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Sick of Showcase!

L larrythompson500+ posts
Help me out folks! Please, I'm looking for responses from folks who have directly or indirectly benefitted from baseball showcase events. Seems to me that this is a growing industry predicated on preying upon the emotions of parents willing to spend big bucks so their son can throw an inning or two in front of 20 college coaches. And by the way, can you let me know how it has worked out for you or a player you know? Thanks!
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justbaseballjustbaseball10,000+ posts
larry - Our son was virtually unknown except locally a year ago. Like Beenthere's son, he also attended Perfect Game, TeamOne, Area Code, Stanford Camp and skyrocketed to near the top of the heap based on performances at those events. He ended up having an awful lot of choices for college from all over the country and I believe DIRECTLY related to the exposure he got from the showcases he attended. He was also in a very good summer program - but the two (showcases and summer program) complemented each other.

Also agree with Beenthere - worth every dollar. He signed an NLI with what I consider the best baseball/academic program in the country.

________________
"Pitching is the art of instilling fear," Sandy Koufax.

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H HiHardHeat1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by larrythompson:
Seems to me that this is a growing industry predicated on preying upon the emotions of parents willing to spend big bucks so their son can throw an inning or two in front of 20 college coaches.

Last year, we had the opportunity to ask that question of a recruiting co-ordinator from a D1 college. I'll paste in the response that he sent.
quote:

The summer showcases and large tournaments are now the way to go for me. I hate saying it because I love American Legion baseball and in some areas it is still a big deal, but for my time and money, one game in a night down a lonely two-lane road doesn’t make much sense anymore. I know that is not a popular answer to many but it’s our reality now. If I do my homework correctly, I can see hundreds of players perform several times each in a weekend without having to leave the grandstand. Sometimes it’s more productive to work smarter and cheaper.

You have to go where the recruting coordinators are, they don't have the budget dollars to come beating the bushes anymore when there are more efficient ways for them to work.
H HiHardHeat1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by JohnnieM:
My son received an invitation to the Top Gun Baseball National College Prospect Developmental Camp (wow--is the name long enough) in Vegas in June. I have never heard of this organization or camp. It is run by Gary Ward. Anyone know anything about this?

We have also received an invite to this event and don't know much about them over on the east coast. Any feedback?
M Mobunts100+ posts
Larrythompson

If your son can play you won't go wrong attending any of the showcases that Beenthere mentions. I don't think any of these organizations want to work for nothing, they put a tremendous amount of time and effort into their showcases.
As I said,if your son can play there is no doubt in my mind, you will see the results are favorable.
L larrythompson500+ posts
Folks, I appreciate the responses. My son is only 2, so Showcase stuff is quite a ways away. I have managed the Columbia Reds (Maryland) for 15 years. Have had 7 players attend TEAM ONE and other showcase tournaments, and each has greatly benefitted.
They were all terrific players, but probably earned more scholarship money based on performance at the showcase. I just worry about the marginal players who spend lots of money to go to these events, and then don't earn enough scholarship money to cover the expense. I used to think showcase events were for the top 100 or 200 kids in the country. Now it appears that anyone can come provided you pay the fee. I just need to be more educated as I advise my kids. THANKS!
H HiHardHeat1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by larrythompson:
I just worry about the marginal players who spend lots of money to go to these events, and then don't earn enough scholarship money to cover the expense. I used to think showcase events were for the top 100 or 200 kids in the country. Now it appears that anyone can come provided you pay the fee. I just need to be more educated as I advise my kids. THANKS!

Perfectly reasonable request.

But there are a lot more D1/D2/D3/NAIA/Juco scholarships out there than the top 100-200 kids can use in a life-time. The "Great" players will be taken care of, regardless. The showcases are more for the "Very Good Players", who are in a competitive situation for not only scholarships, but roster spots.
L larrythompson500+ posts
HiHardHeat,

Great point once again. Again, I guess I am out of touch with how showcases have evolved. The first kid I ever recommended for a showcase was Matt Deuchler, 4 yr. starting catcher at JMU. He got a 92% scholarship and is now playing in the White Sox org. He was an exceptional kid with a 60 arm out of high school. Never dawned on me that DII,III,and JuCo schools scout these things now, but it makes sense given the reduced budget baseball has experienced over the past 5 years. Thanks for opening my eyes.
F Florida27Pitcher10+ posts
Im not an OUTSTANDING STANDOUT player. I wouldn't have gotten a scholarship to the school I am planning to go to next fall without attending the Team One Showcase I went to last summer! And because that college coach came to watch me pitch for my fall team, a catcher is going with me. If he had not been on that high profile fall team the coach would have never seen him. You have to go out and market yourself if you don't throw 95 or hit 20 homers in high school. Just how I feel.

_____________________________

www.ragincajuns.com
www.eastridgebaseball.com
www.orlandoscorpions.com
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L larrythompson500+ posts
Fla27Pit, great for you and the catch! My point exactly...market yourself. Played with a guy named Mark Carper in high school. Couple years behind me. In 1986, Carper was throwing 93 with a big league hook. He and his mom wrote 30 letters one night at the kitchen table. No bites from colleges in January. Sent the letters out, boom...he is going to Stanford. Pitched OK there. Got drafted in early rounds, didn't like signing bonus, so went to school. My point is...he took the time to market himself. Bravo to you! An educated player and parent can do a lot to secure the right future for themselves! Go get em!
justbaseballjustbaseball10,000+ posts
larry - You are right - Florida27 does have a great story.

But I can tell you that my son and I wrote 20-30 letters to colleges a little over a year ago. He got the usual form-letter response with a questionnaire. He responded to them all.

Then he went to a local showcase (not too expensive, only local colleges). Bingo! One of his target colleges wrote him right away with the same questionnaire that he had already filled out. Think they even looked at the first one? - I doubt it.

Then he went to a national showcase in June. BINGO - big time! Now letters from everyone he could imagine, with repeat questionnaires again - did they look at the originals? - doubt it. ALL as if they hadn't heard from him before. Then he went to another regional showcase just before July 1. BINGO - BIG, BIG time! Now on July 1 the calls rolled in like crazy.

Looking back, IMO, the original letters did little or nothing to get anyone's attention - just polite form-letter responses. The showcases and his summer program did everything. The recruiting system has changed. Can the old way work? - yeah, sometimes. But the system is different now.

And by the way, he signed with Stanford like your friend. Guess what the Stanford coach said when he came into our living room? - basically "all we heard at the CWS was about your son at the PG National Showcase." Hmmm. And Stanford is less than 15 minutes from our house. I won't even tell you how close the coach lives to us - I could almost throw a baseball to it.

Does that tell you something about the system now? Would the result have been the same without the showcases? Maybe? Don't know, but it didn't seem to be heading that way before them. I hope you give your players good advice. Showcases are a big part of the equation now. You're asking the right questions for sure.

________________
"Pitching is the art of instilling fear," Sandy Koufax.

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JustmomJustmom1,000+ posts
Without the showcase, my son as a senior last year would not have heard from over 30 college programs..nor would he be playing D1 baseball..

The thing with showcases is you need to do your homework, make sure they are worth the time and expense and then make sure your son is ready to play when he arrives for the showcase..

There were times last year and the previous years when I was sick of the travel, sick of spending money and wondered if it was all worth it.. Well I now miss those weekends so much.. It was a special time for my son, me, and our relationship.. and as far as was it worth it.. after the hard work and determination of your son when you hear your sons smile and excitement thru the telephone on the night he calls to tell you he has his uniform number or he calls to tell you he got issued his college uniform or when you get to see his picture on a college team website.. you will know.. IT IS ALL WORTH IT!!!

Enjoy the rollercoaster.. Don't let it stress you out too much because its a once in a lifetime chance and it is over so fast.

_______________
"Baseball, it is said, is only a game. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole."

"JustMom"

L lhpmom100+ posts
Showcases definitely work. It is important to pick the best ones and the ones that will have heavy scout attendance. There are some that have a higher attendance of scouts
My son attended a Team One Showcase and has gotten several dozen letters and inquiries from various D-1 and D-2 programs. He also had the opportunity to play on a travel team that had had a lot of coaches see him at their games. Some coaches saw him several times over summer. So it is a good idea to showcase. He'd like to attend more this summer, but we're running into summer team schedule conflicts. But it does work.
BK'sMOMBK'sMOM1,000+ posts
my son (still hs senior) attended a few and was virtually not know either (okay he's still really only well known in our household) but one coach who offered a visit and a scholly (which we did not take, nice coach though)....

actually told my son he remembered his first letter and has followed him since...then when he saw him at a showcase...coach said he became more than interested...

it was a huge part of our process...
R Rsctt8310+ posts
My son attended the Western Underclass Showcase put on by Perfect Game. He was/is very young {class of 2007} nonetheless he performed very well and made top prospect list. I can tell you that people look at those lists/reports. My son has gotten a few letters and offers to play on various teams this summer.

I felt that the most worthwhile portion of the experience was the opportunity to measure my son progress against other really good players. This is great way to see what his strengths and weakness are. He loved the Showcase and cannot wait to attend another PG event.
SY southern yankeeMember
larry,

The first advice to give your players is to make sure they are taking care of business at school. Stress the fact that good grades are a must, there have been many good players that did not continue playing beyond high school because they did not make a strong enough effort in the classroom. Also consider not everyone talented enough to play in college will get an athletic scholarship. Academic money can make the difference whether or not a player can afford to go to the college or university that is recruiting them. In addition, the student athlete should keep in close contact with their guidiance counselor to make sure they have enough of the right classes to get into a good college or university.
For lesser known players I would recommend that they attend a week long showcase camp. Coaches get the chance to see the players every day and can get a good idea of the type of person and player they are. Players that have a strong work ethic,good attitude and the ability to play really benefit from this type of camp.
My son attended Best Of Virgina Showcase Camp after his sophmore and junior years and received interest and offers from many schools. He also attended a few other showcases and played on a fall showcase team this year.
Next year he will play for one of the schools that recruited him after Best of Virginia camp and because of his grades most of his education expenses will be taken care of. Showcases do work but that is only part of the big picture.
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
Well Beenthere, you can't convince everyone, they formed their opinions long before they even read this thread!
My son first showcased in his sophomore year, though we thought it was too early, he was able to see that he could compete among the top pitchers in his class. We are not a believer in attending every showcase held, we are very lucky that many are held in our state. FYI if it wasn't for a showcase I doubt if he would be attending a top D1 next year. Also, he worked hard all of his life to get good grades so when the time came it would just be that much easier to get noticed. Justbaseball's story is the real deal and you'd better believe just one showcase put his son on the map!
If you do not live in a state that is known for producing quality players, you need to find a vehicle to get seen, HS ball alone is not going to cut it. It does happen sometimes that a player is noticed while a scout,coach cnme to see another player, but not too often. It is just too expensive and time consuming for a scout,coach to go to nowheresville to watch one player that a HS coach called him about. The showcases provide them with thousands of players to look at in one weekend. I often find that many parents who thought that their kids were the cats meow didn't feel that showcases were worth it because their son was mediocre compared to their peers. Yes, it is a business but done correctly provides a valuable service for everyone (players, coaches, scouts,parents). Some showcases are not even worth going for "free". Pick and choose carefully.
I agree with Southernyankee, showcases are just another part of the big picture.
dadchs20dadchs20100+ posts
As far as showcases are concerned, our son attended a perfect game ID showcase last november after his freshman year. And it was more or less, to evaluate his talent away from his high school buddies and to see where he stood outside of the fishbowl. He did very well. We were pleasantly surprised. In today's recruiting process, we feel that showcases are the new norm. We will probably attend one every summer and winter (he is an '06). I would hate to have my son NOT get an opportunity because we didn't attend. Besides, when my son went to Australia to play in the 16U Goodwill series, he made friends on the team for a lifetime. To him and us, those showcases, are fun and stress free, just do your thing. If you are good enough, they will see. I agree they can be expensive, however PG and Area Code, Team One put on top rate showcases and they shouldn't be free. I feel these showcases are not for the average ballplayer, and one should really evaluate your son's talent before thinking about attending them. Anyway, for us we are just livin' the dream!
TRhitTRhit10,000+ posts
Keep in mind the logistics of the situation-- college coaches get more bang for their travel buck when attending a showcase-- loads of good talent all in one spot rather than one or two real good players at a HS game

TIP-- if you attend a showcase, contact the coaches at the schools that you are interested in--let them know you will be at such and such a showcase and invite them to come see you-- you will find that they will be more than willing because not only can they see you but also numerous other talented players at the same time.

Keep in mind that showcases not only help a player but they help college coaches and pro scouts as well.

TRhit
09dad09dad10+ posts
Anyone who makes a statement like, "The only one program that can help you is your HS program", has not done their homework.

Any parent that sends his son to a showcase that is in it "just for the money", hasn't done their homework either. There are good showcases, and their are bad showcases.

If you do the research, you will know what to do!!!

I'm still reading, it ain't time yet!!!
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N 2ndbasemom100+ posts
Luckily, my sons High School Coach has made it a point to get my son looked at. He calls him into his office every week to ask what colleges he might be interested in and then sends out a packet to the college. We have some really nice letters from different coaches
that our coach knows personally. So high school CAN impact a player...but it doesn't hurt to do the showcase route also. We have been to many, mainly in the areas that have schools that Bret is interested in. Perfect Game is GREAT. Will be attending one in Cedar Rapids and Bourbonnais this year. Can't do to much to save a little on tuition!!!!!
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
I recently received a pt from a parent who's son is being recruited by the school that my son has signed with for next year. He was asking me about our recruiting experiences with the school. They live on the opposite side of the country. The parents have made it their business to make sure that they have covered as many bases as possible. I doubt the interest came from being noticed while playing a HS game.
A few weeks later I was contacted by a parent who is also being recruited by the same school, player lives here in FL. One night at a game he went in for relief and was noticed by a father whose son is the Head Coach of one of the top D1 in the country. The father was told his son would be receiving a letter from the school. We know this happens (as I mentioned in my earlier post) but in this day and age, because the competition is so great, one must give their son as many opportunites as one can afford. Even attending one well attended showcase can change the course of the players future.
L larrythompson500+ posts
I started this thread a few weeks back, and really appreciate the information all of you have shared with me. I must say, you have changed my look on showcases alot. But...I have been doing some independent research and have a couple of items for you to consider. First, it appears that one showcase per year is about what folks are recommending. I like this, because as a summer coach of a respected 17-18 program, I can't afford to carry players who are going to miss games/practices when the others are there night in and night out. I look at a program like Bill Hood Broncos in Louisiana. When we see them at the NABF World Series, their team is littered with players who are going to LSU, Alabama, etc..., and I know from talking to the coaches (atleast I did 3 years ago) that those players aren't going to showcases during the summer season. Secondly, although coaches are looking at player talent during the showcases, many tell me they turn a blind eye to a kid that is overexposed. In other words, if they know player X plays for this summer team, but appears in 3 showcases during the summer, they have to wonder what type of commitment the player and parent are willing to make to a TEAM. Just food for thought. Keep it rolling!
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
larrythompson,
So glad that we changed your outlook on showcases. My son has only attended three showcases in his HS career (now a senior),one of those held by MLB team and by invitation only. He has however attend many, many tournaments (two PG Wood Bat) with his traveling team and we feel that this helped place him in the top 100 for most of his HS career. This past summer he played for the Pokers (Connie Mack and NABF) which probably was the best exposure as many of those coaches that had sent those letters were out at the games. I think the combination (few showcases, good tournaments, competitive summer team) has worked well for him.
TRhitTRhit10,000+ posts
sandlot

I respectfully disagree with you--- when coaches and scouts see kids at a showcase they could care less about what his HS career is and was.

As for getting mailing lists from Legion and Connie Mack I hate to deflate your bubble but they guard their players list like gold at Fort Knox. You cannot even buy them from them

TRhit
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