National Scouting Report

It's a good read. Best of luck.

http://www.haverford.edu/newsletter/feb06/nytimesjanuary29.pdf

Bob,
First of all, welcome to the HSBBW. This is a great place with very experienced folks willing to share great information.
So let me start what many will say. I don't know the National Scouting Report from anything. With that disclosure, I would recommend you save your money.
Most every parent on this site will support that you and your son can do everything a scouting service can do, and more, at far less cost. There are numerous articles on this site and even more threads on promoting your son to college coaches. Use them.
Incorporate letters from your son, showcases, travel teams and possibly college camps and your son will likely end up with better options and opportunities...especially if they won't provide a price. Good luck. Keep us posted and feel free to ask questions. We have all been in your position and most got through it successfully.

Interesting article...here's another with the same cast... DO YOUR HOMEWORK...

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2006091...0324/1277/CUSTOM0401

I appreciate the feedback. I've read the NY Times article before and after talking with NSR I figured they'd be in the $3k-5k range. I've been a visitor to this site for about 2yrs but never got on the boards.

That all being said, like any father, I'm trying to help give my kid any edge possible (like $400 bats!!!). I've got another question - I've been to a lot of these recruiting service websites and they say that they'll send profiles/letters/videos/faxes/etc. to college coaches. My son's travel coach says that he can't, nor anyone else contact college coaches on my son's behalf cause they'd be acting as an agent and it would jeopardize my son's eligility. Is that true?

Thanks.

BOB


drop me an email---TRhit@msn.com---and lets see if we can help you with what we do

Bob......

National Scouting Report will send profiles of your son (assuming he subscribes with them) to colleges. The way they do it is they send a large envelope to the athletic office of several colleges. Inside that envelope will be perhaps between 50 and 200 sheets of paper, each with a profile of a different athlete, and often representing several sports. An athletic secretary will then place the profiles in the mailbox of the appropriate sport coaches. Coaches will receive hundreds of these overe a period of time. Many coaches toss them in the trash can, others may have student workers sift through them for an interesting one or two.

The other issue with your son's travel coach......the coach is wrong. It is common for high school and summer coaches to send schedules, rosters, information about players, etc., to college coaches. These are received much more favorably by college coaches than a scouting service profile sheet are.

You need to educate yourself about the recruiting process. Start reading! A great place to start is www.varsityedge.com. This is a great free site. We ordered the best recruiting book from this site for under $20 and it tells you everything you need to know to get started. Good luck!

CABB:
Great thanks for the website very cool.

Coach Merc,

I saw the article and couldnt help but notice Becker - a bit younger than me.

I am a North Rockland HS graduate as well . LOL

Go Red Raiders!!!

Bob,

Let me first say, my comments are not directed at any poster, but based on life experience. I am familiar with the NSR and I will explain.

My son did not grow up in or near high profile cities within the states of California, Florida, New York or even our home state of Texas. Though our state has professional teams & many DI schools, my family lives a long way from past & present day professional players. We do not live down the street from their expert training & the benefits of knowledge they can share. I couldn't call (you fill in the blank) because he knew my dad to gain insight or advice. I don't personally know the insiders to the profession. My son was just another kid growing up playing baseball. As many other potential talents, was hidden in a small town. You get the idea.

As a father & youth coach, I saw his potential. I watched him work hard to get better. I couldn't control how tall he would get, only assist with the gifts God had given him. Was he fast, could he hit consistently or throw 90. Only God gives those gifts. Needless to say, no DI schools or Pro scouts were beating down our door, when my son was 16 to 18 years old. If you had asked any college coach in Texas when my son was a senior in high school if they knew him, you could probably count them on the fingers on one hand. I didn't even meet a scout until the summer before my son's senior season. I knew he could pitch effectively. Problem was, I was dad & just a dad. My opinion meant nothing regarding his baseball skills. I am not an ex-pro player. My dad wasn't. My neighbor isn't. My best friend isn't.

I could have spend a lot of money flying him to Dallas when he turned 15. I didn't. I let him be a kid with friends playing the game he loved. He was too young for it to be a job.

I used the National Scouting Report to introduce my son to the college baseball world. I didn't need my son to take scholarship money away from players who need it to get their educations. Players who need the money to get an opportunity to attend college. Money was not the issue.
I submitted video and facts to NSR. NSR prepared my son's introduction video and Player Profile. During his junior & senior seasons, I submitted updates, they performed the edits and re-submitted to the schools my son chose.

My son made it clear that he had no desire to attend JUCO. He wanted to start and complete his education and his college baseball career at the same university. His life. His call. I admire my son for that decision.

We received numerous requests to visit scholarship DII, NAIA & JUCO thanks to NSR. Many in Texas. Close schools showed not interest. Many from other states offered a visit. I thank our area Director-Chuck Bratcher for his work in presenting our son to the college baseball world. His visit in our home was not a hard (car salesman) sales pitch. Of course he would make money on a sale, but he took a personal interest in the player. He learned what my son brought to the table & how he could present his resume. This service helped my son land the interview that has become his dream opportunity. A dream to compete at an NCAA university. To be part of a winning program, not sit on the bench & watch the chosen ones, but be a leader on the mound. He is living that dream today, with assistance of the NSR. The video & profile didn't get my son offers to THE BIG SCHOOLS. There loss, I say.
Update-Golden Threads-Please Identify Your Son-Page 24-January 08, 2006.

The NSR investment (well below your estimate) was worth every penny. I am sure that the posters whose players are at DI, Minors & beyond have, over their son's baseball years, have personally spent more that they can recount on private lessons, camps, showcases, etc., etc., etc.

I recommend the NSR investment. It worked for my son, but of couse I can't guarantee for you that it is a better investment that attending all the showcases & camps or living down the street to a pro-player. Some players are just born with talent and others have to work harder at it. As parents, we can do only so much. NSR can advertise, but God is in control.

Good luck.

Bob,

The best thing u can do is send that email to TR.

He has helped alot of guys, and is in your neck of the woods.

As far as NSR.....

What little I know, but I watched of a guy who used to be a sports writer locally, turned "scout" for NSR.

He would approach the parents he knew would do almost anything to get there kid into a college baseball program. Some could have done it on their own, but were afraid...probably from the "sales talk" but others who probably weren't going to go, some did end up on some rosters for a year or so. A couple of their "listed" colleges are JUCO DIII... meaning NO athletic scholarships, so I am not sure how they ended up getting "baseball scholarships" and even if it was some type of scholarship, tuition at that school for the semester was about $600, or $1200 per year.

NCR is not for a hsbaseball webster, but more for the ill informed. Start here HSBBWEB recruiting tips

That is NOT saying NCR isn't useful, it is a service, and if I had not found this site who knows?

I used to pay someone to type MY college papers...then I learned to type for myself.

Thanks again for all the advice - hard to tell at times who's selling and who is for real. I'd still like an answer on the eligibilty question. I'll take some advice and do a little NCAA research.

quote:

My son's travel coach says that he can't, nor anyone else contact college coaches on my son's behalf cause they'd be acting as an agent and it would jeopardize my son's eligility. Is that true?

In a word, "NO".

For $3k-$5k, you could send your son to several PG showcases and probably get a better return on your investment.

Bob,
Best of Luck in your process.

I am far from an expert and do not know about the specific service NSR but there are very valid reasons to reach out on to services etc to help in the recruiting of your Son.

Anything that you (really your Son) does with a recruting service or TR or any promoting/evaluating of your Son should be an extension of what your Son does on his own. There are many valuable tips on the site as noted, and I know many people have had success without any outside assistance.

I was totally unfamiliar with the process and in our case I'm sure my Son would have had an opportunity somewhere but would not have rec'd the opportunities and choices he had without some assistance. For us it was about getting as many opportunities and being proactive with our own mailings, school contacts, showcasing etc as well as having someone (who hopefully has the proper contacts-and can pick up a phone and call a coach) assist as well.

I never looked at it as making my money back with scholarships etc, it was trying to help my Son with fulfill his goals.

quote:

Originally posted by Novice Dad:
I never looked at it as making my money back with scholarships etc, it was trying to help my Son with fulfill his goals.

Good thing, too. Wise man.

With all this side-steppin, one of you may end up dancin' with the stars

quote:

NSR is not for a hsbaseball webster, but more for the ill informed. Start here HSBBWEB recruiting tips

02^04Mom,
"Not for hsbaseball webster." I have to respectfully disagree. I have been reading your advice & other posters since Dec 31, 2002. I didn't & still don't consider myself as "ill informed."

What won't work for some, works for others. NSR can't represent an average player to be an All-American or Pro-Prospect. The videos they prepare don't lie. Are expectations realistic?

Also, I can type 120 WPM, with my eyes closed.