Top 2011's in the state

Start with some of the 2011s that played for the North Commonwealth team last year

Luke Willis CF Oakton
Chad Carroll SS Oakton (formerly Gonzaga)
Mark Williams RHP 1B Gonzaga
Aaron Hoover LHP 1B Westfield (committed to JMU)

add to that
Michael Katz 1B OF O'Connell

There are so many prospects here in Va.Beach. Greg Thomchic, Ryan Cook, TJ Costen, Michael Rienerth, Chase Lemasters, Davi Berman, the list is long. Its a great 2011, 2012 classes. The coaches here, Soup Campbell, Rob Younce
, Tim Smith, Lee Coates, Jeff Anderson, etc, have done a great job.

Kenny Towns - Lake Braddock MIF/P (also on North Commonwealth team last year)
Matt Kianka OF/P (also on North Commonwealth team)
Lance Veeder - Paul VI IF/OF/P
David Pyon - West Springfield C (also on North Commonwealth team)
Luke Bondurant - South County 3B (also on North Commonwealth team)

quote:

Originally posted by odubaseball:
There are so many prospects here in Va.Beach. Greg Thomchic, Ryan Cook, TJ Costen, Michael Rienerth, Chase Lemasters, Davi Berman, the list is long. Its a great 2011, 2012 classes. The coaches here, Soup Campbell, Rob Younce
, Tim Smith, Lee Coates, Jeff Anderson, etc, have done a great job.

Can you tell me what schools Michael Rienerth, Chase Lemasters, Davi Berman play for?

List of top 2011's is kind of futile. I guess people are basing their list of best players on who they know that's in their area, maybe how they played last spring and summer. Ask this again after the spring hs season has already played out. Some HS teams haven't even played a game yet.

Jake Cave P/OF Kecoughtan
Nick Thompson P/IF Western Branch
James Morgam Paul VI
Kevin Tatum IF Woodbridge
Josh Swirchak IF Osbourn Park
Ryan Douglass P Brentsville

There are many talented 2011's. Great Class

FC Reinerth, David Berman
Lemasters- PA

quote:

Originally posted by wgarlick:

quote:

Originally posted by odubaseball:
There are so many prospects here in Va.Beach. Greg Thomchic, Ryan Cook, TJ Costen, Michael Rienerth, Chase Lemasters, Davi Berman, the list is long. Its a great 2011, 2012 classes. The coaches here, Soup Campbell, Rob Younce
, Tim Smith, Lee Coates, Jeff Anderson, etc, have done a great job.

Can you tell me what schools Michael Rienerth, Chase Lemasters, Davi Berman play for?

quote:

Originally posted by odubaseball:
There are so many prospects here in Va.Beach. Greg Thomchic, Ryan Cook, TJ Costen, Michael Rienerth, Chase Lemasters, Davi Berman, the list is long. Its a great 2011, 2012 classes. The coaches here, Soup Campbell, Rob Younce
, Tim Smith, Lee Coates, Jeff Anderson, etc, have done a great job.

Also Scott Hurrell and Jeremy Sandifer from Landstown...

quote:

Originally posted by bbfan11:
List of top 2011's is kind of futile. I guess people are basing their list of best players on who they know that's in their area, maybe how they played last spring and summer. Ask this again after the spring hs season has already played out. Some HS teams haven't even played a game yet.

I don't know that I would call this list futile. A lot of these kids have committed already or are soon on their way, without having played a game yet this year. All of these guys are great players and I'm sure there are a bunch more out there who haven't been named yet.

Michael Curry P/IF and Cody Queen P/SS at Greenbrier Christian are to talented class of 2011's
players.

Just kind of reminds me of the list that came out from baseball clearinghouse of top 2010 pitchers. Lots left out, some on list maybe not so deserving or at least not ranked correctly. The list of talented 2011 players kind of unscientific, lots of variables. Just cause someone says someone is talented doesn't make it so. At least the baseball clearinghouse list tried to make their determination based on stats.
So while fun to see who is mentioned, what about the good players who are not? I think some players are deemed good more due to hype than fact.

I will say upfont I do nothave knowledge of every kid ot there- and most of what I know is central district.
Looking at Central District it seems dominated by seniors. Top team in the District and Region does not have a single 2011 starting...not because there arent some good ones just havent had the chance yet.
I think there are some who are yet to make their mark this year maybe at TD and Dinwiddie as well as Matoaca.Tough will all the good 2010s though.
Played with a few from dominion or saw some last summer that seem like strong 2011's.
Kid from Clover Hill - Brandon Jones, Mancester - Auggie Aiers and Ben Florence, Cosby - Christian Hamlet and Tim Perry, I think they are both at Cosby but maybe Midlo.
Verlander from Goochland is a 2011 I believe.
Matt Lees from Godwin

quote:

Originally posted by bbfan11:
List of top 2011's is kind of futile...

Quite a few of the top 2011's have already committed to colleges. I don't think compiling a list of those guys is futile at all.

Anyway, these are the VA players in the Top 500 according to PG:

Jake Cave, Kecoughtan, LSU
TJ Costen, First Colonial, USC
Kevin White, USC
Joe McGillicuddy, WT Woodson, uncommitted
Nick Thompson, Western Branch, ECU
Taylor McConnell, Poquoson, uncommitted
Nick Christopher, Dinwiddie, uncommitted
Christian Hamlett, Cosby, uncommitted
John McGillicuddy, WT Woodson, uncommitted
David Spinsosa, STAB, uncommitted
Shawn Morimando, Ocean Lakes, ECU
Matt Kianka, Paul VI, uncommitted
Gary Leclair, Steward School, uncommitted
Mike Wood, Tazewell, uncommitted

Augie Ayers of Manchester is committed to Liberty.

Congrats to Scott Hurrell (Landstown HS) who committed to UNC Charlotte.

Again, there are many quality ball players in the 2011, 2012 class and its hard to put together a list; however, top 500 in Va. and Ryan Cook is not on the list? Come on, he's going to get many votes for Beach Player of the year, so who ever put together that list, just know there are plenty of good players, and the LIST means nothing except to those who put it together.

odubaseball,
It is a top 500 in the NATION list that Redbird is referring too.

I don't know this player but has he played any ball in large events to give him the chance to be ranked in a national ranking?

It is hard to get ranked until he plays "on the big stage" IMO

I have to agree with 3up. It's almost impossible for to get noticed on a "national" level without having played in some high exposure events. I don't know if Cook has or hasn't played in these events, all I'm saying is that to get on these rankings one has to be seen.

quote:

Posted March 17, 2010 11:02 PM Hide Post
odubaseball,

It is hard to get ranked until he plays "on the big stage" IMO

Anotrher way to phrase that would be "hard to get on the PG list until someone shells out $500-$600 to attend one of their events"

Maybe insted of "plays on the big stage" you meant to write "pays to be on the big stage"

A little bit of Internet homework on the Perfect Game site reveals that Ryan Cook played with the Richmond Braves National in both the 2009 17U and 2009 16U WWB tournaments. He is listed on their High Follow list for the class of 2011.

Just an FYI, Verlander is a 2010 grad.

quote:

Anotrher way to phrase that would be "hard to get on the PG list until someone shells out $500-$600 to attend one of their events"

Maybe insted of "plays on the big stage" you meant to write "pays to be on the big stage"

You are indeed "stilllearning", because this is completely false.

I've seen literally dozens of players I knew personally who did nothing more than attend USA Baseball's Junior Olympics as 16's and a few WWBA tourneys, and they got very highly ranked. Given that I know only a fraction of those out there, I have to assume this is not a unique experience. There does have to be some source of disinterested, evaluative information, but you don't have to pay to get it.

As for paying for showcases, that can work both ways. Lots of those who pay don't get the ratings/rankings they want. Some times the truth hurts and the rose-colored glasses have to come off.

I do think a high caliber kid should pay to attend at least one PG event. Not doing that is penny wise and pound foolish, IMHO. On the other hand, I also see lots of starry eyed parents shelling out major bucks for showcase after showcase on kids who objectively are not the highest caliber of player, and that is indeed money wasted on self-delusion.

There are ways to get to WWBA tourneys and other highly visible events without paying big bucks. I realize some teams charge an arm and a leg, but other teams do dedicate themselves to offering affordable vehicles. Those who charge a lot of money tend to tell you it's absolutely necessary, but consider the source, and keep shopping around if money is tight.

I see guys that are not on the PG list...to which I was referring - that you would agree belong and are not on it because they have not spent the money to participate- its that simple.
are you implying that you arent "still learning"?

If you believe PG is a "disinterested evaluative source" I would say you may indeed be "still learning" as well whether you admit that or not.

Not saying there is anything wrong with people providing a service in the market that people are willing to pay for...In fact I am in favor of such ventures- but lets recognize it for what it is.

quote:

Originally posted by stilllearning:
that you would agree belong and are not on it because they have not spent the money to participate-

I would call that a bit of a mischaracterization. They may not be on the list simply because PG hasn't heard of them. They may not have heard of them because they may not have played in any national type events.

I suggest you go back and do a search on this. PG has done a great job in explaining their process a few different times in the last several months.

This also directly disproves the old theory that "if you are good enough they will find you".

That isn't necessarily so these days and again, a great reason to attend a PG event if you feel you have the game to move to the next level. If someone has no interest in playing beyond HS, no need at all to spend the money for a PG event. If you do want to play beyond HS, PG is a great way to help set expectations as to where you might fit in. It isn't then end all be all but it is a great place to start.

Something to think about...if you don't get on the top prospect list without paying to attend an event, why isn't everyone who attended an event on the top prospect list?

As always I was just trtying to say the list should be taken for what it is.... a list of people who have most likely paid to attend their events.
PG is a great organization for what it does
- sometimes i think we forget exactly what it is they do.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by stilllearning:
As always I was just trying to say the list should be taken for what it is.... a list of people who have most likely paid to attend their events.
[QUOTE]

Not to nitpick but I just don't think that is entirely fair and it implies something that I don't believe is the case. It implies that you don't get on the list unless you pay them money and I also believe that does a huge disservice to the young men on that list as it diminishes their hard work and skills that got them on that list to begin with.

I think the thing to remember is that it isn't an end all be all list and I am sure there are kids not on the list that deserve to be there. I disagree that they are not there simply because they haven't given PG money. That may NOT be what you are implying but does come across that way...at least to me.

We do agree that they provide a great service for both parents and kids alike.

I know I get the brocures in the mail and I know plenty of folks who have particiapted...their stamp of approval does carry some weight- i am just saying some dont participate that if they did they could top the list

quote:

Anotrher way to phrase that would be "hard to get on the PG list until someone shells out $500-$600 to attend one of their events"

Maybe insted of "plays on the big stage" you meant to write "pays to be on the big stage"

We certainly can’t say that we have identified every top 2011 in Virginia, but that is and will be the goal.

I get kind of tired explaining the process, only to have some who just don’t understand. Many have told me… From a business standpoint we should let everyone think they have to attend a PG event (or pay us) in order to make the rankings. The problem is that is just not true!

We actually want to get it “right” no matter who pays anything. If the list is not a good one, we won’t be considered worthwhile. There are thousands who subscribe to follow the lists and information. Would it make sense to only rank or list those who paid to be listed? Why would anyone buy that?

We like to think that our lists set the standard. It is very obvious that all other lists are made up of following (for the most part) the PG lists. If you don’t believe that look at the other lists out there. You will seldom see a name on any list that wasn’t first identified and listed by PG. Guess that is why so many people subscribe to pgcrosschecker.

Back on point, don’t know how many times we need to prove it….
Jake Cave – Has been to multiple PG events. Early Commit to LSU
TJ Costen – Has been to multiple PG events. Early Commit to U of South Carolina
Kevin White – Has been to multiple PG events. Early Commit U of South Carolina
Joe McGillicuddy – Have seen him play in big tournaments, according to our records, has never paid PG anything.
Nick Thompson – Has been to multiple PG events. Early Commit to East Carolina
Taylor McConnell - Has been to multiple PG events.
Nick Christopher - Have seen him play in big tournaments, according to our records, has never paid PG anything.
Christian Hamlett - Has been to multiple PG events.
John McGillicuddy - Have seen him play in big tournaments, according to our records, has never paid PG anything.
David Spinsosa - Have seen him play in big tournaments, according to our records, has never paid PG anything.
Shawn Morimando - Have seen him play a couple times, according to our records, has never paid PG anything.
Matt Kianka - Have seen him play a couple times, according to our records, has never paid PG anything.
Gary Leclair - Has been to multiple PG events.
Mike Wood – Only saw at one tournament, according to our records, has never paid PG anything.

So regarding the list that “redbird” posted of our top VA 2011’s, we could be missing a few. Hopefully we will find them this year. However, once again for the umpteenth time, that old pay to get ranked thing is proven wrong.

It is true that a few of these players played on teams who entered our tournaments… We have no idea what players pay to be on their team, but we do know that out of the 14 players listed in our national top 500, half of them never paid PG anything, unless they bought a program, t-shirt, ticket, etc.

I’m sure there are others who could be on the list, but these guys are pretty good and shouldn’t be thought of as paying someone to be ranked. They deserve to be ranked. All thse players would be exactly where they are whether they paid to attend an event or not. The first three are in our national top 100. Guess LSU and South Carolina would agree with the rankings.

Note: Though they certainly don't have to in order to be ranked, each year over 90% of those players selected in the first round have actually paid to attend a PG event. Ask the Uptons! I would hope no one would see it as something bad!

quote:

i am just saying some dont participate that if they did they could top the list

Stilllearning,
If that is true, I strongly recommend they get to where we can see them. That would be a very good decision IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by stilllearning:
...i am just saying some dont participate that if they did they could top the list

Like who? Help them out by passing their name along...starting here.

A couple of my newer players have never been to a PG or WWB event, but they are ranked so the "pay for ranking" argument does not hold water.

The player is already committed to the College he wants to go to so not sure he would benefit from having his name passed around at this point

quote:

Originally posted by Mid-Atlantic Mustangs:
I have to agree with 3up. It's almost impossible for to get noticed on a "national" level without having played in some high exposure events. I don't know if Cook has or hasn't played in these events, all I'm saying is that to get on these rankings one has to be seen.

Shenandoah University's Greg VanSickler did not go to any of these "high exposure events" and now is rated by Baseball America as D3's #1 prospect for 2010.

Buyer beware folks, or payer beware! Just HOW much is it worth to get some type of rating for your son?

Talk with your local area HS coaches and ask for their honest opinion of your son's abilities as a baseball player and where might he be able to play? Then you'll have a unbiased opinion with no out of pocket money invested.

Parents need to look at the history of the players in your respective area and where did they end up going to play college baseball?

There are other avenues to take to reach the same destination folks, do your homework and ask questions!

Coach Milburn

May I ask what you have against showcases and travel/showcase teams?

You certainly seem to have a vendetta going if I am reading your posts correctly

If he had would he have ended up where he is? Maybe he would be rated by BA as one of the top D1 prospects for 2010?

You dont have to pay anything to get rated by PG. You do have to pay in order to view their rankings. You dont have to pay anything to be rated by Impact Baseball. You will have to play in order to see the rankings.

Do you really think that it is wise to rely on the local area high school coaches on where your son can play? I guess you do get what you pay for or in this case what you dont pay for.

What has the history of the players in your respective area have to do with where your player is capable of playing at? So if no one in your area has gone on to play Major College baseball neither will you? Or if many have you will as well?

We keep going back to the VanSickler kid. Great ball player indeed, but after how many of these discussions about the "proper" way to be seen, are you going to keep coming back with the same one player.

Like PGStaff said, they do their best to rank all the talent regardless of what event(s) a player has been to. All I said in my post was that it helps to be seen at high profile events. I don't know how one can argue that it helps.

And if we can get back on point with the top 2011s in the state that'd be nice too. Doesn't always have to be he said/she said on how to get to the next level

There are quite a few who have not been mentioned from the Northern Region area. These threads always stir things up. It is funny to see some of the same members always pushing a certain team or player....if they can play, they can play and don't need dad or a friend posting daily on a forum to get them noticed.....

quote:

Originally posted by novabball:
There are quite a few who have not been mentioned from the Northern Region area.

Who are some of the kids in northern region that we've missed out on?

I used to post on these type of threads all the time. Who are the top ______. I see alot of games every year. I scout many players from across the state of NC. And in the summer see all the top showcase teams from NC SC VA. Everytime I would post on who I thought the top players in a class were that I had seen I would get the following response.

What about __________? What about ___________? I can not believe you did not post on ____________! My response was always the same. I gave you who I had seen and what I thought. You are free to give your opinion. If you dont have one fine. If you do post it.

It's always fun to see a kid like Van Sickler get noticed.

Too bad he didn't get himself noticed when he was in high school. Maybe then he could've gotten some scholarship money.

I guess it wasn't worth the $600 for him to go to a PG event, huh?