Under Armour/Baseball Factory National Tryouts - Aug. 30, Grafton/Norfolk ??

save your money, you are getting ready for a expensive journey, i donot recommend the under armour, to much money and for the amount they will charge you can do much more, 1st have you and your child sit down and discuss several things, 1 get a list of 5 schools he is interested, 1 being the dream school and the others, then begain contacting those schools and give them his profile and his interest and attend there camps, contact Jeff Petty with the Hurricanes, There are several players from your area that are current and former Hurricanes and they can give insight on the group, The age group your son is in is extermly talented and is and are getting a lot of exposure now. You will soon find out it is about money, save it. Enjoy the ride it is fun

Thanks for the quick response. I understand what you're saying about the cumulative costs for the next three years. However, in reference to the cost of this tryout ($99 plus $10 discount), it's lower than most of the other tryouts/showcases. Some are $125, some are around $300, some are even higher.

Perhaps this would be a good event to get his feet wet, for a player that hasn't attended a tryout/showcase before. Thanks again.

this one is like fishing, they have thrown the worm and now they get the catch and the comes team one south and then comes the national etc, becarful know when to say when, go to the college ones

My son went to the nashville tryouts, made the team one and went to the Southwest wood bat tourney.

On the plus side, from it he was found by a high profile summer team run by a MLB scout. The video info and web page has been solid. The advice and manual they give out is good. He had a blast in the SW Wood Bat tourney. They really went all out for their teams.

On the negative side. The Team ONE Southeast showcase had half the scouts they did last year. Very disappointing. The SW tourney was overpriced in my opinion. Although, my son played in the WWBA tourney and with team fees, hotel and food the SW tourney is not that outrageous. In fact, with what some of the top teams were charging their players to go to East Cobb, it may be downright cheap!! The SW tourney had very few scouts. The SE wood bat had a lot. He is asked now to play at the next higher event, but it is still very expensive and no discount for moving up. If money is not an issue, the events are worth it. If it is, you might get a better deal elsewhere.

My son's summer coach, the MLB scout, uses Under armour to find players but even he says that PG is much more respected. If you can only pay for one group, go PG. If you need a good web page, go Baseball Factory/Under Armour. You might also consider prospect wire.

Don't pay to play in this sort of event. Before you know it, you'll be paying BF $4000 to go to Omaha.

Pay to showcase (PG is best). Then play hard.

I couldn't dis-agree with you more. Everyone pays to play in travel ball or any ball for that matter. Even if you get a free ride to play on a team, you still need to pay for food, hotels, gas, etc...
My son play at the Team One South at Emory University last year and it was the best event I've been involved with. Loads of scout's there. He was one of the top ten players there. He played position and pitched. He tore it up for a 16 year old. Then we drove across town to play in the WWBA 17U and 16U. I was receiving phones calls from coaches for the rest of the summer, because of that event.
I think what parents need to understand is that when their son plays, he MUST perform. Every minute he touches the field, he must be the best out there. You can have all the talent in the world, but if a school is looking at you and you can't or don't perform then you're name is scratched off. Hopefully they will re-look at you at another time?
Bottom line is, the more your name is out there, the better your chances are to make it --- but, you must PERFORM!

How about you MUST HAVE FUN!!! Pay to tryout or don't. Play on travel teams or don't. There aren't kids in this area who are completely missed anymore. This area has earned its reputation. That being said, did you ask your kid if he wanted you to set up a profile and lobby for his being recruited? Did you ask your kid if he WANTS to travel all summer playing baseball, or maybe he likes to surf? Does your kid play another sport that he enjoys? If your kid loves the game and WANTS IT, then get him out there anywhere you can afford to get him. There are just as many kids who pick up baseball late in their childhood and get drafted as those who are machines from age 3 on and get picked up.

I was a little too early (old) for the AAU craze. I played at a little AA high school in the area. I played on ZERO travel teams, and I attended wrestling camps in the same summers I attended baseball camps. I loved the game even though I wasn't NEARLY as talented as many players coming from this area today, and in spite of the lack of exposure I still played in the CAA and was given a shot by an MLB organization. My two cents... Make sure your kids are enjoying it as much as you are, and everything will work out just fine! Good luck to you and your son, ferr3816!

The Captain hit the nail on the head; it's a game, it's supposed to be fun. If you have talent someone will notice.

Thanks to all of you for responding, your experience with this is very much appreciated.

Frankly, with all due respect, I didn't expect the conversation to turn into whether my son wanted me to create a profile, whether he wanted to be lobbied to be recruited, or whether he's having fun or not.

Again, really appreciate the comments. Feel free to add more if you'd like to....

If there is one comment I wish I could root out of the high school baseball lexicon, it's "If you're good, they will find you" and its variants.

First, it isn't always true. I know plenty of talented kids who get totally passed over.

Second, who are "they"? Just anyone? The best school for you? The best financial offer? The best playing opportunity? The best combination of all factors?

You need to get out there, because you need to see if there is more than one option for you. Then you can choose your best option. I really hate to see a kid take a spot at a school that is perhaps a cut below where he should be academically or baseball wise, because he only got one offer, he was found late, and he felt like it was his only shot.

Captain, I came up a little short of your experience but I also got little notice in HS, then played at what is now a CAA school. BUT, there were no travel teams in our day, and for that matter, there was no scholarship budget where I went to school at that time. And, I got into the school through the standard admissions process.

Nowadays, I might get into a somewhat better school because the baseball coach called in a chit with the admissions department. Or, I might negotiate for dollars.

And because of those opportunities, there is competition from other players. And if I make it harder to find me than they make it to find them, I could lose out.

College coaches spend their limited time and money going to events that offer the best return on their recruiting investment. If you sit around waiting to be discovered, you may never get discovered. Or you might end up D-3 when you could've had a D-1 scholarship. Or you might end up playing at the local state U when someone out of state might have been a better fit for you.

Please, please, please, can we quit telling people to just sit at home and wait to be discovered? It is atrocious advice.

Hi Midlo,

Was not suggesting to "stay home" at all. You're correct that will get you overlooked. But there is a point of diminishing return on the amount of money you spend trying to get recruited. Agree you have to market yourself if you want to play beyond HS. It shouldn't cost you the tuition nest egg though.

I never said stay home either!!! I, in fact, said that I believe you get your kid as much exposure AS HE WANTS and your family CAN AFFORD. Reread my post please.

As for baseball's lexicon, how did anyone ever get discovered before AAU, travel teams, showcase camps, etc? I am 33, and is seems as though I must have been the luckiest guy in the whole world to be "found". Just remember what your kid goes through to get "discovered". This is a stressful experience, and I know that parents and kids are given countless pieces of "advice" from scouts and college coaches. So it's always better to hear "Your kid has a ton of potential, and we've got our eye on him" from 1000 coaches vs. 20? Maybe... But not at the expense of your kid being able to be a kid. I don't necessarily believe that more kids get to the "right" school because of more exposure. I don't believe that kids fall to D-3 to "waste away" when they are D-1 talent either. That is for parents and friends to say, but it RARELY happens. I have seen MANY more D-1 talents get burned out and stop playing because the game is no longer fun, however.

I always loved the game, but this game becomes a job and a business soon enough if your kid is lucky enough and hard-working enough to play at the highest levels. My only advice is to pay attention to kids, and don't let the business of sports become the driving force behind playing. Again, GOOD LUCK, ferr!

Now I really feel bad....I'm 53 and I don't even think they had showcases back when I was in HS...you know back when you walked to school 5 miles in the snow (smile!!).

You got noticed if you made the local Legion team in the summer, your HS team won a state championship or you could throw the ball through a brick wall. Things have certainly changed (I suppose for the better?) My only point is be careful where you spend your money.

When it comes to baseball, if you're not having fun you should quit. Otherwise, what's the point?

The idea is to find a way to keep doing it for as long as someone will have you, in the best situation to suit you.

Ace:

I think we are viewing this question from wholly different perspectives based upon wholly different experiences. I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that we were talking about your standard, better-than- average quality HS varsity baseball player who pays BF $100 for the "pro style workout" and such, then is offered the chance to play in various events for hundreds or thousands of dollars. For this sort of player, BF does not provide a good chance of getting a good return on the investment. Much of what they offer is a great experience, but often it is just a chance to play and enjoy a "Yankees experience" or the "Omaha experience." But you appear to have been considering the question in terms of the outstanding talent who is a major Div I prospect who gets a genuine Team One opportunity to play at the elite level. This sort of BF experience is, I agree, fabulous. It offers a chance to showcase talent against the best competition and in front of the most important scouts and college recruiters. BF offers this opportunity to only a very few, select clients (and I suspect they ususally get it right). For those kids, an investment in the program usually offers a great return on the investment.

Well it gets a little more interesting...

They must be gathering emails...

My son, and two of his team mates from the travel team I coach all received emails for the event in VA...

The kicker?

They just started 13U this month.

Sounds like a money-making issue to me...

They are all money makers. The days of Babe Ruth, say what, yes, Babe Ruth, I think it's dead and your HS coach making phone calls to schools on your behalf are in a distance. Back in the late 70's for Legion, there was only 1 team per city, if you were good you made it, if not, your baseball days were over. Non of this stuff today where a kid doesn't make a travel team and his dad will start a new one. Just to many teams out there per city. Like everything else, we as Dad's got carried away and watered down the system. The result seems that the colleges got involve to have camps. Corporations like PG and Under Amour also see the high dollar we spend to get our son's notice.

For ctandc: stand by for all the clinics and college camps letters, junk mail galore.

The talent is much better today because of all the baseball kids play. Having fun should never be a statement, not at the travel team level, it's part of the package, really how could it be, unless you are loaded and want the bragging rights when out with your buddies? Just my experience, if my son could not be a major player on a travel team, we wouldn't be there, he would be on a rec team if he wanted to play and I would have save his school tuition during those years.
Weather we like it or not, this is the system we are in, the more exposure the better off the player is.

The funny thing is that some people don't realize it's about money.

Last year or year before, USSSA sent out these form emails to players through contact emails about being "invited" to be in the USSSA Hall of Fame / Baseball book (I can't remember the exact wording).

Several of my players asked me about it. When I explained they sent it out to everyone they could, they just said "Oh...whatever.." and it was forgotten.

I later found out several parents paid for their son to be in it...oh well

You are spot on. Even for the college letters, they are sent out to everyone. Parents think that these are letters about commitment, so wrong.
It's funny about this thread; yesterday ESPN 360 was talking about this kid who hit a 500+ HR about his dad (or the kid) about taking him out of HS in his Sophomore year to sit out 1 year, get his GED go to a CC and get drafted in the next year's draft??? Good or bad?? Don't know. If this works, he won't be the last. Is this the future or road we want to go down on?

The kid you are referencing is Bryce Harper, from Vegas. He is a phenom. He was on the cover of S.I. during the spring season. I don't think the GED thing is the wave of the future, truly the exception for an exceptional player. A once in a lifetime player, in my opinion. Scouts said that he would have been a 1st round pick this year. He's that good, according to many

Yeah I don't think you can compare much of anything to Bryce Harper....

And from what coaches say about him, he's actually a very godo student, and a good kid...on top of being an unbelieveable baseball talent. Let's hope it stays that way.

Did you coach the CCCL team that went to states? I went and watched them play and was really impressed with some of the kids on the team. Sorry, if I have the wrong guy in mind. If you did coach that team what is the breakdown of where the kids are going to high school...Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by Papelbon:
Did you coach the CCCL team that went to states? I went and watched them play and was really impressed with some of the kids on the team. Sorry, if I have the wrong guy in mind. If you did coach that team what is the breakdown of where the kids are going to high school...Thanks

Yes that was me. Unfortunately those boys should still be playing in the SE Regionals right now. The team that beat us with a walk off is in the SE Regional finals FRI at 8pm vs Warner Robbins GA...and as bad as it sounds, I know we were a better team than they are.

I preach to my guys not to "what if" after games, but I have played that one OVER and OVER and OVER in my mind. Oh well..all my guys are excited to get on the real field now.

If you want, shoot me an email at sc-express@comcast.net (or send me a private message through here) and I'll breakdown the kids, and where they will more than likely attend HS.

E-mail sent. Thanks