Incoming HS Freshmen Talent

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I welcomed you to the HSBBW over on another thread and complimented you on your supportive comment you posted there.

With that said I think your post above is going to start you off here on the HSBBW on a very rough road. First, you will be asked to buy advertising on this site in order to solicit business for services. This site doesn't normally allow solicitation for a business without acceptable paid advertising.

And secondly, outright promotion of your son will not be received well. If accolades and praise come from another source which is credible and respected then all is well. When the same comes from you, the dad, then criticism or merely you being ignored will be the result.

The video you provided a link to captured the mood of the game well, but didn't highlight your son's abilities much. Technically it was slick, but I'm not sure it is a good representation of what you may be able to provide for a ballplayer.

I like your son's enthusiasm and he apparently is a good player. One snippet showed his leadership ability as he communicated with the outfield. I liked that along with his smile.

I think you can help him best on his quest to succeed by being a bit more humble here. Take a look around the site. You will see how others have handled this same situation well. And you will find examples of when they have not.

If you feel this is a worthwhile website please take the time to check it out. After you have done that everything I have mentioned will make a lot more sense. Your son will benefit by you doing the research. Better yet...invite your son to become a member and participate. We look forward to your input.




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WOW.....Quite a nice skills video...I give him a 50 for fist pumps....LOL.

I think you are in for a big surprise. Time for a reality check dad.

I do know another dad that we can set you up with, he wanted to move to the best place in the country for baseball and was going to build a full size field on the lot next to his house, you guys could move next to each other and make nice neighbors.

Going to be fun to watch the comments roll in on this one.....

You have no idea how much your post means! Thank you. You took the time to give me your input and it definitely means alot. I usually tell him (my nephew, although im constantly mistaken as his father...getting old!) to be humble, to not brag about good games or stats because you can always be a better player and teammate...looks like I came off a bit pompous by showcasing him so I appreciate you bringing me back down to earth.

I like the site so far, been looking around and I love seeing the parents so involved in their kid's dreams, where Im from you dont really see that so its pretty awesome.

Thanks again for the feedback and I'll definitely take the video advice into consideration as well. Look forward to talking with you all regularly.

Best,

Danny

quote:

Originally posted by BOF:
WOW.....Quite a nice skills video...I give him a 50 for fist pumps....LOL.

I think you are in for a big surprise. Time for a reality check dad.

I do know another dad that we can set you up with, he wanted to move to the best place in the country for baseball and was going to build a full size field on the lot next to his house, you guys could move next to each other and make nice neighbors.

Going to be fun to watch the comments roll in on this one.....

Yeah definitely got off on the wrong foot lol. Not the dad by the way, just an uncle trying to get a good kid some buzz. Am I doing it the right way? Probably not but thats why I get to get the cold hard truth from you guys. Its the idiots that cant take criticism and apply it that dont make the changes.

And I think I wont be moving anytime soon, between zombie attacks in Florida and the Marlins new stadium, South FLA is the place to be man lol. Thanks again for the feedback, and I always thought the fist pump was solid no? haha

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I tried to set a nice, formal, and appealing table for dapiment. I think you're right BOF, instead of a well behaved 'sit down meal' we might just end up with a long string of hungry motorists snapping at everything as they wend their way up to the 'Drive-Thru' window.

The ball is in dapiment's court. Will he dine on a savory braised leg of lamb or wolf down numerous Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers®?

Which will it be dapiment?



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Gosh I hope you like lamb dapiment...you're invited to the table with your sensible remarks.

If you really want to help your nephew keep being humble and keep doing your research. I would again suggest that you have your nephew review this site and participate. Almost every player that has done that on this website has benefited a great deal. You're a good uncle and this website will allow you to help your nephew even more.

And pass the mint jelly would you please?



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dapiment- What were you intending on accomplishing with the video? I just watched it in it's entirety and I have no idea if your nephew is a good baseball player or not. It shows me no examples of his skills or anything that would be appealing to any coach anywhere. Him standing in the field catching some balls and jogging around the bases won't do him any good.

quote:

I want to generate buzz for him

Danny,

There is nothing on that video that shows he has any real talent. It is always possible that he does have some ability, but nothing on the video that would create any buzz in a positive way.

If you are interested in the truth, I, and I would presume nearly everyone else who contributes here, has seen much better (based on the video).

That said, he is very young and no one knows how good he might end up being. I wish you and him the very best of luck. Hopefully he will create a lot of buzz in the future.

Not much of a fast-food enthusiast. But since I have your attention, give me more input. Be as brash as you can be and tell me some things you've seen parents do here that isn't received well byt he community. What have you seen here that inspires, what defines this community overall? I think the good thing about online forums like this is that you can be as bold as you want with no consequences, no filter. Indulge me, I know you guys have far more experience, knowledge, wisdom than I do. Im only 23.

Also, how big of a factor is GPA and academic performance in recruitment? Thanks

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Just so you know dapiment/Danny this guy PGStaff, who posted above, knows his staff stuff!



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Thanks guys. I happened to have my camera that day so I recorded some footage and put together the video for him and the family (although I did try to package it like a highlight tape and that didnt work).

Now that I look at it again I realize that your right, I mean I included a foul ball in there lol as if hitting foul balls is highlight material. Sometimes we get too caught up in ourselves or our family members, we want to see them achieve so much, we boost them up that we end up blinding ourselves from reality. The reality is, there are THOUSANDS of kids around the world, in FLORIDA ALONE, that are better, stronger, etc. and like everyother kid he has to work hard.

Thanks for the input everyone it means alot. You had the chance to kill this post but you guys gave insight and you spared me haha. Got a good taste of humble pie as the desert today and your comments will not go unappreciated.

asses mint jelly:

I think we all can appreciate your enthusiasm for you nephew. JH I still think he has a “plus” fist pump…LOL.

What I would do is start at the front of this website and look through all of the articles there, paying particular attention to the timeline document. If you read and follow it you are well on your way to helping your nephew.

He is a freshman, so just sit back and relax and enjoy watching him play, he has plenty of time for the rest of the stuff. Find a good summer team for him to be on, but don’t overdo it right now. From my experience I would have him focus on 1) Weight room and conditioning. 2) Skills development. 3) Playing on a competitive summer team.

Once he gets to the Soph range then get him to some sort of combine where an independent source can grade his skills relative to others in his age group.

You asked a great question about grades. Grades are critical and will likely open more doors than his actual baseball skills. The fact is there is a lot more academic money available to college baseball players than athletic. Baseball is not a fully funded sport and very few get much athletic money.

Once you get to his Soph year and have some idea on his real skills, his grades, and his academic interests then you can start to formulate a plan on where he will fit in the college baseball scheme of things.

Good Luck!

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Excellent advice BOF...just excellent!



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lol the fist pump references are killing me haha. I gotta tell him that atleast he doesn't have to work on that part of his game.

Thanks for taking the time out to write all that, this is stuff I wouldn't know otherwise so it means alot. Now it is just a matter of getting money for a summer team, I hear it gets pricey but its a must im assuming. Thanks for being good sports guys, appreciate the positive vibe.

And JH, nice blog post, Im happy you pitched in the game - Im sure it had to be a great feeling after all that your going through with the surgery. Thank you for YOUR input as well and I wish you the best in all your endeavors, keep strik'n em out!

dapiment -

We just completed the process with my son who will be playing D3 ball at a private college in a very good conference next year. He received nearly half of tuition + room/board in academic scholarship money (non-need based), so pay attention when you are told on the board that there is a lot of academic money available.

It's great that you are starting to do research early but it is very important that your nephew be involved in the process and that he takes the lead on making contacts with the schools (and make sure it is at all levels). We started late but fortunately, I think my son is going to the best place for him. It's not D1 but then he knows the exact terms for renewing his scholarship (Based on GPA not ERA.)

Stay on this boards, have you nephew participate, and enjoy the ride!

Best of luck.

quote:

Originally posted by VaRHPmom:
We just completed the process with my son who will be playing D3 ball at a private college in a very good conference next year.

That's awesome! I honestly see some of these kids and I feel like if it was D1 or a sunday pick up game with friends, they would be happy playing the sport in any form. Congrats on your son reaching college-level ball. I appreciate the advice and I gotta get him to read these posts, so much valuable info.

Thanks again!

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"I gotta get him to read these posts, so much valuable info."

B-I-N-G-O!



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Incoming freshman and he has a beard. I agree that no skills are shown in the video. Also, he won't be growing to much more if he is a typical young man who demonstrates early facial hair.

Danny, if you want to see what we put online via youtube for my daughter, please email me for the url. If anyone else wants it, pm me. It isn't fancy and it is way too long. At the time of the video, my daughter had interest from several colleges but at several positions so we made a video showing her play those positions. I don't recommend a video that is this long. Still, some ideas can be gleaned from the video.

Danny, a college coach doesn't care about that music. They want substance and not flash. They may look at that video for 2 minutes and if they aren't convinced by that time, it is over. Recruitment is dog eat dog with hundreds if not thousands of players sending recruitment video to schools. College coaches are not going to look at a "fluff" video. JMHO!

Was that a promo for some middle school team? I didn't see a thing lending itself to the talent of a particular player. This is not a site to hype your son. This is a site to gain valuable advice on how to go through the process.

Wrong approach to this site: Hello folks. My son is awesome. The parents on this site range from high school stars to professional players.

Right approach: My son is entering high school. He would like to play college ball. How do I evaluate his ability and get him there?

Now that I've slapped your wrist, welcome. My first inclination was to post BFD. By the way, one of the people who told you the video shows nothing has probably seen more college and pro talent cross his path as anyone in America.

I recommend you cursor over to the green tab on the left side of the screen, click and start reading. My personal advice is enjoy your son entering high school baseball. Before you know it you'll be standing with him on senior day.

RJM & CoachB25, im indebted to you both for your insight (as well as everyone else who has slapped my wrist today lol). You know what's funny? He will post on FB that he had a great game and all that and I will always tell him to relax, that you can't shower yourself with praise...yet im over here pitching him like he's the next Jeter lol Guilty as charged but thanks to you fine folks this error will turn into wisdom and I guarantee you all that this online discussion today alone will have long-lasting repercussions. So for that, THANK YOU!

I was thinking also, do scouts like to see the student-athlete's workouts? (How much they bench, vid of their running, drills, etc.) or is it limited to in-game footage?

Thanks again guys.

It's too early for a video. Right now all he needs to do is work on his strength, agility and mechanics. Then make the high school varsity and earn the right to play on a 17/18U showcase team. The journey is a marathon. There's no need to sprint to the front of the pack early in the process.

Well said RJM. thanks. Speaking of marathon, he's training to run a marathon in January. Would you suggest continuing that or is that ultimately detrimental to a player?

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Given all of the weirdness happening down your way I would say the marathon course and not the marathon itself is what you should be worried about!



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quote:

Originally posted by dapiment:
Well said RJM. thanks. Speaking of marathon, he's training to run a marathon in January. Would you suggest continuing that or is that ultimately detrimental to a player?

From a baseball training standpoint he should be working on explosion not distance. The marathon can't hurt him unless he incurs an injury. It won't do anything for him for baseball unless the coach kicks him off the bus and he has to run home.

dapiment,

This sight is all about learning and growing for both the players and for people who are supporting them like me or yourself for example. In the four and a half years I have been on the sight you learn a lot if you pay attention and some of the things frequently discussed are how to get attention from the next level coaches or scouts and how to make a proper recruiting video.

As far as the video goes, make it short, to the point and immediately highlight tools and baseball skills. Truthfully, your video was one for his scrapbook or personal memories, not something that highlighted tools at all. We showed our sons running 60's at Perfect Game or other events with the time included as well as fielding and throwing where range, arm strength, velocity (via radar gun), and hand to eye coordination as well as footwork were high lighted. Then show batting views form several sides showing hand and hip action etc. Actually the video made your nephews swing look slow or perhaps the pitching was very slow. Try to show every action on the field that highlights these things and don't worry about trotting around bases or even just sliding into a base. Just trying to be constructive! Good luck!

RJM,
The scary part is it's his nephew and the poster is 23!

dapiment,
You just hurt your credibility by trying to pass yourself off as a photographer, don't hurt your nephews future in the game by posting this stuff, it doesn't work, even if he were the top player in south florida.

quote:

I want to generate buzz for him

I'll be honest, I'm not wasting my time watching the video. But based on the above comments, you might want to 1. generate some buzz for him and 2. teach him an trade that would benefit him more in the future. May be he could be an electrician.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do7InNH9wx4

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I was wondering what was going to happen to that banana!



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quote:

Originally posted by TPM:
RJM,
The scary part is it's his nephew and the poster is 23!

dapiment,
You just hurt your credibility by trying to pass yourself off as a photographer, don't hurt your nephews future in the game by posting this stuff, it doesn't work, even if he were the top player in south florida.

Thanks for the post TPM, I definitely see how many (if not all) would discard any non-essential content like the video so I will definitely take a different approach. Got alot of constructive criticism thus far and its all going to be applied.

and Let me clarify, I say nephew but he's really my little cousin. I have a close bond with him so I just use the term nephew, much like some people on the west coast use it to term very close friends. I actually have no siblings so no nephews lol.

The kid is dying to play for my Alma Mater, (SEC School that will go unnamed) and I was just trying to make him stand out because it isn't easy - but i did it in a bad way as seen by everyone's reaction lol. I'll probably just take that video down and start from scratch with all the wisdom I was given here from you fine folks.

dapiment - I am very impressed with your ability to take criticism, and apply it.

You will enjoy this site!

quote:

Originally posted by floridafan:
dapiment - I am very impressed with your ability to take criticism, and apply it.

You will enjoy this site!

Haha Thanks Floridafan, sometimes people have to let go of their ego and take the criticism. It's actually free and more helpful than anything else. Plus, you all KNOW the game on another level, much respect to EVERYONE in this community.

And this is my first true attempt at an online community and I was skeptical but I can't seem to get off lol. So much great conversations on here. Its pretty cool how a simple game started centuries ago now affects so many families, shapes so many young children into young men and women. Gotta love the game right?!

I hope all of you have a great weekend, and if it isn't raining like it has been down here, have a barbecue for me lol.

quote:

Originally posted by dapiment:

The kid is dying to play for my Alma Mater, (SEC School that will go unnamed) and I was just trying to make him stand out because it isn't easy - but i did it in a bad way as seen by everyone's reaction lol. I'll probably just take that video down and start from scratch with all the wisdom I was given here from you fine folks.

Your cousin has to be a standout top prospect to play for the Gators (not hard to figure out that SEC school based on your profile).

That's not how you draw attention from coaches like Kevin O'Sullivan and company. Your cousin has a very very long road in front of him, he's not even a freshman. My son played for him at Clemson so I can tell you it doesn't come by way of home videos at 14 even if he is a super stud.

The webster that posted with the name PGStaff is a very wise and influential person involved with perfectgame. He told you like it is. Do some homework by visiting their site and get a read on Florida prep players. I live here in FL so I know how good prospects are and have to be. IMO, your cousin has to develop skills that will make him get attention, not by someone from his family telling us how good he is. You can be helpful by doing homework and helping his folks to understand what work has to be done year after year to go play at a program like UF, if it is your intention to help in the process.

Again don't do anything that will embarrass your cousin, ever.

We realize you made a mistake, that's ok, use this site for its intended purpose (to learn about the process of playing in HS and beyond), lots of great info, ask questions, we are here to help.

I have to say that while the OP meant no harm I am amazed at how fast the criticism turned constructive from all of the input here. This guy took it with an open mind and I just want to say that it is refreshing to see how he has accepted it and what a great community this is. I don't post much here, but I do scour this site multiple times a day looking for information, guidance and suggestions and I have to say that this thread has reinforced or reminded myself what the proper and correct tact should be. Thanks everyone.

Tanndonn, this definitely is an awesome community. Thanks for your post. I have been looking through the entire site for the past couple of days.

and TPM, yeah I guess shooting for UF may be a super long shot considering they are competing for the championship (crosses fingers lol). I guess im on that whole "Shoot for the moon, if you miss you'll be amongst the stars" mentality. He probably wont play D1 at an awesome school but with your input I can definitely give him the best shot at his max potential, which is all you can ask.

So the VIDEO IS OFFICIALLY DOWN!lol First thing I'll do today is tell my cousin "You are not special" hopefully itll make him work harder. And if you guys haven't checked out the "You Are Not Special" Commencement Speech that has blown up the interwebs this week, check it out...I think it'll help any kids that sometimes get a little too big for their britches. --> Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lfxYhtf8o4

quote:

Originally posted by dapiment:
Tanndonn, this definitely is an awesome community. Thanks for your post. I have been looking through the entire site for the past couple of days.

and TPM, yeah I guess shooting for UF may be a super long shot considering they are competing for the championship (crosses fingers lol). I guess im on that whole "Shoot for the moon, if you miss you'll be amongst the stars" mentality. He probably wont play D1 at an awesome school but with your input I can definitely give him the best shot at his max potential, which is all you can ask.

So the VIDEO IS OFFICIALLY DOWN!lol First thing I'll do today is tell my cousin "You are not special" hopefully itll make him work harder. And if you guys haven't checked out the "You Are Not Special" Commencement Speech that has blown up the interwebs this week, check it out...I think it'll help any kids that sometimes get a little too big for their britches. --> Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lfxYhtf8o4

There is no reason to tell your cousin he is not special, all players are special, and he helped his team win, so he is.
That is not what is the intended advice. He is 14, you and he will learn humility. What you need to do is to help guide him through becoming a better player.

TPM the "you are not special" is in reference to the commencement video. Mr. Muccollough whom is delivering the speech starts off by saying that the students aren't special. That we try to achieve things and obtain accolades, but that isn't what makes anyone special. Ultimately his point is that when you emphasize everything you emphasize NOTHING. So he says everyone is special, therefore no one is special because we are all unique. Check it out it's a pretty great speech.

+1 TPM

The player had a great game. Winning a tourney in walk off fashion is an awesome experience. Build on it, move forward with short term and long term goals. Just make sure they are in the right order. (shoot for the stars! you never know, but stay humble and be willing to accept whatever comes)

Good Luck!!

quote:

Originally posted by dapiment:
TPM the "you are not special" is in reference to the commencement video. Mr. Muccollough whom is delivering the speech starts off by saying that the students aren't special. That we try to achieve things and obtain accolades, but that isn't what makes anyone special. Ultimately his point is that when you emphasize everything you emphasize NOTHING. So he says everyone is special, therefore no one is special because we are all unique. Check it out it's a pretty great speech.

I read it already, and I am with that philosophy but I get your point, just show it to your cousin, no need to tell him he is not special.

You've got some great programs here with great coaches, college camps are a great start for young players to see exactly what is expected and get good instruction. Build on what you have around you, seek out a good hitting coach.

All of this other stuff is not important right now.

Muchas Gracias TPM, will do. I wonder how I'll be when I have my own son/daughter...lol Oh man. Special salute to all you parents! I don't know how you do it, man you guys are awesome.