Perfect Game rating system

This is not a jab at Perfectgame as I think they run great showcases and 1st class events. I have my son attend as often as we can.

Their rating system however is some times not always accurate, especially for underclassmen. I know first hand that there have been cases when an underclassman has been ranked as high as top 5 by Perfectgame but in all actuality is not even top 5 in his specific geographic area.

You have to remember that many times they only get to actually see a player perform in a couple of games or for only a few minutes. They may have no idea how the player performs on his select team or in real game situations as they haven't had the chance to observe this or check up on it.

I think the ratings are probably more accurate for the older players, but don't get too wrapped up in the scores given for the younger ones (good or bad).

While a high ranking by Perfectgame is always a plus if you are good enough the right people will find you regardless of any rankings.

JMO

Let me just say this about PG rankings. My son went to an event a few months back. At that event there were 8 or 9 kids that my son has played against and with over the years. I watched the entire event the games the infield outfield batting practice , etc. When the rankings for the players came out I was amazed. I couldnt believe how close there opinions were to mine about the players that I was so familiar with. Even the comments about minus and plus observations were right on. Do some players get rated a little high or a little low from time to time. Im sure they do because we are human and so is PG. But I was simply amazed at how accurate I thought the ratings were and the observations by the staff were right on in my opinion.

I would second what Coach May says. I've found Perfect Game to be surprisingly accurate in thier assesments of a player's ability in most cases. Once in a while, they rank a kid higher or lower than he maybe deserves, but overall I think they do an exceptional job.

PG is very comprehensive in its rating system. When you have snapshots (short time periods) to evaluate you have to rely on the stopwatch and the radar during the few innings a kid plays in front of you. What PG obviously cannot factor is a player's body of work over time. So body type, bat speed, foot speed and arm strength are critical components of the elavuations. I have seen the ratings and the lists over the years and I agree with a high percentage of them - basing it on the players I've actually seen. There are some obvious misses also, but with the volume of players PG sees and rates, that has to be expected. It's overwhelmingly the best scouting service in the nation.

There have been many threads on this over the years.

What I find interesting is that is a player has a good rating, parents are happy. If the rating does not come up to player and parent expectations, their rating system is not good.

I also believe that their rating system is based on the players age group throughout the country, unless stated, and age.
I always assumed that my son's rating was not just based upon his state, but the whole country against 2004's. This gave him an idea on how he compared to those he would compete for a college scholarship or the draft.

Just a note on my previous post. Perfectgame has rated my son on a couple of occasions. On both occasions the ratings were very good and for the most part very accurate IMO based on his performance at the showcase. In one instance he actually rated higher than I expected.

I have no issue with ratings given to my son.

To clarify my previous post however my comments should have been more directed to player RANKINGS not ratings. Rankings of underclassmen, especially when they are freshman IMO are not always accurate due to many factors. Perfectgame will even admit that rankings(top100,300, etc) change from year to year, if not from month to month at this age, as well as with the older groups.

I think Perfectgame does a great job. A young underclassmen should not think however that he needs to get a specific rating or ranking at this age to generate interest. He should keep working at his game, and if he is good enough, the interest will come at the right time (later), regardless of any rankings given by Perfectgame at an underclass event.

JMO

Follow up question, for those who have attended, how hard is it to score an 8 through 10?

it all depends on the players talent

Upstate,
I would suggest that you direct that question to Jerry Ford at Perfect Game. Hopefully he may come read your question.
He would be able to give you more info on the ratings and what needs to be done to achieve an 8-10.

I would be worried about the rating because I've seen players rated too high and players rated low IMHO.I also don't feel they give you enough in their evaluation. They sound too similar and hard to differentiate a player rated say 9 and another say 7 based on the review.

In case people haven’t noticed, as much as possible I try to stay away from the PG stuff on this site. You'll see very few PGStaff posts in the Showcase forum or the Tournaments&Showcases forum. As hard as it might be to believe, my involvement here is recreational and not business related (Kind of a half hearted escape). I do like to help people when possible, but I get plenty of Perfect Game stuff (about 70-80 hours a week) without coming here and discussing Perfect Game. In fact, if my purpose here was to answer PG questions I’d be busy doing something else rather than spending time here. Besides I think when most people ask questions on this site about PG it is meant for someone other than me to answer. After all… What could I say that would mean anything?... I’m not going to say that we stink and don’t know a thing about baseball. I’m also not going to say we have never made a mistake and we are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

That is why you seldom ever see mention made of our upcoming events. We are here to support this site and for myself to enjoy the baseball discussions and nonbaseball discussions, not to look for business. Please take this the right way… We have as much business as we can handle! Bob and Julie both know we only want to support this great site. I don’t even care if the forum sponsor ad is on here. We supported this site long before any banners appeared. It was never my idea to have a banner advertising PG. However, it does use up some space that others might take advantage of. I doubt some will believe all this, but it’s all very true.

I do very much appreciate the many good things people on here say about us. I dislike reading the comments that are not so flattering towards us, but what can you do? I sometimes think this site would be even more fun for me if PG didn’t even exist. I’m not any different than most of the rest of you baseball nuts who spend time here. I’m not here because of Perfect Game, but because I love the game.

That said, I know people have PG questions and want answers. I don’t want to be impolite or act like I don’t care. My recommendation is to call our office during business hours or email our people with questions or concerns. Phone - 319-298-2923 Email – pgjerry@qwest.net or jarp@perfectgame.org or jasongerst@perfectgame.org or tkimm@perfectgame.org or betty@perfectgame.org or sjames@perfectgame.org or yasutake@perfectgame.org between those people you should get most any question answered.

Now to answer “UpstateNY’s” question

Yes, the system is the same for everyone. Yes we do incorporate the age of the player into the grades. The 2006 grads are expected to be much better than the 2008 grads. It’s too hard to say how high a grade you need inorder to receive initial interest, but the higher the grade the more likely the interest.

The younger a player is the tougher it is to accurately grade. This is because the major component of our grading scale is “projection” and it is the toughest thing to grade. That is why the word potential is attached to the description of the grade. In essence, we are trying to guess how good the 06 might be at some point down the line. The same projection is used at all ages, but truth is, the younger a player is the more room for projection or improvement. We have graded many high school players a 10 (Potential high draft pick) then they were not high draft picks out of high school making the 10 grade look like a mistake. Then some of those 10s become high draft picks out of college. Thus the10 then looks like it was very accurate.

We do make mistakes, but our philosophy is… We would rather make the mistake of grading a player too high than grading him too low. This is because we want to help rather than hinder a players chances of success. Those that say colleges and pro scouts don’t follow our reports, rankings and grades are greatly mistaken.

You asked about grades 7 or 8. Here is the definition of grades 7 through 10. Once again please notice the first word (potential) in each description. We are not always 100% correct, but we are always 100% honest. We just could not have been doing this for so long, if we were anything less than completely honest. In other words, we can afford to be wrong… we just can not afford too be wrong on purpose.

10 - Potential” very high draft pick or Top DI in the nation prospect.
9 – “Potential” top 10 round draft pick or Top DI prospect
8 – “Potential” mid round pick or definite DI prospect
7 – “Potential” low round pick or DI, high level juco or DII prospect

The individual grade is not totally dependent on certain numbers like velocity readings or running times or distance a player can hit a baseball. It is is more based on (especially at the younger ages) how we project or predict that player’s potential at all the aforementioned things and much more. Someone with the right attitude, who gives the right effort, who appears to love the game, can score a whole grade higher than his physical performance dictates. Of course, those physical numbers will show up in the player’s profile.

The worst possible advice that anyone could give you is that you should “Worry about these ratings”! Good players don’t spend there time worrying about ratings, they just go out and do their thing. It’s a lot more fun that way.

UpstateNY, I hope I’ve answered your questions. We wish you the very best.



Darkmoon,

In a previous post you brought up the same concerns. You also mentioned you had never been to an event. It is fairly simple to track, when you know a player who has moved to the next level, just check how he was graded. We’re usually fairly accurate, but not perfect. I have to wonder why you find it necessary to post twice regarding this same topic, but claim you’ve never been part of the process. If it’s because of your opinion about a player being more accurate than ours, why not apply for a job. We could sure use a few people who would make us better.

I can only relate personal experience. We went to two PG showcases a year apart, both around the first of the year. The last was 3 years ago, next month, before recruiting really got going in the summer.

3 years later, the written evaluation and projection was uncannily accurate, almost to the letter.

Yes I posted my reservations once before about a year ago and I might do it again in the future if that's okay with you.

I am even more convinced than before that you miss the mark too many times for my taste based on more recent reviews of players I have known for some time.When I see a kid getting a full point higher than a kid as good or better IMHO that sets off my concern. When you have kids within a half a point of vastly superior players that gets my concern up.

To me you rate weaker players too high and don't give enough in the review to justify a rating difference. Not all the time of course but more than enough for me not be able to justify a big rating difference based on the review.

How many of the kids that you review actually play D1 ball? It seems to me that you have too many boys rated for D 1 ball than is possible and the ratings for the kids in the north and other places are too high in comparison to the better talent in California, Floida, Texas ,ect.

Perhaps if I went to a showcase I might change my view as to what goes on there but I do have serious reservations based on my experience with kids that you have rated.Sorry to be that way but that is what I feel........

Darkmoon,

You seem very misinformed.

If you knew the facts - you would never make a comment like you did about northern players.

You need to do some research - look at the draft FACTS - then give it another go.

As for PG - they do one heck of a job in projecting players IMO.

Are they always right - NO.
Are they usually right - YES.

That is a fact too.

I can say this without any concern about being accused of patronizing PG. My eldest son was rated just about as low as you could be by PG. We felt they were dead wrong. And we shall see because the game is far from over.

But the facts are that PG is the BEST at evaluating talent that I have seen anywhere on the youth scene. Bar none.

Arguing the facts is where you should start IMO.

Are you serious? The northern players in general are much weaker than the the big three.

darkmoon,

Of course you are welcome to state your opinion.

You know, if we were absolutely 100% perfect in every case, we would put a lot of people out of work. Colleges and MLB scouting departments could save millions.

darkmoon, Do you think colleges and MLB clubs ever make a mistake when they evaluate players? Or do they end up 100% correct in every single case? Next time they get something wrong, I'll just send them to you. Then they'll never have to worry about a early round mistake.

Sorry about the smart *ss answer, but please understand that rating players are nothing more than opinions (in this case ours!). And multi million dollar organizations make mistakes every year. There is no perfection... there are only the end results. You have your opinion and we have ours. Don't know about yours, but ours are highly respected throughout college and professional baseball.

I'm just curious about a few things.

#1 Your taste
#2 Your reasoning
#3 Your intent

If you have no personal issue please feel free to contact me with information regarding the players graded too high or more importantly too low. We always want to know more about these players in addition to what we have seen. email - pgjerry@qwest.net

Problem is your making it sound like there are more mistakes made in the grades than there are those that are correct. We can and do occasionally make mistakes, but not that many!!!

Anyhow in the future things will become much clearer. baseballwebtv.com will allow everyone to see pretty much what we see at all the showcases.

quote:

Originally posted by darkmoon:
Are you serious? The northern players in general are much weaker than the the big three.

You need to do some research.

Then we can talk.

Start with NY and Illinois and go back through the last 30 years.

LOL

Silly stuff.

NY baseball is far weaker than Texas, California Florida Ect.You must be on drugs to think otherwise. Please. Get real.... Of course a few great players come from the north but in general the level of talent is much better in the big three in baseball and of course football too. It's a no brainer and I am from the north.......

quote:

darkmoon,

Of course you are welcome to state your opinion.

You know, if we were absolutely 100% perfect in every case, we would put a lot of people out of work. Colleges and MLB scouting departments could save millions.

darkmoon, Do you think colleges and MLB clubs ever make a mistake when they evaluate players? Or do they end up 100% correct in every single case? Next time they get something wrong, I'll just send them to you. Then they'll never have to worry about a early round mistake.

Sorry about the smart *ss answer, but please understand that rating players are nothing more than opinions (in this case ours!). And multi million dollar organizations make mistakes every year. There is no perfection... there are only the end results. You have your opinion and we have ours. Don't know about yours, but ours are highly respected throughout college and professional baseball.

I'm just curious about a few things.

#1 Your taste
#2 Your reasoning
#3 Your intent

If you have no personal issue please feel free to contact me with information regarding the players graded too high or more importantly too low. We always want to know more about these players in addition to what we have seen. email - pgjerry@qwest.net

Problem is your making it sound like there are more mistakes made in the grades than there are those that are correct. We can and do occasionally make mistakes, but not that many!!!

Anyhow in the future things will become much clearer. baseballwebtv.com will allow everyone to see pretty much what we see at all the showcases.

HSBB Web Old Timer,
I don't have an intent or an ax to grind. I am only stating my limited experience with your organization, and, as I said before, I personally would be leary of sending my boy to one of your showcases because I perceive your grading to be suspect enough to be worried about it.Sorry if that gets your suspicions up but that is where I am Coming from. You sure sound like you get enough accolades and praise. I guess some honest disagreement doesn't go over that well.

I suppose that I made it sound like you guys miss more than you get it right which is not what I believe. I think you need to read over my concerns again and if you would address them I would appreciate it. Otherwise I will let it go for now.Take care.......

just a question darkmoon you say you are from the north,yet in your profile you are from texas who are you trying to fool. The northern players are not weaker i am from the north we have great talent in the high schools here.You may think the south is better because you have seen more of them.

I live in Texas but grew up in the north and their is no comparison in the sports programs. I would say the same in reverse about the accademics. The schools up north are much better in general.

Speaking from experience here, I reside in Illinois and sent my oldest son to High School in Florida several years back. Yes, baseball as a whole is better in the south. It should be, you have the opportunity to play year round. The other point alot of people seem to neglect is that the better coaches reside in the south. Most of them are ex- big leaguers who are now passing on there knowledge to the players. Now those are the two major plus's I seen for the southern players. The biggest plus I see here up north is that during the off season most of the elite players are indoors working with professional instructors "fine tuning" there mechanics, etc.... In the three years that my older son was in Florida I don't think he went inside once. So with that being said, I personally feel there are way more prospects in the South but there are ALSO many "fine tuned" prospects in the North.......Just my 2cents worth

I only speak from personal experience. My son (06) has attended three PG events since June. The experience has made him a better ballplayer by his interaction and playing with better competition at these events. His ranking and evaluation is very close to what I would have given him as a parent. Actually PG's ranking may be a little higher than mine.

My son will play College baseball next year not because he attended PG events or their ranking of him but because of the added confidence he gained by participating and the overall experience. That confidence propelled his play on his Fall team and that was the difference.

His comments after Juptier were "Dad, that's the most fun I've ever had playing baseball."

For me that's enough.

PS. As a Texan my opinion was that the better ball players are from the South. After watching all the northern talent in Jupiter my opinion has been tempered.

Talent is talent where ever your from. BuT I think the players in the south are more polished players.

As someone from the North (NJ) I can tell you that there is lots of baseball talent here and the numbers of top players will continue to grow. The players aren't weaker by any measure. A catcher in the north who pops a 1.8 and hits for average and power is every bit as good as the kid who can do the same thing but lives in Florida. A lefty throwing 93-94 is as valuable as a kid who does the same thing but pitches in California. In my opinion, the players up here have a built-in geographic disadvantage because of the cold, snowy winters, but newly built baseball training facilities up here are starting to level the playing field, so to speak, for the northern kids. I can tell you that many, many colleges and universities from the south come up here are recruit the heck out of NY and NJ. Perfect Game is another great avenue that is taking kids from the north and putting them on the radar screens of colleges in the south and west, not to mention pro scouts from every part of the country.

The simple solution is to not have your son attend a PG event. However I do hope you understand that 60+% of all draft picks last year did attend a PG event. I also hope you understand that of the 8 teams that played in the college World series in Omaha last year, had 154 players who attendedv PG events.

Perhaps you know much more than those people did. Perhaps you'll be one of those who prove that the PG rankings are insignificant. Perhaps you will end up being the genius. Perhaps you'll join the group that is out to prove we're stupid and unnecessary. There's been a few over the years that have accomplished that.

Regarding North and South you're correct. The majority of the top prospects come from the south or west. However, the very best are likely to come from any state in any year. Everyone in baseball knows that is true!

Well I might just do that but I am not sure. I wish I had more confidence in your rating system.I sure would be upset if you rated my kid a full point below someone not any better than him. But in any event you never answered my other concerns which I find a little frustrating.

I really think you guys could do a better job in your reviews as they sound too similar in many cases even involving boys that are like 2 full points away from each other.You should be more critical of players that have lower grades or at least be more specific as to why they rate so low and what they need to work on to improve the grade substantialy. Also I think you give to much emphasis in this projectabilty factor which is highly subjective.

Here is a good example of what I am talking about. You rate a kid named ==deleted by moderator== an 8.5 at the ==deleted by moderator== showcase. I am sure He could be a fine ballplayer but after seeing his video his pitching mechanics are horrible. How can you rate this kid 8.5 at this time with that horrible finish he has pitching?In your review you mention that he needs to use his legs better but that is a severe understatement IMHO.

You never answered my question as to how many of these boys actually end up playing D 1 ball? If the average boy rates say 7.5 how many of those types really move up to the D 1 level. I bet it's not that many and probably you need to rate an 8.5 or 9 to be seriously considered to play at that level.Please give me your real world experience as to what it takes on average to rate to get to be a D 1 player?

Mr. Darkmoon,

I am aware of PG's history and track record. I would like to know yours. You mention a young player (by name) and are critical of his pitching mechanics. I would like to know your coaching, scouting, playing background so that I may put your analysis in context. Thanks.

quote:

You never answered my question as to how many of these boys actually end up playing D 1 ball? If the average boy rates say 7.5 how many of those types really move up to the D 1 level.

Moonie,

Since you are so fascinated, why don't you do the math and get back to us. BTW PG is rating future potential, at the time of the showcase, not actually predicting the future. There is a difference.

If I read between the lines, your son got the low grade, based on your opinion?

Darkmoon,

It’s not about how many actually end up playing DI, DII or Juco. The grade is what "we" believe their potential is. Also there are several different levels of DI.

You might notice the definition for the very top level, you will see it is at least a “9” or “10”!!!! I believe every “10” we ever given is a top 20 colleges in the country candidate.

Many players we rank an 8.5 also end up at these schools. Others do not, but we feel they had that potential.

You display a complete lack of class when you negatively post a players name. Your basically telling us that we should make the same negative comments about young players for the general public to read free of charge (as you have). We disagree and college recruiters and pro scouts have told us many times… That they understand and can follow everything! I’m at a loss as to why this is such an important issue to YOU!

I don’t mind answering “polite” questions, but would rather do it via email. Your comments and questions are not very polite or respectful. If you really are so interested please contact me and you might end up with a better understanding.

Regarding the player you mentioned and the video clip. We don’t do the video clips and in this case it was this players first warmup pitch. We get gun readings on every pitch including warmup. The pitch you are watching is a 59 mph fastball. This player has two clips… look at the other one and see if it looks different. This is a 15 year old kid who throws 82-83 with control of 3 fairly good pitches. He’s also very athletic and a good MIF and plays hard. We feel he shows DI “potential”… Whether that actually ends up happening is up to him. Remember… He is 15 years old at the time of those events! If we see him in two years and he’s the same player, his grade would be lower.

About Florida, California and Texas… Everyone knows that those states are the top 3 in number of baseball prospects. But one would have to have his head in the sand, to not realize the “very best” are likely to come from anywhere. When looking at one individual, it makes no difference if he comes from those three states, another state, or from the most northern state. Talent is talent and it’s all over the place.

Here’s about 70 players who were selected in last year’s first three rounds and where they went to high school. You'll have to look it up yourself if you don't believe it.

1st round
#1 pick from Virginia
#2 pick from Nebraska
#3 pick from Iowa
#4 pick from Virginia
#9 pick from Kansas
#10 pick from North Carolina
#13 pick from Virginia
#14 pick from Oregon
#17 pick from Oklahoma
#18 pick from Illinois
#19 pick from Missouri
#20 pick from Utah
#21 pick from Oregon
#24 pick from Illinois
#26 pick from New York
#27 pick from Kansas
#28 pick from Alabama
#29 pick from Louisiana
#31 pick from Massachsetts
#32 pick from Kentucky
#36 pick from Washington
#38 pick from Tennessee
#40 pick from Colorado
#41 pick from Louisiana
#44 pick from Louisiana
#45 pick from Oregon
#47 pick from Illinois

2nd round
#49 Louisiana
#50 Pennsylvania
#51 Puerto Rico
#52 West Virginia
#55 Idaho
#56 North Carolina
#57 Georgia
#59 Kentucky
#60 Arkansas
#61 Pennsylvania
#62 Mississippi
#64 North Carolina
#65 Pennsylvania
#66 Colorado
#68 Arizona
#71 Georgia
#73 South Carolina
#74 Louisiana
#75 Cuba
#76 Washington
#78 Missouri
#79 Nevada

3rd round
#81 North Carolina
#83 Georgia
#84 Nebraska
#85 Virginia
#86 Georgia
#88 Tennessee
#89 Louisiana
#90 Canada
#91 Oklahoma
#92 North Carolina
#93 Maryland
#94 Canada
#95 New York
#96 Georgia
#97 Ohio
#100 Mississippi
#101 New Jersey
#102 Ohio
#104 Indiana
#105 Tennessee
#109 South Dakota

Darkmoom

I'm going to nit pick here, but it is am important point.

It appears you use the same type of rating system that a lot of parents use - how good players are NOW.

There is nothing wrong with that. If you are good at it, you probably can predict somewhat accurately who gets which awards at the end of the season.

PG on the other hand is rating players on who they predict will be the best players to succeed in college or the pros.

The two methods have some distinct differences.

There will always be a handful of the kids who are the top players at the high school level who simply never make it at the college level.

There will always be a handful of kids who are NOT the top players in high school who end up being the top tier players down the road. There are a variety of reasons for both.

Predicting kids who have already hit their stride and topped out, or kids who are late bloomers is part of the process of predicting potential.

When you see ratings based on future potential you should EXPECT to occasionaly see a better player NOW rated lower than one predicated to be better LATER.

If you DON'T see this - then you have someone simply rating high school players - not rating potential college players.

Tiny, but distinct difference.

I am putting my question to rest by attending the PA Indoor Showcase on January 7th.

This type of thread is one of my least favorite, because it's tough to decide what to do about it.

It's easy to decide to delete the player's name which was inappropriately included in darkmoon's post. But it's difficult to know whether to add my own comments on the topic, consider deleting some other comments, or even lock a thread.

I think the vast majority of players, parents and coaches who have actually attended a Perfect Game event understand that PG is simply the best at what they do. Obviously, MLB teams and major colleges feel the same way, as they keep scouting the events and reading the player reports.

I have heard of instances where PG went out of their way to answer questions about a report from the actual player or parent involved. When my son attended a smaller PG event a few years ago, one of their scouts/raters with professional baseball experience actually called my son on the phone after the event to discuss some of the items he planned to include in his report. But I can't imagine why a parent who admits here that they've never been involved in a PG event, would think that PGStaff is obligated to address a laundry list of demands here in this forum.

I highly value the baseball experience and insights that PGStaff shares with us here - they are the best!

quote:

Originally posted by darkmoon:


How many of the kids that you review actually play D1 ball? It seems to me that you have too many boys rated for D 1 ball than is possible and the ratings for the kids in the north and other places are too high in comparison to the better talent in California, Floida, Texas ,ect.

........

Darkmoon,

The ultimate judge of top talent in the USA is MLB - and the early rounds of the draft will lead you to the cream of the crop.

As I said before - you seem sadly misinformed.
You need to do your homework before making statements that are false.

All too often we get folks on here that state opinion as fact.

Then, when the facts are revealed - they look foolish. (or worse)

Welcome to the club.

Do you still think I am - how did you say - "on drugs"?

I have said this before but I think it bears repeating. My son never attended a Perfect Game event so I have nothing to gain one way or the other. Good grief! Listen to what PGStaff says:

quote:

The worst possible advice that anyone could give you is that you should “Worry about these ratings”! Good players don’t spend there time worrying about ratings, they just go out and do their thing. It’s a lot more fun that way.

The REAL benefit gained from showcasing is not the grade or the ranking a player receives from the showcase but the impression made upon the coaches and the scouts (maybe just one coach). But even that becomes irrelevant once a player walks on the field as a college player or begins a professional career in baseball. So maybe the real question might be: “Do coaches and scouts sign players based on a showcase rating”? NO! Of course they don’t. Let’s give coaches and scouts a little more credit than that. Just as large corporations don’t hire using college GPAs of prospective employees, coaches don’t recruit by showcase evaluations.
Having said that I will admit PG is amazingly accurate in their assessment of talent and GPA’s are usually good indicators of information retained by students, but both are just small pieces of two very large puzzles.

Remember, the important thing is NOT that everyone THINKS you're good ... The important thing is that you ARE good!
Fungo

Fungo I know it was said that I don’t particularly enjoy spending a lot of time on the Showcase forum. However, Got to say, your last word of advise is extremely important.

quote:

Remember, the important thing is NOT that everyone THINKS you're good ... The important thing is that you ARE good!
Fungo

We get along great with college coaches and MLB scouting departments. And they all know our major interest is in the players, not the college or the MLB club. I think they appreciate that!

I once had a parent tell me that we’ve ruined his son’s baseball career. Of course, that was not true, but it really hurts bad to hear things like that. One thing I know for sure… We are not capable of ruining someone’s baseball career. And for sure it is NEVER going to be our intent to do so, even if we could.

Wish more people would understand what you are saying in that last statement.

quote:
Remember, the important thing is NOT that everyone THINKS you're good ... The important thing is that you ARE good!
Fungo

A great statement from that old fogie, highly and regarded and beloved old timer and fungomaster

Darkmoon,

The ultimate judge of top talent in the USA is MLB - and the early rounds of the draft will lead you to the cream of the crop.

As I said before - you seem sadly misinformed.
You need to do your homework before making statements that are false.

All too often we get folks on here that state opinion as fact.

Then, when the facts are revealed - they look foolish. (or worse)

Welcome to the club.

Do you still think I am - how did you say - "on drugs[/quote]


Itsinthegame,

Actually its you who need to do the homework. In the 2005 draft in the first 10 rounds their were 95 high school kids drafted of which 53 came from either California, Florida or Texas. In 2004 their were 83 high school kids drafted in the first 10 rounds and 43 came from either California, Florida or Texas.In 2005 the big three border states of Arizona,Georgia and Louisiana had 12 high school kids drafted and in 2004 they had 11.

The north states of Maine, New Hampshire,Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin didn't fair nearly that well. With a population base of over 120,000,000 million people they produced 10 high players drafted in 2005 and 12 in 2004.California, Texas and Florida have a population base of about 74,000,000

In the college ranks about 45 percent of the college players drafted in the first 10 rounds came from schools in either California, Texas or Florida.If you look at the national rankings the big three along with the southern and western schools produce almost all the top 40 year after year. Schools like Texas, Texas A&M, Rice,Baylor,TCU,Texas Tech, Miami, Florida, Florida State, USC, Stanford,Cal State Fullerton,Cal Poly, Pepperdine, Long Beach State, Georgia Tech,Tulane, LSU,Arizona State, Arizona,Alabama, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee,North Carolina, North Carolina State, Clemson,Coastal Carolina, **** Roberts,South Carolina,Oregon State and many others fill the top forty year after year.You rarely see a northern school or 2 in the top forty.I think Notre Dame was the only one in the population base a pointed out before.

It would be foolish of you to continue to believe that the north can compete with California, Florida or Texas at the high school or college level.They would crush the northern teams most of the time as the depth of talent is so much stronger in the big three as well as the south and west.

PS. You must be on drugs to think otherwise,,,,,,,,,,,,,

DARKMOON

What is your point or are you just another disgruntled parent ?/

Another point to keep in mind--- talent of a player can be in the eye of the beholder. Let me use my son as an example-- at the first and only "showcase" he attended he was told by a number of coaches that he was not a Division I player. The following fall he was at a major Division I program in the Southwest. The idea of a showcase is just that--to showcase your skills for a number of schools and coaches--some are not going to like what they see and others will--but that determination cannot be made unless you get out on the field