Is HS ball becoming less relevant?

Can you be precise of the school and the level of competition your son plays? Your first sentence almost comes across as a threat. Of course, me being an Okie may just be reading into it wrong? I'm not saying, I'm just saying...

It is hard to smell like a rose in a bucket of crap!

I know a 2015 that totally did not exist until he had a average weekend at a PG 17 tournament. The key word being AVERAGE! now there is no place to park at the HS games.

Who all is coming out to watch an average player in a bucket full of crap?

Usually nobody will, unless you have gotten their attention somewhere else. I didn't say he was an average player, I said he had an average weak at Perfect Game. 3-10 4rbi 1double, he hit a couple of balls hard but he also looked silly a few times. Apparently he did something that they liked. Mostly small schools have visited, but there has been 2 big 12 schools there.

Not sure what you mean by threat. I was referring to talking offline through personal dialogue (button top right).

 

Rather than derail the thread, send me a PM and I'll be happy to respond.

Who are you referencing as the bucket full of "crap?"

Personally, to think any poster on this board would refer to HS age players in terms of a bucket full of "crap," whether the player be in HS or travel is a judgment terminology which seems well beyond the border of questionable or okay..

If the bucket full of "crap" is supposed to be players of  HS age,I would support getting "The Doctor" off the HSBBW. No coach, no parent, no player and no good baseball person should refer to players with terms like this.

Maybe the "good" "Doctor" might have been referring to someone other that HS age players within the bucket full of "crap" but it is pretty hard to understand what "players" are included in the "bucket" when looked at in the context of this thread.

 

Make up the story as you go...very interesting! if you try real hard I guess you can be offended about anything. I cant believe how negative so many people choose to live.

Really easy question: who is the "bucket of crap?"  You have quite the way of making posts and diverting the follow up.

So: who is the "bucket of crap" you referenced?

You cant eat steak if all your raising is chickens!

Sorry infield but you showed up in the 4th quarter of this ballgame and I'm not gonna explain my last 400 posts to you, or the flow of this thread over the last 3 day's. If you find comfort in grieving over an old saying that you wish to twist around...then have at it.

 

Now my chickens have hurt feelings........I will apologize to them in the morning!

I can't think that the "bucket of crap" comment was a positive. 

I am wondering what happened to the person who started this topic, but never gave us replies or answered questions.

Interesting to me and maybe others that the doctor has taken over the topic.

By all means ignore 90% of the post where it clearly explains that by going to the PG 17u wood bat event, this kid was able to generate some interest that he had not received before. If your saying this event is equal to an average high school game then why isn't there 500 scouts and recruiters there?

 

I know all of you can't be this soft, and I can see your trying to hijack every post and find something to complain about. But that's OK I can take it my feelings don't get hurt.

IMHO - It is time for the giant Monty Python foot to put an end to this thread.....

 

Well before it ends, there is a kid in my area who is not playing for his HS team his Jr. year.  He's played the previous 2 and has committed to an SEC school.  Interestingly, I see that his younger brother isn't playing either.  My guess is that they feel they are "too good" for HS ball.  They obviously feel HS ball is not relevant. 

 

 

Golfman - Are his initials BK?
If so I know who you mean and they probably do feel that way

It's a small world. 

With so many other options out there such as show cases, travel teams, summer camps, etc. 

 

Pay your money is the name of that game. 

 

I talk to parents and what some of them shell out amazes me. In some cases(and this is not PC) they would be better off spending that money on something else. 

Several times I have heard a parent complain they spent x amount of dollars for a travel team driven a couple hundred of miles stayed a t a hotel etc etc to have their son get 2 at bats in a weekend tournament where they played 5 games. 

Parents need to be smarter!

Get on the most competitive team that you can find, but still be able to get on the dirt everyday. Nobody gets better watching other kids play. Its all about development.

The question is simply whether High School baseball is less relevant, which I suspect that it is given the number of additional and very competitive playing forums that exist, as opposed to irrelevent, which it certainly is not.  I suppose that, if someone is the dad of the next Bryce Harper or has a kid who is realistically aiming at playing starting shortstop for Stanford, High School ball might be irrelevent for such a young man, if he has a superior and more visible forum to demonstrate his skills, and places limited value on being part of a HS team.  But, if, on the other hand, your son is just an average or less than elite High School player (i.e. like my son) who's looking at his playing experience not as career development, but, just to enjoy a beautiful and timeless game, play alongside his buddies and make some memories, then High School ball will remain highly and forever relevant.  It all depends upon your perspective.   So, don't get me wrong Bryce Harper and Zach Greinke are very welcome on the HS field (i.e. Mike Trout played High School baseball in New Jersey of all places against presumably lesser competition than our kids get in Texas and still amde out okay).  But, if it's a poor usage of your time, we understand and wish you the best in accomplishing your career goals.  I seem to recall that Clayton Kershaw played High School ball very recently for Highland Park, and do not believe that it detracted from his career in any obvious way.  He's even made a few bucks along the way.   I even think that I read someplace that some of his High School teammates attended his wedding and he remains close with several today.  But, to each, his own, as they say.         

I know this thread was started, not to downplay HS baseball, but to ask how relevant it was in scouting and recruiting.  It should be obvious to most that the majority of the best scouting and recruiting opportunities doesn't happen during the high school season.

 

However, as many topics do, we got into more than that.  Bryce Harper, did play high school baseball.  He left early so he could be eligible for the draft a year earlier. It had nothing to do with how important high school baseball was. He would have stayed in high school and played had he been eligible for the draft. Zach Greinke and all others mentioned also played HS baseball.  I am trying to think of one Major League player from the United States that did not play high school baseball.  Maybe those that are thinking that way now, will be the very first one that accomplishes that. 

 

The PG All American (formerly Aflac) game started in 2003. Over 500 players and 132 first round draft picks (with a bunch more coming in June), around 80 that have already made it to the Big Leagues (with more coming all the time). Each and every one of those players played high school baseball. Every one of those games both the East and the West teams were coached by legendary high school coaches. We would never select a player who didn't play high school baseball. After all, the name of the event is The Perfect Game "High School" All American Classic.

 

When these talented kids get interviewed, nearly all of them talk about their high school baseball teams and coaches. It is easy to see what they think of high school baseball. And it would be so easy and maybe even accurate for them to say high school baseball isn't competitive enough for me. Instead, to a man, they talk about their goal is helping their high school team win. They seldom talk about showcases or travel ball, though they do both, they talk about their high school team. That seems to be the most important to these extremely talented kids!

 

It's too bad when someone has a bad experience.  However in baseball it's pretty certain, if you play long enough, you're going to have some bad experiences.

That was extremely well-said; thank you for your perspective!!

Now you're getting somewhere in terms of the OP's question. Research is needed for my next two questions.

A. What % of non-American born players are in the MLB (or MLB affiliates for that matter)?

B. What % of those non-American's who are apart of the MLB organization did play HS ball (if not finished playing HS ball through their Sr. season)?

 

With all the camps you see in Dominican, I am willing to bet well over 80% of those players being developed are schooled right there in the baseball camp. Baseball first, learning to speak, read, write English second.

I am not getting what this has to do with the original post.

 

Players are turned over to these programs at a very early age, their schooling is minimal, its all about baseball, baseball and more baseball. This is how they get out of poverty.   When they come to the US (must be the legal working age with a work visa), they are tutored by the teams during spring training, in extended and in complex ball,  so they can learn to communicate and most don't really want to or care to.

May I spell it out for you? Without knowing specific numbers, I would make a bet that currently it is the lowest number of American born players playing in the MLB than ever before. Once again, assumption and hoping someone would shed light on the numbers. With that said, who asked about poverty? These programs they are raised in are meant for one specific purpose... To get them to become professional baseball players. Not all HS baseball programs know the first thing about transforming a kid into a pro level player, much less a college level player. THAT'S why OP had such a great question so many people on here are so pathetically missing the point to. Where in the grand scheme of things is HS baseball when related to playing at the next level? Honestly, I feel it is dwindling. Too many other options out there to be scouted in less time and with more accuracy. All it takes is that almighty $. Community and great times and all that other fluff is completely irrelevant when talking about the one specific question. PG even came back on here and mentioned other avenues that will probably fast track a HS player to the next level. Doctor mentioned a specific incident that was a solid personal understanding and a couple goofs tried to rip Doctor for it. What is the point of this whole message board if it's not to pick brains and gain understanding? Is there something else going on around here that the new folks need to understand before coming here and being made fun of?

 

28% of 2013 Opening Day rosters consisted of foreign-born players, the fourth largest total up to that date. 

 

I, too, don't really know what Dominican baseball academies have to do with HS baseball in the United States. HS programs here aren't competing with academies elsewhere, it's a completely different venue and outlet. American players are competing with foreign-born players at the professional level… but that doesn't really have anything to do with HS programs. 

 

What do American baseball academies have to do with baseball in America? To get them to the next level. Nothing more, nothing less. Same as in foreign countries. HS baseball is simply getting less relevant when strictly speaking about all options to get player to next level. Simple as that. Get the community feel good garbage past it and most players who are getting recruited to top notch programs/pro is coming from other forms of exposure. That's all. I hope it makes sense for everyone.

 

nono- I might be wrong, because it's nearly impossible to interpret tone over the Internet, but I'm sensing a bit of snark in your responses. I can't speak for everyone here, but I have a good sense of how recruiting/scouting for the next level works. My statement was independent of anything or anyone else's in this thread. I simply stated that, in my opinion, HS baseball and baseball-specific academies in other countries are not comparable in a sense of relevance, because American players and foreign-born players (specifically in the Dominican Republic, where the vast majority of the academies exist today) have very different opportunities throughout their respective upbringings.

 

Not snarky at all. Just trying to put it in terms someone may understand a bit better. DR academies was simply an example of how there, that may be the only way to be seen by scouts. Here, HS is not the only option any more. AND HS may have taken back seat due to so many more options. One time, summer/fall/travel ball was simply for extra reps. Now they are for extra eyes from recruiters (since a lot of schools are still playing during spring). Used to, camps were for tweaking a part of your game from college/pro coaches or players. Now, camps have many more eyes there for recruiting. It comes down to exposure. When you are playing for a no name HS team in middle America, you may be overlooked... UNLESS you make it to a show case or camp or travel team. That's all.

 

 

Got it. Thanks for the clarification. 

 

Here it the OP.  I don't see anything in this about foreign players etc.  Many posters have attempted to address the OP. Isn't it interesting how this thread had turned?  There is a lot of interest by one or two "new members" concerning the OP, and yet, the OP poster hasn't logged on in some time.  Then a new member signs on, makes one post and states that he won't be back.  Yet another registers and ... 

Yes, it would be interesting to have each user's IP address show up next to their name.  It would not be surprising to see some duplicates there. As an admin can you see IP's, Coach?

JCG, I can't say.  What I do, and would suppose others do as well, is go look at new members when they start participating.  So, that tells me a lot.  I also track when some members stop participating.  It is not uncommon for me to send a pm to members asking if they are alright when I notice that they have not participated for a long time.  JCG, posters have a "signature" that they give via style, vocab, attitude, ...  I'm sure you have recognized that as well. Since members here were attacked by a certain new member for hiding behind their screen names, I'll go ahead and sign this since I have never hidden who I am.

 

Take care,

 

Darrell Butler

JCG,

Darrell is correct, when you have been around as long as we have, you kind of get a good idea of who is hiding behind another name.  They also slip up and don't realize how they have.  I guess these guys, or in this case as I and others strongly agree one person,  think they are so clever.  I mean the same guys join the same day and they all post like the same guy, give me a break!  I do believe that who we are speaking of has three identities.

 

That should be an insult not just to us oldtimers, but to everyone who comes here with good intentions and offers advice to help others.  These people are IMO making fun of everyone, like haha, look what I can get away with.  This irks me terribly because I do take this place  very seriously. And yes if I think that you are yanking our chains or here to cause trouble I will be on you like white on rice.

 

I walked away a bit ago, Coach was kind enough to check up on me, and made me realize that I shouldn't let these fools chase anyone away. 

 

The owner of the site is the only one who can see the IP addresses as well as if the person signed under the same email address to log in, though we all know some have more than one email. Some people even go as far as posting at home, at the office thinking that the IP addresses wont give them away.

 

But,  if someone lives in a certain geographical area,  lets say in, the DFW area, the IP's usually will show up in that area, so conclusions are pretty easy to make.

Given time it's not hard to see the same personality and writing style when one poster disappears and a new one appears. Or when two board names are the same person.

How many times has that happened and why would they want to?

 

I invite you to search for the username "Gingerbread Man."

 

More than you'd think, surprisingly.

 

Nono, Coach 3, or whoever you are - the simple answer to your ? has been from the get go:  HS baseball is a great experience, and supplements looks "if" you are on the radar, but with the advent of showcase / summer ball, certainly LESS relevant than HS ball as it relates to the next level.  Why it has taken 3 pages of folks saying this in different forms is beyond me.

 

Next topic please! 

Gingerbread man was canned but returned as skylark. His first post everyone knew who he was.
Why would they want to?  Not sure why but they have reasons. One long time poster who had lots of friends had an alter ego.  He actually used that other name to insult people.

My son just finished playing for his high school, and had a great time.   Best of all his baseball experiences.  The home field, the HS girls coming to the games, the team name, the announcers, playing with kids in his class for once, etc. 

 

He is still pretty young (2017).  He is better than alot of kids, but not as good as many. He really just likes to play and is not too concerned where he fits in the baseball universe or if he can play after HS.

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