Does anyone have any info about the PG Top Prospect Games at Maryland in late Sept? Son got an invite. Just another showcase (no offense to PG showcases intended), or something more significant?
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I think the former - we got the invite as well. Also one for a series at Texas A&M. I imagine these are useful if you want to go to Maryland or A&M, but I'm not as sure of the value beyond that.
I think everyone got that invite, beginning to sound a little like Oprah now: You’re a top prospect, you’re a top prospect, you’re a top prospect.! It doesn’t mean anything, just another showcase folks.
But-but-but-- the invite says my son is a "top prospect" and that "only highly ranked players from Perfect Game are invited to this event."
Not to pick on PG, because my son or I regularly get baseball-related offers much like this. But it would be nice if there were less hot air in these marketing pitches. Thank goodness for this board, which has helped me be (at least slightly) realistic.
Everyone does not get those invites, I can confirm that. Not 100% sure of the criteria, but seems like you have to have a Top1000 ranking or better to get one. That's still a ton of kids I'm sure. I checked out that Maryland event roster last year and it looked like almost everyone who went eventually committed. I know the PG showcases at Lakepoint have a ton of kids who will never play college ball, so it does seem like the MD event is more geared to the players who have a better shot of playing in college.
SSBuckeye posted:Everyone does not get those invites, I can confirm that. Not 100% sure of the criteria, but seems like you have to have a Top1000 ranking or better to get one. That's still a ton of kids I'm sure. I checked out that Maryland event roster last year and it looked like almost everyone who went eventually committed. I know the PG showcases at Lakepoint have a ton of kids who will never play college ball, so it does seem like the MD event is more geared to the players who have a better shot of playing in college.
I get why they don't do it, but wouldn't it be nice if showcase invites actually said: "We are inviting the top 1,000 prospects in the classes of 2019-2021" or "We are blast emailing every single address we can find that might belong to a HS baseball player"? Alternatively, post a list of college coaches who have committed to attend (as some showcases do)? Getting verified measurables posted online at a PBR, PG or other event is valuable for sure. But I wish we "consumers" could make more informed choices about what we get when we pay to attend a given event.
Last year was the first year of Top Prospect games and there was only one event. We went and I can say there were a lot of coaches there and a lot of talented kids (definitely more than a normal showcase). This year there are at least 4-5 in different states so I think it’s much more diluted. I think the PG events that are exclusive are the National and Jr National and the Underclass and All American games.
I agree--there are so many PG events that son gets invited to, it is hard to know which ones make sense for him (exclusive/honor to be invited) vs. everyone who has ever played in little league gets invited. You can only travel (and spend the money) on so many events a year. I have become a bit cynical in this process and take every invite that tries to make it sound like my son is special as just a marketing ploy. Some will say "you are pre-approved for this event" which seems to indicate there was some selection process used, but I just assume anyone who is willing to write a check is "pre-approved."
BaseballHS--What makes the National/Jr National/Underclass/All American games exclusive? He did get an invite to the National Underclass Showcases (in various locations--FL, TX and AZ) this winter. Should we be taking that one more seriously?
The Jr. National and National events are definitely a more selective invitation. When we went this summer, I think there were 2 sessions and each had about 250 kids. Of those kids 2020 and 2021, at least half were committed to top teams already. I told my son while we were there that a lot of those kids would end up in the majors. First pitcher we faced was a 6'4 225lb lefty throwing 94mph. Masyn Winn was on his team and threw 98 across the infield. My son threw 89mph at the event and was in the 65th percentile. The kids there were all good. There were tons of coaches, everywhere as it was all played at Lake Pointe and all on one side. 2 days, 3 games. The Underclass All American was only about 150 kids for 2020 and 2021 combined. 8 teams of 20, only 2-3 uncommitted kids on each team. My son threw 90 and was in the 73rd percentile for the event and was in the 62nd percentile with an 89mph exit velo. The All American games (rising seniors) are only 50ish kids and there is a draft on tv for the two teams. It is played in San Diego at Petco park. The game is televised an it is a big deal. A lot of the kids that play in that event are drafted. They get custom gloves, shoes, etc. There were big lines to get in the stadium to watch the event. Lots of pro scouts attend. The Underclass All Americans get shirts, pants, shorts, a backpack and tickets to the big boy event.
I tend to think it is easier to stand out at some of the smaller PG events and get your name out there with good measurables. I know my son got invited to the more exclusive ones because he did well at the local one and was able to make the top velo and exit velo lists there. (It's harder to do at the big ones). The National Underclass showcases seem to be just bigger versions of the normal showcases so I would probably go to a showcase that is close and try to stand out there. Just my two cents.
Ok, got it. It's the games that are the more exclusive events over the showcases. Makes sense. We do have a local PG showcase coming up this month. At $650 for the event, we have been putting off a decision because we are not sure how helpful having a PG ranking/scouting report is. We've been focusing our efforts and our money on events where college scouts will be present (either showcases, games or camps).
What year is your son?
2020 
Ha! Guess your screen name says it all I would try PBR, they are cheaper to get measurables and depending on the state, can be very beneficial in recruiting.
No PBR events in the NW, but he did a showcase this summer run by a NW organization and has measurables from that. They post all the stats/videos on their website so you can use it as a recruiting tool, plus college coaches attended the event. Good bang for the buck.
I'm curious, though, how valuable a PG ranking/scouting report is (assuming you get a decent one)? Aside from that, I guess one advantage of doing a PG showcase is that then you are in the pool of players that can get invited to the exclusive PG game events you mentioned.
I think the rankings are good if you can use them or reference them in emails to get a coaches attention. Have you looked to see where your son might fall in your state and nationally?
And yes you have to have attended an event (showcase) to get an invite.
If your goal is exposure, WWBA and similar events are far better than any showcase PG puts on with the exception of the Jr National and National Showcase. I attended the PG All American Classic, and the game had a ton of little kids in attendance. Don’t get me wrong, there were college coaches and pro scouts there looking at “their guys” but PG pushed a lot of tickets out to local youth leagues to put butts in the seats to make it look well attended. There were maybe 2,000 people there, a vast majority under the age of 18.
Remember, if you include the guys ranked 1-500, then top 500, then top 1,000 your really looking at about 3,000 players. That’s a pretty big email list. If my player is on that list and is already committed, and realistically doesn’t have a shot at being drafted out of HS, why go?
You aren’t getting invited to the PG All American unless you are top 150 and most are draft possibilities. They are ALL committed to great schools. It’s not about college commitment at that point.
baseballhs posted:You aren’t getting invited to the PG All American unless you are top 150 and most are draft possibilities. They are ALL committed to great schools. It’s not about college commitment at that point.
Edit: I know you are going to say that it’s about improving draft stock, but let’s be realistic. This event affects about 1/10th of 1% of players. If you are in that group, you likely already know it. And I’ve seen more players go to that event and look bad that who go and impress.
So what isn’t it about then? Ego? If the event is free and it’s about ego, go for it. You won’t catch me spending a penny sending my son to an event for his (or my) ego.
GaryMe posted:baseballhs posted:You aren’t getting invited to the PG All American unless you are top 150 and most are draft possibilities. They are ALL committed to great schools. It’s not about college commitment at that point.
So what isn’t it about then? Ego? If the event is free and it’s about ego, go for it. You won’t catch me spending a penny sending my son to an event for his (or my) ego.
The players that go to the PG All American Game are showcasing themselves for the draft. It has nothing to do with ego. It also has nothing to do with attendance of fans at the game. It is one of the most highly scouted events for the MLB draft.
Draft exposure and it’s a big honor. If my son was ever fortunate enough to be invited, he would be there no doubt. You would do your son a disservice by not attending. I sat on the third row in the area next to the dugout. I assure you there were pro scouts everywhere.