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We have navigated through the recruiting process with our senior, and we learned a ton that will help us with our Sophomore.  I just wanted to share our experience, and what we have found that might help those still in the process:

1. PG Showcases can be really fun, it is a great experience, especially the big ones in Florida.  I would recommend going to a couple of them, we did one to get the feel for it, then went back a month later for another one.  The first one, was really to see what the process was, do your best.  We found the second one was much easier, really just knowing the process.  After those first 2, we just did 1 per year, each fall after the fall season.  We found the big showcases make every else seem small, in a good way.

2. After the first 2 showcases in his sophomore year, he really focused on getting to the college showcases, the ones put on by the colleges themselves.  It seems all of the colleges support each other in their showcases, they all seem to show up as coaches to support the college doing theirs.  We saw 20-30 colleges at these showcases, for each one.  These all seem to run $100-$150, and the college coaches are out there running the showcase with the kids.  Connections were made, college coaches come to games, phone numbers are exchanged, and relationships are built.

3. Get to know the coaches, go watch their games or practices.  If you go to their showcase, they will probably tell everyone they’re welcome back whenever they like.  Find the place the feels like the best fit.  If you’re honest with yourself, you will have a pretty good idea if you can play at that level, or feel you can get there.

4. If you/your kid has the skills, attitude, and you build relationships, the rest just kind of happens naturally.  

5. It’s not to late for seniors… DI is pretty much done, everyone else typically still has spots for the right players/people.  

Some of the showcases we really liked that proved to be beneficial:

1. TN Wesleyan - each player was assigned a college coach that completed a personalized evaluation.  Players and coaches had a ton of interaction.  UT, Belmont, as well as colleges from all levels were there, from a few different states.

2. Walters State - Numerous coaches from colleges, very well run.

3. Tusculum -  Awesome stadium, numerous coaches from colleges, very well run.

4. Carson Newman - Coach Griff and staff are great, numerous coaches, very well run.

5. NetElite Sports - They did this at UT (Lindsay Nelson Stadium), lots of coaches, we know of one guy that committed to UT after that showcase.

A lot of the same coaches attend most of these, so after the first one, the coaches start to know the players by first name, conversations get more in depth, they get to know each other, etc.

I will leave you with this, if you’re still looking for a place to play, there is still time, don’t get anxious, but you need to start, today…

1. Be realistic about your/your sons ability

2. Pick 4-6 colleges.  Have your son call the coach, follow up with an email.  Ask them if they have any opportunities to get in front of them.  They will probably ask for video, your High School coaches number and email address.  Don’t put anything off.

I hope this helps, good luck!

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There are almost as many avenues to the finish line as their are prospects. No one path is right. No one path is wrong. Everyone has to figure out their own path. I want to comment on PG events. Full disclosure, my son did East Cobb, Fort Myers and Cape Cod PG tournaments. He never did a PG showcase. I’m not sure if the Cape Cod event exists anymore.

The level of competition at PG events is great. But PG is not necessary for recruiting. The top shelf studs are going to be found quickly regardless. Most players will play college ball regionally. Regional events are more likely to provide the proper exposure without the distraction of every top shelf stud in the country

The colleges most interested in my son were at the PG events. But they had already “discovered” him in more regional events. I placed discovered in parenthesis because he wasn’t discovered. His travel coaching staff contacted the colleges ahead of time and promoted him as a fit to be evaluated. His travel team coaching staff were his advocates. Outside top shelf studs colleges can’t miss players need advocates.

The more local events he participated required a scout’s recommendation. It didn’t mean he was going to be drafted. It meant he had the potential and was likely a D1 prospect.

What my son got from PG tournaments more than anything was the personal feedback he could hang on the field with anyone.

For anyone that thinks that attending PG events is necessary to get recruited I would encourage you to do this. Spend some time on Twitter and read the comments on this subject. And notice who those comments are from. You may get some balance to your perspective. It’s high time that PG is publicly called out for their business practices.

@adbono posted:

For anyone that thinks that attending PG events is necessary to get recruited I would encourage you to do this. Spend some time on Twitter and read the comments on this subject. And notice who those comments are from. You may get some balance to your perspective. It’s high time that PG is publicly called out for their business practices.

I agree with you that PG is not necessary, but baseball twitter is a dumpster fire.....on all sides. But to your point, you're probably talking about people like Frye who goes hard against all of this, but also has no issue shaming HS and younger kids in his posts when trying to make a point.

@nycdad posted:

I agree with you that PG is not necessary, but baseball twitter is a dumpster fire.....on all sides. But to your point, you're probably talking about people like Frye who goes hard against all of this, but also has no issue shaming HS and younger kids in his posts when trying to make a point.

You have to weed thru a lot of nonsense on baseball Twitter. No doubt about that. But IF you can discern the good from the bad it’s not a waste of time. Frye is very straightforward about his beliefs. Agree or not, at least you know where he stands. He calls out garbage instructors and the over obsession with metrics, so I give him credit for that.

@adbono posted:

You have to weed thru a lot of nonsense on baseball Twitter. No doubt about that. But IF you can discern the good from the bad it’s not a waste of time. Frye is very straightforward about his beliefs. Agree or not, at least you know where he stands. He calls out garbage instructors and the over obsession with metrics, so I give him credit for that.

That is true, and I generally don't feel like he's trying to sell me something.

Table46, welcome to the site, and thanks for posting about your experience, which seems to confirm that most recruiting is local. Is your son going to one of the schools you mentioned? Did you find that the PG showcases had an impact in his recruiting (meaning, did any coaches mention it)?  They are just so expensive, and finding new ways to monetize every day.

In our experience, if you are interested in high academic schools nationally, Headfirst or Showball really work because coaches are there watching.  Otherwise, stay local - school camps, state PBR, local showcases - or go to camps at targeted schools, as long as you have the skills to play there.

@anotherparent thank you for the welcome… hasn’t signed yet, but headed that direction quickly, I’ll let you know after he signs 😉 I think the big PG Showcase in FT Myers was really helpful, you’ve got players from all over the country, Puerto Rico, etc.  I think it really lets a kid know where they stand, and after you’ve been to that one and seen and competed with that talent, it makes everything after that easier, and seemingly on a smaller stage.  It was a big difference in exposure at pg tournaments from the pg scout.  It seems that if you do well at a showcase, they find you at the tournaments, shoot video, and post it to social media.  The PG showcase was good to prepare for the ones at the colleges.  The college coaches look to see if you have a PG profile, they’ve mentioned it, it’s definitely helped him at college showcases.  They’re expensive, there are things that are not ideal about them, but I’d say at the end of the day, going to 1 per year is worth it.  We try to make a fun trip out of it, Florida in Dec. Jan. Then Atlanta last year during the mlb playoffs.  Wouldn’t trade those weekends with my boys for anything.  
Once you get the routine down of a showcase, they seem to become second nature, the first one can be intimidating, that’s why we did 2 back to back, within 30 days.  That really worked for us.  Have done 1 per year since, 4 total.

Any insight if PG showcases are worth spending the extra money over PBR?

PBR is only $300 vs the $800 for PG, and PBR includes a video. My 2024 Junior has only done PBR, and his numbers are posted. He has a PG profile from tourneys he's done, but no numbers are shown. I'd think if a coach searches a player on PBR, he also checks PBR, especially if numbers aren't listed.

PG showcases are very little help to most in recruiting. As mentioned above, Headfirst and Showball are much more bang for your buck if you’re targeting smaller or high academic schools. There are actual coaches there watching where PG showcases are often held during dead periods. If you’re just looking to get some numbers up then PBR is a much better option.

And as many here have said before, no need to showcase until you have something to show.

We have had a few college coaches tell us that they don’t go to normal PG tournaments in Atlanta because everything is so spread out and it is so watered down.  They do go to WWBA (Atlanta), and PBR tournaments (Lakepoint), they also went to WWBA in Jupiter, FL.  My observation is that the teams with more highly ranked (PG) players tend to have more games at East Cobb complex lately.  We almost always see college coaches walking around at the East Cobb complex, but never at the high school fields, that are all an hour apart from each other.  Again, I by no means have all the answers and am not suggesting the way we’ve done it is the best way.  I will say, the big PG Showcase in Ft Myers in December was very impressive, players flying in from all over the place, hundreds of players, many high level commits... and it was a nice break from the cold in late December, LOL
The other PG showcases have been much smaller, well under 100. I know our coaches are looking to go more PBR and NetElite heavy, and only go to WWBA for PG.  NetElite tournaments have been really impressive, almost all of the tournaments are played at college fields, with the college coaches there.  They’ve played at: UT (Lindsay Nelson), ETSU, Tusculum, Walters State, Carson Newman, Tennessee Wesleyan, Maryville, Montreat, UNC Asheville, and a few others.  Almost always the head and asst. coaches, along with some players are hanging around, they take care of the field etc. during the tournament.  It’s very grassroots, but it really seems to be effective for exposure.

Last edited by Table46

The founder of Perfect Game posted on this site until 2018.  He was sometimes defensive, but usually offered a lot of really useful information.  On the subject of PG's showcases, he would always state that they were not for everyone.

I post a few of these links, not because I'm a PG advocate (my son never did their showcase), but because he brought a unique perspective:

https://community.hsbaseballwe...54#43811915980749354

https://community.hsbaseballwe...9#40152106543472529:  "Don't spend money on Perfect Game Showcases unless you have something to show.  Have at least one skill, run, throw, field, hit, hit with power.  If you can't do at least one of those things well, you have no reason to attend any showcase and especially not a Perfect Game showcase.  A player that has excellent ability in one or more of the tools... That is the player that ends up being happy he came to a Perfect Game Showcase."

@Table46 posted:

@Consultant  I honestly don’t know if he’s been invited to Area Code.  He gets calls, texts and emails, if he’s interested, he lets me know.  We definitely don’t have all the answers, and will adjust for my younger one based on what we’ve learned and input from others.  We were pretty limited early on with options for showcases due to Covid, so spent a lot of time in Florida, where it seems to be PG heavy.

You would know if you got invited to an Area Code Tryout and that is one you would definitely want to attend.  There's no charge to attend, but very select invites.

Last edited by baseballmom01

another parent - I have not been around this site for many years but admire the way you think about life and baseball.  I knew Jerry Ford and still sometimes correspond with him once and a while via email.  People thought he was using the site to promote his business and I saw it quite the opposite.  He was one our greatest resources (along with bbscout RIP).  He told stories of how his son (Andy I believe) grinded his way to the big leagues and his first shot was a start at Yankees stadium pitching for the Yankees.  He talked about how excited he and his wife were to be in attendance that day.  Unfortunately, the young man got hit hard and did not pitch well.  The Yankees fans booed him unmercifully as the manager took him out.  To say the least, Jerry and his wife were devastated.  What baseball parent cannot relate to that?  Jerry talked about how he never thought his big league son would ever succeed at baseball let alone make it to the big leagues.  He talked about how his older boy was the one who had all the talent yet never amounted to much as a baseball player.  Jerry is considered one of the top baseball experts in the country and his estimates of his own sons were wrong.  What no one can measure, is the inner spirit that comes from God.  Some kids try harder than others even though they are not the most physically talented.  Jerry helped hundreds if not thousands of people without them ever attending one of his events.  If people want to attend PG events, God bless them.  If they want to try it other ways, God bless them too.  It was a sad day for all of us when Jerry stopped posting here.

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