talk to! It's uncomfortable for both sides but really they are just trying to get to know the kid, gauge their interest, make sure there are no glaring red flags, etc...
To answer OP, there are definitely college scouts...especially at WWBA 16U.
It’s very unusual for a kid to know what he is passionate about as a vocation even as a college student. My oldest son is one of the most remarkable exceptions I have run across. As a grade school kid he was fascinated by computers. He took them apart in his bedroom, studied the components, and put them back together. He taught himself where information was stored and how to retrieve it. When he went off to OU he placed out of 21 hours of computer science. This led to him working part time for the Norman PD helping them with cybercrimes as an 18 year old freshman. Soon the Lt. Gov. of OK appointment him to State of OK Cybercrime Task Force at 19 years old. He was also hired by a neighbor in Dallas who is a private defense contractor. Keep in mind that all of this went on as he was a college student and president of his fraternity at OU. Most of what he has done is highly classified and he can’t talk about it. But a couple years ago he called me asking for a cell number for a D2 HC in Oklahoma. Fortunately I had it. He contacted the coach, which led to him contacting a former player, who provided critical information that allowed my son to rescue a young Oklahoma woman from her captor in a human trafficking ring. It literally saved her life. When I called the HC the next day to tell him what happened as the result of his cooperation he was flabbergasted and I was in tears.
@adbono that's amazing. So basically your son is Penelope. Can't wait to see what other sick person is obsessed with this show like I am...
Wow AL, much to be proud about.
My son started a little business on his middle school bus selling candy. In HS he delivered pies, when not in practice or playing. It kept him busy and out of normal HS trouble. Maintained a 4.0+. Coaches loved it.
But if you asked him what he wanted to do, most of the time it included the word baseball. In 2016 after receiving his degree he turned down a GREAT business opportunity to coach and recruit at a D2.He told them his office was the field.
There are quite a few young men out there that talk about what they want to do when "they grow up". Coaches love hearing "be involved in baseball". It gives them a clue as to their passion to play the game at the college level, regardless of what they end up doing in 4 or 5 years.
@PTWood posted:We just had my son say business. He had a side gig where he would buy and sell bats, gloves etc. so that counted as a business interest and gave him something to say.
This is awesome, so many business men i know got started wheeling and dealing as kids to make a buck. Cards, candy, bikes...you name it. I did booze.
I had an older cousin, he would get get me cheap bottles of Skol vodka when he went to the liquor store. They, were roughly 8 bucks or there about and i could unload a handful every week for 20 bucks each. There was a little country dive bar i could get severed in not far from home, 6 packs were like 3.75 or 4 bucks and i could get 10 for them...this was mid/late 1980's and was making 100 bucks a week or so on the spread, had an easy supply for my personal needs and could always bump up sales if needed some extra cash. It was sooo much simpler to make a buck back then. I was taking orders and getting paid in advance, do pickups and deliveries on the way to my girlfriends house in minutes.
Who would of ever guessed this would inspire me to make living on making deals!
There were at least 10 to 15 recruiters/scouts watching our game that 1 time we played in East Cobb this tournament (16u WWBA). We'll see how many are there this coming week for 15u WWBA. There's a lot less teams for 15u (lots of teams pulled out).
It was sooo much simpler to make a buck back then.
I disagree. You don’t even need to build a client base anymore. There’s the internet for sales now. You can buy junk at a garage sale, clean it up and put it up for sale on social media or Craigslist. It’s never been of interest to me. But plenty of people do it.
My kid is about to join sideline swap market for his old goods. I will be sure to capture his expression when I take a VC cut of his profits.
Adbono, great work by your son. He is already making this world a better place!
@Adams Baseball posted:Adbono, great work by your son. He is already making this world a better place!
Thank you for the kind words
@2022NYC posted:My kid is about to join sideline swap market for his old goods. I will be sure to capture his expression when I take a VC cut of his profits.
I've been using SS for a few years. I'm shocked people are wiling to pay what they do for used gear. I even sold an old pair of his spikes for $30.
Wow, I am not sure if I would allow my kid to sell his footwear as it may cost me more in lysol to fumigate them
