Recruiting Services

Fungo

I think what has happene is that so many services have popped up lately, there seems to be a new one every day, that coaches are tired of it.

How many letters and resumes can a college coaching staff read ?

How many are credible in the sense that many have never even seen the kid play.

Many just regurgitate HS stats and HS coaches info.

I think the college coach is more apt to speak to the respected travel team coaches about the kids they are interested in because the respected travel team coaches have their finger on the pulse of the player.

The sad part is that the parents getting into the recruiting process are uninformed or ill informed about things and there is a new group every year coming into the picture.

It depends entirely of the rep of the person or group recommending the player being promoted. If they have a good track record and provide accurate info on prospects, college and mlb scouts very much appreciate the help.

Good example a dad called me up and emailed me and told me his son could run a 6.7 60 YD,throw 1.8's release time and threw 92 mph, all state in football and provided a list of mlb scouts that would recommend him. Not like I had not heard that stuff before, but he provided additional info that after checking it out he was a legit prospect. Dad exaggerated a little on the times.

After chatting with a few mlb scouts, none had heard of him, a few acted like they had no interest in bothering to checking out the player.I asked one mlb scout why would a cross checker give out his phone number to a player he did not think could play. he responded good point, gonna check out the player.

A few said they would go see him, if he was legit they would invite him to east coast pro showcase.

Which the player attended and was later drafted in the top ten rounds.

There very well could be some good honest recruiting services out there. Here is our experience.

As a college coach I would receive information from recruiting services. At that time, it came in big stacks of papers or long lists. At first I read through all the info and once I actually followed up.

I saw a report on a 6-4/190 RHP from Northern Minnesota. The information gave glowing stats and claimed he threw a 93 mph fastball. It went on to say he had great control and was unknown by scouts because of the area he lived in. I called the high school coach and he assured me this was the best pitcher he had coached in his 20 year career. I called the parents and they expressed interest in our small college program.

Well… I made the 11 hour drive (each way) up north to see and try to recruit this young man. Their game was rained out, so that cost another day on the road. The one thing I did notice (I’m 6-4) is this kid was more like 6-1 at best, not the biggest deal, but the literature said he was 6-4.

The next day, I got to the park early and watched him warm up. I knew within minutes that this was a wasted trip. Sticking it out, mostly out of politeness, I watched him pitch 2 innings. No real need to, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

In the first inning… first pitch fastball… I got a whopping 77 mph on the gun. This ended up being the best fastball he threw in 2 innings. I actually felt sorry for this young guy, none of this was his fault. He was a nice kid, but got caught up in a complete falsehood.

Needless to say, that was the last time I used a recruiting service. The information that came in was promptly filed in the waste bin.

Then many years later we started Perfect Game. Times were tough trying to stay ahead of the game. One of our people thought it would be a great idea to start a RECRUITING SERVICE. Against my better judgement… We did!

We advertised this service to players in our home state. Several signed up, even some talented players. Then one day I was looking through our files and saw a player I knew. Nice kid, just couldn’t play baseball worth a darn.

I asked our people… How can we promote this kid to colleges? What could we say, that would be honest and cause this kid to be recruited? They looked at me and said, I don’t know, but the parents want to spend the money.

That was the end of the PG Recruiting Service. I told our people to tell the parents we are out of that business.

Once again, there very well could be some excellent recruiting services out there. My suggestion for those considering using a recruiting service is as follows.

When “applying” tell them you are 5-2/110 lbs, run an 8.5 – 60, and you’re a RHP with a 68 mph fastball. Tell them you have a 1.9 GPA with a 14 ACT. I'm exagerating but... If they still want to take your money, RUN away as fast as you can. If they tell you they’re sorry, but they can’t help you, you might have found a good one!

Or you can simply ask a college coach you know and trust, what he thinks about all of this.

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
I think the college coach is more apt to speak to the respected travel team coaches about the kids they are interested in because the respected travel team coaches have their finger on the pulse of the player.

TR, you probably should have added that college coaches are just as apt to contact the high school coaches. There are many reputable HS coaches who often do just as good or a better job of helping than do the travel team coaches.

TR.....you are right about how many of those profiles coaches get......a staff can't really spend time looking at all that come in the mail each day. I have been there, and I used to have my student workers go through them and keep the ones that I could possibly see play without traveling more than a few hours one way. Then I would look at the kept ones to see if I knew their coaches or somebody else who may know about them.

TR
I figure what we do with the kids in the summer and fall is a recruiting service except we carry real time information.

All we can do is provide the vehicle, what the player does we he gets off the bus is what gets him recruited. Where we take the bus to is what can matter as much how well he plays. (Whos' see's them play) That's why we keep an eye on the PG site..

grateful

I did not mean to offend the HS coaches in the country

Coach Merc

I dont know about your program but we are not a recruiting service nor do we try to be. We like PG tried it in the beginning days and found it fruitless.

Yes we carry real time information and what we really are is a "Guidance Counselor" for the parent and player.

I played baseball 25 years ago, when there were no Perfect Game USA events, no regional showcases to attend in Rhode Island (yours) that crawl with colleges. We played HS ball and then Legion ball. A recruting service would probably have helped many then. Today, with PG showcases and tournaments and the evolution of high-level travel teams and highly competitive tournaments, recruiting services are unneccessary, as colleges in D-1, D-2 and D-3 all take advantage of the forums provided.

after http://www.google.com
baseball recruiting service

found this link

http://coachnick0.tripod.com/bbd/id19.html

alot of services out there, many are out of business now

Andy, have you ever dealt with James Gamble with the GSB?

gloveman, No

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
grateful

I did not mean to offend the HS coaches in the country

TR, I know you didn't mean to offend the HS coaches......there are so many travel coaches and HS coaches, as well as other youth coaches, who do so much for our kids!!

Has anybody ever considered polling the college coaches about their use of recruiting services? Do they use them? Have they ever used them? What level program are they? Are there any they actually recommend?

It seems like the more successful programs wouldn't EVER need them, so what is the point in hiring a service that is sending info to all the ACC, SEC, PAC-10, etc schools? It seems like the only ones that would use them would be the lower level D-2, D-3, NAIA schools. I'm just guessing cause I sure don't know.

My son's an 07 and it seems to me that if I just let him play HS, fall ball, and go to college camps, there will be enough coaches there to see him or recommend him to others they know. Academics will be his biggest hurdle, however.

College coaches get info on players from recruting services all the time. only problem most of the players to be honest cant play.
colleges would love to have accurate info and scouting reports on players, because parents,players, travel teams coaches and HS coaches frequently greatly exaggarate the players abilities.

Once again I will ask what you all think about NCSA National Collegiate Scouting Association

They sure get alot of positive TV coverage.

Any thoughts?

I don't know much about these national recruiting services that are advertised. However I did have some of my players work with a recruiter who gave each player plenty of personal attention and satisfaction. When I was approached by him last fall I was skeptical. He mentioned a few names of college coaches and I responded and call them. When I spoke to Coach O'Sullivan from Clemson, all he said was, "If your son has been asked to go with Mr Holtz*** that's a great thing, we talk weekly and everyone watches when his team plays". Coach Peters from USF immediately invited us for an unofficial visit.

From there, 3 or 4 of my players enrolled with him. Here's what he did for us. Set a directional path for us to take. What events to attend. Save your money and don't attend a camp unless it's your #1 choice. He placed teams in each of the PG fall events and had HIS players showcased, personally coaching the team. He was personally at events in FL, East Cobb and the PG events in NY as well as the National in Ga and East Coast Pro in Wilmington, NC. He worked diligently to get one of my players into the PG National that had not gotten an invite nor was he being considered. Well, he got the invite, played well and as a result was heavily recruited during our Fl and East Cobb trip. Now signed with a top SEC program. I spoke with him almost daily for 8 months about everything up to and including my sons decision. Yes, he intoduced us to the coach from Illinois.
Everyone of these kids has signed early as well as 20+ of his other kids. This is a one man show who spends 15 hours a day on the phone. I know for a fact that he has told many players (ability) and parents (false expectation) that he won't take their kid.
It's not all about the money when it's your passion.... Personal attention, credibility and direction are factors to consider.

Merc, it sounds like you found a big exception to the rule. From what I know of your boys and where they're going, it sounds like he found some quality kids he could work with, and everyone is coming out a winner. I think you've illustrated what a recruiting service SHOULD be like, but they can't make a lot of money if they only represent a small number of players, so he sounds like a wonderful exception out there.

I have recommended 55 players to colleges, all either are playing college ball or signed pro contacts . 35 being drafted out of hs or college, One reached the Majors.

The key is being able to recognize talent and to properly promote it to colleges and mlb scouts

It's also important that who you are dealing with has a credible reputation with the "powers that be"...ie. coaches, recruiters, scouts etc. There are those out there that claim to be "baseball guys", whose word/recommendations are worthless because it is known by anyone with any kind of baseball sense, that they are self-serving to promote a player from his team, thus promoting himself. They in turn speak poorly of a talented player because they were not part of his "program".

Web-based services often don't provide much exposure
Stu Whitney
Argus Leader

published: 8/31/2004

On a Web site for the National Collegiate Scouting Association, Augustana College freshman football player Mike DuFrane is listed as a "success story."

The NCSA is a Chicago-based recruiting service that charges families as much as $1,500 to help high school students find college sports scholarships.

DuFrane, a defensive lineman from Hortonville, Wis., hired the company to promote his abilities to coaches. But he says the group had no role in his recruitment by Augustana, and he's surprised that he's being touted as a recent NCSA success.

"That would pushing the truth a little bit," says DuFrane, adding that he learned about Augustana from high school teammate Jayson Winterfeldt, who signed with the school in 2003.

Says Augustana head coach Jim Heinitz: "We didn't get (DuFrane) off a service at all. You can't rely on those things."

But as more players and parents chase athletic scholarships, these services have become big business. There are more than 200 such sites on the Internet, and NCSA founder Chris Krause says his company currently has about 5,000 families enrolled.

Critics say the services prey on the hopes and wallets of gullible parents by promising things they can't deliver - like credibility among college coaches. Simply sending out highlight tapes and player profiles typically isn't enough to produce a scholarship offer.

"We don't put a lot of stock into those things at all," says University of South Dakota head football coach Ed Meierkort. "Most of them end up in the trash can, to be quite honest."

Meierkort says the legitimate scouting services are ones that charge coaches, not kids. Like most area football coaches, he subscribes to Collegiate Sports Data, a Nashville-based service that lists prospects from every high school in the country.

That information is gleaned from high school coaches, whose opinions carry weight in the initial recruiting stage. But most players on that list won't get scholarships - something other Web-based services don't always tell their clients.

"You recommend a kid, and a lot of those for-profit sites will call his parents and try to make money off it," says O'Gorman High School football coach and athletic director Steve Kueter. "It's a huge problem. From what I can see, the only legitimate ones are the ones that don't ask for money."

Recruiting networks such as Rivals.com and Insiders.com rank football and basketball prospects and charge subscribers to view news. But they aren't in the business of marketing athletes to coaches for a fee.

Krause, who founded the NCSA in 2000, defends his company by noting that athletes need an extra edge in a competitive recruiting environment with expanding opportunities.

"Since Title IX, there are so many more programs available, and most coaches don't have the budget to recruit on a national basis," says Krause, a former scholarship football player at Vanderbilt University. "In my 15 years in this industry, I've never had a student-athlete tell me that they started too early or that they had too much help."

As for Augustana's DuFrane, Krause says that the NCSA helped him draw interest from Division I-AA football programs such as Butler and Holy Cross - but he chose to play Division II football in Sioux Falls.

"If we can give a student-athlete more schools to consider, in addition to the one he had contact with, at least that gives him options," says Krause, whose minimum start-up fee is $395. "If he looks at the other ones and still ends up at that school, it's not like we're going to talk him out of it."

Other recruiting sites use an interactive system to help athletes and coaches find each other - usually in non-revenue sports such as golf, s****r, tennis and swimming.

"It works like a dating service," says Ryan Spoon, a former Duke swimmer who founded BeRecruited.com in 2000. "Athletes create a profile with qualifications, while coaches create a profile based on need - and we try to match the two. They can also search the database if the match isn't suitable."

Of course, none of these sites can help athletes if they aren't taken seriously by college coaches. Most experts say it's better for prospects to personally contact a school to get the recruiting process started.

"It's nice when a kid has done some research and has genuine interest in your program," says Augustana women's s****r coach Steve Burckhalter. "But if it's just some Internet service sending out profiles to every school in the country, it's almost like chasing your tail."

I don't usually post on the board but I found this topic to be more important to high school aged players then most. I am a travel coach from NJ and after attending the PG underclass showcase in January I was approached by a recruiter who after seeing my son pitch informed me that he thought I had a "talented kid" He could see I was skeptical and told me to call any D1 college coach I know and ask about him.
He took my number and left. I have a police backgound so I made many calls to first see if this was a credible individual, when I got no negative reports, I began by e-mailing college coaches, the first to respond was coach k's of Virginia, he knew of my son and also of the recuiter, he reccomended him and said he would be good for us, I received calls from tournament directors, pitching instuctors, all with positive things to say. When he eventually called me I had an entirely different attitude about him, and we signed on. Because I had done so much investigation in to this guy I felt very confident in refering him to the players on my travel team, again we are from NJ and attend most of the major events, but I still didn't feel many of my players got a second look from college's outside our area. What he was able to do for us was to make sure we entered the right events, make sure that the right college recuiter was at the right game for the right kid (which is super important).He also made sure that the more visible kids were well informed of the various schools situations,
ie. some schools had a limited number of scholerships remaining because of signings, or they had transfers coming in, or the coaches maybe moving on. All things to be considered by a parent, but if this is your first time around, how do you get this information?. The other placement issue we had were grades, some of my players were not eligable for d1 programs, and they wanted to attend school, but I had no JR college information. He helped us place my JUCO kids as well, all in all, of the parents that chose to work with him, we have 2 Ivy league kids, 7D1's, 1D2, and 3 Juco's and we have 2 07's that are highly recruited. I will add we also have 1 kid still in the works. He placed all of my kids in schools, and I think he did a great job of placing the right kids at the right school. It does cost money, and I think that some coaches and parents have a problem with someone who charges money to work with kids, and there are some who take advantage,But just like showcases some are very good for your kids and some are a waste of money,PG, Eastcoast Pro,Aflac,Team One,College select, have been great for my kids, others are not as good in my opinion. I don't think parents should right off an avenue because it cost money, most all of the things I've done for my son, lessons, tournaments, showcases, have all cost money, and this is no different, the guy must spend 15 hours a day on the phone, without exxageration. He has become friendly with most of my players, and parents, and in all of the time I have spent with him, I have not once seen him tell a college coach something that is not true about a player, and as a result I believe he has built an excellent reputation with the college recruiters. If this guy recommends a player, I'm sure the coach is NOT throwing it away. I saw a post by Coach Merc about him earlier, and thought I should tell of my experience with him as well, this has become a much less stressful process for me as a result of our meeting. For what it is worth. Strike III.

StrikeIII,
I see this is your first post. Welcome to the HSBBW. Having thirteen players from your team sign with ONE recruiting service and having all thirteen players and parents as satisfied customers is great. I wonder how many would be satisfied if they signed with thirteen DIFFERENT recruiting services?

I have no reason to doubt that what you say is true about ONE particular person but at the same time the signal it sends is disturbing. For every satisfied family involved with a recruiting service, there are many more that are not.

quote:

most all of the things I've done for my son, lessons, tournaments, showcases, have all cost money, and this is no different

In my opinion a recruiting service is as different as night and day and doesn't even compared to a lesson, a tournament, or a showcases.

I have to jump on this person's band wagon also. While I didn't hire him for his recruiting service, I can certainly vouch for his knowledge, credibility and connections. If I needed a recruiter, he would be the one I would contact. If I was looking for legit exposure for a talented son, I would want him to play on one of his teams. So, I guess the bottom line is...like anything else, there are good and bad out there. There's alot of avenues that can be used to check these guys out.

I had a recent conversation with a scout who does pro coverage for a major league team. He spent 14 years in two different orgs as a free agent scout. He says that recruiting services / showcases are losing traction with the pro scouts. He is finding that players are gearing their baseball training toward showcase skills. While this is alright, it is taking away from continuing to develop as a player. You see, many of these kids aren't playing on summer teams in live game situations.

So...after that conversation, I called two college coaches I know and asked them "what they think of recruiting services / showcase events?" Both said that the recruiting services constantly disappoint them. One told me he likes the showcases cause his recruiting budget is lean. The other doesn't care for the showcase for the same reason the pro guy said.

FYI

Hey Fungo,
You are correct that was my first post and this is my second if you are counting, the reason I don't usually post as I said is that some parents and some coaches like things done certain ways and don't want things to change, so as a result you see alot of bashing on the boards so I tend to stay off of them (not so much here). The reason I posted this time is that in my case the recuiter made such a differance to not only my son, but to all the kids on the team it really helped us find some direction in the process. as for my telling the truth many posters here know who I am, and they also know many of my kids. It just seems to me you are uncomfortable with the idea of recuiters, you said if the kids had 13 different recuiters would the all be happy, well I don't know, but I heard my neighbor the other day say he was unhappy with his mortgage, should I not refinance my house? I don't understand you should do your homework when finding anyone to work with your kid. If I sound upset it's because I am a little, this has been by far the best thing I have done for my son as well as the rest of the guys since we have been playing together, and for someone to steer the rest of the parents who come to this board for information away from this is ridiculous, yes do your homework find someone credible, but this should be as much a part of the college process as finding a good pitching coach. As for the quote yes it would be night and day if you compared the cost of one lesson or tournament as you did, but what I said was Lessons, tournaments, and showcases. I've been at this as most of you have for a while I could pay the recuiter with what I pay for pithing and hitting alone. As for the Pro guys saying Showcases don't give the true picture as far as the players are concerned, I agree, but as long as thats the format everyone is using I think you have to go along.

Hey StrikeIII,
It’s not that you don’t USUALLY post..You have NEVER posted before. You just registered on December 5th (yesterday). That’s why I welcomed you to the HSBBW. It’s called being sociable to a newcomer.
For the most part recruiting services as we know them are not regarded as a wise investment by college coaches and they have little or no time for them. I agree (as I have before) that the CONCEPT of a knowledgeable baseball person helping the less than a high profile player for a fair price is a GOOD CONCEPT .... but that is NOT the way it usually works. Simply giving me one example of what you call a "recruiting service" working does NOT change the face of recruiting services. Here is the way it USUALLY works. Players are recruited and signed for what I call a sizable amount of money. Recruiting services do a number of things. Some may have mini showcases at a local college for their players or they will compile a bio sheet and/or a video and mass mail these to college coaches. These showcases are poorly attended and the mass mailings that are sent to coaches are usually discarded and the recruiting services involvement usually ends. However, recruiting services involvement may continue with the “recruiter” hanging out at the college and high school ball parks making phone calls but this is does NOT necessarily indicate he has established credibility with college coaches. ANYONE can do that. But what about the players that sign up with a recruiting service and do end up playing baseball in college? Sure this happens all the time, but most of the time it’s NOT because of the recruiting service but because these players are ALWAYS showcasing their talent at each and every game and someone sees them. If a player is with a recruiting service, and that player signs, guess who’s there claiming success? The recruiting service!
I congratulate you with your success with Coach Holtz*** and what sounds like a very respected coach that goes the extra mile promoting your son and his teammates. If I read Coach Merc’s post correctly he even coaches in Perfect Game events.

quote:

He placed teams in each of the PG fall events and had HIS players showcased, personally coaching the team

Sounds as if here is a coach that is charging for an additional service, different than the normal recruiting service. Not totally unique because there are coaches that include their "recruiting services" as part of their team's package. For all those parent that have renewed confidence in the recruiting service .. BEWARE.

hey -
first a welcome to strike3, & congrats to your son & your players -
perhaps you could post their names & schools in the signings thread



ok, recruiting service - there is some middle ground here

a few things come into play in that "some" recruiting guys DO have contacts at various colleges and can for a price offer help with many things you could really do yourself, if you wanted to.
it could indeed be valuable to have someone involved in your process who could offer a realistic opinion if the player's athletic or academic goals were unrealistic.

that said, a couple that I talk to occasionaly indicate that

90% of their baseball guys are NOT early signees
they do NOT use mass mailings
they DO have alot of personal contact with the athlete & family
they DO have a high success rate IF the athletete is flexible - Div. & location
they DO have a large contact network among DII, DIII, NAIA

they WILL offer FREE advice, sample intro letters, bio forms etc upon request to a "do it yourselfer"

a downside from "my impression", is that because their contacts are their "lifeblood", they pretty much understate to the athlete the competion level he should be targeting, thus keeping contact coaches "coming back for more"

they are pretty busy with volleyball, golf, kickball, etc



lastly few Qs regarding the original post

I don't have a police backgound (unless you count the time...
eh, never mind)
but, I find it curious that a college coach would recommend a recruiting service - -
and curious-er yet that after contacting ACC & other DI coaches outside your region and finding they (already) knew about your son, you'd hire someone to tell them about your son -
am I missing something?


.

I agree with all that Fungo has said, but if you feel that you have done the right thing and it worked, then there should be no problem, regardless of how anyone feels.

It's interesting that you did a lot of investigating on this person. Just goes to show you how many recruiters are perceived.

Just one question, if you called a coach to ask about the recruiter and the coach knew about your son, isn't that an indication that he was
known to coaches? I haveno problem with anyone trying to earn a living as long as he works for his money.

Your experience seems to have gone well, that's great. Just don't want parents to think that this is the norm, because it isn't. Many parents unfortunetly just turn to recruiting services and do not make any effort fro sons to attend showcases, tournaments,join summer teams etc. I see it all of the time. It's a lot of work, frustrating and some parents do not know how to begin the process. Or just won't.
As we say, it should be a combination of things that we do for exposure, not just one n particular. I compare it to the agent business, some are sharks, some are not.

After a few months off, I have chosen to get back on this board. I originally got involved with this site because someone was talking about our website on this site and started making a bad name for our company. Hence, I feel compelled to make a comment or two on this topic.
Our website, eBaseballClub.com, is NOT a recruiting service. We go to conferences and clinics to discuss our site with high school coaches and people confuse us with these other recruiting services that you are discussing in this forum.
What we offer is a TOOL in the recruiting. Our website enables players to post a complete resume of themselves online for hundreds of college coaches to review. We will also place a video of their skills on their webpage. That is what college coaches have told us they are looking for.
As a company, our philosophy is that players and their parents can do 90% of the work that they pay recruiters $100s or $1000s to do. The letters, the phonecalls, the videos are all things parents and players can do if they have some time on their hands. We still encourage players to attend showcases, play Summer ball, and go to camps held by colleges in addition to subscribing to our website.
This is not to say that their are some legitimate recruiting services out their and they certainly have their place in our "industry". I am not trying to endorse my company, as we have planty of marketing opportunities to do that for ourselves, but rather I am helping people differentiate tools players can use in recruiting with services that can cost a lot of money.
I would agree with TR when he stated originally that there are so many recruiting services popping-up that coaches are growing tired of hearing from them. My experience has seen that. When we call a college coach to register to use our site, they automatically assume that we are a recruiting service and tell us that they already use one or that they get calls everyday from services ask him to sign-up. Then when I explain our site to him, he relaxes and many times we get coaches saying they prefer our site to recruiting services.

The bottom line here is that there are differing opinions of recruiting services. Like anything else, some will be good and some won't. The important thing is to be careful and choose wisely if you are going to use a service. Make sure you look around, ask tons of questions and be completely comfortable before laying out your money. Good luck.

ebaseball,
You say you are different. Explain. Where do you get your money to operate? Do you charge the colleges coaches or do you charge the athlete (parents)? You are well aware college coaches and the media have made many negative coments about the internet recruiting services and this might be a great opportunity to defend your position of using the internet to get recruited.

I have been on this site for a long time, sometimes things pop up that are a bit strange.

A parent came on today to tell of their experience using a recruiting service. Fine, as I stated whatever works, if it was a good eperience, you got what you paid for (this would include anything, showcases, tournaments, etc).

Then all of a sudden ebaseball shows up, in defense of their company, claiming they are not a recruiting service, just offer another tool in the process. I am confused .

I think I understand what your point is ebseball, how you are different, but why today?

I think Fungo brings up a good questions and so did Bee.

Fungo - We are different in that we do not charge hundreds or thousands for our website. In addition, instead of us charging lots of money to do the work the players and parents can do, we set-up our site so that players get seen and still do some of the work themselves. Picture a showcase where a player shows off his skills year-round instead of in one or two days, gets seen by hundreds of coaches rather than 35 or so, and never has to travel anywhere to do it, thus saving money. That is our site, only rather than it being a live showcase, it is on-line.
Also, Yes we do charge players/parents to use our service. We make no bones about it that we are a company and are not a non-for-profit service, so we are in it to make money, but we are also not in it to rip people off. At $125 a year, we are not going to make millions and coaches at the clinics and conferences we attend all tell us what a vlaue players will get for registering with us. We even have a money back offer PLUS a One-Month Free Offer. Our philosophy and focus has been on helping players. Our website was founded by an ex-major leaguer who remembered what it was like to be a player trying to move on his career. He took his experiences as both a pro player AND a college coach to develop our site.
I can only agree with you Fungo when you say that there is a negative image of recruiting services by college coaches and the media. That is why when we talk to coaches and players we are very careful to distinguish our website as being an AID or TOOL in the recruiting process and that they still need to do some work in addition to register with our website.
Tiger Paw Mom - I am also a little confused, only I am confuse by your comment. I am not sure what info you are looking for, but hope I answered your question in my response above. I have nothing to hide about what we do and hope people can see our company and our website for what it is.
Again, I am not here to promote my company, but rather give a slightly different take on the concept recruiting services and recruiting websites. If you have any further comments, please feel free to PM me.

quote:

Picture a showcase where a player shows off his skills year-round instead of in one or two days, gets seen by hundreds of coaches rather than 35 or so, and never has to travel anywhere to do it, thus saving money.

ebaseball, I appreciate your honesty but let me be honest too....that is scary statement! I hope no high school player reads that and thinks they have found a $125.00 solution for exposure.

Hey Fungo,
Post number 3, First let me answer Bee and Tiger Paw MoM. I knew of the coach at VA because they had recruited 2 kids from our area the prior 2 seasons, and had apparently asked about my son, accourding to one of the recuited kids parents.Tiger Paw Mom I have never heard of ebaseball so if we showed up the same day it was purely coincidence. I chose to use the service so my son would be exposed to as many avenues as possible, just because one coach at one ACC school knows of my kid, that doesn't mean very much at all(read the post again). Fungo maybe recruiting service is too broad a term, because the service I received and what the guy from e-baseball descibe are very different, I wanted to post for parents to concider a very resent positive experience my team has had first hand using a
"Recuiter"You have posted what "USUALLY HAPPENS" How do you know what usually happens? because people have told you right! or how long has it been since you used your last recruiter? Or Did you sleep in a Holiday Inn Expess last night, and it just came to you? I also noticed that you have over 1200 posts on this board, So you have many opinions on many many subjects, nothing wrong with that BUT I think you may try to dominate the board and twist many of these topics in the way you see them, which I think is unfare to many parents who may be looking on the net to find some current positive, helpful, information....the only thing you left out about the recuiter in your post was that he was wearing a raincoat while standing outside the high school game It's just not that way, again when dealing with your kid always be very careful,But you can find a helpful professional person to point out many things that most parents are unaware of. I think things must have changed quite a bit. I think I've said all I can say to deaf ears, so this will be my last post thanks everybody.....strike III your out!

Strike3...what you have described in your posts is generally not the norm when dealing with recruiting services and I believe this is the point that is trying to be conveyed to you...by and large the message that has continually been sent is buyer beware...do your homework and most often that what you may pay hundreds of $$$ for can usually be done by the athlete and his family...somehow you have misconstrued the intent of those who have answered you...but I, too, may have misconstrued your posts in that I found them to be hostile and condescending to long time members of this great community...the one person you chose to denigrate has taken vast amounts of time and energy to be one the most helpful and informative posters here...a parent who has walked the walk all the way to the pro's...so an apology is greatly needed...you had a positive outcome...great...but DO NOT belittle the people who come here with the desire to help those who come behind them...it is immature and a behavior I think you certainly would not want to have your children exhibit...say thank you and move on if the posts do not meet with your approval...IMHO

Hey StrikeIII,
I hope you’re not leaving because you and I differ on something. You should have more resolve than that. The change up gotcha didn't it?
How long has it been since I used a recruiting service? NEVER! I talked with, bartered with, and rubbed shoulders with a number of them along the way but I used the proven, conventional methods for my son’s exposure: Showcases and a high profile summer team. There were many people that helped my son along the way and many did the same thing you and coach Merc describe that your “coach/recruiter” did for your son. With the input from ebaseball I think you’re starting to get a better view of the variety of people out there providing a variety of services to a variety of players. There are MANY “services” available that charge money and provide nothing but false hope. Don’t take my word on this. Talk to parents, to players, coaches, scouts, and read the reviews. There are way too many horror stories out there. I personally know of a “recruiting service” that does a good job but I would not publicly support him because I think it sends a comforting message that gives credibility to the hundreds that aren’t.
Here’s the bottom line. It makes no difference what I think about recruiting services or what you think about recruiting services, we are talking about an area where the opinions of college coaches and professional scouts have ABSOLUTE control.
Fungo

Catchermom03,
Thanks for your post but Strike3 need not apologize. I think this is the kind of exchange that brings facts to the surface. This is classic HSBBW. Kind of mirrors your tag at the end of your post.
Thanks,
Fungo

I agree with Fungo that part of being here is inform and educate and be educated. Yes, this service helped my kids and strike111's kids. We are also from an area that has not produced as many players in the past as we were able to with this help.

I, on the other hand have seen services provided by very reputable "showcase co's" that have taken players money and enrolled them. Here's an example; One of my HS players who had just finished his Jr year as a bench player (14 AB's) he goes to one of these tryouts/showcases. He is then invited to play for a Team in a larger event in FL (same Company)in a states event. His father then enrolls him in their recruiting/placement service for X$$$. We get a call from that company in the fall asking "who's on him?" and what are our thoughts. My boss tells them he's not sure if he'll keep him this year, or he may be in the same boat as last year, part time player. This is a nice kid with some limited skills playing on a not so good team. We didn't project him as more then a very small D3 or a club player and this kids father payed good money to a program who could never get him better.

This specific person/service worked for us but all things are not equal and all snow flakes are different.

Strikes,

It dawned on me yesterday that I thought I knew who you all were talking about. After a pm to Coach Merc, I know understand who it is.
I don't know of anyone he has helped personally in my state find a scholarship. He charges, therefore he is a recruiter, but works differently than most. I didn't even realize until I put this all together he charges for anything.
He obviously works hard in fulfilling many requests from parents, coaches and showcase people.
I think that we have stereotyped the college recruiter, the one who takes your money and then sends a letter to a school. Tells you that you do not have to do anything else.

This is not the case, I hear teh person works hard in getting these kids exposure, to important events. He is known here by word of mouth. As I stated I didn't even know he had a recruiting service until a friend of mine told me he didn't do much to get her son into a school. But I think, now that I know who it is, she was paying for advice, and she didn't want to spend the money that was needed for exposure.
I somehow missed the first page of this thread, when I saw my son's coach mentioned, I had a feeling I thought I knew who you were speaking of.

After reading over your post and knowing who you are talking about, I understand your frustration at us old timers. But you and Coach Merc have to understand that the experience you had was NOT the norm, and if you had been a bit clearer on the individual, his background, it would have clarified your personal experience.
But think about how you began your thread.... you did a police check on the man...just goes to show you how the whole business is perceived.. not well.
If you look back at my first post, I was not negative towards you at all, I asked a question and did mention that if this worked for you, then that was great. I am a firm believer that the key to obtaining a scholarship, you have to throw enough you know what to the fan before some sticks.
I know that Fungo, gives excellent advice, and I do know that we follow the same philosophy, that recruiting services in general don't work for you. However, I do believe if he had known the situation, understood your post he would have understood the situation. We are here to help protect others who have no idea how to go about the process, which seems easier for us because we have been there and done that. We also are fortunate that our sons may have had an edge where others didn't, our location, our kids played year round, not from the colder climates where the scouts and college recruiters don't hang out.
Ebaseball's jump on the bandwagon didn't help either. Unfortunetly, while I believe his service may be of some value, he has not presented it now or in the past as very useful, been there at teh wrong time, but that is JMO.
Thank you catchermom for your post, I think it says alot.