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I would like your opinion on what the right age is to begin showcasing a player. There are several venues out there inviting players to participate in showcase tournaments and sometimes I wonder if at 13 years of age, it's even worth it, other than just the experience. I recently ran into a dad during a local tournament (non-showcase) who was upset because he hasn't been invited to return to the tournament team both our sons (13 years old) had played in a few months ago. He learned that the team went to Texas recently and he didn't get a call. I was not called either but neither I nor my son, take the matter personal, since my son is only 13 and I really don't think it makes a difference at his age! I would like your opinions on what you think the right age is to begin showcasing your son.

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Coach Jorge

This may help you in your thinking process

For our showcase events we require that the boy be a HS varsity contributor--in some instances where it is a very strong HS program and a talented kid may not get a load of starting time until his senior year we will talk with the coach and get his thoughts--many times that boy on the bench will be invited

I guess what I am trying to say is that there is no steadfast rules as there will always be exceptions.

As for a 13 year old I don't like it--in most cases the 13 year is not even in HS-- why do you want to put a 13 year old up against 17/18 and sometimes 19 year olds in a showcase setting. It would be a total mismatch in all but a rare instance.

I would wait a few more years until he is a solid varsity players--there is plenty of time --no need to rush
Coach Jorge,
I think that's a good question! I feel there are benefits to showcasing early but I personally think thirteen is a little too early to gain much of anything. I agree with TRHit that actual showcasing a player shouldn’t start until he is a contributor on the HS varsity. This would usually start around the age of fourteen. The main goal of showcasing is to be prepared for the “Final Test” which comes between the junior and senior year of high school. Every thing prior to that is just a type of “showcase training” or preliminary jockeying for position. To a parent, like myself, the main focus should be on EXPENSE vs. BENEFIT. I personally took my son to pro tryouts when he was fourteen. I didn’t do it for the hopes of getting him drafted, I did it so he would feel more comfortable in a “showcase setting”. These were free and were held locally so any benefit, no matter how small, would be worth showing up for. These events also allow a parent to compare their son to other players, something I have always felt was paramount in establishing a good college “fit” later on.
JMO,
Fungo
Fungo,
I share the same opinion as you do. I just recently moved to Florida from NY and I'm learning that there's a difference in the way that people approach the game. Some issues are standard across the board, such as "Daddy Ball" and other terms I've learned here so far, but even when it comes to the passion for the game, there seems to be a different agenda here in Florida. Too many folks are rushing their kids into responsible and committed obligations without knowing if in fact the child (13) is even going to continue playing past the age of 14 or so...Up north, mostly because of the changing seasons, kids are forced to temporarily change their focus for a while, so when they return the next spring, it actually feels like a new season! When it comes to showcasing...that's not even considered up North until they reach the later years in H.S. Here in Fl., I've heard it and seen it being applied at 12! Which led me to ask the question within this forum.
Coach Jorge,

I agree with everything that has been said so far. I too run showcases all across the globe and you would be amazed at how convinced some parents are that their 13 year old (and sometimes younger) should be in these events. You will also be amazed at how many companies will take your money.

While I can undestand a parent wanting their player to have every opportunity available to them, please take caution. Any showcase company that will accept a player tha tis not even in high school is a company tha tjsut wants your money.

The only exception I see is if the player is trying out for an age appropriate team. Such as the Junior Olympic tournament or something of that fashion.

There will be more chances than you know of to showcase your skills when you are old enough. Especiall if you are getting invtations now as a 13 year old. I cna not imgaine how many will bein the mailbox when you are 15!

Good luck in the process.
Thank you all for your input, folks!

As yet another example why 13 may be too early for parents to take a kid to a showcase, I share this incident with you...

A couple of days ago we had a baseball guest at our team practice to work with our middle infielders. He is currently a pitcher for the University of Tampa. That was the way I introduced him to our players. The kids then asked why was a pitcher working with middle infielders. He replied by saying..."From the time I began playing baseball, until my sophomore year in High School, I was always one of the smallest players but also with a strong arm, so I always played second base or shortstop. I was 5'5" when I began the 10th grade. All of a sudden, I began to grow in size to the point that by the time I graduated from High School, I had reached my current height of 6'2" and had also been turned into a pitcher."

I'm sure there are lots of cases out there were kids just haven't started reaching their physical potential until the age of 15!
Just my .02cents...

I started showcasing my son at 13 for just one reason. To give him "experience".

It is always better to expose your player to the higher level coaches and have him compete against more competitive players. Why, because when they experience that they can stay up with the 14 and 15's it gives them a lot more confidence. For pitchers, confidence is critical, to take to the mound.
PiC

That is all well and good but you run the chance of the experience for a 13 year old being bad one and mess him up confidence wise---I still maintain that the right time is when the boy is a regular varsity contributor.

Most 13 year olds are just getting to the full size field to begin with which is a struggle enough for many kids--when you factor in a 13 year old facing a HS senior you have the formula for "destruction and failure".

My first concern is for the player and his future. I feel that any chance for having the kid take a step back is a chance you do not want to take.


JMO
Coach,
My son grew up in South Florida. Yes, we take our baseball here very seriously, year round.
Suggestion to you. Do not worry about showcases. Try to get your son to play in competitive ball that competes around your area locally and as he gets older, travel ball within the state. There is so much going on, you just need to find the coach with the players who are willing to set foot outside of their hometown. He will not have to go anywhere else, until he reaches his junior/senior years.
Trust me on this one!
If I might add… Intent not to sway anyone, but rather to give another view point.

We have files dating back to age 13 or 14 on a very large number of high draft picks and college stars. While that age is not as important as older ages, it still becomes part of a players history. It sometimes will show makeup issues and help in projecting the player when the time comes. The academic history doesn’t start with the junior year so why would the baseball history.

For example here are two hypothetical pitchers:

1. At age 14 a pitcher (5’7/135) is throwing two pitches (change and fastball) and the fastball with some control is 75 mph.

At age 15 (5’9/148) he ‘s throwing three pitches (fastball, change, curveball)
Fastball with some control is 80 mph.

At age 16 (5’11/163) he’s throwing the same three pitches (all have improved) Fastball with good control is 85 mph.

At age 17 (6’1/178) he’s added lots of movement to the Fastball and the change and curveball are improved even more, now close to MLB average. Fastball is 90 mph.

2. At age 14 a pitcher (5’10/150) is throwing three pitches (change, curveball and fastball) and the fastball with some control is 84 mph.

At age 15 (6’0/175) he ‘s throwing four pitches (fastball, good change, good curveball, slider) Fastball with some control and good movement is 88 mph.

At age 16 (6’1/183) he’s throwing the same four pitches, Fastball with control is 90 mph.

At age 17 (6’1/190) his other pitches have improved slightly and are close to MLB average, Fastball is 90 mph.

At age 17
Pitcher 1. 6’1/178
Pitcher 2. 6’1/190

Velocity
Pitcher 1. 90 mph
Pitcher 2. 90 mph

Other pitches – equal
Command and control – equal

Everything else - equal

Does pitcher 2 get the nod because he appears bigger and stronger? Look at their history.


Both of these pitchers should be highly recruited by DI schools and both will get serious attention from MLB scouts. Of course, there would be much more listed in the players actual file, than what is presented in the above examples.

Pretend you are a scout or recruiter. Which of the two pitchers would you be most interested in? Why?

Which pitcher 1 or 2 is likely to grow more?

Which pitcher is likely to throw the hardest?

Which pitcher is likely to improve the most overall?

Which pitcher do you think will be better 2 or 3 years from now (projection)?

Which pitcher would you guess has the best work ethic?

Which pitcher is least likely to get injured?

Which pitcher has the least risk overall?

You might even come up with other things from the above information. In the real files, there's much more that could be considered.

The same things can be applied to hitting, running, fielding, power, etc.

Chris Lubanski (1st round draft pick) is a good example. We first saw him at age 14. His first report said he had one tool (could run) and was interesting. He showed a somewhat weak arm, no power, and a very skinny body. We saw him many times as he grew older, every time there was improvement and he became a high profile prospect by his junior year in high school. But it was his history that made him such a desirable player worth millions of dollars. His history proved many things about his makeup, desire and work ethic. He didn’t get that good by accident and his history showed how hard he worked at all phases of the game. We had compiled a lot of information on Chris Lubanski. Some of which may never had been available had we not seen him until he reached age 17. Some that, in addition to his ability, helped him make the USA National Team and helped in other areas.

This just goes back to another point. No matter what scouts say, they can never have too much information about a player. The quicker they can identify a prospect the more information they can gather before he becomes draft eligible. There is never any worthless information. This becomes even more important when the front office is considering paying this player millions of dollars. Or when a college plans to invest part of their recruiting dollars.

A full understanding of the process is helpful. Should you as a 13 or 14 year old attend showcases? It’s not necessary! And you can’t usually get in the big events with juniors and seniors anyway. Can it end up helping? In some cases yes!

Each year we have MLB scouting departments request the entire file we have on a player. They want the entire file, not just what we have over the last year.

Last but not least, we run underclassmen events for young players. While these events are not gigantic draws to scouts and college recruiters, they are covered heavily and the information gets to the scouting and recruiting community. At our National Underclassmen each year you will find several coaches from the top amateur programs in America in attendance. This includes East Cobb, Midland Redskins, Florida Bombers, and many others. They are all looking for the best young players in the country.

This is not meant as an endorsement for young players to attend showcases. It’s meant to show there is another side to think about besides just seeing how you might compare to others. By not attending it’s not a big deal, there’s lots of players we don’t see until they’re juniors. But for some it has been very helpful, opened a lot of doors, and given them some documented history.
PG

I think a lot has to do also with the region of the country

I firmly believe that the majority of 13 yr olds in our region, Northeast, are not as advanced due to playing time, short season etc as players in other parts of the country. Sure there will be exceptions but as a rule I think most are not advanced enough.
TR,

Actually I also believe 13 is too young in most all cases. The very very few 13 year olds we've ever seen at underclass showcase events are usually very advanced though.

However we see lots of 14 and 15 year olds. For the most part the 14 year olds we see are very advanced and have a lot of talent.

When we see real young players they're usually very good young players who don't have a problem competing against older players. Michael Main, John Tolisano, Danny Rams, etc.

We scout other youth events like the Junior Olympics. We help USA Baseball identify top young players. The biggest difference in showcase age groups is in who's most interested. Because of what was explained earlier, scouts and recruiters are interested in the information or history when the time comes, but not necessarily right now. However it's the top youth programs and groups like USA Baseball and others that are most interested in these young players at the present time. So there are good reasons to be noticed at a young age. It can and has many times opened up great opportunities. Before they can be selected to the National Teams they must be found. Many are not found while they are young.

I do agree that if a young player does not really stand out in his own age group, he should not compete with older players. He should not attend showcases, let alone
national level underclass showcases.

We have seen 14 year olds that can compete at the very highest level nationally in high school. Sometimes, they have ended up being high draft picks four years later. Lastings Milledge, Delmon Young, Xavier Paul, etc.

Some of these young men have come out of the northern states. Three, in fact, came out of our home state of Iowa. Anyone familiar with Jeff Clement, Brad Nelson and Ryan Sweeney would say they were among the best players (any age) in Iowa high school when they were 14 years old.

Top players can come from anywhere, it's just there are more of them in certain areas like the south and west coast. Of course there are advantages for young players in those hotbeds.

At any rate, when talking about the very top young players, it's the same as the very top older players... They are always the exception rather than the rule.
I do apologize for my response to Coach. He asked at what age should one begin "showcasing" a player. After reading PG's post, I need to repost. When most people hear the word showcase they think of individual emphasis in a team setting (I know I do).

PG,
Dave began "showcase" tournaments at 14. Individual at 16.
At 15 he was chosen to try out for USA baseball, a free trip to Houston for one week, chosen from playing in USA team tryouts in Jupiter. He was not chosen for the team, however because there were many scouts and coaches out watching players such as Milledge, Lofgren, Lubanski,Paul, Manship, Saltalamacchia (just to name a few 2003 grads), he was noticed.
Last year when one scout came to our house he told us he had been watching his development for 4-5 years. Therefore, you make valid points.

So if Coach Jorge was asking at what age one should begin showcasing, I believe as early as possible in a team situation. Individaully perhaps at 15,16. Chances are if you play in Florida, and you have talent, someone of importance has had their eye on you. I do not feel 13 is appropriate age to begin "individual" showcases.

Perhaps we need to clarify exactly what is meant when we use the term, "showcase".
Last edited by TPM
I can see there are several valid points of view that may explain why a 13 year old is too young to consider for showcases. Your input is greatly appreciated. My son and I did enjoy ourselves and it was definitely an experience for him to meet with total strangers on the playing field, who came from other areas of the country.
I think it really depends on the player. Most kids are too young to showcase at 13. Case in point, my 13yo son attended what was supposed to be a skills camp at a mid to upper D1 for 13-18yo. It turned out they had far more players than anticipated at the showcase camp they had held a couple weeks previous to the skills camp so they had the players attend the skills camp instead and turned it into a bit of a showcase camp. My son was the only 2009 on the roster with all but one other player being a 2005 or 2006. They did run it as a skills camp on Saturday but then turned Sunday into showcase games. My son did well for his age on Saturday, especially with the hitting and looked quite composed compared to kids who were nervous because they were trying to make a college team but you could still see that he was a boy among men (many of the HS players had been all-conference, etc. in HS) and as a result he wasn't as good of a player as even the weaker 2006's. I wouldn't recommend showcasing for a 13yo unless he is already able to play with the better HS players.

I'll probably take him back next year as a 14yo because he'll be a freshman and it will be a good experience for him to face top varsity players. As a 13yo we didn't even bring him back on Sunday because it really wouldn't have been fair for the other players to have to showcase against a 13yo who really wasn't on their level.

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