Perfect game

I have to concur with Racab. Also, what would they be apologizing for? How can they tell the difference between a "mistake" and a kid who worked his butt off and got better? Projecting talent in any arena is a **** shoot at best. The only way anyone would find out that PG or any other scouting service was wrong is if the kid proves them wrong on the field. If he does so, and if he does deserve to go to the next level, I have to figure the right people will notice regardless of what PG said 3 or 4 years earlier.

It is very true, PG has set the standard for evaluating talent. In my opinion "projection" is ridiuclous and should not be taken as seriously as it is. If you utilize it(he showcase evaluation) as a way to be seen, great. If you think the evaluation is perfect (pardon the pun), well, that is a mistake. If you believe that hard work and effort will overcome all, that is wrong too! Hard work and effort makes you better, but it still might not get you to another level. Unfortunately, you have to "project". The showcase evaluation is one of many tools to help the player advance.
Unfortunately for the few who know all too well that every once in a while talent gets missed...maybe a scout does not like that the kid says, "yes, sir" or runs at "mach 1" onto the field...maybe the showcase had gliches, and who knows what was missed...maybe the coach whose son your son "beat out" became a scout and bad-mouthed..maybe the moderator of the PG website deleted positive posts about your son, because your son once beat out his son...absolutely anything can happen. The only evaluation that really matters is the players opinion of himself...it will override the stupid stuff, the politics, the people who think only what they have experienced is the way it is.
PG )Jerry) conducts himself with honor and dignity, upon my observation. Unless everyone on this site apologizes for having an opinion (evaluation), then none of us should. That being said, I greatly understand ITS's frustration at the whole strength and validity of evaluation and projection in baseball. Good players, even great players ARE missed...overlooked and underevaluated.
I hope ITS's son makes em all eat that "mistake".
I have seen many worse threads not closed, PG speaks well for himself and could have addressed that post quite effectively.

I have no problem with any of these questions “itsinthegame” asks. More than willing to answer them all if I have time. But from a personal stand point I only deal with high school players. We have others who rank college players and I often disagree with our own people.

Here an attempt to answer the questions itsinthegame asked in the closed thread.


A business question - not a personal one - and one that would make a great case study for a Graduate Business School program IMO.

I have never thought of myself as a businessman. I really don’t think Perfect Game would ever make for a good case study in any business school. Maybe a study in how not to do things. I will try not to take it personally, but geez! It does seem to get a bit personal.

PG - When you screw up - and make a mistake on a kid- do you people ever actually admit to it?

Again only speaking for myself… absolutely no problem in admitting I made a mistake. In scouting you know you will make some mistakes ahead of time. Sometimes I’m actually elated about certain mistakes that we have made. It means the player we were mistaken about accomplished great things.

Have you gotten too big and too powerful to do that?

No! Perfect Game has gotten bigger, but I’m still fairly insignificant and don’t feel very powerful at all.

Or do you just bury that screw up - make sure it sees no light - and move on to the next 5 thousand reports and billion showcases and next multimedia event with ESPN?

I like to bring up our mistakes and have mentioned many of them publicly over the years. It’s normally those who made it a point to complain like crazy, who later on become silent.

Now that you have gotten so large - and so reknown - do you really care if you have screwed up - on any player? Does it matter to you - or is it just a blip on the business screen?

We take what we do very seriously. It does bother me when we screw up. But once again we know we will make some mistakes, so it’s not earth shattering when it happens. Hopefully we learn from some of those mistakes.

I believe your standard line is - "If you see them - you rarely make a mistake".

Our standard line is… We can afford to be wrong… We can not afford to be wrong on purpose! And to be honest we really don’t make a lot of mistakes, but we do make them. So do 30 Major League Scouting Departments at times.

My question again - When you do make your rare mistake - do you admit it?

Yes, but I guess we don’t always make a public announcement about it.

Or do you bury it? Do you run away from it?

I’m getting too old to run… Making a mistake might bother me, but not enough to run from it.

Do you stand up - regardless of the marketing/business angle - and say - We Blew It?

Regardless of marketing/business reasons… Does anyone STAND UP and ANNOUNCE to the WORLD… WE BLEW IT? But I will if people want me to.

Or do you run?

No running so far!

Given the monopoly you now have on this whole thing - will admitting to errors that hurt young players be part of your business plan?
Or will you turn your head on the mistakes you have made - that have hurt kids - and stand up and admit it?

I think this must be what you’re getting at. Please understand that while we might be wrong at times, we do not have the power you are referring to. I can’t think of a single kid that we have hurt. There have been some that we have graded too low or ranked too low, but we don’t give out scholarships or draft players. Some of those we’ve ranked too low are now in the big leagues. Guess we must not have hurt them and I’m so happy we were wrong about them. We are not in the business of hurting kids… just the exact opposite!

Interesting business question IMO.

I really think it could have been asked a bit differently, but that’s OK, I still have a lot of respect for you. Not only have we made mistakes before, no matter how hard we try, we will make more of them in the future. For the millionth time… PERFECT GAME IS NOT PERFECT! Guess I can’t expect those asking the questions to be perfect either.

How sad, that a professional such as PGStaff has to read these generalized accusations. However, he is SO professional that he answered and addressed the questions. "Worldly Knowledge" was a phrase I never understood for many, many years.

It is: years and years of time on the job, daily life and excellent experience that very few have. PGStaff has a big, good heart. I have seen it. He has a conscience; he knows what is right and wrong. We all make mistakes in life, at work; with family decisions. But the ones with "worldly knowledge" know when to speak and when to "listen".

I would rather listen. Others should too.I can only hope to achieve a small part of what PGStaff has done in his career and what he will continue to do in the name of baseball. Don't criticize unless you can do a far superior job yourself!

Bravo. I commend you PGStaff!

PGStaff ...

Excellant responses to the questions posed.

And I have a question as well, tho not directed to PGS ... my question: How can a player be 'hurt' by a rating or ranking from a showcase organization? If a college coach or a MLB scout depends entirely on a rating/ranking from PG to evaluate a player and fails to offer a scholly/draft spot based on that evalution, it certainly is not the fault of PG and they should not be expected to apologize for it.

We had a case here in So Cal several years ago where a dad sued his son's high school coach for allegedly being the reason the son did not have a future in baseball, claiming that the coach didn't provide enough opportunities for the player to be seen. Now of course there was history, because the dad had stepped up prior to all of the fuss to tell the coach he (dad) wanted son's pitch count restricted yada yada yada. I think (memory don't fail me now) the son's play time ended up being reduced but can't remember specifically.

To me, this kind of lawsuit is nonsensical and I believe it is the same kind of nonsense that implies that a PG rating/ranking can actually hurt a player. I just don't get it at all.

JMHO FWIW

I was going to say something along the same lines as FBM... if a college or any other organization depends so heavily on a ranking from any other single organization, then shame on them, not on the organization providing the information. I doubt it ever happens, but if it does, then the criticism should be directed to those making the decisions, not those offering the information.

The players are all human and therefore will not perform perfectly every single time out - the scouts (all of them) are operating under the same handicap, if you want to call it that. Or they may have seen a player on a day or days when he was not up to par - it happens. But every player has many, many chances to demonstrate his abilities on the way to a college or professional career.

Congrats to PGStaff for showing that while the "P" in PG may not mean "Perfect Staff" it certainly does mean "Professional Staff". You took what appeared to be some really sour grapes and turned it into an informative post - thanks for that!

First - to 08Dad and mythreesons - who say I have an ax to grind - or some sour grapes

You just dont get it - and you probably never will. You both are clueless IMO.

I have no ax to grind.

I think the world of Jerry Ford. And PG. Period.
And I state that every single time I get the chance.

But I asked a very direct business question.

You cannot have it both ways.

You cannot have the enormous legitimacy that PG has - and then avoid this question - or should I say questions.

And you can try to personalize it - but if you do - you are missing the point.

I will again pose the same question.

Given the enormous and ever growing influence that PG has - what is their approach to the inevitable mistakes they will make.

That is the question - and as usual - the only one that addressed it - IMO - without emotion - was Jerry.

It was a question - IMO - that noone else would ask.

So attack me - tell me how bad I am - but I am glad I asked about it - and I am glad - as always that I got a thoughtful answer from Jerry.

Clueless??? I think you have been talking to my kids They would agree !!!

As for the rest of this, I think I will just let it go... otherwise we will end up in a prolonged discussion that in the long run will not serve anyone well.

08

Sorry, ITS, but the tone of your post appeared to be very angry, confrontational and accusatory.

"Do you people ever actually admit it?"


"Or do you just bury that screw up - make sure it sees no light - and move on to the next 5 thousand reports and billion showcases..."

"... mistakes you have made - that have hurt kids - and stand up and admit it?"

"Have you gotten too big and powerful..."

None of that sounds like it's coming from someone who respects what someone is doing. It sounds like someone feels wronged and wants the person/s they hold responsible to admit it.

I also noted this from CatSureMom's post and assumed, maybe wrongfully, that she knew something about your personal situation that led to your post - "I hope ITS's son makes em all eat that "mistake"."


"Given the enormous and ever growing influence that PG has - what is their approach to the inevitable mistakes they will make."

Now that, from your second post, while you may believe is the same question, has an entirely different tone and indeed seems like a valid and direct question without all the emotion and anger attached.

And I may be clueless about your situation - I am not however clueless about how your original question sounded to me. Nor does your belief that I am clueless about the situation change my original opinion. If you took that as a personal attack or me telling you how bad you are, then you read something into my post that was not there.

08 and mythreesons,

I think you both still dont get it - and as I said before - you never will.

I asked for an answer from PG - and I got it.

And as usual - it was professional and it addressed every single "horrible" question I posed.

I am a bad man - with an ax to grind - LOL - What exactly I am grinding for? LOL

How about this - I have always asked the hard questions with Jerry for many years - and for many years he answers them for me.

And when people ask me about PG and Jerry - I say they are the best. Because it is true.

But I will ask the questions - and I will poke and prod - and if you dont like the way I pose questions - I couldnt care less.

CatsureMom,

I sincerely appreciate your post.

You - and Jerry - seem to be the only ones that understand what I am asking - and why I am asking it.

It is relevant IMO

And I am pretty sure this post will be deleted or closed as well. Or if I am lucky - just publicly admonished - as usual.

quote:

Originally posted by MSgrits:
How sad, that a professional such as PGStaff has to read these generalized accusations.

MSGrits - I had to give you a little attention too - since you had to throw a cyber slam in. LOL

Generalized Accusations?

I thought they were very direct and specific questions.
Apparently - you didnt.

Why would you imply that I was accusing anyone of anything. Can you read?

I asked questions - and Jerry gave me answers.

You need a reading comprehension course IMO.

Racab,

I have great respect for you. I always have.

Please understand - I am posing questions - I am not disrespecting Jerry or anyone else.

I believe I am asking questions that are meaningful and that have relevance to those that are beginning this process.

And I am asking those questions - IMO - in a very straightforward and direct way.

I write this to you because I dont want you to think I am a bad person. I am just asking questions that I feel need to be asked. And I am not afraid to ask them.

And I will never be afraid to ask them.

Its, right or wrong, it's a bit difficult to look at recent D2 baseball history and ancient PG reports and not conclude that there is more to this than meets the eye.

Since you asked the questions in the first place, I,for one,would be interested in what you believe to be the appropriate approach. What would an apology look like? Who would it be targeted to? What would be the point?

Many college and pro scouts look at respected showcase rankings.I realize its the scouts job to evaluate players but with limited budgets rankings are a starting point.
IF a mistake is made in evaluating a player wouldn't it hurt a player because a team or college might not following up on that player or at least there is less interest, thereby fewer opportunities, which could affect signing bonus/scholarship?

When does it become a "mistake?"

Here's a question for PGStaff that might clarify a bit more: If a player comes to a PG showcase with a reputation for being an 8+ player from sources you trust, but plays at a much lower level in that particular showcase, how do you handle it?

Isn't a showcase like that a "snapshot in time"--how an athlete performed on that particular day or weekend? Lots of things affect how someone performs....so....if a player had a poor ranking or thought that he could do better, wouldn't it be in his best interest to do it again? I know it is expensive and for many PG showcases are not do-able, but if it is so important to a family, then saving for it could be their "entertainment budget" for a while. Looking at the PG website, I see that many players participate in more than one showcase. I would speculate that if someone is upset about his performance or ranking that it would be a top priority to do it again. And then the scouts could see how much that player improved.

And isn't there more than one company that does this sort of thing? What about MLB try-outs? "If at first you don't succeed...." comes to my mind....

Good luck to all who have the "dream", whatever it is. I hope it comes true.

I support itsinthegame and his questions 100%. He was completely within the message board rules with his post. Except for the one rule that says you can't post anything outside of Cleveland Dad's comfort zone. That kind of selective cencorship and intolerance, especially to a respected old timer like itsinthegame, needs to be eliminated for this board to be a true exchange of ideas and opinions.

I myself have a couple of tough questions for PerfectGame but I have always refrained from asking them because I have noticed how quickly posters here come to his support and I really didn't feel like getting into a shouting match with everyone.

Look - it is simple.

I doubt that there is anyone in the country that is a more avid supporter of Perfect Game - and Jerry Ford - than me. In fact - I have had some very bad times on this site with people who denigrate the PG organization - or who question their integrity.

That being said: That does not mean that I cannot ask what I believe to be relevant questions about a growing and very influential baseball organization. In addition to reading Jerry's - as usual - very professional response - I find the process interesting from a business perspective.

So I will apologize to those who dont agree with my questions - or the way those questions are posed - or my curiousity. But I will keep asking them.

The thing I dont understand is why every question has to be personalized. Is it because I have 2 sons who play baseball? Both have been to many PG events and both have enjoyed every single moment - and both have been treated just like every other kid that participated - fairly and honestly.

Do you have to have no children - or non sports playing children to ask a question about PG?

And Holden - Nowhere in my original post did I ask that PG apologize. I think that suggestion is silly and serves no purpose.

Dear Old Dad,

I can understand why ClevelandDad was concerned about the direction of the post. And I also thank you for supporting my point of view as well.

CD is my friend and I believe that sometimes the moderators have to do things that protect the site. And he does a great job IMO.
It isnt an easy job to balance open discussion and the rules of the site - believe me.

quote:

Except for the one rule that says you can't post anything outside of Cleveland Dad's comfort zone.

That is fair enough.

If someone has a "question" with the way PG runs its business, why not send a personal message to ask the question Everyone here knows how to contact the top guy of that organization.

Look, it seems to me we have an awfully nice community here. I don't see where making someone admit they are human or potentially embarrassing them serves that purpose. I didn't sense any embarrassment expressed in this thread. I did sense that the questions may have been asked too "personally" however. Mistakes can be made by people filling out a scouting form and mistakes can be made when posting questions on a message board.

its - I just saw that post - I really appreciate you saying that!!! All is well - Go Southern Indiana!

PS - mistakes can be made by moderators closing threads too prematurely

it's
I respect you also and you know it. May be I didn't understook your post well, but I felt that your questions were done in an agressive way and bringing your own answer atached. If my perception was wrong I appologize to you. My self, I had differences with PG few years ago, but I always have respected their job, and at the end they were not that wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by Holden Caulfield:
When does it become a "mistake?"

Here's a question for PGStaff that might clarify a bit more: If a player comes to a PG showcase with a reputation for being an 8+ player from sources you trust, but plays at a much lower level in that particular showcase, how do you handle it?

I am sure that Jerry can answer that questioon, but my understanding is that a rating is given on future projected ability, not how well he performs or doesn't perform on that day. That is why is it so very important for parents and players to understand the purpose of a showcase and come with an open mind. We showcased DK first time as a junior in Florida, we wanted him to know where he fell as a player in COMPARISON to his peers. For others, the opportunity may call for feedback on what a player needs to work on, so therefore some people showcase their players for that reason. Others showcase their sons for exposure they might not get where they live. The bottom line, as I always said, showcases should be an integral part of the recruiting plan in general, each family has their own reasons for their goals.

For those who are not part of the scouting world, Catsuremom was pretty right on about how players are looked on for future ability, projection, most likely the biggest factor in scouting a young player. And mistakes are made due to projection, both ways, that's why this whole scouting business is so very hard to understand for us out of the loop. I have seen many players with lower ratings when younger who are now high projections and those with higher ratings when younger not fulfilling that potential. That's one of the reasons why I do not like early commitments. That's one of the reasons I don't like the new one time transfer rule.
If you go to pgcrosschecker.com and read Jerry's draft notebook he does a good job of explaining it and talking about mistakes, which I think was written before this thread.
When my son was in HS, the ratings and rankings were so very important. As he and we have matured, we realize that it's all about how the player feels about himself and how much time and effort he has put into moving to the next level. That is all that really matters. The rest you have NO control over.

iitg has always been a huge supporter of Perfect Game and I agree he has the right to ask questions, but in defense of CD, as a moderator I know that his intentions where NOT to slight either one or take sides.

JMO.

It's, I didn't mean to suggest you had. That was in another post. However, the line between "acknowledgin" a "mistake" and "apologzing" is a very narrow one.

This string caught my intersest because I am struggling with the definition of "mistake." The original post clearly targeted underrating mistakes. Should PG also acknowlege/apologize if they later determined that they overrated a prospect as well?

"Prospects" are over-rated frequently...that is why they are called "Projections"! I am not saying that is a bad thing...it sure gives them the mental edge, as well as possibly a financial edge.

Is "mistake" really the right word.
Ratings are based on projection, which is based on a snapshot of time.
My son went to a show case and the report was his speed was below average,which was true based on his show case numbers. But he worked with a trainer and now has slightly above average speed.
So.. was a mistake made on his projection? No, it was the correct evaluation at the time.
I think it is a good idea to re-showcase if you feel you have something to prove.. evaluations will stick with you untill YOU change them.

I'm coming in to this late and don't know all the background but it seems to me like PG and its are handling this with class, so it is time to get off the topic.

I too think acknowledgements, explainations, and apologies have been made here with respect for one another.
Our board is a special one.
Great people, and great passion.

Once in a while a hot topic comes around, and I think this time, most all, have made a joint effort to resolve the issues at hand with class and dignity.
So I say, we leave it there and we move on to the next topic. This way we leave on a mutual positive note with an understanding to respect each others thoughts, questions, and answers.
Makes for a much productive conversation, IMHO.

Now lets get back to helping those kids out there and getting other questions on the forums answered inorder to help others.

On three,...hands in,...1-2-3, T-E-A-M HSBBW!!!

Actually I don't mind the topic. I have gotten to know many people through this great site and it's the only place I would enter into these discussions. If people really knew us, they wouldn't think we are a very big deal.

Once again, in a perfect world Perfect Game would be a great benefit to every young player. In fact, the whole purpose is to help players, scouts and recruiters as much as possible, but we all know it’s not a perfect world. I have no problems answering questions, even the tough ones. It’s just that the answers are important and I don’t always have the time to answer all the questions properly.

Often people complain that we (PG) over rank players who attend our events. Yet most of the complaints we get from the parents of the players are about how we have their son ranked/graded too low. Kind of a no win situation at times.

quote:

By Holden - Here's a question for PGStaff that might clarify a bit more: If a player comes to a PG showcase with a reputation for being an 8+ player from sources you trust, but plays at a much lower level in that particular showcase, how do you handle it?

Holden,

Not trying to avoid your question, but that is a good question and really a tough one. Somewhere in past posts I’ve tried to explain how we go about grading players. We try to give each player the highest possible grade that we feel is “honest”! We understand that we are very unlikely to see a players greatest performance during the time we are watching him. We understand that there is a slight chance we are seeing one of his worst performances. But chances are we see something in between the two.

The tough part to answer is regarding the “sources we trust”. I tend to trust everyone in the beginning, but realize there can be some strong partiality involved (rightfully so) when we are hearing from parents and/or the players HS/Youth coaches. We have lots of people who give us great accurate information and we trust them very much unless that information pertains to their own son. We have come to realize that lots of people (not all) have a higher opinion of their son’s ability than others do. This is very natural! Some of the best scouts I’ve ever known, great baseball people who accurately evaluate players time and again, can’t properly evaluate their own son! Hope there is nothing wrong with that because I’ve done it myself.

Sorry for getting long winded, but it’s not easy to answer this question. I think the proper answer might sound evasive, but the answer really is… It depends! It depends on who the source was, how badly the player performed, did he show any of “hidden” ability in some way? If so, we might give him the benefit of the doubt and grade him higher based on the trusted source. If we see absolutely nothing that warrants a high grade, he will be graded lower. Once again, with or with out the trusted source, we tend to grade a player as high as we can honestly grade him. If we are wrong about a player, we would rather have over ranked him than under ranked him. Still we sometimes grade players a little too low. I don’t think we miss by large margins either way, though. In other words, don’t think we have ever graded a 9 or 10 a 5, but it is always possible. It’s fairly basic… two things we ask ourselves…. 1 – What are we seeing now? 2 – How high is this players ceiling? Obviously #1 is much easier to determine than #2. Most important thing, by far, is what we actually see carries more weight than anything we might have been told.

Someone mentioned “projection” playing too large a part. Sometimes it does, but there are some genuine qualities that make projecting a player a little easier. Then there are some qualities that we can’t always see that are very important. Heart is one tough one to measure! – You can’t determine how much heart a player truly has over one weekend. Hustle, playing hard, showing a love for the game, showing no fear are all good signs, but things like HEART, desire, mental toughness and persistence need to be evaluated over a long period of time. Body type, athletic actions, physical maturity or lack of it, comparisons, and yes even the dreaded bloodlines can be reasons to project one player higher than another. Often we use history when it’s a player we’ve seen many times. We even try to use what is called “backward” projection at times. This is not a bad or negative thing, it’s where a young player might be overweight and soft, but has an athletic frame that could easily tone up into a great strong body. We see this in pitchers mostly, but there are some good examples of position players as well.

I don’t mind the questions, only hope people understand it takes time to answer them thoroughly. There are people who have an agenda and would love to slam us. Itsinthegame, is not one of those people, therefore I answered his questions despite feeling they could have been asked differently. Our entire operation is based on honesty, so there is nothing to hide. Please ask the questions with honesty in mind. And it does help if I know the person asking the tough questions. Especially if there are any accusations related to the question.

quote:

Should PG also acknowlege/apologize if they later determined that they overrated a prospect as well?

Holden,

Another good point! I haven't done the research, but would guess we have been wrong much more in over ranking than under ranking a player. I think it's because we can see the ability and possibilities, but we can't see what is INSIDE the player! There are many things outside of ability that can cause a player to fail.

PG, Thanks for taking the time for both answers. You've really helped me gain a better understanding of the process. While my older son attended one of your showcases, it was the pitcher/catcher indoor where you don't give ratings (or didn't at that time, at least) to the catchers. Thus, I still have no first hand experience with the process. As of next month, however, that will change. Looking forward to it!

HC

Jerry,

I sincerely appreciate the fact that you take time out to explain this process. I think it helps all the readers understand the process - which IMO - can be very difficult, challenging and confusing at times.

I apologize if I asked the questions the wrong way. Hope you didnt take it the wrong way - and I guess I need to pose my questions in a kinder and gentler fashion - so other folks wont cyber yell at me.

PG does an amazing job at what they do. I'm sure they miss players, high and low, as do the MLB guys with the checkbooks. Our experience was they were very accurate in projection. I think the few low misses stick out more. The high misses are not generally misses of ability, but lack of success, if that make sense.

This seems like as good a time as any to ask PG a couple of questions that have been haunting me for a while now. If I don't ask now I probably never will. I have found Jerry to be a very polite and honest businessman and I will try to do the same.

My son is a 2007 grad and spent last summer and fall playing for a top AAU team in NJ. I believe, had he chosen to play Legion ball instead, he would not have been discovered by the DI school he will be attending in the fall but would probably have gone to a DivIII school that gets a lot of its players from the H.S. he attends.

So the AAU season starts and the first thing I notice is the higher level of competition. Many top players also chose to skip Legion ball for the AAU circuit. The main reason is the showcase tournaments they get to play in by being on a top travel team. Mainly, the PG tournaments. East Cobb in July, Baseball Heaven on Long Island in September and Jupiter Florida in October.

My issue is this, these showcase events, at first glance, seem to be a great way for a player to be seen as hundreds of college coaches and many MLB scouts are present at these events. But who really benefits from these events? I assume PG benefits. I know the coaches and scouts benefit from having so much of the countries talent in one place. But how much are the players and their families getting out of it for the money they are spending? Is this system really designed with the players best interests in mind?

It seems to me that the system currently in place allows H.S. coaches and A.D.'s to be lazy. It allows college coaches to be lazy. And it allows PG and others to make a living. It sounds like a great deal for all involved except for the poor schmuck(me) laying out the 5 or 10 grand for the travel ball and the talented players who can't afford to.

When I was in H.S. right here in NJ we had a very good team and a coach who cared about placing talented players in top schools. Five of the starters who were in my grade went to an ACC school on scholarship. The lines of communication between the H.S. coach and a college coach were more open back then. The showcase business has changed that.

So, that said, here is my question. As the biggest game in town and the leader in hosting showcase events, how do you respond to the accusations that you have been partly responsible for the changes in baseball that have resulted in less kids getting an opportunity to showcase their baseball talent to college coaches?


My other issue has to do with the lists that PG puts out and their purpose. My son was not on any PG list until he played in a PG event. Why not? He had the same ability before the event as he did after it. I know several kids that should be listed but aren't because they only play locally.

As it stands now, a PG list is not all inclusive of H.S. talent. It really should be. Not everyone has hundreds of dollars and plenty of free time to travel for hours and stay overnight so their kid can get rated. There are dad's on my son's H.S. team that can't get to their son's games because they work two jobs.

So, my second question to PG is, 'Would you be willing to be more inclusive in your lists by making it more affordable and more convenient for all the players in H.S. to get rated?'

I understand that this question would mean expansion on your end. An annual showcase for every state for sophs and juniors perhaps. Or perhaps partnerships with local batting cages who could host these showcases. These showcases could be very basic in nature but give many more kids an opportunity to get noticed.

That's it. Hope I wasn't too wordy.

DOD,
That was a good post but....

I remember sitting at Jupter a( first time) and one of the parents were so amazed at all that was going on and stated "why didn't I think of this". It was a great idea and there have been many that have tried to duplicate, but it doesn't work. I have seen Perfect Game grow since that time and expanded to more areas than back in 2001 and 2002.

Years ago I ran an event company, very big events. After all was said and done, paying my staff, permits, advertising, etc, I made a decent living, but I was never rich. Half of what I made went back into the business to make it better. Unless you have ever run major events, you can't imagine the expenses that come along with it.

Maybe PG has expanded and done well BECAUSE the HS coach from years ago didn't do what he should have done to get the player seen properly? Those that benefit are not just PG and scouts, there are hundreds of stories where parents can tell you that their college coach found them at a tourney or showcase. At each venue we chose for son to be in, all were well represented by coaches and scouts and each brought different results.

PG has a great impact on today's recruiting and scouting. So does the internet, in fact the GM that spoke the other night said no other single thing has had a greater impact on the draft than the internet.

As far as cost, there are many things that one can do to get their player seen and it DOES NOT have to break the bank. The problem is, the way I see it, is that we live in an age where overkill reigns supreme. If the Jones' see Billy Smith going to showcase after showcase than panic sets in, and they have to do it to, and the cycle of trying to out do begins. Spend you money wisely and you might get a big payout in return.

PG's job, IMO, is only to provide the setting in which your son can be seen and evaluated.

Why would PG have your son on a list if they never heard of him or seen him before. That would be your responsibility to make sure, if you want your son on the "list" that you do what you have to do (many scouts btw turn in names to PG). Don't wait for them to come looking for you.

I personally don't think that this is the place to discuss anyone's business, but that is my opinion.

PG and Jerry are the BEST in the industry.

If you disagree with their evaluation of a player, pick up the phone and call them.

I respectfully suggest that 75% of the parents who think that their kid is the next Mickey Mantle or Sandy Koufax, have no clue.

TPM - Very good post! Very well said.

It takes a good businessman and even a bigger man to "face the music" and answer some tough question with honest thoughts. I think many of us here could think of ways we would have made PG a more profitable business, one of them being moving it out of Iowa and down South somewhere. But, that's what impresses me most of PG and the Ford family, it is not about profit, it's about passion for what they do, and I will defend passion anyday. We all have dips in the road and when dealing with assessing talent those dips should happen more than what occurs at PG.

Someone else was questioning the validity of Baseball America's lists a year ago, which PG participates in organizing. The person was saying the only way to get on the list was go to a PG showcase. I checked a few players drafted last year from Central Florida. 3 of the 5 players drafted from PG's list I checked had never been to a PG showcase. So much for buying your spot in the draft.