Has it helped more players get discovered?
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Not sure that many get "discovered" these days. The big tournaments are just so packed with dream chasers you really need to stand out. And if you have the talent to stand out in those numbers you've probably already been discovered. With that said it is an opportunity to evaluate players.
Showcases typically benefit the physically mature players early on, balances out later on, but it really helps to have an objective assessment of your player, maybe by your club program. With all the data out there any program can gun your kid to tell you if he has measurables that could be noticed. If your son has the tools to showcase, whether he's a pitcher or position player, it would be helpful to know before you write the check. Showcasing can be an expensive process. Doing a showcase for the experience is great, but it can be smarter to take it slow....
It could be helpful to understand your players academic capabilities and interests before you start paying for all the showcases. We allowed my son to go for the experience and candidly, we could afford it, but I would have preferred to deploy the time and money into development the fall of his freshman year. 5'8 145lb SS, good luck with that...
Heck, it would have been better to take my son on a fishing trip to Saskatchewan at that time of his development. Now he's a 2018 5'10 175lb with D1 measurables and interest from his targeted schools. Don't get caught up in the showcase rat race. Phenomenal organizations out there hosting showcases, just be aware of where your kid is before you commit. Not all families can financially support it.
I truly feel PG's intent was to help prospects get in front of decision makers. Prospects that would have struggled to get in front of the right set of eyes. Through hard work and demand Jerry Ford has created a successful business. Again, I applaud what he has done and it is not my intent to bash PG and/or Jerry Ford or the industry.
The question I am always struggling with is has it helped? I have watched the process continue to grow as the parent of a 2019 over the years. I read the Bubba http://hsbaseballweb.com/bubba.htm post before I ever knew about Perfect Game. Now today the sarcastic Bubba model presented is real life. I watch family after family spend thousands of dollars to participate in such events as I consider the expense as well.
Has the model helped more prospects or hurt more prospects? Showcases do not create more opportunity. There are more or less the exact same number of roster spots in college and professional baseball today as there were 15yrs ago. The spots were filled by players without the need and expense of showcase baseball.
Today families are easily spending $5k or more in travel, team, and tournament fees. So in this evolving environment of showcase baseball, today millions of dollars are changing hands. 15 years ago the exact same outcome occurred for pennies compared to today. With the exact same outcome. Full rosters of college and professional baseball rosters.
Real green, nailed it