Showcases

Welcome to the HSBaseballWeb site Ck12.  You have come to the right place to hear from others that have gone before you.  Lot's of people with lots of great advice, so listen to them and take from it what you will.  My best guess (because my kid doesn't pitch) would be for you to attend a major showcase such as Perfect Game after your Sophomore year and/or when you are throwing about 10+ mph faster.  You might want to try a smaller pro-style tryout or showcase in your local area before that time to get a taste of what it will be like.  All the best to you as you begin your journey!

My sons a high school pitcher. My opinion is that until you are at a point where colleges will see you and say wow we want that guy, dont bother going to showcases. Obviously, everyones finincial situation is different but showcases are generally not cheap. They are definitely a good use of money when you're ready but colleges aren't going to see a kid throwing 78 and say, we need him. My thoughts would be to spend that money on getting on a good program to develope as a pitcher. There are many of them out there. Texas Baseball Ranch is very good, as is Driveline Baseball, and The Armory. I'm not sure anywhere in Alabama that developes pitchers, but all of those places have books or DVDs on the things they teach. I am a high school pitching coach so if you would like PM me and I could help you set up a program for yourself to work on. 

Ck12 - Thats a pretty good velocity number for an 8th grade LHP.  Depending on your size and how much you've already 'grown up' you should be able to continue to get higher velocity numbers.  How much?  Time will tell.  But you should probably be in the mid-80s before trying to 'showcase' your talents.

 

The others above have given good advice in that it won't likely grab anyone's attention at this time.  And yes, showcases typically are expensive.

 

Work on your game this year, your mechanics, your command of the strike zone (different than control) and continue to improve your understanding of the game.  Ask yourself, 'Do I compete when the chips are on the line?' and find the best summer program you can next summer.  My advice would be to not try and pitch year-around anytime soon - play other sports in the Fall and Winter if you can.

 

The biggest goal for you right now should be to make your HS team next year.

 

Good luck and make sure to keep it all fun.  It will become a 'business' soon enough.

One or two showcases a year are great at posters age (IMO) if he has the means. There are quite a few college showcases in the fall as well as late into the year across Alabama. Costs can vary from less than $100 per event to around $150. Don't have to do the larger schools, cost are higher. Google school name you have interest along with "Baseball camp" which will normally take you to a camp and showcase page. Several schools in Alabama also post on the college Baseball camps website. It is a good experience to become acclimated to the routine when you do have "something to show them" later on. Most all of the college showcases will have multiple schools in attendance in addition to the host. High 70's at your age is pretty good. Agree no one is going to offer now based on current numbers but doesn't hurt to get on the radar.

"Showcases" are for the purpose to showcase your abilities to recruiters and scouts that you can be noticed if you're not already.  Recruiters and scouts typically don't take interest in anyone until about the sophomore season in HS if that one is playing on the Varsity team.  If you were to play up and attend showcases that were for So's and Jr's it could be worth while IF you're really able to stand out in that group. If you just want to get some kind of feel for what's it's like at a higher level, then attending such a showcase could be fun and even beneficial to you to see how you might stack up. Otherwise, 8th grade and even the HS freshman year is typically and really just too early to think about showcasing.

I can't agree.  A lefty freshman throwing near 80 is someone colleges would want to track.  In this current climate the sooner the better.  My advice is start making contacts now.

I have an 8th grader and we are in GA, not too far away.  High 70's are great, especially for a LHP.  However, once you enter the circus you can't get out, so I would say hold off on showcasing.  Could there possibly be colleges interested in you right now, yes, but committing before your sophomore year can have some MAJOR drawbacks. 

 

Once you put your name out there people might bite, but are they right people?  They do NOT have your best interest in mind they have THEIR best interest in mind.  They are business people and their business is securing the best talent at the cheapest rate possible. To make matters 100 times worse we hear stories every year on this site about Player X committed when he was younger but sine the coach changed, or because the player didn't develop they way they thought he would, or the players grades weren't good enough...etc the school decided to take back the offer.  In the meantime that player told everyone that he was committed to that school so no other school offered...now he's a talented senior with no offers because everyone stopped looking at him. That is the worst case scenario but it has happened.

 

Look at it this way, if they want you now it would be best to wait until you have put on some weight/height and velocity and they will want you even more later. Showcases are a great way to get your name out there, and find out how you stack up against the other players.  However, they are very pricey, and I would hold off until 10th grade because once your name is out, it is out and you can't take it back.  With Emerson/Lakepoint not being too far from you it's not going to be difficult for you to find a showcase.  In the meantime get on the best summer team you can, make sure you are playing with your grade (not age), and I would encourage you to find a team that is playing some PG tourneys.

CK12, you've come to a great place to get advice. Kudos to you for thinking ahead and finding a place to post your question. Shows some good maturity on your end.

 

As you see, you will get a lot of advice and sometimes that advice is different depending on the perspective of the poster. I like what others have said about finding a small, maybe regional showcase in your area to attend for practice. My son is a Sophomore this year and that's what we have done for him so far. He has been to a Winter camp for a local, mid-level D1 during is his Freshman year and a regional showcase last summer. Both were great experiences and allowed him to practice and understand what people mean when they talk about a "Pro style workout" or a "bullpen session".  

 

As someone else mentioned, keep working on your velocity. My son trains with Driveline remotely and has seen fantastic results in the last six months. Showcasing should only be done when you have something to showcase. As an 8th grader, you might have something to show given your velocity, but nobody on here can really tell you if it's time to start because we don't know if your velocity is cruising or you've just hit it a couple times, what your control looks like or if you have command of any other pitches. At your age, getting noticed probably depends more on your summer team and those coaches, if you have one.

 

Try not to be in a hurry (it's easier said than done) and continue to develop. Good luck!

I guess I would agree with other posters to spend the $$ on instruction to improve velocity, especially if his mph he throw is accurate (Ballpark number which would match a "verified third party source." Would give him time too to develop other pitchers. I guess I see more of a reason for a position player to go early on (to see what it is like and how they are run",) rather than a PO..especially as this OP is really young.

CK;

1st I would learn how to pitch. Study the great pitchers read their books.LEARN, LEARN and then apply. Showcases do not teach, except when I operate the Area Code games. On the 1st day we had a 3 hour clinic with track coaches, hitting instructors Eric Davis, Dusty Baker.

 

Nolan Ryan had a specific schedule between starts. One day during a rain delay in Chicago, all the Rangers players, except one was in the locker room playing cards.

One lone figure was running with his rain jacket. Guess who?

It was Nolan's day to run in the outfield.

 

True Story;

Bob

I said that I don't think you should go to showcases in my earlier post. If you are going to a smaller showcase to just learn what it's like I think thats okay. I would NOT shell out $500 on a big showcase though right now.

I'm going to disagree with a couple of posters.  My son went to a college camp/showcase at Rice University as a rising 9th grader.  No one cares about a rising 9th grader except to give him great advice, instruction and encouragement.  I remember that showcase being $150. It was nice to learn early what its like to be at a showcase and what its going to take to be a college athlete.  There is no downside for a kid that young other than money.  So next summer, pick an inexpensive camp at a local University and jump right in the pool to see if you enjoy swimming.  Go Get'em - your on the right track.

I think some of us are talking about two different things. I haven't seen a college showcase yet nearing $500 costs. On the other hand; summer camps are pretty pricey. PG showcases aren't cheap either but very worthwhile. Many of the college showcases only take 9-12th grade (now would be 2016-2019). Some take 8th graders & some even 7th grade. This would make it a little more difficult for an  8th grader to find showcases. Many of the schools have completed their showcases for the year although there are a few left out there. College camps are an entirely different story and most all will have Jr High to High School. Many of these are held in summer months and extended out to five days or so. These in my opinion are more fundraiser in nature. Many schools have camps during Christmas break which are shorter and less costly. Don't have any use for the camps myself but believe showcases can be beneficial for 7th-10th graders.