PG Showcase vs PG Tournament?

If your son pitches in the tournament they will record his velocity on his profile but thats it. For a detailed desciption he will have to go to a showcase.

OK! Thanks for the quick reply.  That's good to know.

Sportsdad....That is correct but not necessarily completely accurate.  Every team in every tournament has a scouting blog write up.  Evaluators will write about kids on the teams in the tournament that have caught there eye.  They will describe them as pitchers and hitter, i.e. plate approaches, velocity, etc.  I do agree that for a more complete profile they will need to go to a showcase.

On the outside, we only see the blog postings/references and of course any all tournament mentions.

However, many players (I don't know the percentage, but it is high) receive a more detailed evaluation that is not available to players and parents, and often the player will receive the 1-10 grade for that tournament. As an example, an evaluation for a pitcher will include not only the stats, but qualitative commentary on arm slot, action on pitches, positives and negatives, etc. We will not have this information, but it exists within the PG massive DB.

This is an eval for a single point in time, when that particular PG scout reviews that player at that time.

The advantage of the showcase is that PG will see the player over an extended period of time, and be able to evaluate the player over the course of many mini-events and days. As a result, the evaluation has far more detail.

Have to think that PG, if they're not already, is using Big Data analytics with predictive tools to provide its collegiate and pro scouts with even greater insight.

Joe,

Those are fairly accurate statements. However, we don't place a grade on the tournament players.  It's just impossible to grade unless you actually see every specific skill.  We do see that at the showcases.

It's interesting that you brought up additional information that MLB scouting departments and college coaches are able to get.  That is true!

I would think for some players you get a much better look at their skills than you would in a showcase, and that for others you wouldn't get much of a look at all.

JCG,

We do see things in the tournaments that don't show up in the showcases.  These are usually additional things, temperament, competitiveness, toughness, etc.

However, when it comes to a players skill set we see pretty much everything at a showcase and hardly ever see it all during a tournament.

PG you have a PM from me, on a separate situation.

New to this and my son is 2017 , Perfect Game starts this info on boys 

at what age for Tournaments .?? even Qualifiers ? 

We are playing in mid Atlantic Qualifier in 2 weeks ? 

Thanks

steve

What if a kid plays in 3 tourneys over summer?Would the above still hold true?

Anyone who knows anything about baseball knows that the only way to see how a player plays is by playing games.Consistency cannot be seen in a showcase.Many kids have good tools but I want to see the kids consistency,and more important his 5th  and 6th tools ,which are more important. Awareness and instinct cannot be taught and those kids are the players. Showcases are for money games are important.

This cannot be more inaccurate.Noone can predict a players growth,ability or more important,the decicion making process.Every kid grows and matures at different rates.The problem with starting a database on a kid at a early age risks the biggest downfall of all players,Labeling  is the biggest attempt by scouts to get a jump on kids talents.However if you receive a bad lable and you grow and become better well,that lable sticks in baseball and you can never change it.Thats why marketing kids at an early stage can be a mistake.Also many showcases employ wannabe baseball enthusiast  with very little knowledge on how to recognize and rate a player.These people can again provide misinformation about your player and create a lable.

The PG DB has already started for the 2017s, and this summer for the 2018s (see the 14U events). If it's a PG event, PG is writing notes.

Fascinating post.

Well my 2016 is anxious to be evaluated at a PG showcase. We requested an invitation on the PG website for the Jun 9-11 Junior National Showcase. 

I feel completely clueless as to if this the right showcase for him, if we are supposed to do anything else, etc. 

i have been here reading and learning for quite some time now so thank you to all who take the time to share your wealth of knowledge on this exciting and intimidating journey!

I watched a kid one time 3 games over a 2 day period and he never had a ball hit to him. As soon as he left SS and went to LF there were 2 double play balls hit to short. Pretty good pitching kept the ball on the right side. The same could happen at other events too and I'm sure it does. But at a PG showcase you can get a few grounder's to a kid that drove 200 miles, you at least get to see him with a ball in his hand and see if he can throw across the field and look somewhat athletic.

I have it on good source that the scouts at each game (they're up in the booth) evaluate EVERYTHING, including warm ups before the game and before each inning. They look at the IFs footwork, arm angle, hand quickness, etc.

Never let an opportunity pass by: odds are someone is watching.

I find this post extremely ironic given the fact that in another thread, you directly marketed the success of a travel team full of young players, citing experience at an event organized by the same organization being discussed in this thread. http://community.hsbaseballweb...elk-baseball-houston

JAM3,

Since your son has not participated in a Perfect Game showcase yet you may want to consider their Sunshine NorthEast event.It appears that you live in NY and this PG showcase is closer to your home and is a very good one for your son to get his feet wet.My son's first and only PG event was the 2012 Sunshine West showcase.Very well run and the scouting report they gave was accurate.Once your son plays in the Sunshine East showcase he'll probably be invited to more PG events in the future.

Good Luck !

Thanks so much for your reply. It appears that yes, I am clueless. I see now that the Sunshine Series is the last chance to receive an invite to the National showcase in June. I had not looked at the Sunshine series descriptions because my son's team is playing in a Super 25 tournament that weekend. I will find out if the August underclass showcase is a possibility. Again, thanks for your reply.

Both the tournament games and the showcases provide valuable information that helps accurately evaluate a player.  BTW, the showcases do play games, it's just that winning these games doesn't mean much of anything.

i don't think it is possible to fully evaluate a player without seeing everything.  Not to mention certain things need to be documented for scouting purposes.  Running times, pop times, velocities, etc.  Batting practice is very important For grading purposes.

Projection is the #1 most important thing in scouting.  No matter how good someone is, you still need to project his ceiling.  As far as gathering information on young kids, it actually becomes very important.  It actually provides another way to project.  Two high school seniors both throwing 93 mph.  Pitcher A was throwing 92 as a sophomore, 93 as a junior, and 93 as a senior.  Pitcher B was throwing 84 as a sophomore, 89 as a junior, and 93 as a senior.  Which of these two pitchers would you predict will end up throwing better yet?  Sometimes the players history tells us a lot.

Also regarding labels!  Guess I don't understand that at all.  We have had players go from being graded a 6 the first time to being a 10 a year or two later.  Baseball doesn't end because of a label!  You keep playing and keep getting better and better.  Soon you have a brand new label! Even then that label can change as you move up the ladder.

PGStaff, sent you a dialog/ PM.

 I have seen kids of all skill levels benefit from the PG events in one way or the other. I don't talk to very many scouts, but a very well known scout/adviser recently mentioned PG as an avenue for kid's that wanted to continue playing after HS. He was pushing college in everything he said.

I find this post extremely ironic given the fact that in another thread, you directly marketed the success of a travel team full of young players, citing experience at an event organized by the same organization being discussed in this thread. http://community.hsbaseballweb...elk-baseball-houston

If you were not paying attention,as it is clear you were not,the topic is tournaments vs showcase.

I am glad you made an effort to follow all my other post in different forums.This topic however is Showcases vs tournaments.Read the thread completely first before you make a statement that does not contribute to the conversation.If your intent was to make me look bad by what you thought was unbelievable research, well you screwed that one up.i have noticed though in many of your post you attempt to find a post you did not agree with and try to embarrass that person. What information are you providing?what knowledge or expert advice can you give?what qualifies you to give that advice?People are here for advice or information from those that have experience.If you cannot contribute on a professional level its probably best to just not post.Oh and if you are deeply concerned about my level of profession just simply google my handle.

You're right, I don't contribute to this site in a positive manner much at all. And, I don't have any expertise about players moving on to play at the next level.

I'll politely ask you to follow your own advice here. 

My son is a 2015 signed up for two PG events this summer.  The Sunshine West Showcase in early June.   And the PG/WWBA 18U National Championship in Late June, early July.  We just got his invitation to participate in the Northern California Top Prospect Showcase.  Any advice on whether it is worth the expense to do this THIRD PG event this summer?  Or would we better off doing school specific Prospect Camps?  He did two PG showcases last summer and in early January (in Arizona where  it was freezing cold).  He did alright in the first one, and alight the second day of the first one.  But he's been working hard since.  So we hope he ups his score at the Sunshine West.  Is there any real difference in the bang for your buck you get from a Top Prospect Showcase?  The PG website makes it sound as though  the Top Prospect Showcase is slightly more selective and so slightly more high profile.  But does anybody know if that is true?  Advice welcome.