Perfect game

Beenthere -
I would respectfully place that estimate much higher than 75%... you're being too kind!

A couple of comments:

PG's website posts info only on those players who have attended PG events. However, PGCrosschecker's website lists many, many players who have never attended a PG event. Crosschecker's information is available to any person who is willing to subscribe. For coaches and recruiters who have any sort of budget at all, the subscription amount is a drop in the bucket.

Our family has experienced firsthand Perfect Game's sincere interest in individual players and their needs. Last fall, I had a lengthy phone conversation with Jim Arp, who actually advised against sending our son to any additional PG events before summer 2007. His recommendation was based on several factors that I laid out before him. I was so appreciative of his perspective and am convinced that making money is not PG's main goal. Perfect Game is a business, but it is a business with a heart.

i have been the bad parent, or blinded parent when it comes to showcases. why didn't he get a higher rating or any rating at all? in reality i asked them to give me their opinion,then was po,ed that they didn't think like i did. they didn't know he was all everything, did they? can that be considered wrong?
the advise i received was go to the invitation only free showcases. there were not many back then probably none today.
perfect game is the big name showcase and you'll have your name published some where because of it. and isn't that what we all want? we really want our kids to be well thought of. i've never been to a pg event but have heard nothing but good about them.
when we hire someone to give their opinion of our son's, how can we be upset when they give it? it may not be what we want to here or read but it is what it is on that given day or day's. how can that be wrong? when that kid has achieved things down the road is it because he worked harder to get better? or was that evaluation wrong? i wonder how many of us would complain to have our son's ranked in the top 100 and fall on their face later on?

maybe these kids who had the wrong evaluation used that as fuel to work harder to be better to show us they do have it. and if that's what it takes it was worth it. maybe a few years of maturity helped? it is a special parent that can take the parent goggles off and see reality.

This is the first I have looked at this thread and I must admit that I am amazed at the insulting nature of the original questions, regardless of the unspoken intent. I tip my cap to Jerry Ford for answering them. I would not have done so. Here is the bottom line: No players are forced into any showcases. If they go, they must live with the results. Individual coaches make mistakes on evaluations all the time, as do scouts. If a player has talent, he will emerge and a bad evaluation will not matter. If a player does not have talent, he will fade away soon enough. And if we are talking about DIII opportunities, the evaluations don't mean much anyway.

Keep in mind that first and foremost, showcases eliminate players (and quickly) more than anything else. The opportunity for the player comes from the fact that the elimination line is at different places for different schools. And certain schools will have an interest in a player simply because he was invited to an event. For instance, an invitation to the Area Code Games will elicit interest all by itself. Same for an invitation to the PG National. Team One once had a similar cache.

But whatever you do, go with your eyes open. Then you won't need to even ask these questions. And, yes, there are still coaches who go off on there own from time-to-time to look for players or act on the recommendations from high school coaches and other trusted sources.