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"A National League scout who spoke with VICE Sports said that both the showcases and tournaments are becoming watered-down because so many athletes are showing up."
3and2Fastball posted:"A National League scout who spoke with VICE Sports said that both the showcases and tournaments are becoming watered-down because so many athletes are showing up."
You mean that in a tournament with 392 teams not every team is good? 
2019Dad posted:3and2Fastball posted:"A National League scout who spoke with VICE Sports said that both the showcases and tournaments are becoming watered-down because so many athletes are showing up."
You mean that in a tournament with 392 teams not every team is good?
From what I hear, a vast majority of the teams at WWBA are pretty good. I suppose it is relative. Just going by the math not every player from all 392 teams are going to play D1, however on a smaller level my concern/experience is:
Seeing the B, C & D teams of various Travel Programs playing rinky dink local tournaments against other B/C teams while the parents are charged full price. And it is all just glorified rec ball. Routine fly balls are adventures, not automatic outs.... 14U pitchers throwing 60-65 mph (or throwing 75-80 but walking every other batter)... all for the low low price of $2500+ (fancy uniform included)
in some programs, the C & D teams are still playing great competition, but definitely not all of them. Buyer beware
3and2Fastball posted:2019Dad posted:3and2Fastball posted:"A National League scout who spoke with VICE Sports said that both the showcases and tournaments are becoming watered-down because so many athletes are showing up."
You mean that in a tournament with 392 teams not every team is good?
From what I hear, a vast majority of the teams at WWBA are pretty good. I suppose it is relative. Just going by the math not every player from all 392 teams are going to play D1, however on a smaller level my concern/experience is:
Seeing the B, C & D teams of various Travel Programs playing rinky dink local tournaments against other B/C teams while the parents are charged full price. And it is all just glorified rec ball. Routine fly balls are adventures, not automatic outs.... 14U pitchers throwing 60-65 mph (or throwing 75-80 but walking every other batter)... all for the low low price of $2500+ (fancy uniform included)
in some programs, the C & D teams are still playing great competition, but definitely not all of them. Buyer beware
Your specific concerns are good ones. The article itself is the same old stuff that's been hammered a thousand times for the last 6-8 years. Media needs to start drilling down further into the issues as you have. How does a player recognize watered down product? What can he and family do about it? What path can the player take if he is not a top tier kid but still possible college material? What avenues should players take with limited budgets? etc., etc.
Unfortunately, travel baseball isn't the only thing that has become watered down. Stuff that passes as journalism these days is very weak.
3and2Fastball posted:Interesting article about Perfect Game, the Travel Ball industry, and whatnot. I have definitely noticed that some travel teams and tournaments are just glorified rec ball/Little League, and some are great experiences against advanced competition. I suppose the ongoing message is "choose wisely". I'd be interested in the takes of anyone else regarding the article if anyone cares to chime in.
Pretty spot on article, generally speaking (thanks for sharing). Does PG help some kids with exposure that they might not of gotten otherwise? Sure it does. Do they also assist in the many aspects of the current amateur baseball landscape that are attributed to injury's, lack of development & game knowledge and the fleecing of the family bank accounts? No doubt! Are the college coach's and recruiters also somewhat responsible for the problems/challenges that exist within the current recruiting model, you bet they are.
The positives (imho) to the enhancement/growth/evolving of the process over the last 10 or so years is the increased opportunities and options afforded to all of us involved. The difficult part is navigating through and recognizing which of those will provide the best ROI for your specific sitution.
In the end it all boils down to one thing, like it does in any business.....The almighty dollar!
For the record I was never contacted for this story. It is a mixture of truths and falsehoods.
He claims we profit half a million dollars from a tournament... How could he know that without talking to us?
He writes that an agent claims we and others let the good players in for free so that the rich kids that can't play will pay. That is all BS and an insult to every player that attends our National Showcase which is obviously what he is alluding to when mentioning the swag players receive. There is not a single player at the event that isn't a legitimate prospect. We actually have to turn down many talented kids because there isn't enough room on the rosters.
Travel Baseball... There is definitely the good, the bad, and the ugly involved. We try very hard to stay with the good. In fact, we get rid of the ugly as quickly as possible. BTW, PG runs events, and evaluates players. We are not in the travel ball team business.
Find it odd that out of the million players we have seen, this writer picked the players mentioned to interview.
All his sources are not named. Hate it when writers do that. An agent said, a scout said, a DI coach said, why not just say someone said something.
After all, we have no idea "who" it was that said anything.
As someone from Wisconsin, the comments from Gavin Lux & Ben Rortvedt ring true. Both said that it was their experience through Perfect Game that helped them get drafted. Even Rortvedt's high school coach said that he didn't think Ben would have gotten to where he is without PG.
The concerns about the worst aspects of Travel Baseball and the watered down product locally/regionally have, to me, nothing to do with Perfect Game. In fact, I think it might be better for more of these C & D team kids to go to Perfect Game Showcases and get accurate assessments and return to rec league or go play soccer. Maybe that sounds cold, and doesn't account for late bloomers. But if you can't consistently catch a pop fly at 13 or 14 years old, why are your parents spending $2500 plus travel expenses on a Travel Team? I digress
There is a lot of truth to what you just said. In fact, a PG showcase or big tournament like the WWBA may be expensive, but your player very likely will know where they stand at the end of it. Not a lot of room for sugarcoating or hiding at those events.
And as Fenway and others have said through the years on this board, until you see the depth and breadth of baseball talent across this country first-hand, you really can't appreciate HOW MANY talented and athletic players there are. You can't possibly see that coming with first son at age 13-14. You have to see it to believe it.
Under that theory, a big PG event actually may save some people lots of $ in the long run, assuming they are willing to accept the facts in front of them. It's possible maybe it's not the best use of $ -- if funds are limited -- to continue with the expensive lessons, best equipment, true travel ball, all of it. For the experience and fun? Absolutely. And to each his own anyway (as also has been said on this board).
But for chasing some D1 or MLB dream? The big PG events will let you know where you stand more than any other; more than many local coaches, intentionally or otherwise (some may not be qualified to asses that, others may conclude not in their financial interests to tell you that_.
Just a thought ...
How many people here didn't read the article because they've seen the article written at least twice per year for the past eight to ten years. There isn't a one size fits all travel environment. The writers try to write like there is. Shame on the delusional parents who attempt to purchase talent not the academies who take the money. I don't see McDonalds turning away fat people.
RJM posted:I don't see McDonalds turning away fat people.
Quote of the day!
lmao-
Interesting article.
It does not mentioned the Area Code games [1987-2107] and tryouts. Players paid no fee for their "self evaluation" and with 60 scouts and college coaches at each tryout the opportunity was provided to ask questions. "bat speed", spin rate are all the new terms, however they do not replace the questions:
Can the batter hit a curve? Can the pitcher throw strikes? Can he read the bat?
Players also have the opportunity to attend MLB tryouts for further "self evaluation".
Bob
"founder" of the Area Code games and Goodwill Series International
There is a lot of truth in the article. I'm not a travel ball snob, but I think it is important to be able to compete at the level you play at. The USSAA "aa" "aaa" and "major" classifications help with the youth level teams. To each is own, let the kids play as much baseball as possible.
Once HS age hit, the organizations want to show that they are "big tyne" to attract the quality players. So they want to put PG/WWBA etc. on their resumes. Kid's organization is guilty as charged. This year they put together a "super team" to "compete" at all the big tournaments. Chit, they can't even compete locally. They have maybe one or two kids worthy of competing at that level (most are really good HS players). Sending them down with a staff full of 80-83 mph. pitchers only to go O'fer doesn't make much sense to me. But the parents eat it up and pay several thousand in travel expenses to go these tournaments. With 300+ teams several thousand players, the above average HS kid isn't going to get "discovered." I have no issue with going down to have some fun, but know what your getting in to and don't tell me your kid will be D1 when he gets back.
The point about the showcase numbers is valid too. Numbers are stressed, so that is what is worked on. One reason the organization looses games is poor play. A team with average/above-average talent that knows how to execute can complete with almost anyone. Seen it. But they don't practice the details -- cut offs, situational hitting, 1st and 3rd, etc. We have given away several outs because players cut the throw when they should not have. Finally got an out from CF this weekend -- no cut, because the cutoff wasn't there. 
The system could use some fixing that's for sure.
PG is not the problem. They cater almost entirely to high school players and they will give you an honest evaluation, not just take your money and string you along. If you are 17 still throwing 68 and angling for the next level, bless your heart. There's a reason why your team goes winless in every tournament getting beaten by 15 runs a game.
Crazy parents and the travelball and training center craze are much more the problem.
The internet has hundreds of guys on it right now who will sell you their guaranteed program to have you hitting bombs or pitching 3-5 mph harder in 3 weeks etc. and they film their stuff from their training facility in whatever town where they pay their bills dealing with 8 and 9 year olds all day.
Teaching Elder posted:PG is not the problem. They cater almost entirely to high school players and they will give you an honest evaluation, not just take your money and string you along. If you are 17 still throwing 68 and angling for the next level, bless your heart. There's a reason why your team goes winless in every tournament getting beaten by 15 runs a game.
Crazy parents and the travelball and training center craze are much more the problem.
The internet has hundreds of guys on it right now who will sell you their guaranteed program to have you hitting bombs or pitching 3-5 mph harder in 3 weeks etc. and they film their stuff from their training facility in whatever town where they pay their bills dealing with 8 and 9 year olds all day.
"Crazy parents and the travelball and training center craze are much more the problem."
Crazy parents? How so?
Man, I really tried to refrain from responding to this thread.
Perfect Game has its place, and it can be a blessing or a curse, but let's face the reality of what this article is really trying to say - there are people making big $$$$ off players' hopes and dreams to play either collegiate or professional baseball. Do I believe the reporter's claim to have attempted to contact these organizations for comment? Kind of need to take him at his word, but I commend PG Staff for commenting on the article here.
There are pros and cons to the PG model, but ultimately I still see quite a few guys on D1 rosters who don't even have a PG profile, so that would tell me they either knew the right people or got themselves to the right places to be seen otherwise. The opportunity PG gives players to get in front of coaches and scouts is undeniable. I have only been to one other event, which was free of charge, in which I have seen a higher density of college coaches and scouts in one location.
As a parent of an aspiring college player, who will end up at a college somewhere, someday, PG events have given him visibility. But that visibility also came with a lot of back end work on our part. There was another thread recently in which I was critical of the PG revenue streams, which I have contributed to without a gun to my head. One comment someone made there was about how these events are advertised, how they say "X number of PG players were drafted" or something of that nature. It stands to reason that as these events grow and draws more players to them, there will always be players who they can claim attended their events. Of interest would be (and I don't think PG can quantify this) how many players who attend end up at a collegiate program (any level) who play at PG events. We all know the % of HS kids who end up going D1 (2% or so)...and there will be a higher density of college bound players in these events by default.
Where there is ambiguity is in the perception that professional scouts are evaluating these players at these showcases. My perception is that PG (and to be fair, probably other organizations), solicit/pay local high school, travel ball and college coaches to evaluate players at the showcases (especially the less marquee ones). Is that player being evaluated by their own travel/high school coach? Is there a conflict of interest in that? It serves that coach to rate that player highly for the success of their own program. I know PG will say they stand behind their evaluations, they haven't been in business 22 years by doing things wrong. But if there is a chance that an evaluation can be inflated to benefit a player and in the long run a travel organization, well I think that happens. That's my opinion.
PG didn't dispel the notion that certain players don't pay for events, and I can't speak to that. It certainly wouldn't hurt their events by having top arms/bats there, but I suspect a team would give the kid a free ride to a tournament if it helped get their kids into a bracket and looks from coaches as collateral benefit. Regarding every kid being a prospect at certain events...my answer would be maybe. But I have also seen some pretty pedestrian numbers put up at some of the invite only showcases by players too. But hey, I can't possibly know anything. I think there are certain relationships that get some organizations more opportunities to promote players within the PG machine. Such is the nature of the beast. But I really don't think there is a demand or need to put High School players into events where they are televised. That has no tangible benefit for a player who is already playing at that level in my opinion. That is purely marketing.
I think PG (and I can't believe I am saying this) is certainly entitled to benefit from this business model because he has built something that is attracting players. We (parents, players and coaches) have helped to make PG events and others a part of the recruiting process. We are as much to "blame" as anyone else.
How much is true about the claim that players are working on Exit Velocity, Running Speed, and Throwing Velocity to the detriment of their overall game?
I think the emphasis on general athleticism is building better Baseball players in general. Apparently I am missing something
SanDiegoRealist posted:<snip...., but I suspect a team would give the kid a free ride to a tournament if it helped get their kids into a bracket and looks from coaches as collateral benefit. <snip>
There are programs with multiple teams in an age group, in which the players on the top team don't pay anything in the way of dues or fees. The other teams pay.
3and2Fastball posted:How much is true about the claim that players are working on Exit Velocity, Running Speed, and Throwing Velocity to the detriment of their overall game?
I think the emphasis on general athleticism is building better Baseball players in general. Apparently I am missing something
My son went to a camp at a D1 school and the HC actually said he was cutting some guys because the were "showcase" players that could not perform at the college level. There was a great message/video sent out by Rich Prada, who owns Play In School, about what makes a baseball player a great baseball player. He said "Have you ever noticed that guy who always seems to be in the right spot at the right time?" I think that is what eludes some players, as many call it "baseball IQ."
One thing I didn't mention in my above post was something that perplexes me. Why are there committed 2018 players on the rosters (and playing) in the PG WWBA 16U event? How does that even make sense, other than to make a team with mostly younger players more competitive? I never have understood that and it looks really bad in my eyes. But again, I don't know anything.
2019Dad posted:SanDiegoRealist posted:<snip...., but I suspect a team would give the kid a free ride to a tournament if it helped get their kids into a bracket and looks from coaches as collateral benefit. <snip>
There are programs with multiple teams in an age group, in which the players on the top team don't pay anything in the way of dues or fees. The other teams pay.
Yeah, I know. My son's organization will not do that. Everyone pays.
What jumped out at me is the stated number of TJ surgeries, half are done on HS players. Anyone have real numbers on that?
This is the biggest concern, IMO. Injuries from attending multiple events during the summer to get seen, this is happening to top prospects, by the time they enter college or drafted, immediately or a year afterwards, they need surgery. Injuries are happening to players even before they get committments. I was told about a pitcher who showed himself real well weeks ago leading up to this past weekend, by the time he got to WWBA he couldn't get players out because his velo was down. Cause for concern, he might not get a commitment.
This should be the #1 reason for all parents to resist showcase after showcase, tournament after tournament. Unfortunately, it's not. The travel teams are also just to blame as anyone else. Some have grueling schedules.
Spending dollars unwisely should also be a very big concern as well. College is very expensive, very. Spending thousands for a 25% D1 opportunity makes no sense to me. Or hoping that a scout might offer a 150k to go play professional ball, makes no sense either.
JMO
We're all adults here. This is nothing new - the amateur baseball industrial complex has no problem taking anyone's money for any reason. There are many people & services that provide tremendous value for those services. There are many people & services that provide no value. As parents and players, educating ourselves and understanding that very specific value difference is where the rubber hits the road. This is common sense.
The article was written with a little more balance than I've seen in the past. PG is the largest baseball scouting service, and they do an excellent job. PG and others like it are providing a service on two sides of the equation....both their professional & college scouts and recruits (everybody else).
From the scouting perspective, there is a finite number of recruiting spots available every year in college and professional baseball.....the demand is mostly fixed. It seems like orgs like PG are becoming increasingly challenged getting qualified recruits in front of the scouting community to evaluate talent. From my viewpoint this is a big business issue for PG and organizations like it than it is for the travel teams, and recruits. It occurs to me that PG and others are going to have to adapt their business model over time to either expand the number of scouts or decrease the number of recruits they can see. Evaluation is labor intensive....there is no getting around it.
As for the recruits (everybody else), it seems to be harder to separate oneself from the many travel teams and recruits out there. I think a lot of people can save themselves a lot of money by getting evaluated yearly by people in the business. Go to a couple of these large events and see for yourself how much talent is out there. Be honest with yourself and your son, and figure out the best path if your son wants to play professional or college baseball. Finding the best travel team with the right pro & college connections and getting great grades has probably never been more important.
As always, JMO.
TPM posted:What jumped out at me is the stated number of TJ surgeries, half are done on HS players. Anyone have real numbers on that?
This is the link for that statement. I think the VICE author mixed together Dr Dugas' comment about his own experiance treating high school kids, and the study from the AJSM that looked at 15-19 year olds (not specifically high school kids) from 2007-2011 (which seems ancient now). I don't know if better, more recent data is available. One thing I see in the AJSM study is that they only used data from private insurance companies. Would surgeries on college and professional players generally fall into that category?
Thanks for the recent article.
The sad part in all pf this great advice is that much doesn't really seem to have changed.
TPM posted:Thanks for the recent article.
The sad part in all of this great advice is that much doesn't really seem to have changed.
Every generation of kids/parents seems to have the "it won't happen to me" attitude. As just one example, I know a 2021 kid who has played up with a 16U team and with his age group on a 14U team in the same weekend. Including playing Catcher w/ the 16U team and pitching for the 14U team. Madness. And this is a kid who has already been gaining legit interest from D1's. I'm concerned that he will have no arm left by the time he's 18. When I talk to his Dad, his Dad just says "oh he's always been a tough kid".
With regard to overuse injuries, the obvious solution in my opinion is to put down the glove for extended periods and participate in other sports. However, the best travel programs that provide the best opportunities in our area are essentially year-round programs.
While most of these programs do make allowances for the multi-sport athlete, there is still a great deal of pressure to be at practices and tournaments regardless of whether a kid may have had a football game the night before. That said, my son's travel organization handles it about as well as one could hope.
Although it is clearly an unrealistic ideal, I wish we could go back to the days of each sport having its own distinct season.
I do wish someone would do a complete study on year around baseball. Also on kids that concentrate on baseball and don't play other sports.
Maybe MLB could have every MLB player fill out a questionnaire.
Nearly 1/3rd of MLB players come from areas that concentrate on baseball and play it year around. Everyone knows that per capita The Dominican produces, by far, the most MLB players. Doesn't that mean anything? What other sport does the Dominican Republic excel at? If those Dominican kids played other sports, would there be even more MLB players from there?
Other than that group, how many MLB players under the age of 30 played travel ball or attended showcases? Would it be 50% or, as I believe, closer to 100%?
Major League baseball may be as young as it has ever been. What does that tell us. College Baseball is as good as it has ever been? What does that tell us?
It is quite obvious to us that there are many more kids with next level talent than ever before. Why is that and Is it good or bad?
TJ surgery among precollege players accounting for half of the TJ surgeries? What are the actual numbers? I mean if one group has 10 million and the other group has 10 thousand, which group has the most injuries... of every type?
Baseball is growing, it is actually gaining popularity according to those that do the studies. Why is that? It is also growing globally.
So does any of this mean everything is great with baseball? No of course not, but instead of complaining, why not find the answers. You cant interview a couple people and claim you have the answers.
Right here on this site, I have answered questions from parents that want to know if they should send their son to a PG Showcase. I'm positive that it is documented here. I have recommended to a few that yes they should definitely attend if what they are saying is true about their sons talent. However more often I have suggested that they are not ready and would be better off spending their money elsewhere, based on what they have said. Surely some of you have read those posts.
So is that what money grabbers do? Do they turn away money just because a kid is not ready and really wont get anything out of attending? Why does it always have to be about the money. Years ago when we really did need money, we lost a sponsorship agreement that was over $200,000. We angered the decision maker because we DID NOT select his kid to the All American Game. His son was very good, played DI (SEC) and a couple years of Pro ball, we could have easily picked him without anyone questioning. He just wasn't as good, in our estimation, as the other kids we picked at that position. Maybe that was stupid on our part. When your entire history involves doing things like that, you tend to get a little pissed when others that don't even know you, claim you're just about the money.
One thing I've always wondered about the Dominican Republic players and couldn't find answers in regards to: we know they are working on Baseball year round, but are they throwing year round? Do they take a few months off from throwing a year?
Something that is clear about Dominican Republic players growing up that differentiates them from American players: the DR kids practice a heckuva lot more. Their ratio of practices to games is much much higher than American kids.
The biggest takeaway I've gotten in reading about Bryce Harper, more than that he was a man-child at 12 years old, more than that he was flown around the country for tournaments from 12-17, is the sheer amount of time & work he put into the game. Lots of stories of him leaving a game and then going to a cage and hitting with his Dad for another hour or two.
If you work as hard as Harper or a DR kid, will that alone get you into MLB? Of course not! We are all limited by our genetic potential. But, provided you don't overwork yourself into injury, you can maximize your potential....
How much any of that relates to the topic? I don't know, other than I suspect that the general American kid would go further by practicing more and being more selective as to how many games they play.
I read the article even though I had a pretty good idea what it would say. At what point did PG or any travel program become the guardian of my child? Since he was born we made decisions about what amount of product or activity was best for him, from cocoa puffs, to how much he threw, to college choice. All of these required study and dialogue with him to determine what was best. How is this different?
Once he went to a college baseball camp. My son is on the mound and the RC says he can't find any info on my guy. My son says,"I have never been to Perfect Game." The RC nods his head and says,"That explains it". Now had my son been more talented earlier, he would have gotten noticed earlier. But the fact is Perfect Game provides the best format for less than super talented kids to be matched with appropriate colleges. It provides a common ground where scouts can see players and players can be seen. How is that bad?
We didn't use Perfect Game because an undersized kid throwing 82-84 doesn't garner interest from the schools he wanted to attend. Once he developed the size and skills he made his pitch directly to those schools through camps. Perfect Game is a great product, but just like every other product the consumer has to decide if it is right for them.
To summarize the article... youth baseball tournaments and showcasing is a big business. Yawn.
I really don't see PG as being big business. There is a lot more we want to do to help grow the game, but never spend any time talking about being a big business.
I do understand that the industry as a whole, might be considered big. However, other than professional baseball I don't know of a single entity that runs tournaments or showcases that could be considered big business. There is a lot of small businesses.
Then again I don't know what people consider big business.
Re: Dominican athletes and avoiding the stereotype they all play baseball. You know those Dominicans. They all look like baseball players.
While baseball is the most popular sport basketball, track, boxing, soccer and volleyball are popular sports in the Dominican Republic. The are Dominicans in the NBA. There have been world champion Dominican boxers. With the population of a large US metropolitan area (10M) there are three major track venues. There are also professional soccer and volleyball leagues. Many Dominicans play for volleyball clubs around the world.
PGStaff posted:I really don't see PG as being big business. There is a lot more we want to do to help grow the game, but never spend any time talking about being a big business.
I do understand that the industry as a whole, might be considered big. However, other than professional baseball I don't know of a single entity that runs tournaments or showcases that could be considered big business. There is a lot of small businesses.
Then again I don't know what people consider big business.
Depends on the business sector. Within the recreational sports sector, I doubt PG would be considered a small business based on revenue and FT/PT employee headcount. You cannot deny PG is the 800 lb gorilla in the sector.
Personally I think the Top Flight players are at a huge disadvantage by not getting involved with PG sooner. My kid is a 2021 so I am familiar with that age group especially in the midwest. There are so many kids who are considered the best of the best from that age group who don't even have a PG profile yet. The top flight midwest kids that have done PG events are already getting recruited.... you can go on their PG profile and see their measureables, their stats from PG events etc, and the other kids who aren't doing PG events have fallen behind a little
I would "flip the script" slightly and say if you are good enough PG should be the priority. Not travel teams, not PBR Showcases. The priority should be training and Perfect Game. There are a bunch of travel programs around here that only go to PG at 16U & 17U, and a few that never go. If a kid is talented enough, the $2500 plus travel expenses for a team, the $100+ PBR Showcase or two, the PBR Future Games etc etc is all just throwing money away (or at best just fun experience) as compared to attending one Perfect Game Showcase
just my 2 cents
3and2Fastball posted:Personally I think the Top Flight players are at a huge disadvantage by not getting involved with PG sooner. My kid is a 2021 so I am familiar with that age group especially in the midwest. There are so many kids who are considered the best of the best from that age group who don't even have a PG profile yet. The top flight midwest kids that have done PG events are already getting recruited.... you can go on their PG profile and see their measureables, their stats from PG events etc, and the other kids who aren't doing PG events have fallen behind a little
I would "flip the script" slightly and say if you are good enough PG should be the priority. Not travel teams, not PBR Showcases. The priority should be training and Perfect Game. There are a bunch of travel programs around here that only go to PG at 16U & 17U, and a few that never go. If a kid is talented enough, the $2500 plus travel expenses for a team, the $100+ PBR Showcase or two, the PBR Future Games etc etc is all just throwing money away (or at best just fun experience) as compared to attending one Perfect Game Showcase
just my 2 cents
I have 7 2017 on my roster. All 7 are signed to the level they should be going in college. Not one PG event. There are all kinds of ways to find the right college experience and level for a player.
3and2Fastball,
Totally agree. There are many recruiting paths to get to college baseball. Professional baseball is a different matter entirely and it seems like you have to go through PG or something like it. My son went the college route. He attended PG Jupiter and PG WWBA many times with his travel team and got a PG rating. These events allowed college coaches a second, third and fourth look at him over those showcasing years. For him, PG was not a requirement, but it didn't hurt. Additionally, PG events and his travel team kept him playing at a high level. Ironically, the college he selected was the result of an academic showcase that had nothing to do with PG or his travel team.
If you are a stud from a very competitive high school district, you might be able to navigate your own route to higher level baseball. However, even these guys need PG for draft position and such. Pro scouts want to see guys compete against highest levels.
For most guys, PG gives them an opportunity to get bench mark stats into an objective database, and at times play in front of a huge conglomeration of next level coaches.
PG is not your first tool in seeking to get a player to the next level. You are the number 1 tool and that means leg work. For some it is very little leg work, as they have skills to sell themselves quickly. For most, this means a lot of emails, phone calls and camps/showcases. Next is a good scout team that can get week-to-week opportunities to play in front of coaches. Finally you have a tool like PG. Use it to communicate with coaches that you will be at the event and that they can see you compete against high level competition. Use it to forward your link to prospective coaches with your objective measurables.
Also remember that nobody sees Jr. like you see Jr. If he's 17 years old, 5'11" 155 lbs, stroking out low 80s fastballs, you might be proud and see potential, but probably no coach is thinking the same way. That's just the way it is. And that's okay. We are not entitled to our kid getting to play college ball or even to get to go to college at all. It is a privilege and a blessing.
Love your boy for who he is and who God has created him to be. Get the best out of him in every area of life and every endeavor he begins, but then relax and let him go and be proud of the man he has become.
PGStaff posted:I really don't see PG as being big business. There is a lot more we want to do to help grow the game, but never spend any time talking about being a big business.
I do understand that the industry as a whole, might be considered big. However, other than professional baseball I don't know of a single entity that runs tournaments or showcases that could be considered big business. There is a lot of small businesses.
Then again I don't know what people consider big business.
I always feel like it's a little bit of a franchise, at least the PBR and some of those, where the "big" business — corporate — allows state directors to run their own small businesses using the corporate name, branding and tools. Is that an accurate sense of a lot of what is going on?
I can see either Perfect Game or PBR or any of the showcases as a good way to get a coach's initial attention, but we've had more than one coach who came to see my 2018 pitch in a high school game say that that is where they see the true competitiveness of the kid — when they are battling against a long-time high school rival, when their team that they have played with since they were 8 is relying on them to dig deep and give them a chance to win.
I agree there are lots of roads to college baseball and if parents are spending too much on showcases, or kids are getting injured by overplaying, there's no one to blame but ourselves. We, after all, sign our kids up for those events and we write the checks.
