Pro-Tryouts

Catcher41,

I'm not sure, but the age limit, if there is one, might be 16.

But, its a long time until you would be eligible to sign a professional baseball contract, when you are 18 at the earliest.

The good news is that professional baseball scouts and college recruiters traverse the country searching for talented baseball players.

It is not necessary for you to attend a professional baseball camp tryout especially at 15.

At those tryouts they would measure your time in the sixty, determine your arm strength or throwing capability from the outfield, to second, from third, or from the mound, depending on your position and watch you swing a bat.

Very few baseball players are actually signed from a try out camp.

At 15, you should review the timeline for baseball athletes referred to on the home page of this website.

The timeline will show you the best place for a 15 year old to start.

You should concentrate your baseball efforts on your summer team and playing high school baseball.

When you have time read the other articles about what professional scouts look for and on college recruiting.

Good luck to you.

-Observer
Thanks for taking the time to read what I wrote and reply to me. I really appraciate it. So really, at 15, all I should do is workout and develope my skills before trying to get anyone to notice me. Well, thanks for replying to me. I really appraciate it.
Kevin

catcher41 i took my son to one last summer (he was 15) i asked if it was alright and the scout said go ahead and bring him. all he did was pitch and he did that very well. as a result of that tryout he has recieved 2 letters from d1 school. the scout must have told them about him thats what i think. never to early i guess.

Catcher41,

As ghoti has said, it's never too early. I know of a guy who started going when he was 15-16 and they saw something in him and kept tabs on him and now he's a pitcher for Colorado (Jeff Francis). (it's just the same as pre-high schoolers attending PG events, in my mind)

At the very least going to a tryout will give you experience of performing infront of MLB scouts, it will get your name out early, could possibly get letters from schools, as said by ghoti.

The points that FO brought up though are indeed what you should be doing at age 15, deffinately use the Timeline it is a great assest along with the forums.

Going off to a MLB tryout can't hurt. If anything it's going to open your eyes up.

Go For It!

Just a response...

My son has asked me every year to take him to an MLB tryout and I have refused.

It can work to his benefit and work angainst him also.

If your son, is a stud at an early age it may be of some benefit to allow a scout to see your son, but if he is a late bloomer it could work to his detriment, and have potential negative psychological impact on his confidence.

Instead of the MLB tryout we went with Bob Williams' Goodwill Series (founder of Area Code games) because Bob has a long term view of talent and he understood and could see the potential there with my son. but he and I both knew that my son wasn't ready but the experience of international baseball would help him develop more confidence and help him mature as a pitcher. My son's coach with the Brewers was a MLB scout and he told my son what he needed to know. To this day I have no idea what he told my son, but my son came back from Australia with a new work ethic.

Now my son is 19 and his manhood both physically and pschologically is more evident and his pitching is much more consistently excellent. Most of all his attitude has changed to become more serious about his discipline in his workout, mechanics, etc.

Until all of those things fit together, IMO it is a waste of time to tryout at an MLB open tryout.

Alright, thanks for the advice everyone. It looks like I am going to have to do some thinking here before I make any decisions. Getting to what ramrod said, I have a teacher in school he taught us a lession on this thing called cybernetics. I guess it is, basically, psychology. From what ramrod said, if I try-out and my skills arn't devoloped enough it could hert my psychologically? I think I'm going to wait untill I play a few games next year, and we'll see what happens. From what I understand, from FormerObserver's profile, it sounds like he is or was a scout. I don't know, I have some conflicting advice here. I try to work it out as best I can. Thanks for responding everyone. It sounds like all of you have a lot of knowledge of the game so if I have anymore questions I will be sure to post them here. Thanks
Kevin

Catcher41 You have a PM!

latrobe, ya have to be 15 yrs -
so if you get a chance go -
get thru the workout, observe, listen, & learn from other players/coaches & don't give it a second thought - you'll surely get SOMETHING out of it - they DO realize you're 15

some folks here tend to think too much - not me


.

My son went to his first pro try out at 15 (NYMOM son was also there)He was physically much smaller than the other players,but he recieved a lot of positive feedback. Scouts are good guys and if you have any talent they will see it and follow you.
You could be invited to play on a scout team or can use the scout as a reference to attend a showcase and its great way to get the butterflies out before you do attend a showcase.
Go and show off

btw
ARRIVE EARLY - stretch & warm up propperly, look like a ballplayer, & come properly equipped
you'll have an edge on 80% plus of the others


.

Who can tell me where the pro try outs are held and when....I looked at MLB but really did not find much. Interested in the Mets, Marlins and Cardinals....

If there is an updated site that would be great. I went to the MLB Souting Bureau and there was nothing really updated.

I read a post about a pro tryout a while back, where the first thing pitchers did was raise their hands if they threw 85 mph or faster. If they did not say they could throw 85, they were dismissed without throwing a single pitch. It sounded like this was applied for all ages. Has anyone else had the same experience?

PitchDad - My son has done a couple of these try-outs and one was done on this premise. However, they didn't ask the players. They gunned them theirselves to determine velocity. I don't think you'll find any tryout where they'll take a kid's word or that of a parent.

If you look on MLB, there is a tryout place to log in. Also, individual clubs often have this information on their site. Also, if you live around scouts, they will sometimes run the tryouts in your area and they can provide information on dates, invites or open, etc. Most of the open tryouts are in the summer months. I would doubt that there's been more than a handful of kids actually drafted from a tryout (handful might be generous). But, they can provide a great forum to see how your son compares, give him some experience in "performing", as well as some exposure as the scouts do have contacts at schools and will make recommendations.

lafmom,

> > I don't think you'll find any tryout where they'll take a kid's word or that of a parent. < <
Right, maybe they figured that asking who didn't think they threw 85 would weed out the ones who didn't throw 75. It sounded odd that a question would be the first test for pitchers instead of seeing them pitch. But that was just a comment I read quite a while ago.

Thanks for the information you provided.

PtichDad - It wouldn't be as bad as asking the parents though! You might have a stadium full of kids that can suddenly throw 90!

Son, the more you can put yourself on the stage the better off you are. As noted above nothing but good can come from it as they will know you are just a 15 year old player. If you do well you are on the radar screen if th you a tough workout, well, they realize you are 15 but if you show just merely some tools that project you are on your way

It will give you a great feel as to what is ahead of you and how hard you will have to work to get where you want,

Keep in mind that any exposure is good PROVIDED YOU ARE IN BASEBALL SHAPE WHEN YOU ATTEND

A 15 y/o pitcher that throws at around 85 mph is a 3/4. I could see someone taking their son like that for an evaluation.

My son at 15-16 was a 2/4 but is probably a 3/5 now and I wouldn't take him to a MLB tryout. Because for me it's never been about velocity at that young age. It's about command and control. Velocity is the least important aspect of pitching at a young age though it is "important" no doubt. But just coming out of puberty IMO is not the time to MLB a kid.

I think the movie "Rookie" pretty much tells it the way things really are for a pitcher. When my son gets to a 3/6 velocity level, then IMO he should go to a MLB tryout.

Until then IMO he is a pretty good college pitcher and may mature into something worth looking at the next season if he does "really" well.


http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/pro-scouting/rating_system.htm

rr, to each their own

many young kids ARE drafted out of hs based on a mix of where they currently ARE & what they COULD become

I'd favor just taking opprtunities as they come along vs over-thinking a strategy and attempting to "manage" a career path that may or may not ever fall into place

jmo


.

RR
The original post was by a postion player not a pitcher

I took my 15 yo to a MLB tryout in Dell Rapids, SD this past summer. (It was the only one anywhere close, that permitted 15 yo's and matched our schedule.) Five different MLB teams and at least 2-3 local colleges were represented. The scout who was running it was very, very funny - it was worth attending just to watch him and listen to him. (BTW - only some individual clubs permit 15 yo, the MLB Scouting Bureau permits 16 yo's.)

While my son isn't anywhere near MLB level - we wanted to get a feel for how much he had improved since a 15U PG showcase in the spring. Plus, wanted to give him another opportunity to see and experience pro-style tryouts. And see what he needed to keep working on.

So what did my son get out of this experience? First, he was able to see that he had improved his 60 time as well as his pitching velocity. (Great for his ego.) Second, at least three of the MLB scouts in attendance gave him pitching/fielding tips that he is still using today. (Improved his overall game.) Third, all the MLB scouts were very friendly and as he talked to them through out the day, he received loads of encourgement. (Showed him that scouts are just like regular people.)Finally, his name is now in the databases for at least 5 teams and a couple of local colleges- and who knows who these scouts will talk to in the future.

So for us - attendence was very beneficial.

Wow,
I actually learned something today, I was not aware of younger players going to MLB tryouts.

I say go for it. Great exposure and you never know who may be watching.

First, there are different levels of pro tryouts/workouts. It can be as simple as a single scout calling a couple of high school coaches to work out some boys from just a few high schools on a local high school field to multiple scouts from more than one club combining their efforts, or it can be well organized by a particular club's scouts and scouting director and can be by invitation only (or recommendation) and draw players from many different states and held in minor or MLB parks.
I agree with most here...lafmom, TRHit and Bee. My son started when he was a freshman in high school. Nobody ever told me there was an age requirement. Like BEE sez, get there early and stretch out, get loose, and dress appropriately. Most of the time these tryouts are listed in the info section of the local newspaper or the scout will contact the local baseball people (coaches and instructors) to get the message out.

Busch Stadium, one of the places my son worked out as a junior in high school will be destroyed today.

Fungo, I didn't realize today was the day. Michael's team played their second game in Busch Stadium this fall. He scored his first college run in that ballpark which will always be a special memory. Also, made his first college error which I'm sure will also always be remembered!

The club formally announced the demolition date for the old ballpark on Friday, and it's coming soon. On Monday at 3 p.m. CT, crews will take a wrecking ball to the façade of old Busch, beginning a process that is expected to take 60 days -- and that is necessary in order for new Busch Stadium to be completed.

If there is one nearby, you should go for it. It is exposure and they are free. The dates for the Scouting Bureau tryouts are usually posted on MLB in April.

Now that I remember, our area MLB scout had something, he called it a MLB "camp" but son didn't attend as he was headed out of town on an official visit.
Whatever it is, I say go for it.

My son started going to MLB camps at 15. It is a waste of time even though they are free. The scouts see all kinds of 15 yr olds throwing 85.
If you go it is for fun and if you are in a heavily attended camp your son will be pushed through the camp because they are interested in the draft ready players.
It is even worse for a position player unless you luckout and are the only one there for that position. If you are lucky they will rotate you through the position with the other players but they don't waste time on a 15 yr old in general.
There are so many things that can affect a players future including girls injury and lost interest.. In our camps they tend to put a 16yr old floor on the attendance. If the camp is large the scouts will focus on the older players.

I have taken my son to approx 20 MLB camps. He tops out at 84 on a good day and generally throws 78-82 in a game situation. I am always honest with coaches and scouts. One time I listened to scouts talking about a guy who said he hit 90 and he was only throwing 84 that day. What they were saying about the kid was not polite. They wrote him off. They felt he was not honest and wasted their time.
I have been to camps with 150 players and some with only 40. The one with 150 had 5-6 guys running 90+. My son got up and threw beautifully and got a mere glance at the gun speeds from yje scouts. I believe he was at 82.
Another came he was kept back with 5 other pitchers to throw against a few batters. Hewas 17 the next yougest was 20. He went on the mound and was throwing 84. The 5 scouts were hundled behind the backstop wispering as each pitcher threw. When my son threw the one scout blurts out "where is this kid from?" He was put on there prospect list but has never heard from them. He is on the prospet list of 5-6 teams mostly from games in big tournaments. The camps are good but I have seen only a few guys drafted from them. Mostly pitchers throwing high 80s and 90+. It dosen't even matter if they get people out.
I know lots of guys who hit 85 one day and 80 the next. I don't know if it is the gun or the atmosphere or how they feel on a given day.

Exposure is Exposure, no matter what you are attending... I never attended an MLB camp until I was 18.

But when I was 15 I went to my first Professional League try-out for the London Werewolves (Frontier League), around 30 guys there, me being the youngest by far. I didn't get pushed through as Bobble suggests, in fact I sparked interest, and that's when the ball really got rolling for me. But enough about me since I'm sure many people will say well ya but that wasn't an MLB try-out.

Perfect Example, and Walt Burrows (Canadian Supervisor for the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau) tells this story to every camp he runs. It really stuck with me when he told it. He told us the story of Jeff Francis.

Walt says to us, if you think all we care about is velo at the present time for pitcher's you're wrong, you don't need to be throwing 90+ today to get our atention. When they first saw Jeff Francis in BC he was 15/16, a small skinny kid, no velo at all, topped out at 78, but mainly cruised 74-76, a decent curve and a straight change, but he could change speeds and locate his pitches.

Does that sound like a MLB prospect? Not at all. But ya know what we looked at him just the same way we looked at everyone there that day, and there was something about him, you could tell that he projected. So we kept tabs on him, we followed him throughout highschool, and then through College. Every year we saw him he got better and better.

Finally someone decided to take a chance on him (Colorado) and look what he's done, named the Top Prospect in all of MLB and now has cracked the starting rotation, and he doesn't throw all that hard, he hits his spots, changes speeds and has control of his pitches.

He continues to tell us that if you're a young guy here, just go out do what you can do and don't worry about not getting signed after the workout, you're young and this is just the start. That attending is great because it allows for them to see you and get you on their radar.

Exposure is Exposure, no matter how young or old you are. As a younger guy, you're cieling is obviously much higher then that of a guy around his draft year. As a lot of PG reports says about young players;

"It's hard to evaluate such a young player who should develop a lot over the next few years. He does look like a very good young player, but we can't grade him yet. We look forward to watching him progress."-On an '09' in 2004

"He could end up throwing very hard as he grows older. Keep a close eye out for him. He's too young for an accurate grade or we'd give him at least an 8. With a very bright baseball future."-On an '09' in 2004

"We can't give him an accurate grade yet because of his age and size. If we had to grade him we'd give him an 8 for now.Only an "07" he needs to be followed closely. He could develop into a special player." On an '07' in 2004

Were any of these kids standouts at the event? Nope, they just went for the exposure and to see what the talent level is like at HS and beyond.

As TR said- "Keep in mind that any exposure is good"

Odds are you won't get signed right from that particular camp, especially when it's an Open Try-out camp. But getting put on their radar helps. When I went to my MLB camp workout, they were only interested in one pitcher there because they told him to go to it, the rest of us they watched, took notes, but that was it. But from that I got invited to a private workout. Going helps no matter what, you're getting exposure and experience. You might get put on some lists you might not, and even if you get put on some list, that might be as far as you go for whatever reason.

You've got nothing to loose by going to them, they may write you off, but if you go back and show improvement you may just spark some interest.

JMO

I had a kid who plays for me who went to a pro open tryout and lasted an hour. He said he really learned a lot from the experiance. He's a middle infielder.

I heard some announcers talking on a MLB games one night. They were talking about a conversation they had with the head scout one team, I can't remember now which. He told them that he has standing instruction that if the kid can't throw 90+, don't even call him.

Hey thanks for replying guys, but, I'm a catcher not a pitcher. All the stories I'm hearing are about pitchers. Pitchers get looked at differently than catchers. Don't get me wrong though, I really like that all of are replying to me and I enjoy reading the stories about you or your kids. I just want to know as a catcher is it good to go to ANY kind of try-out camp. Trhit and FormerObserver, you guys sound very knowledgeable of the game and I appraciate the comments you left me. But, hey, I just want to say thanks to all of you for responding to a 15 year old kid from Western Pennsylvania. lol Thanks guys.
Kevin

Sorry Cather41 but I got to respond to my fellow Canadian Doc. The truth is that I know personally almost every scout that comes to Canada. Our team hosted a mojor amount of the MLB camps. I guess they like the toiletes in the dugouts.
Obrady is correct for righty. You aint throwing 90+ and 6'4" your toast. I can't remember the year but SI ran the story. Direct orders from the majority of the head offices. Leftys got it a lot better.
Jeff Francis was hitting 80 and was turned down by every US college and went to UBC. He was at 90 when he was drafted. Ask Walt how many camps Jeff was invited to. Another guy that played NCAA D1 barely broke 80 when he was in his junior year when he was drafted and went 7-2 in single A. He was just released due to a helth issue and is playing in the Frontier Legue.
Yes Walt will keep an eye on people like jeff who is 6'5" lefty but he was not a draft pick out of HS. Easy to see talent after 4 years of successful college ball. My son is very much like Jeff but just started using weights about 11 months ago. He is followed but not chased no matter how many shutouts or Ks. When he hits 84-83 and there are not a lot of hard throwers around they pay attention.
If you are 15 at a busy camp you will not get a lot of time to show your stuff because they have to put all the players through their paces. Pitchers have numbered 70 in some of these camps and they will not waste time on a young player because they have to get through all the players. They often put the ones their interested in in 1st and then the scouts statt to leave. The last camp we went to was small. My son got to throw on the mound and hit 82. Pitched 2 innings. Grounded out 3 batters in the 1st inning and struckout 3 in the 2nd. He faced college players and a couple of single A guys. No base runners. There were pitchers there from Wake Forest and several othe colleges. He was the only one who didn't allow a base runner and got very little attention. The head scout who ran the camp saw my son trash his Elite team with 8 Ks in 3 innings bach in early spring. You would think that might create some interest. I bet if he w3alked 8 but hit 90 some scouts would come running. Oh yes they all give him cards to fill out. I am sure Jeff had cards to fill out.
I once had lunch witha Mets scout from Quebec and I asked him why they weren't drooling over my son and he said make sure he keeps doing long toss.
One scout saw my son throw 4 back to back complete game shutouts. One was a 15 K no hitter. He was 16 playing 19U Elite ball. Would you not think that would get a rise from the scout. He did card him but nothing since.
Yes it is exposure but how good is it. You are better to spend your time on skill training and make sure that you are doing it right. If they have 6 catchers and you are a 15yr old you may impress but you also are not going to get a lot of attention if it is a busy camp.

everyone seems to have had a little something different happen. my 15 yr. old was the next to last one to throw the scout wasn't even looking at him when he started he was talking to some other scouts/coaches. after he heard the 1st pitch hit the glove he grabed the radar gun after a few more throws he stopped him and ask him a dozen ????. he went on to throw more pitches than anyone there. but he is a lefty and i know that helps. i still say go for it.

I go to MLB camps even without my son. The hand ful of kids that get signed is very small.
How hard was he throwing ?
I have seen 15-16 year olds throwing 92 $ years ago the Detroit Cobras had a kid thowing 92 at 16U. Their coach pitched for the Detroit Tigers for 14 years.
I have seen guys like Jamal Joseph go to the US and got no interest. Came back to Canada and got signed by the Royals right on the spot (92MPH). It was a Royal camp and believe me they were so busy tripping over this guy they did't see anyone else.
I was at one college camp and a big RHP throwing 90 walked several batters in his 1st inning. My son went out and faced bases loaded no outs. He took the side down and the big righty had college coaches dripping off him. This guy I know well and have never seen him go past the 2nd inning. 0 control.
Until you are atleast 16 these camps are a waste of time. Most of the young guys are at the last and generally most of the scouts have migated. I don't know why the smack of a ball in the glove would get his attention.

Bobble,

All I'm saying is that going helps give you exposure and experience...

'you may impress but you also are not going to get a lot of attention if it is a busy camp'

->Nevertheless you impressed them, they will obviously watch and follow you to see what you do during the HS and College careers you have. They'll know how young you are.

'Yes it is exposure but how good is it. You are better to spend your time on skill training and make sure that you are doing it right'

->It'd be like not going off to a Showcase, it's ultimately the same thing, you're performing in front of people to evaluate your skills. Only difference is MLB is strictly MLB, looking for "The Best Of The Best". Showcases give you exposure to MLB, Colleges, Summer Teams. The old addage if you're good they'll find you, doesn't exactly apply to everyone.

Yes there are different rules for Righties vs Lefties.

Righties deffinately have to be throwing some gas, or project to throw hard. My buddy is a RHP, now a College Freshman at a JUCO around 6'0" 195 lbs. only throws about as hard as your son (maybe a little harder), but projects better then most who throw in that range. He's had scouts talking to him since he was 13, was told he could be taken in the second day, later rounds of the draft this year, but wasn't. They also told him that 4 years of College would be better then getting drafted. Got another buddy whoose throwing 93 is around 5'10" 5'11" 180-195 lbs. an is only a Junior in HS, he's being followed but not 'chased', never attended an MLB camp.

I agree that yea Walt would follow Jeff being 6'5", I know Jeff couldn't get any schollys and barely got invites to camps and settled on UBC (still a pretty fine school, the best Baseball School in Canada according to many), and it was only after he went off to College and had a good career that he got drafted. (Who cares if you get drafted out of Highschool or out of College? Point is you got Drafted.) The point is still made, they followed him all through out Highschool and College.

You know, just by reading your posts it seems to me you're rather bitter about your son not getting 'chased' by any MLB teams.

You think I haven't went out there and dealt some serious games, and not gotten any attention, or been 'chased' by scouts? Yeah it hurts, but it's part of the business.

A guy I played with at the time (RHP) threw 85-87, was pitching when Pat Gillick came to watch Jamie Romak play during his draft year in HS. My buddy goes out there throws a No-No, Gillick never even raised an eyebrow towards him on the mound. All he cared about was watching Romak.

It happens, guys are always getting overlooked, if anything not being 'chased' should drive oneself to be more determined to go out there and show them that they should of been paying attention to you earlier.

I hope that this post doesn't come across hostile or in a bad tone. I didn't mean for it to, and I tried to make sure that it couldn't come across in a bad manner.

bobble we were at a royals tryout oddly enough he was 15 and throwing 83 (on a stalker) he was throwing easy and smooth. the scout ask what his best velo has been he was told by a coach from la. that they clocked him at 87-88 but we never saw the gun. but the scout was very intrested in working with him at some point this coming year i guess we'll see.

Doc_K_Kid | Trhit | Bee | Bobblehead

Just to clarify, the reason I would be reluctant to take my son to a MLB open tryout is exactly what Doc_K_Kid said about the scout's statement unless a pitcher breaks 90+ don't bother.

That's a 5/6 minimum and probably wouldn't blow a scout's skirt up if it isn't a 6/7. My son doesn't do that yet. He's close but is still growing. I think when he is fully grown with his mechanics he should do a 5/6 consistently. Right now his strength is his ability to hit his spots, has a great changeup and changes speeds without any change in his delivery. He has tremendous late movement. He gets people out, but finesse pitcher's are not a high priority for the MLB.

If your son doesn't throw at 90+ don't bother. That's what I was told by several scouts.

I'm not bitter about it, so don't even go there...it's just the way things are and it's up my son to see if he can get there. Otherwise he can join our mortgage business upon graduation.

RR,

To clairfy;

The bitter comment wasn't directed towards you at all.

Also I wasn't the one who said about the scout's statement unless a pitcher breaks 90+ don't bother.

quote:

Originally posted by Doc_K_Kid:
RR,

To clairfy;

The bitter comment wasn't directed towards you at all.

Also I wasn't the one who said about the scout's statement unless a pitcher breaks 90+ don't bother.

***********************************************


Sorry, you misunderstood, my sardonic comment about not being bitter. Like as if we parents have any control over how our kids are given their individual God given talents. What's to be bitter about? It was meant to be tongue-in-cheek.

My comment was about a scout that said to me about my son many years ago when he was 10 y/o "don't bother unless your son throws 90+."

I remembered that and to be honest I'm not so sure trhat when it's all said and done I'm so impressed with the 90+ requirement anyway. After pitching myself through the college level and watching what types of pitches batters have the most trouble with at the MLB level...it isn't a 90+ mph FB. The pitch they have the most trouble with is the changeup thrown behind a good FB. Good means high 80's low 90's. If it's spotted correctly the changeup is pretty effective. Especially if you have a good CB that looks like the chngeup and moves late in the opposite direction.

Now they want a guy who throws batting practice with FB's at 90+. The real pitchers need not apply.