Strictly an opinion question

I have a 2012 LHP in the family.

My philosophy has always been, if it hurts, don't play and let's figure out what is wrong.

For us, this only happened once, in his 12U season, which we cut short by a few weeks. Taking July & August off seemed to cure him and he (knock on wood) hasn't had any issues since.

If your son is being invited to all these big show cases, he must be good. My simple advice is to make sure he's healthy. Then make sure he's able to "show" in these tournaments. Why send him out there at 50% and risk further injury and not perform at his best?

It's all about him. If he can improve his "status" than let him do it. If he is risking injury or not improving his "status" then shut it down.

4pApA,

Your long term plan and logic is sound. I think you're going about this the right way from what you've shared.

In terms of his elbow, have you sought a second opinion? I would want to be almost 100% sure of the situation before going into his senior year, Fall showcase circuit, and then HS season. I agree 100% with JMoff.....don't risk further injury if he isn't 100% at these showcases.

Best of luck!

If his goal is to get recruited, then the only question is whether he's ready to pitch again or not. If he is, then when he's ready he should be at exposure events. If he isn't, then he shouldn't be pitching at all, at any level.

There is absolutely nothing to gain, from a recruiting perspective, from the fall wood bat league in our area. Those games are generally recreational, though frankly they tend to be of such poor quality that it's hard to have any fun at them. There certainly is not going to be any opportunity to get scouted there.

As for Jupiter, bear in mind that exposure can be good or bad. If he's ready, great -- though there would be a need to face some stiff competition prior to Jupiter to be ready for what he'd face there. If he's not ready and he's out there looking terrible while everyone's watching, that can prove to be a mighty expensive mistake.

Jupiter is a powerful event as long as you can perform well on the big stage. But if you create a negative impression, you can get yourself scratched off a lot of lists, too. If he's not healthy, you might want to take the next 6 months to get healthy and then ask the JuCo's to come see him in the spring.

Your interest in JuCo's does help, since they are not quite as accelerated in their recruiting time table as the D-1's are getting. But I would also suggest you not rule out D-2's, who also have money to offer, and who can get you to a 4-year degree in the end without ever having to transfer (or have to sell yourself yet again in 2 years). Don't close any doors in either direction just yet. As with the JuCo's, there are not a lot of D-2 programs in VA, but there are lots nearby that are affordable even for out-of-state guys if you head to, say, SC, NC, WV or PA.

quote:

Originally posted by 4pApA:
Our son,2012 LHP, has not played baseball all summer due to pain in his throwing elbow. We have now identified (after many attempts) found the source of his pain and are on the path to correct it. We have the opportunity to play the Fall showcase circuit or play HS Fall wood bat as a preparation for the WWBA event in Jupiter in Oct as he has been assigned to a PG team. His academics (mostly) and maturity (less) indicate he will go the JUCO route (and is ok with that and has several schools interested) after HS. Am curious to how others in this situation may have proceeded. Thanks for your feedback and reading the post.

If you say that JUCO will most likely be where he will go, why play the showcase circuit? Why not just play fall ball to help him get back into the game after being away and get ready for his last HS season?

TPM has given you solid advice.

I am in Florida and if I am reading this correctly if we are thinking about JUCO, then playing the showcase circuit is kind of a waste? Do they not recruit these events also? I was assuming since many of the JUCO's down here are pretty competitive that they'd be at the events as well.

I have been thinking JUCO because if he manages to get some scholarship money, coupled with Bright Futures we might not be out too much those first two years. Whatever we can do to keep him from starting life with a ton of SL debt is the general idea, but I just wanted to be sure I understood. I've seen reference to some JUCO camps around Central Florida on one of the sights.

Pronk, it's all relative to his present ability, to a larger degree, and projection, to a lesser degree (pros put more emphasis on projection). D1's expect present ability but might take a chance on a kid they expect to experience a "jump" soon. Bottom line is, D1 velocity at a minimum is 84 but 86-87 more likely (LHP). Add 1-2 MPH for a RHP. This assumes some offspeed pitches as well. If your kid is not yet there consider some other options that would enable your son to develop.

quote:

Originally posted by Pronk:
I am in Florida and if I am reading this correctly if we are thinking about JUCO, then playing the showcase circuit is kind of a waste? Do they not recruit these events also? I was assuming since many of the JUCO's down here are pretty competitive that they'd be at the events as well.

I have been thinking JUCO because if he manages to get some scholarship money, coupled with Bright Futures we might not be out too much those first two years. Whatever we can do to keep him from starting life with a ton of SL debt is the general idea, but I just wanted to be sure I understood. I've seen reference to some JUCO camps around Central Florida on one of the sights.

Yes the JUCO coaches scout at FL events, but they also recruit and give scholarships to players that are really good players. Not just because you live in FL. The advice I gave was to someone out of state who specifically stated their son would most likely take the JUCO route.

I am asking because I have the "sense" that if you are not going NCAA D-anything.....showcase is not the route for you....all the contacts we have had with JUCO are from outreach by my son....not becasue they saw him at an event this summer...He is leaning towards HS Fall Bat league as he works to get ready for Jupiter...the diganosis has been long in coming as we followed Dr orders to rule things in and out....good news - after a tedious process...His velocity was 86+ when he last pitched and has good CU (best pitch) and Curve..JUCO suits him on many fronts and the ones we have visited have been great...He really wants the "true" college experience and finding JUCO with dorms is a challenge, but 2 of the 3 we visited have them...BUT none in VA...Thanks for all the feedback and more is welcome.