Should we get help?

Congratulations. With stuff like that, obviously your son is getting noticed. What are your sons goals? Are the schools that are contacting your son those that he is interested in? IMO, don't waste your money on a recruiting service. Spend the time and money putting together a video next season (I would suggest having it edited professionally), sending out letters along with a informational brochure (i.e. season stats, coaches contacts, height, weight). Also, find good showcases or camps to attend for exposure.

These are all things you can do on your own with your son. Good luck.

Obviously the boy is attracting schools so why go to the expense of a "recruiting service"--as noted by boris get to high exposure showcases

I would also look for a high profile travel team tp-lsay on next summer and fall

The money you spend on showcases and a travel team will be less than what a "recruiting service" will cost you

I'm with Boris.... and .... Welcome to the HSBBW. Relax and take a breath. Everything sounds great. Recruiting service? I wouldn’t. This is an expense that would duplicate your efforts and in my opinion COULD send out negative vibes about your son. I’ll step on some toes but in my opinion recruiting services tend to represent those players that expect a difficult time during the recruiting process. It appears that your son is getting quite a bit of interest early in his career which is great. It sounds as if your difficulties will be trying to keep up with the letters and phone calls. Should he play fall ball vs. other sports? That is a personal choice that your son should make. In my opinion that won’t hurt him at all. My suggestions are to focus on next summer and ensure he’s on a good summer team and that he does showcase his talents in at least one quality showcase like Perfect Game. Is a coach feeding you a line when he makes a comment like “You’re our #1 player for 2007”?? Who knows ? I would ask (when the opportunity presented itself) “How does being a #1 player translate into scholarship dollars?”
Fungo

Wow, great feedback! Thanks to all of you for sharing your experience and wisdom. Sounds like we're okay without the help, then. We'll make sure our son plays on a good summer team, gets to a showcase or two and then see what happens....thank you!
What a fantastic site this is....a great place to get a wealth of information and meet very helpful people who have been through it all!

In my opinion, a 6'4" LHP pitching comfortably at 88-90 in sophomore year, needs to do two things:

1. Stay healthy
If you and your son feel like he could use the rest for his arm this fall, that sounds like it might be a good idea, as long as he gets back to doing lots of throwing during the winter months to keep his arm conditioned for next spring.

2. Be seen by the right people
Your sons sounds like he could be a prospect for both top D1s and the professional draft. I would recommend that you contact Perfect Game at perfectgame.org or PGStaff who participates in this site, and plan to get your son to two of their events between now and summer 2006.

Thanks, MN Mom! Our boy has never had arm problems, but he is still growing and we just thought his arm could use a break. He's using this time off for intense conditioning and basketball season will start soon too.
Our son was scheduled to attend a Perfect Game even last summer, but couldn't make it due to a scheduling conflict. We will certainly look into it again.
Anyone have opinions about the Jr. Sunbelt tourney in Oklahoma and the Area Code games? If there is a scheduling conflict between these and a Perfect Game event, which is better?
Thanks again for all the help.

Congratulations!

No, you do not need a recruiting service! A LHP who thorws 88-90 will be in demand, word will get around! For maximum exposure hook up with one or two national showcases.

One thing I haven't seen in the above responses.

You indicated that your son received some letters but you did not respond.

RESPOND ASAP! Let them know you are interested, otherwise they will cross your son off the list and move on.

I would have let him play fall ball (is that still an optionin AZ? Here is WI it is already over).
Hook up with a High profile travel team and let him be seen.

Best of luck to your son.

The Jr. Sunbelt is great competition and a lot of fun for the players. As far as being "seen" by colleges and pros, I would put Sunbelt behind the high-profile showcases. All 3 are great events! Our personal preference is Perfect Game, but son was able to attend the Jr Sunbelt Classic and then go on to the PG Nationals his junior summer. No bad choices in your options!

PS. Welcome to the HSBBW board!

I agree with RHP05Parent-The Jr. Sunbelt and the Sunbelt are great team events, and your son will be representing your state of Arizona and the host families are wonderful people. However, not many scouts and college
recruiters attend(some). It's more for the experience than anything else-and it's something he'll always remember.

There are other showcases throughout the year if you also want to go that route-also a good idea. Pick one good one(PG would be my choice) and save your $ after that, unless you just enjoy the experiences.

Good Luck-You're in the driver's seat!!

I think the 1st thing you should do is narrow down the southern schools that your son would like to go to. 15-20 schools that he and you think would be a good fit. Pick ones that are both academically and baseball wise the type of school your son would like to attend.
Start an e-mail campaigne with the head coaches to introduce yourselves to them. They will probably pass you off to the right person to stay in contact with. Call them and express your son's interest in attending their school.
Make a video and don't cherry pick the video just to show his good games. They like to see him under fire aswell. My son's video was DVD format. It contained several videos of games he won and lost. I put a cover letter describing each video, news clip and still shots of his mechanics. I did a lot of research on each school to see who they played and their roster.My son wanted to play against the ranked schools but not neccessarily on a ranked school. The roster told me where they picked most of their players from and if my son pitched against some of them I would point out that he pitched against them. One JC had 2 players that he played against and I sent a news clip of him beating the team they played on. This gives the coach a reference point. I sent each school that showed interest a video. Several of them said they enjoyed the videos and asked me to send more as he played through the summer. They put him on a recruiting list and sent e-mais and phoned as permitted and I updated them as the season went on.
Find out what showcases they attend and let the coaches know that you will attend one of the showcases that they attend if possible.
The whole point is to narrow down where he might like to go. Contact them. Find out who shows interest . Put together a video and attend showcases that the coaches attend. PG would probably advise you which showcases they put on that would be good for you based on the schools you are interested in.
Target where you want to go and go after it.

Please contact me and visit my website. I supply college coaches with contact info on the top 30-50 players in each class.
I may have your son on my list already but if not I need to know about him.