Perfect Game

dooer...It is as simple as "you should go to every event that you can afford" when you get invited to something by PG.

Dooer
Its not quite that simple. If your player is one of the best 200 players in the nation and he is willing to go to any college in the nation then any Perfect Game Showcase is Ok. But if he is looking to stay in his regional area then the regional showcases put on by Teamone and Blue Grey are probably better suited.

If you are interested in a particular school, you should look and see what camps they have. Camps give you time with the coaches, learning from them and their styles while they are also learning about you. You truly get a feel as to whether or not the program would be a fit and you play a lot in front of the coaches in a short period of time.

I have to agree with BeenThereIL. For a player who hopes to play college baseball or perhaps beyond, you should accept the invitation to go to at least one Perfect Game event by the summer after Soph year of HS. My son was not a "top player in the nation", but attending a PG event had many benefits for him. It's not only about exposure, although that is a key factor. For my son, it gave him a better look at how he stacked up on a regional and national level, and pointed out to him the areas he needed to work on. Also, it gave him an idea of what level of college competition would best suit him, and helped him to target his college search realistically. Good luck to you!

A little more info:

My son, a 07, plays on a respected summer team and has played for good summer teams for the past 3 years. He will be going to the JO's in Fl. next week and San Diego USSB world series later this summer. He was a part time starter on varsity this past year as a soph on a section runnerup.

We are not flush for cash. Is it advisable to attend the PG NorCal Underclass Showcase?

I was also wondering how organizations (like PG)get hold of kids names and addresses, and do they send invitations to every Tom, Dick and Harry whose name crosses their desk.

Thanks for your responses

DOOER

You, sir, have not done you homework on the Perfect Game Program---if you had you wouldn't be asking that question

I can't say it any nicer !!!

And by the way PG and our program are not affiliated other than being friends and having respect for other

TR, perhaps you should enlighten me. This is part of my homework. By all means, tell me where to look. I am all ears.

Do I beleive everything that I see in the invitation or am I allowed to ask questions from others that have more experience then I (none)

Dooer -
You ARE asking the right questions. If you do not know about an organization, do not assume they are all equal! Do the research and this site is a good place to ask the questions. My family gives Perfect Game the highest rating. They deliver want they promised, which is a venue to provide your son with national level competition and an evaluation that will be available to national colleges. The player has to bring the talent, and PG will provide an honest, professional evaluation of what they see.

Two thumbs up for Perfect Game!

Dooer

PERFECT GAME is a class orginization ran by ever classier people, I have and will continue to put all my trust in the people of PERFECT GAME. I do not benefit by saying this, I only speak from which I know.

Dooer;

It depends on your son's goals and objectives for this game.He needs to express to you his desires and expectations.
What position does he play? Running speed?
Is he a right handed or left handed hitter?

The Perfect Game events have proven to be beneficial to players with the necessary "tools" to advance their career.

It is important for the player to have "confidence"in his ability to play the game of baseball and to learn the "inside" game.

You may send me an e-mail, since we live in Northern California and our International Academy is in Santa Cruz.

Bob Williams

Dooer: I'll try to answer your original question, although it would be best answered by Perfect Game.

It is my impression, based on some experience with PG, that some of their showcases are a little more "inclusive" (rather than 'exclusive') than others. For example, an Underclass or I.D. showcase may have more invitees than say, a Top Prospect showcase. Obviously, an underclassman or someone needing to be 'identified', will probably have less prior exposure / experience than someone who has already been somewhat identified as a potential 'top prospect' candidate. I can only guess that extending an invitation to an Underclass or I.D. showcase might require a little less background information / references / etc. than a Top Prospect or Academic showcase or whatever.

Again, this is only my opinion. Heed the advice of other posters on this forum: attend at least one Perfect Game showcase. There are others that are worth looking into as well. See what best suits your needs. But know that there are a great number of people that really believe in what Perfect Game is doing and has to offer in terms of exposure, and exposure is the essence of the recruiting process.

Like they say...there is more than one way to skin a cat. Getting to the next level has many routes. Some do it by attending a camp or camps, others by attending a limited number of showcases while others seem to spend ALL their money and time on the showcase circuit. Some may choose to take their chances and only play on a summer team. In my opinion the direction your son takes should be based on his talent, his desires, and your budget. Many people told my son he must attend the Perfect Game events if he were invited. Not knowing if he was going to be invited to Perfect Game we had to move on and plan for other events..so.. he never attended a PG event, but I strongly suggest players attend Perfect Game events. I’m not big on college camps, I feel as if they are basically a waste of money... but I wasted some money and my son DID attend two college camps.
Understand too that once a talented player gets on the radar screen, he can do just about anything (including nothing) and things will work out. But a player that is just “average” (for lack of a better word) needs to get as much expose as possible in hopes that someone somewhere will like him. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s hard for someone on a public internet baseball forum to suggest a definite route for a particular player. Parents need to assess their son’s talent (tough task), talk with their son to understand his goals, check their bank account, ... and DO SOMETHING!
Fungo

Dooer - Since I know some of the specifics of your son and I have a fair amount of experience with PG...putting the two together, YES, I would take him to the showcase mentioned as long as you're not stretching your budget.

I have a few other suggestions for you if you PM me.