Long story short - I have a 2017 LHP 6'4 175 lbs - ended last year in low 80's. Projectable frame - I was a D1 offensive lineman. What really stinks about living in Iowa is that the high school season is played in the summer. Trying to figure out the best course of action for getting him on the radar and how to tackle the camp/showcase circuit. He dropped basketball to amp up the baseball training this winter. Any and all advise is appreciated!!
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Every August PG has a showcase in Cedar Rapids, and I think they have a pretty good spring league there too. Does he play football?
We have done the PG spring league and will plan to do it again this year. He does play football and has a good chance to be the starting QB the next two years but he projects better in baseball as far as having a chance to play D1 at this point.
If I remember right football starts pretty early in the summer too, I have seen some good ball players traveling to KC and Tulsa to play Quality ball. If he is not on a showcase team he may want to find one that will play in front of the schools that he likes.
We started our business to help Iowa players. The kids in Iowa were not getting scouted, drafted or recruited to out of state schools mainly due to the summer HS schedule. Their senior year was played after the draft and after most recruiting was done. We started doing the Spring and Fall leagues and showcases in the 90s. Since that time every single player drafted out of high school in Iowa, minus one very late pick, has played in those leagues and showcases. This includes several early round picks and every player from the state that went on to play in the Major Leagues.
Iowa players started getting recruited by southern and west coast teams including the top baseball programs in the country. LSU, TCU, Miami, Georgia Tech, Southern Cal, Stanford, U of Florida, San Diego State, Arizona State, Oregon State, Texas A&M, and many others. Most of the kids that play in these leagues end up playing college baseball. If there is a talented player in those leagues he will not be missed by college or pro baseball.
In that long period of time I don't think we have missed a good prospect in Iowa. The leagues and showcases have made Iowa the easiest state to scout and it used to be the hardest. Now the biggest obstacle facing Iowa players is they miss out on the very competitive national level summer travel season. Instead they are playing against Iowa high school team during that time.
Thanks PG staff - We do plan on playing spring league and doing a showcase or two this year. We are looking hard at fall league but with him playing football, that becomes difficult but may be a necessity to get where we want to go. What is your opinion on college camps/showcases? Our dilemma there is that some of these camp start in Dec/Jan and in my opinion, too soon for us and be at good place with his arm being ready. If we start now for those camps, play the high school season and then fall ball, that is alot of wear on his arm. Or maybe we are being a little overprotective!
If he is a 2017 and plays football I would rest the arm during the football season. Then around December start slow getting the arm ready. Continue light work through January with a goal of being ready by mid February. You probably shouldn't consider doing much regarding exposure during that time.
If you attend a college camp, attend a good one with the purpose being more towards learning something rather than exposure. Tell them you have not been throwing much. Being a 2017 and a 6'4 LHP will be noticed. They will still want to see you pitch in a game. I would definitely make sure any college you are interested in knows you play in the PG league.
I could probably figure out who you are based on the information you have given. 6'4/175 LHP 2017 class throwing low 80s is pretty interesting. If you want to email me his name I might be able to give you a more personal opinion. jerry@perfectgame.org
Rooski, it sounds like your in good hands now.
Hi,
Another former Iowa Pitcher here, though not a football player
Highly recommend Perfect Game Showcases and Spring/Fall Leagues. Son was lucky enough to play on the Fall Select Team, which helped him land a spot at a Juco in Missouri.
One other camp that I would recommend is Cangelosi College Development Camp over in the Bo Jackson Dome in Illinois. You go for two weekends in January. One day each weekend. Each weekend is a different bunch of coaches, professional and college. The coaches run the drills and are taking notes on the kids the whole time. Everything from Juco, D1, D2, D3 and NAIA.
Here is a link to the site.
http://bjeslockport.com/sports...ge-development-camp/
Looks like they are registering now and it tends to fill up fast.
Hope this helps.