Junior and Senior years....

I would agree that Legion ball in NVA is not recruited. I would only add, attend a variety of showcases, get a decent video, and contact schools that you may be interested in. I never got a consistent view on travel teams/leagues in NVa. Good Luck.

What does a video do for you?

A good video can get you offers that you might never get otherwise. We relied on game videos and not on showcases. The competition has to be 1st class and the video has to show what a coach would look at if he were in attendance. You can see more in a video than in actual game action.

Armyofone:

It has been my experience that you won’t necessarily have to choose one or the other.

I have found most elite travel teams at this age group usually focus on attending events that will help get the boys showcased. Look for a team that attends events like the Impact Games, East Cobb PG championships and the WWBA events during the summer.

Many of these teams also realize the value of individual showcases as well so you may find as long as you coordinate it well in advance with the coaches they will be okay with attending some of these individual events.

quote:

Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:
A good video can get you offers that you might never get otherwise. We relied on game videos and not on showcases. The competition has to be 1st class and the video has to show what a coach would look at if he were in attendance. You can see more in a video than in actual game action.

That is the opposite of what many coaches I know say. They ask for videos of kids they know can play.

Unsolicited videos are thrown away or taped over.

I agree with jerseydad. Play the game with a high profile team and if the opportunity to attend a good showcase presents itself then you can make that choice at that time. I personally don't like the ideology of not allowing your son to play with a team he currently likes --- simply because you think he might miss the opportunity to play for an unknown team in the future. I don't see the advantage of a video if you have the opportunity to show your talent in person. Video vs Showcase? SHOWCASE!
Fungo

I'm in favor of only sending solicited requests for film to coaches...

I guess in the end we can't have our cake and eat it too. Just trying to work out the committment to a travel team versus doing what's better for him individually.

I did both solicited and unsolicited. I usually followed up with a call.
Some may throw them away but that was not our experience. Offers from several great programs to workout at Florida D1 JCs, an offer from a top 5 JC out of Iowa and interest from almost ever D1 4y school we sent the DVD to. Some said they would not make an offer based on DVD alone and asked us to work out with them. The DVD opens doors.
Playing on and against high profile teams is absolutly a must. That is where the videos came from. I was surprised when I talked to coaches that they knew several teams and players that he was pitching against in the DVD.
I always called to see if the coordinator/coach received it and if they had had a chance to view some of it. Non of them were rude and were actually very talkative. A few called me without me calling them. How many coaches are going to travel 1000-3000 miles to watch you kid play a game ? None. So you send a good DVD and then follow up.

Bobblehead,

You situation is probably different from most because I don't know many coaches who will travel to Canada to initially see a player.

I know several coaches at all levels of college baseball and they all say that unsolicited are thrown away. I have seen them piled in the trash cans myself. I happy it has worked out for you, though.

Back on topic...

Armyofone...I agree with fungo. To get the most exposure, play on a team that can get him that exposure. Let the coach know of your son's intention to attend certain events during the summer. I know that I, for one, would support and promote your son in any way possible.

Videos unless requested by a coaching staff are a waste of time. A travel or scout team can generate a lot of interest. Camps at specific schools can get you noticed by that school. Showcases should be picked according to the exposure they provide. Teamone is mostly a waste of time while Perfect Game is very much trhe opposite.

Interesting. Glad I didn't know that before I wasted all that time.

Unless he has absolutly no idea where he wants to go, he better be searching rosters to see what teams will need what when he graduates from HS.

If a particular team is loaded up with players in his position, I doubt they will show much interest.

I doubt very few coaches are going to put a player on their team that they have not seen play in person - like going on a blind date.

CV

Not true if the DVD is against great teams. You can see all you need and even review and slow it down. Better than live action.
Lots wanted a workout but we signed before we went to any of them. At least 5 offers based on video alone. One offer was from a tournament with the Long Island Tigers but that is the only one that saw him live. A nice D11 school in CT. An offer from a D1 JC ranked 4th in the nation at the time. Sight unseen. I used news clips of games against a couple of their players and personalized it. I used every piece of info I had collected over the years. If there was players on the team and I had a good news clip that showed son doing well against them I used it and highlighted it.
For example my son pitched against the Jesuit team from New Orleans. (State champs) He went in in 2nd inning. We were down 7-0. (3 of the players went to LSU that year). He gave up 1 unearned run over 6 innings and came out 8-7. I used that writup if I applied to LSU. When I talk to the coach I point out that he pitched against that team and gave up 1 run in 6 innings. The video of the game highlight shows him that it is a fact. The only team that I got very little response from was Miami. We did get invited to a camp by the coordinator. Several Florida JCs invited us to workout. We just had to let them know when we were coming. My son's favourite school never saw him pitch other than on video. The school was over 3000 miles away. He visted the school while on a Basketball tourney in Arizona during the quiet period. He left them a DVD. We were flooded with e-mails from them calling him a top prospect. They called him the minute Dead Period was over at the time he would be home from school. All this and a lot more from the DVD.
Think of all the money saved not going to showcases etc.

Exception to every rule, but what about the kid's presonality traits, make-up, temperment, behavior off of the field?

I still believe this is an exception to the rule and more coaches than not want to see the kid in person before they offer.

Some coaches even want the prospect to stay with his players overnight and get a scouting report from them on what they think.

CV

Our experience (two sons presently playing college ball) was Showcases, carefully selected camps, and Legion ball in the summer, to stay sharp for those showcases and camps. Perfect Game, Blue-Grey at William and Mary, Best in Virginia Camp/Showcase, and Commonwealth Games were the order of the day, and I think both sons received very good exposure and a fair amount of attention from college coaches. What we've been told by college coaches is that video alone doesn't count for much. My younger son received calls from 15-20 schools during the fall of his senior year; almost every one wanted to set up an on campus visit and not a single one requested a video.

I agree with CV, coaches want to see them in person at some point.

The best exposure, bar none, was the Commonwealth Games. (75-100 coaches present, some schools had 2-3 there, every Virginia school present) If your son can get there, it'll be hard to top, unless it also lands an invitation to the East Coast Pro, which it did for a number of guys when my son played.

I am not knocking showcases . Many of my son's friends went to rea Codes etc. We would have done these as a last resort and were prepared to wait a year and do showcases if the DVD campaign didn't work.
We had several coaches which were mostly JC schools in Florida that wanted to see him in person. I did all the initial contact as my son was in school, working out and working. All the coaches wanted to talk to him in person to see if he really was interested in their school. The coaches could call his past coaches to see the personality traits. Watching a player on the field on his best behavior is no way to tell. Its like being on a 1st date.
My point is that this is one of the best ways to get interest even if it is an invite to workout at the school. One of the things you have to do is make phone contact and maybe they will look at the DVD. I pushed one coach for 2 months until he finally looked at it. He toured a lot giving lectures and scouting. He finally looked at it and called to make an offer site unseen. The coach is a pitching guy and similar to the LSU example had 2 guys on his team that my son pitched against. I included a news clip and I am sure the coach talked to these guys.
Do not over look the value of a good DVD. It was my own DVD collection with videp taken over the couple of years prior to college. I even had his 1st choice school ask for more as he played during the summer. He said he enjoyed watching him. Unfortunatly this coach switched schools right near the end of summer.

All good suggestions everyone. Feeling at this point though that the best road to take would be the one that allows him to take advantage of the most opportunities without the addition of having to worry about a travel team schedule.

Believe we are going to do some localized PG events, Campus Camps (ACC), and hope for some invites to either Commonwealth games, Area Code, PG Nats, etc....there is always a chance that he could get on a roster with a team as a pick-up player if there is an event that we have the money or time to do.

I still feel that film should only be sent when requested.

The schools my son was interested in were from 900-3000 miles away. This is why DVD was more prctical for us. By the time you pay 400-500 fee at a showcase and pay for flight,room and board it becomes an big expense. If you have a poor showing it can also be negative waste of time.

I think it's wise to make the trip and check out the school/facilities and many other aspects to see if what you see makes the player comfortable/happy.

Viewing pictures over the internet and brochures can be a lot different than the real thing.

CV

I agree and he visited the one when on a basketball tournament in Arizona. Fortunatly things worked out great.

The Virginia Cardinals (Coach Ron Tugwell) and the Virginia Barnstormers (Coach Chris Warren) both offer an opportunity to play quality travel baseball. Take a long look at the costs involved and determine what your baseball budget might be. I would highly recommend a good mix of showcases. If you son is intersted in playing in VA, then you should plan on attending the Best in Virginia camp--BIV has led many of our school's players in recent years to a mix of D-I to D-III schools. Although I did not read it above, do yourselves a favor and really focus on getting A's in school--I can't overstate this point. Regarding the point on videos, a number of top ten programs have told us that although they may (stress the "may" here) look at them, they never recruit from a tape (or CD/DVD)--they will always want to see the player in person. Also, pick a few schools that you would like to go to and plan to attend their camps. Coach Morris (Miami) and Coach Leggett (Clemson) both stressed that it provides the best opportunity forthem to assess your talent--as well as the type of person you are. Note: Just because you play on a summer travel team does not mean that you have to play with them every weekend--just make sure you communicate your schedule well in advance so that the coaches can plan accordingly. With recent experience in NVA, I'd be happy to take this offline too....Cheers (PS: Closely follow the college rosters for those schools that you are interested in.....see if there is a good fit for you. Often a top quality player may be ahead of you by one or two years, which may force you to look elsewhere....and match your prospective major to a number of schools....good luck.)

The DVD got us an invite to a Miami camp. Coache Morris I assume does not make the contact but we got an email from a lady inviting us to a camp on campus. I have seen the Barnstormers and also a Team called Morgan town from Virginia and both were good teams.