Perfect Game left LakePoint?

hshuler posted:

Shoveit4Ks posted:

Hoover is no replacement for metro Atlanta considering how many other fields are required during a typical large PG event. 

IF PG is considering leaving and does, LP isn’t going to have a 10th of the visitors related to baseball. IMHO, it folds

 

“OPENING AUGUST 2018, The Hoover Met Complex’s state-of-art outdoor baseball complex features:

• Five (5) NCAA regulation-size baseball/softball fields:
  • Four (4) artificial turf fields
  • One (1) natural grass field

Each field is equipped with a scoreboard and LED field lighting, including 50-foot infield candles and 30-foot outfield candles.

For younger players, the four turf fields can be broken up at the corners, transforming them into eight regulation youth-size fields. Our facilities will also include ten (10) batting cages for athletes and coaches to reserve.”

It’s not LP but I guess they can pull in high school fields as well. 

Sounds like an SEC guy here.... hmmmm. 

Hope you’re doing well.

Won't miss the oppressive Georgia humidity with the inevitable afternoon violent thunderstorms featuring sideways lightning..and the 50 mile drives from the hotel in Atlanta traffic..one of the least interesting cities in the country with a poor urban design and massive sprawl.

CatcherDadNY, you seem like a pleasant guy. 

He’s right, though. Maybe now we will see some more regional events in the summer.

Shoveit4Ks posted:

hshuler posted:

Shoveit4Ks posted:

Hoover is no replacement for metro Atlanta considering how many other fields are required during a typical large PG event. 

IF PG is considering leaving and does, LP isn’t going to have a 10th of the visitors related to baseball. IMHO, it folds

 

“OPENING AUGUST 2018, The Hoover Met Complex’s state-of-art outdoor baseball complex features:

• Five (5) NCAA regulation-size baseball/softball fields:
  • Four (4) artificial turf fields
  • One (1) natural grass field

Each field is equipped with a scoreboard and LED field lighting, including 50-foot infield candles and 30-foot outfield candles.

For younger players, the four turf fields can be broken up at the corners, transforming them into eight regulation youth-size fields. Our facilities will also include ten (10) batting cages for athletes and coaches to reserve.”

It’s not LP but I guess they can pull in high school fields as well. 

Sounds like an SEC guy here.... hmmmm. 

Hope you’re doing well.

LoL 

All good here, my friend!

How are you guys?

FriarFred posted:

2020DAD,

I thought God's Country was Texas?  Now there is a bias for ya! 

It IS! 

I'm 6th generation Native born! So there you have it! Proof enough for me! 

atlnon posted:

I wonder what kind of deal PG has with LakePoint.  If PG has a very good deal, maybe LakePoint decided it gave away too much and they are not able to make a profit, hence the bankruptcy filing, and the filing allowed LakePoint to renegotiate causing PG to walk away? 

I believe PG has a very inexpensive twenty year lease after donating a lot of money to the construction. 

GaryMe posted:

He’s right, though. Maybe now we will see some more regional events in the summer.

There are two great events in the area that don’t involve PG and travel ... Select Fest in NJ and Atlantic 100 in PA. They’re top events requiring pro scout references. 

Birmingham could not handle the 17U WWBA so I don't see it happening.  If you think travel in Atlanta is bad try figuring out how far you would have to drive around Birmingham for motels or fields to handle the WWBA schedules.  2 hour drives could be in store.  Just to note, the weather in Birmingham is identical to Atlanta.  I see them taking some tournaments there but not moving.  They have a good thing.  Plus air travel would be a nightmare for Birmingham.  You talk about cost   It would go up and maybe double for some teams because you would still have to fly into atlanta and travel there.  Don't buy it.  Try another option.  I think the only other option would be Orlando, Dallas, or Charlotte areas.  But someone would have to build the facilities. 

And speaking of competition.  If PG is doing WWBA then people will go no matter where it is so you would have to beat that deal. 

PitchingFan posted:

Birmingham could not handle the 17U WWBA so I don't see it happening.  If you think travel in Atlanta is bad try figuring out how far you would have to drive around Birmingham for motels or fields to handle the WWBA schedules.  2 hour drives could be in store.  Just to note, the weather in Birmingham is identical to Atlanta.  I see them taking some tournaments there but not moving.  They have a good thing.  Plus air travel would be a nightmare for Birmingham.  You talk about cost   It would go up and maybe double for some teams because you would still have to fly into atlanta and travel there.  Don't buy it.  Try another option.  I think the only other option would be Orlando, Dallas, or Charlotte areas.  But someone would have to build the facilities. 

And speaking of competition.  If PG is doing WWBA then people will go no matter where it is so you would have to beat that deal. 

Pitchingfan, I agree that to have the WWBA in it's current state it would probably need to be held in a metropolitan area as you described, but with the advantages of field availability and lodging availability come the downside of traffic, increased expense for lodging due to being in a metro area, etc.

I don't think for a minute think that PG gives a modicum of thought as to the impact of where the event is played, airline hubs, etc as it relates to the teams. I really don't. I do however feel that PG would love to "grow the sport" (which means increase their revenue) and by not being tied to an 8-field complex in rural Georgia, they may be able to do that. Hell, LakePoint is 45 miles from Atlanta. Throw is ATL traffic and that is a freaking nightmare scenario, and that is only 8 of probably a hundred fields that they utilize...so leaving LakePoint itself is not a huge factor on the event. Leaving a metro area is more of an impact.

IF PG were listening and decided to "regionalize" the WWBA event (Southeast, Northeast, Mid Atlanta, Central Plains, West Coast/Rocky Mtn States) they would get far more teams to participate because the travel would not be as prohibitive. Then they could hold a "WWBA World Championship" for say the top 10 teams at each event at a premium venue.  

PitchingFan posted:

Birmingham could not handle the 17U WWBA so I don't see it happening.  If you think travel in Atlanta is bad try figuring out how far you would have to drive around Birmingham for motels or fields to handle the WWBA schedules.  2 hour drives could be in store.  Just to note, the weather in Birmingham is identical to Atlanta.  I see them taking some tournaments there but not moving.  They have a good thing.  Plus air travel would be a nightmare for Birmingham.  You talk about cost   It would go up and maybe double for some teams because you would still have to fly into atlanta and travel there.  Don't buy it.  Try another option.  I think the only other option would be Orlando, Dallas, or Charlotte areas.  But someone would have to build the facilities. 

And speaking of competition.  If PG is doing WWBA then people will go no matter where it is so you would have to beat that deal. 

Birmingham does however has Dreamland BBQ and Niki's. 

russinfortworth posted:

PitchingFan posted:

Birmingham could not handle the 17U WWBA so I don't see it happening.  If you think travel in Atlanta is bad try figuring out how far you would have to drive around Birmingham for motels or fields to handle the WWBA schedules.  2 hour drives could be in store.  Just to note, the weather in Birmingham is identical to Atlanta.  I see them taking some tournaments there but not moving.  They have a good thing.  Plus air travel would be a nightmare for Birmingham.  You talk about cost   It would go up and maybe double for some teams because you would still have to fly into atlanta and travel there.  Don't buy it.  Try another option.  I think the only other option would be Orlando, Dallas, or Charlotte areas.  But someone would have to build the facilities. 

And speaking of competition.  If PG is doing WWBA then people will go no matter where it is so you would have to beat that deal. 

These facilities might work, with championship beingplayed @ Dr Pepper Ballpark, home of FriscoRoughRiders, Texas Rangers AA affiliate...And several "newish" HS fields in that neck of the woods...

http://www.theballfields.com/facility_layout.asp

https://www.milb.com/frisco/ballpark/ballpark

GaryMe posted:

IF PG were listening and decided to "regionalize" the WWBA event (Southeast, Northeast, Mid Atlanta, Central Plains, West Coast/Rocky Mtn States) they would get far more teams to participate because the travel would not be as prohibitive. Then they could hold a "WWBA World Championship" for say the top 10 teams at each event at a premium venue.  

I don't think this is true. The original idea behind the WWBA was to get the top talent in one centralized location. I still think that is true now, even if 100 of the 400 teams stink, the top talent is still there. If you had regionals, the top schools and MLB scouts are still going to head to the Georgia. They might get more teams and more $$$, but the whole premise behind all these teams flocking to Lake Point is the idea that scouts will be there. There is a guarantee scouts will be in Georgia, no guarantee they'll be in MD or NJ.

I'm also not sure it is possible with all the kids playing on teams from all over the country. 

PABaseball posted:

GaryMe posted:

IF PG were listening and decided to "regionalize" the WWBA event (Southeast, Northeast, Mid Atlanta, Central Plains, West Coast/Rocky Mtn States) they would get far more teams to participate because the travel would not be as prohibitive. Then they could hold a "WWBA World Championship" for say the top 10 teams at each event at a premium venue.  

I don't think this is true. The original idea behind the WWBA was to get the top talent in one centralized location. I still think that is true now, even if 100 of the 400 teams stink, the top talent is still there. If you had regionals, the top schools and MLB scouts are still going to head to the Georgia. They might get more teams and more $$$, but the whole premise behind all these teams flocking to Lake Point is the idea that scouts will be there. There is a guarantee scouts will be in Georgia, no guarantee they'll be in MD or NJ.

I'm also not sure it is possible with all the kids playing on teams from all over the country. 

That's precisely the point. My kid went to the WWBA his rising sophomore year with another team because his regular team did not attend the event because most of the families on his regular team didn't want to spend the $$$ to go. So, you may eliminate that scenario by hosting major regional events. Also, a few coaches I know who used to go to Georgia decided to stop going because their players were not interested in attending the schools they were getting interest from at the Georgia tournaments. Obviously, the schools were out of state and with that comes the added expense of OOS tuition.

Remember, schools tend to recruit regionally. By and large, team are taking players to Georgia and the WWBA for college exposure, not professional. Only about 300-400 high school players a year get drafted on average, so the argument that players need to go to Georgia for professional baseball exposure doesn't wash. In fact, the number of players being drafted out of high school has been on the decline for the past 5 years or so.

The only guarantees in life are death and taxes. I would never assume that a scout would not be in at a major regional event. Major events for draft prospects like Jupiter is where the pro scouts will definitely flock. Regional events make sense because schools recruit regionally for the most part. I stand by that.

I agree with a lot of what you're saying. But the top players from NY, CT, NJ, PA, MA looking to play at ACC/SEC schools are still going to head south to play with/against the better talent where there will be more scouts (because the southern talent is better). 

The next tier of northern players thinking they can cut it at an SEC school will then follow once they realize Arkansas and LSU aren't showing up to the NY regional event. Now you're back to square one. 

PABaseball posted:

GaryMe posted:

IF PG were listening and decided to "regionalize" the WWBA event (Southeast, Northeast, Mid Atlanta, Central Plains, West Coast/Rocky Mtn States) they would get far more teams to participate because the travel would not be as prohibitive. Then they could hold a "WWBA World Championship" for say the top 10 teams at each event at a premium venue.  

I don't think this is true. The original idea behind the WWBA was to get the top talent in one centralized location. I still think that is true now, even if 100 of the 400 teams stink, the top talent is still there. If you had regionals, the top schools and MLB scouts are still going to head to the Georgia. They might get more teams and more $$$, but the whole premise behind all these teams flocking to Lake Point is the idea that scouts will be there. There is a guarantee scouts will be in Georgia, no guarantee they'll be in MD or NJ.

I'm also not sure it is possible with all the kids playing on teams from all over the country. 

If we're talking about MLB scouts only, they're everywhere, at least at the lower levels. I can think of 4 or 5 just in the area I live in, and that's the ones I know about. My son got to know a very high-level scout well. Helped him chose a college. When the kid asked about exposer the guy told him, "if you're good it doesn't matter where you go, we'll find you". 

PG is a successful business. But there is no doubt in my mind that its market penetration in California, and more generally in the western half of the country, is far, far lower than it is in the eastern half, and particularly the southeast.  I think GaryMe's suggestion is a good one.

Maybe PG has determined that there is nothing it can do, that it can't provide enough of a differentiated product to California kids, since they have other exposure avenues perhaps not available in many parts of the country -- for example, significant scout ball in Sept & Oct., and even high school ball (I saw Keith Law say that Cole Winn made himself a lot of money, maybe an extra $1 million, by going to SoCal for his senior high school season). I don't know.

But I do know that the 17U WWBA had 392 teams and only 11 of them were from California, so less than 3%. In a sport where 20-25% of the U.S. talent seems to come from California (based on MLB draft), PG seems very under-penetrated in the West.

Edited to add: http://meadowparty.com/blog/20.../05/klawchat-6-5-18/

Allan: How much money did leaving Colorado make Cole Winn? 
Keith Law: Maybe a million bucks? Getting away from the altitude, and also moving to somewhere scouts would see him more often. 

WWBA Seattle Regional, WWBA Des Moines Regional, WWBA Lake Point Regional 

Where do you think the SEC/ACC schools and the MLB scouts will be? 

PABaseball posted:

WWBA Seattle Regional, WWBA Des Moines Regional, WWBA Lake Point Regional 

Where do you think the SEC/ACC schools and the MLB scouts will be? 

MLB scouts? They'd be at all the regionals where there are potential MLB draft picks. So . . . WWBA Los Angeles Regional, WWBA Houston Regional . . . maybe they would get a few MLB scouts, lol.

With respect to the SEC and ACC going to the Lakepoint Regional, that's sort of the point -- most schools recruit regionally. 

Edited to add: this might just be a regional thing. There are a huge number of kids for whom playing for the SEC/ACC teams is not the goal -- even if they are good enough to play there -- so getting in front of them is not the goal. Hence <3% of the teams are the WWBA are from California. GaryMe's proposal would give PG an avenue to reach (and of course make money from) many more kids. Even for the kids from the northeast, if they are not being completely delusional, a tiny percentage of them see themselves as future ACC/SEC players.

PABaseball posted:

WWBA Seattle Regional, WWBA Des Moines Regional, WWBA Lake Point Regional 

Where do you think the SEC/ACC schools and the MLB scouts will be? 

MLB scout have regions they cover. So every scout from their respective region would be at each regional. My understanding is it's a hierarchy. Lower level scouts find talent and pass them up the chain where they are weeded out as they go up to the higher levels. At the lowest level MLB scouts are everywhere. 

Lakepoint WWBA is a southern tournament largely for the benefit of southern recruits...mostly a waste of time for teams above the Mason Dixon line..I really don't care what others say..the best outcome would be for other regional tournaments to emerge and go from there.

PABaseball posted:

WWBA Seattle Regional, WWBA Des Moines Regional, WWBA Lake Point Regional 

Where do you think the SEC/ACC schools and the MLB scouts will be? 

They will be where the players are. That’s the way it works. They come to a ton of events all over the county. Baseball Recruiting is not one-stop shopping in atlanta GA!

First, that is ridiculous that WWBA is only for southern teams.  When you say the California teams/western teams are not coming is absurd.  The top teams are always there at WWBA from everywhere.  The top players that come get signed.  It is not a tournament and never has been a tournament for D2/D3/NAIA players.  That is part of the problem.  It was developed as a tournament for players/teams that are D1 quality.  If a true D1 player shows up from anywhere they will be seen at WWBA.  I remember the beginnings of WWBA when you had to qualify to get in or have done really good before. 

The regional tournament idea is so off base to me.  PG does regional tournaments now with Super 25, East/West National Championships and so forth.  I do not believe it has ever been PG's goal to provide tournaments for  lower level players/teams.  They have always tried to be a resource for the best players, whether we/you like it or not.  The regional tournaments are still recruited mostly by D1 schools.  My friends who coach at smaller schools will say that PG is not where they find their players.  They find them at the smaller tournaments.  PG is not for everyone and I don't believe has tried to be.  They will take your money but they are not the resource or use of your money for D2 and down players.  Doesn't mean you won't get seen there but not the highest chances.  I know several players who were playing at WWBA who were seen by D1 schools and told their friends about them and they got invites to their school out of the WWBA even though they were not there.

I tend to agree with 2019Dad here...a vast majority of the teams at WWBA are southeast teams. Makes sense, it's in their back yard. Looking at what would be comparable is the USA Baseball National Team Championships. The hold an East and West event, and the teams attending those events are typically from those regions. I don't see a lot of East coast schools at the west event, except those schools that recruit nationally.

Man, I don't get this debate.  Here's how it works:

• Travel teams are setup because they want to make money and develop baseball talent
• Parents want their sons to play on a travel team to get better, they're dreamers and/or for the experience
• Travel teams lure in these families by signing up for big "showcase" events
• Many families want the 1 or 2 events where they travel, stay over, so the kids get that experience
• PG and others are those big showcase events
• The growth of travel programs has grown the PG attendance, but has also watered it down
• Parents of quality players sit and watch and ask themselves "WTH is that team/player doing here?"
• Good players get recruited, regardless of PG.  Poor players got the experience.

PitchingFan posted:

 

When you say the California teams/western teams are not coming is absurd. 

It's not absurd. 11 out of 376 teams in the 17U WWBA were from California. That's less than 3%, from a state that has about 1/8 of the U.S. population, and about 20-25% of its high-level baseball talent. For Jupiter, 4 out of the 88 teams were from California.

 Some other Western states at the 17U WWBA this year:

• Washington: 0 teams
• Oregon: 0 teams
• Nevada: 1 team
• Arizona: 0 teams
• Utah: 0 teams

It's not "absurd." The facts are that Western teams generally don't go to the WWBA. The above states and California have about 65 million population. Combined they sent 12 teams, half as many as were sent by Virginia (24 teams), with a population of 8.5 million.

Your view that all the top teams come to the WWBA is not correct, at least with respect to the western third of the country.

But the top teams and players from the west are there which is the goal.  Name a top 50 team that was not at WWBA this year in 15U, 16U or 17U.

Based on whose rankings? PG's? They only rank teams that play PG events.

I can tell you one team that if they had come this year probably would have been right to the end: WW Sweets. They were in the Phil Singer in San Diego right before the PG All American game and those boys were impressive. I think they had 2-3 PG All Americans on that team, virtually every player is committed to a Pac-12 school and they rake. So there is one example.

The best teams from the west did not attend, excluding the CBA Marucci National team and BPA

edited: was looking at wrong rankings list...so deleted it

You can look at the 17U Travel team rankings and see that PG is heavily skewed to teams in the east/southeast. There are tons of teams in California that probably are as good/better than the teams they have ranked...proximity breeds familiarity

PitchingFan posted:

But the top teams and players from the west are there which is the goal.  Name a top 50 team that was not at WWBA this year in 15U, 16U or 17U.

Just looking at 17U:

• None of the GBG teams from California came, including GBG Marucci, which PG ranked at #28
• Norcal didn't come, #2 in PG rankings
• Trosky didn't come, #12 in PG rankings
• Playa Vista Orioles, #18 in PG rankings
• AZ T-Rex Easton, #31 in PG rankings

I was very familiar with 17U this year, but I just went and looked at 15U, which had even fewer California teams at the WWBA (7), and the following top 10 teams weren't there:

• CBA Bulldogs, #4 in PG rankings
• San Diego Show, #6 in PG rankings

Although I should add, I don't believe PG's rankings of travel teams are in any way accurate, because they limit their purview to teams that play PG events. For example, PG ranked 186 17U travel teams (https://www.perfectgame.org/Ra...m/Default.aspx?R=216 )and about the same number of teams are ranked in Virginia (12) and California (14) -- that should cause you to question the rankings. Looking at 15U, PG has 2 of  the top 64 teams from California (and none from Arizona, Washington, Nevada, Oregon) -- to which I can only say 

Edited to add: GaryMe beat me to it. PG player rankings at least include kids who don't play PG events. PG travel team rankings do not make any attempt to do so.

But the players did.  Look at the roster for those teams and see how many played in WWBA. They did not come because their players were playing on other teams.  Most of the WW Sweets roster has dual teams as summer teams.  The same is true of GBG.  The top players came with other teams and or they combined to make a power team.  Showtime players joined with another team I know because we watched them play.  So to say they did not come is wrong, they just did not come as their team but the players were still here.  Very few top players do not play in the WWBA. 

I agree that it is tough to come this far and I would say the same the other way around.  My son went to PG National Championship with Arizona and it was the most expensive trip of the year and not worth it for us.  If they moved WWBA to California the southern teams would not come but the top players would still be there because even after you are committed it is the place to be. 

But those same teams that you stated did not come to Jupiter either.  There were only 5 from West in Jupiter. 

PitchingFan posted:

 

First, that is ridiculous that WWBA is only for southern teams.  When you say the California teams/western teams are not coming is absurd.  The top teams are always there at WWBA from everywhere. 

and...

But the top teams and players from the west are there which is the goal.  Name a top 50 team that was not at WWBA this year in 15U, 16U or 17U.

What are we talking about here, pitchingfan? Teams or players. You just supported my argument that players from the west are having to go with other teams to the WWBA in Georgia because their teams aren't attending. The teams attending WWBA are pieced together (except the guys like CBA Marucci and BPA) with players from other squads who want to go. Top teams from the west do not attend the event as a "team" that has played together for a long period of time. Often, the teams from the west don't resemble the teams at all.

PitchingFan posted:

But the players did.  Look at the roster for those teams and see how many played in WWBA. They did not come because their players were playing on other teams.  Most of the WW Sweets roster has dual teams as summer teams.  The same is true of GBG.  The top players came with other teams and or they combined to make a power team.  Showtime players joined with another team I know because we watched them play.  So to say they did not come is wrong, they just did not come as their team but the players were still here.  Very few top players do not play in the WWBA. 

I agree that it is tough to come this far and I would say the same the other way around.  My son went to PG National Championship with Arizona and it was the most expensive trip of the year and not worth it for us.  If they moved WWBA to California the southern teams would not come but the top players would still be there because even after you are committed it is the place to be. 

But those same teams that you stated did not come to Jupiter either.  There were only 5 from West in Jupiter. 

It's obvious that you are not going to be convinced that very strong players and teams do not travel to the WWBA from the Western third of the country. You say "They did not come because their players were playing on other teams." It's the other way around. The teams weren't going, some of the kids wanted to play there, so they hooked up with other teams and went as guest players. My son's travel team is decent* -- 9 D1 commits, including a PG All-American -- and they did not come to the WWBA, so my son was fortunate enough -- through a HSBBW connection -- to hook up with another team. And the WWBA was great for him. Really enjoyed it. But he was the only one from his travel team there. 

From a business standpoint, I'll say again that PG's market penetration in California is low. Maybe it's not cost-effective for them to pursue the California market harder. 

*Of course, they're not ranked at all because they did not play any PG events.

Teams is a loose word in showcase ball.  My son played for three teams this summer and 6 two summers ago.  The word team in showcase ball is whoever comes that week/weekend.  I don't agree with it completely but it is about getting seen and whoever will get you seen is what matters, I reckon.  I do not believe that the top teams have a real roster, they have a fluid roster.   The WW Sweets team would say that their best players were the four players you mentioned but those guys did not play most of the summer for them.  The top two players played for Canes National in all of the big tournaments so are they Sweets players or Canes players?  i understand the frustration but I do believe that the players must do what is best for them.  I lived in Missouri for three years until the past year and it was tough sending my son to play in WWBA or other PG tournaments without me.  But it was what was best for him.  That is why he played for so many teams.

In regards to the MLB scouts, my point probably isn't as strong there. 

However, the top travel teams with the top players from the northeast/midwest/anywhere are still going to head to Georgia because that is where the SEC and ACC coaches will be. The top players from PA, NJ, NY, CT are committing to southern schools. In order to be seen by said schools they'll be making the trip to Georgia and not the Philadelphia Regional. Now the second tier players at the Philly regional are going to follow the top flight players because they want UNC to see them. You're absolutely right when you say schools recruit regionally, but if you want an out of region school, you have to go to them. A player good enough to play at UVA is not going to stay local and collect offers from Penn St, Temple, UPenn, etc. Nothing wrong with playing there but its not UVA. 

Regional events would 100% be better for the good players looking to stay local than the current format. Without a doubt. No benefit for the top talent though 

CTbballDad posted:

Man, I don't get this debate.  Here's how it works:

• Travel teams are setup because they want to make money and develop baseball talent
• Parents want their sons to play on a travel team to get better, they're dreamers and/or for the experience
• Travel teams lure in these families by signing up for big "showcase" events
• Many families want the 1 or 2 events where they travel, stay over, so the kids get that experience
• PG and others are those big showcase events
• The growth of travel programs has grown the PG attendance, but has also watered it down
• Parents of quality players sit and watch and ask themselves "WTH is that team/player doing here?"
• Good players get recruited, regardless of PG.  Poor players got the experience.

 

How many times am I allowed to hit the "like reply" button?

9and7dad posted:

CTbballDad posted:

Man, I don't get this debate.  Here's how it works:

• Travel teams are setup because they want to make money and develop baseball talent
• Parents want their sons to play on a travel team to get better, they're dreamers and/or for the experience
• Travel teams lure in these families by signing up for big "showcase" events
• Many families want the 1 or 2 events where they travel, stay over, so the kids get that experience
• PG and others are those big showcase events
• The growth of travel programs has grown the PG attendance, but has also watered it down
• Parents of quality players sit and watch and ask themselves "WTH is that team/player doing here?"
• Good players get recruited, regardless of PG.  Poor players got the experience.

 

How many times am I allowed to hit the "like reply" button?

precisely 4

PABaseball posted:

In regards to the MLB scouts, my point probably isn't as strong there. 

However, the top travel teams with the top players from the northeast/midwest/anywhere are still going to head to Georgia because that is where the SEC and ACC coaches will be. The top players from PA, NJ, NY, CT are committing to southern schools. In order to be seen by said schools they'll be making the trip to Georgia and not the Philadelphia Regional. Now the second tier players at the Philly regional are going to follow the top flight players because they want UNC to see them. You're absolutely right when you say schools recruit regionally, but if you want an out of region school, you have to go to them. A player good enough to play at UVA is not going to stay local and collect offers from Penn St, Temple, UPenn, etc. Nothing wrong with playing there but its not UVA. 

Regional events would 100% be better for the good players looking to stay local than the current format. Without a doubt. No benefit for the top talent though 

I have no reason to doubt that your perspective is correct for your region. Most of the top players from the West want to play in the PAC12, not the SEC and ACC, so that may explain why they don't head to Georgia in nearly the same numbers.

2019Dad posted:

PABaseball posted:

In regards to the MLB scouts, my point probably isn't as strong there. 

However, the top travel teams with the top players from the northeast/midwest/anywhere are still going to head to Georgia because that is where the SEC and ACC coaches will be. The top players from PA, NJ, NY, CT are committing to southern schools. In order to be seen by said schools they'll be making the trip to Georgia and not the Philadelphia Regional. Now the second tier players at the Philly regional are going to follow the top flight players because they want UNC to see them. You're absolutely right when you say schools recruit regionally, but if you want an out of region school, you have to go to them. A player good enough to play at UVA is not going to stay local and collect offers from Penn St, Temple, UPenn, etc. Nothing wrong with playing there but its not UVA. 

Regional events would 100% be better for the good players looking to stay local than the current format. Without a doubt. No benefit for the top talent though 

I have no reason to doubt that your perspective is correct for your region. Most of the top players from the West want to play in the PAC12, not the SEC and ACC, so that may explain why they don't head to Georgia in nearly the same numbers.

You mean it's regional?

GaryMe posted:

9and7dad posted:

CTbballDad posted:

Man, I don't get this debate.  Here's how it works:

• Travel teams are setup because they want to make money and develop baseball talent
• Parents want their sons to play on a travel team to get better, they're dreamers and/or for the experience
• Travel teams lure in these families by signing up for big "showcase" events
• Many families want the 1 or 2 events where they travel, stay over, so the kids get that experience
• PG and others are those big showcase events
• The growth of travel programs has grown the PG attendance, but has also watered it down
• Parents of quality players sit and watch and ask themselves "WTH is that team/player doing here?"
• Good players get recruited, regardless of PG.  Poor players got the experience.

 

How many times am I allowed to hit the "like reply" button?

precisely 4

Haha - the fifth one must have been the one that got me.