Anybody going?
Those of you that have been, I hear it's a good showcase and that many of the smaller schools in the area attend. What are your opinions and observations?
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It is a great showcase AND camp. You receive a lot of instruction from the coaches, with video analysis of the swing. Also, there are plenty of other college coaches present, from Juco to D3s, D2s and other D1s I have seen in the past. Coaches network, and the evaluation that you receive at the end of the camp is a good indicator of what your strengths and weaknesses are through glasses that are not rose colored!
My review of the Showcase;
If it wasn't for the wind, it would have been a great weekend to play.
#1. Scouts; other than the TCU guys, there was two major league guys, Braves and A's, and other than that there were a couple of DIIs, DIII, and a couple of JUCOs. I guess that was OK, I've been to ones that were better attended by the scouts and some that were worse.
#2. Facilities, other than the TCU field, they used two high schools that were in pretty good shape.
#3. Instruction, I didn't expect any, after all it's a showcase, but I did see some of the coaches help some of the kids.
#4. Talent, to be honest I was surprised how few top line guys were there. Maybe it's the time of year, maybe some other reason. I was really surprised the number of poor ball players that were there. I also do not understand why it is open to 14 year-olds. Seeing a 14 year-old facing an 85 mph fastball is frightening. But that very incident did lead to the most humorist event of the weekend. The kid stepped in the box, 5’5” 100 lbs, the ball whizzed by, he stepped back, looked at the coaches with big eyes and gave a nervous laugh.
#5. It was a little obvious, intentional or not, that we were there to showcase the seniors. They got the prime field in front of the prime scouts. I thought the juniors would be as important as the seniors. I know of one kid who didn’t get to pitch because they didn’t want him pitching on the main stage and that is where his team coach had initially scheduled him, not on the secondary field.
#6. This one is just me, but what do the ratings man anyway. So my son got a 4 out of 5, is that TCU material? Or is it college level at all?
To summarize: over all it was a good experience for my son. Will we go again next year? Probably not, unless TCU is recruiting him.
If it wasn't for the wind, it would have been a great weekend to play.
#1. Scouts; other than the TCU guys, there was two major league guys, Braves and A's, and other than that there were a couple of DIIs, DIII, and a couple of JUCOs. I guess that was OK, I've been to ones that were better attended by the scouts and some that were worse.
#2. Facilities, other than the TCU field, they used two high schools that were in pretty good shape.
#3. Instruction, I didn't expect any, after all it's a showcase, but I did see some of the coaches help some of the kids.
#4. Talent, to be honest I was surprised how few top line guys were there. Maybe it's the time of year, maybe some other reason. I was really surprised the number of poor ball players that were there. I also do not understand why it is open to 14 year-olds. Seeing a 14 year-old facing an 85 mph fastball is frightening. But that very incident did lead to the most humorist event of the weekend. The kid stepped in the box, 5’5” 100 lbs, the ball whizzed by, he stepped back, looked at the coaches with big eyes and gave a nervous laugh.
#5. It was a little obvious, intentional or not, that we were there to showcase the seniors. They got the prime field in front of the prime scouts. I thought the juniors would be as important as the seniors. I know of one kid who didn’t get to pitch because they didn’t want him pitching on the main stage and that is where his team coach had initially scheduled him, not on the secondary field.
#6. This one is just me, but what do the ratings man anyway. So my son got a 4 out of 5, is that TCU material? Or is it college level at all?
To summarize: over all it was a good experience for my son. Will we go again next year? Probably not, unless TCU is recruiting him.
Thanks for all the feedback and for the humorous story about the little guy. I remember when my son did a PG showcase, there was a little teeny guy in the infield -- an incoming junior, but probably only 5'3", who struggled to throw the ball where it needed to go. Sadly, in an effort to give it his all, he hurled one to 1st and then there was a loud "snap" that even those in the stands heard. He writhed in pain on the ground and we all hoped that this was not the end of his baseball career.
Regarding your questions about ratings, we asked Coach Schlossnagle that very question last year and here was his response back to us:
"Depending on the position and many other variables, we would be looking for mainly 4's and a bunch of 5's for an impact Div. 1 player. It all will vary from coach to coach, though."
Regarding your questions about ratings, we asked Coach Schlossnagle that very question last year and here was his response back to us:
"Depending on the position and many other variables, we would be looking for mainly 4's and a bunch of 5's for an impact Div. 1 player. It all will vary from coach to coach, though."