Underarmour Pre-season All America

This has been much discussed here. Do a search, by clicking "Find" above. Plenty of opinions.

Welcome to HSBBW.

There is a local kid whose dad is worth many millions. He can hit a bit for power, but he's slow and overall just an average high school player. But he's a preseason "All-American" because he attended one of their events. In fact, there were 4-5 kids off the kid's Summer team that made it, too, and NONE of the six guys drafted in our town made it.

Just a nice tag line for the Juco profile.

Interesting, I did find quite a bit from last year's event. I felt like the $3000 per player tournament teams they put on were clearly money-makers, but I was trying to convince myself that for considerably less ($800) and considering the Under Armour gear and webpage with video you get, this was more designed for the top echelon. Clearly most on here are unimpressed with Baseball Factory.

quote:

Originally posted by Wayne:
2009 Under Armour Pre-Season All-American, and a registration form for the event, which costs $799. As I read it, the tournament consists of 20 teams representing their region of the country. Also included is video, webpage, personal rating, Under Armour gear, etc. The letter says it's the first step toward making the All-American team that plays at Wrigley next year.

Wayne, Welcome to HSBBW! Congratulations on being recognized by Baseball Factory/Team One!

If this thing is $799, it is a bargain for an Underarmor event. I'd say do it. I think the $2000 events are moneymakers for the most part, but this one sounds very good. Baseball Factory/Underarmor/Team One is a very good organization. It can be expensive, but they put on good events and if you are true top-drawer talent, you can benefit from their events.

Hello Wayne!
If you have an unlimited money stream and don't mind overpaying for the experience then sign up for the Baseball Factory! You can read the threads but this is probably the most expensive option available for those who do not know or want to take the college recruiting process on. I work with a lot of college coaches and they used to get so many unsolicited college video tapes from recruiting services they would just give them to players to record over without even watching them!! They also commented that for the several thousand dollars that were spent at a recruiting service, the dad should have used it to get some instruction and actually improve their son's skills. We could debate this forever and there are so many things to add to this but this would be a large thread!!

Remember you are trying to get a coach to see your son play and then decide if he would like him to play for his team. The process is basically an attempt to get your son a "baseball" interview for the coach to evaluate him. For example if your son really wants to play at a certain college check and see if the coach conducts any camps. For a fraction of the cost of a recruiting service, the coach and his staff/players can work hands-on with him for a period of time. You can't get a better look than that!!

Try reading some of the following publications before you invest a lot of money because you can save a lot of your hard earned money and more often than not receive the same result. These are two sources that might help you to take on the process and save money:

Collge bound Book is very informative and inexpensive ($24.95) but I can only find it at Frozen Ropes
http://www.frozenropes.com/core/newsletter_details.asp?ArticleID=111

Another source local to me is the MVP but I am not sure o fthe expense/value but I know a lot of time has been put into this. http://www.mostvaluableplayer.biz/recruitmentDVD.php

Good luck with the process

My son also received the above mentioned invitation yesterday. I had the same skeptical reaction when I saw the price associated so I called a local Area Scout that I know pretty well.

His comment was that it is NOT NECESSARY. This is strictly a money making showcase and it will only be scouted by Area Scouts and SOME local colleges. Come draft time, it will play NO part in what decision the higher ups in a pro organization decide. As for the college guys, PG puts on several tournaments throughout the year that are scouted very heavily by both college and pro guys, and are much cheaper (Jupiter, WWBA tournament, etc.).

Son received a phone call invitation about 4 weeks ago and a follow up invitation in the mail. our understanding is that for the 2010s this is the selection process for the game at Wrigley Field in July. 2011s are not eligible.

We opted out for a couple reasons, the above reason included. Isaac is right - $799 is way cheap compared to the $3500 paid for JOs in August. BUT there are half the number of games, and flights are expensive to Arizona from this coast. In addition, no meals or hotel paid for the athlete.

Other factor was that this is the "quiet" period - although the cost does include video coverage and coaches can access that info any time.

In this economy, we felt it is more important than ever to balance money out versus interest in.

Keep in mind that just ANYBODY is invited to the AREA CODES and EAST COAST PRO events--- they are separate and disticnt from other showcase events

quote:

He also said that from a pro standpoint that there were really only 3 showcase type events that mattered or were heavily scouted by scouting directors & cross checkers (Area Code, East Coast Pro & Tournament of Stars)........ALL OF WHICH ARE FREE!!!

This is not true.

While those events above are among the very best and do have many crosscheckers and Scouting Directors in attendance... The #1 draw is the PG WWBA Jupiter event in October. Other events that draw a "large" number of crosscheckers and Scouting Directors include The PG National Showcase, The PG WWBA events in Georgia, The PG World Showcase in Ft Myers over the Christmas Holidays. The Aflac Game, etc.

You would need to ask the Scouting Directors and crosscheckers to get the correct answer.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:

quote:

He also said that from a pro standpoint that there were really only 3 showcase type events that mattered or were heavily scouted by scouting directors & cross checkers (Area Code, East Coast Pro & Tournament of Stars)........ALL OF WHICH ARE FREE!!!

This is not true.

While those events above are among the very best and do have many crosscheckers and Scouting Directors in attendance... The #1 draw is the PG WWBA Jupiter event in October. Other events that draw a "large" number of crosscheckers and Scouting Directors include The PG National Showcase, The PG WWBA events in Georgia, The PG World Showcase in Ft Myers over the Christmas Holidays. The Aflac Game, etc.

You would need to ask the Scouting Directors and crosscheckers to get the correct answer.

PG - You misunderstood what I wrote or I didn't state it clearly enough. He said, and I mentioned in my previous post, that there were plenty of good showcase events and tournaments out there, such as the PG events (Jupiter, WWBA, etc.) that drew more or at least good numbers of scouting directors and crosscheckers.

I did not mean to insinuate that these events did not draw “large” numbers of scouts. They most certinly do. There were more scouts at Jupiter this year than I have ever seen at one place and was well worth the money to attend.

Sorry if what I wrote earlier came across that way!!! To clearify and not to confuse anyone else, I did go back and erase that portion of my earlier post.

The ECPS, Area Code, and USATOS are huge events.


Those 3 plus PG National-Aflac-Jupiter and you
have the best venues for young players.

OldSlugger,
That's a great list of some outstanding players.

Here is the list of players from the 2006 PG National Showcase. Many of the same names are included

All those PG National players are either in pro ball or college

The Results from that Showcase

16 first round picks

7 second round picks

103 players drafted

212 total players

110 signed with either SEC, ACC, Pac 10 or Big 12 colleges

37 others signed with DI colleges that were nationally ranked last year.

21 signed with top Juco programs

All others signed with various DI programs

There were a half dozen other players we don’t have complete info on, so I couldn't include them.

Draft picks listed first by round

Player - Pos - Home St - College - MLB Club - Draft round
Ahrens, Kevin SS TX Texas A&M Blue Jays 1
Alderson, Tim RHP AZ Oregon State Giants 1
Beavan, Blake RHP TX Oklahoma Rangers 1
Bumgarner, Madison LHP NC North Carolina Giants 1
Burgess, Michael OF FL Arizona State Nationals 1
Gilmore, Jon SS IA Wichita State Braves 1
Heyward, Jason OF GA UCLA Braves 1
Jackson, Justin SS NC Arizona State Blue Jays 1
Kozma, Peter MIF OK Wichita State Cardinals 1
Main, Michael RHP FL Florida State Rangers 1
Noonan, Nick MIF CA Clemson Giants 1
Porcello, Rick RHP NJ North Carolina Tigers 1
Ramirez, Neil RHP VA Georgia Tech Rangers 1
Smoker, Joshua LHP GA Clemson Nationals 1
Vineyard, Nathan LHP GA Chipola (FL) JC Mets 1
Withrow, Chris RHP TX Baylor Dodgers 1
Freeman, Freddie 1B CA Cal State Fullerton Braves 2
Griffith, Nevin RHP FL Florida International White Sox 2
Morris, Hunter IF AL Auburn Red Sox 2
Rams, Danny C FL Arizona State Twins 2
Runion, Sam RHP NC Tennessee Royals 2
Tolisano, John SS FL Florida Blue Jays 2
Watt, Michael LHP CA Long Beach State Dodgers 2
Dietrich, Derek SS OH Georgia Tech Astros 3
Harvey, Matt RHP CT North Carolina Angels 3
Toledo, Tommy RHP FL Florida Padres 3
Nash, Garrett SS UT Oregon State Rangers 4
Blair, Kyle RHP CA San Diego Dodgers 5
Gast, John LHP FL Florida State Rangers 5
Striz, Nathan RHP FL North Carolina Twins 5
Demny, Paul RHP TX Blinn JC Nationals 6
McGeary, Jack LHP MA Stanford Nationals 6
Rizzo, Anthony 1B FL Florida Atlantic Red Sox 6
Reckling, Trevor LHP NJ High Point Angels 8
Angelini, Carmen SS LA Rice Yankees 10
Colon, Christian MIF CA Cal State Fullerton Padres 10
Jones, D.J. OF AL Auburn Rays 11
Davis, Kentrail OF AL Tennessee Rockies 14
Hernandez, Chris LHP FL Miami Tigers 14
Robles, Tanner LHP UT Oregon State Angels 14
Arnold, Patrick RHP WV North Carolina State Nationals 15
Paciorek, Joey SS WA Washington Brewers 15
Bailey, Austin RHP AL Alabama Red Sox 16
Buckborough, Colin RHP ON Evansville Mariners 16
Matthews, Jaren 1B NJ Rutgers Red Sox 17
Rodriguez, Jose OF FL South Carolina Twins 17
Rhoderick, Kevin RHP AZ Georgia Tigers 18
Adzick, Mark LHP PA Wake Forest Phillies 18
Solis, Sammy LHP AZ San Diego Diamondbacks 18
Chambers, Evan OF FL Florida Rockies 19
Robulack, Cameron 1B ON Nebraska Brewers 20
Brule, Kyle RHP AZ Arizona State Tigers 21
Hoehn, Connor RHP MD Alabama Brewers 21
Jackson, Terrance OF TX North Central Texas Astros 22
Navarro, Nicholas C FL Miami Dade Community College Pirates 22
Britton, Drake LHP TX Texas A&M Red Sox 23
Hage, Joseph OF FL Florida International Cardinals 23
Carranza, Joel C FL Broward CC Rays 23
Patterson, Kevin 1B AL Auburn White Sox 24
Peavey, Greg RHP WA Oregon State Yankees 24
Flynn, Conrad RHP TX Arkansas Mariners 25
Ovens, Hunter OF FL Virginia Tech Padres 25
Clark, Kelvin OF GA Lake City CC Nationals 26
Keyes, Kevin OF TX Texas Rangers 26
Cervenka, Hunter LHP TX Texas Red Sox 27
Grandal, Yasmani C FL Miami Red Sox 27
Hurst, Caleb RHP CA Long Beach State White Sox 27
Epps, Christopher OF GA Clemson White Sox 28
Bulman, Gary RHP VA Tennessee Diamondbacks 31
Hayenga, Keaton RHP WA Washington State Royals 31
Stewart, David OF MO Nebraska Nationals 31
Thomas, Rafael OF TX San Jacinto JC Dodgers 31
Bohlken, Richard MIF NM New Mexico Angels 32
Moore, Forrest LHP LA Mississippi State Tigers 32
Danieli, Evan RHP NJ Notre Dame Twins 33
Lawler, Travis RHP AR Florida Rockies 34
Holle, Greg OF NY TCU Yankees 35
Ruettiger, John OF IL Arizona State Rangers 35
Terdoslavich, Joseph C FL Miami Rays 35
Schaus, Jeff OF FL Clemson Rangers 35
Washington, Demetrius OF SC North Carolina State Angels 35
Wilson, Ross SS AL Alabama Padres 35
Dupra, Brian RHP NY Notre Dame Rangers 36
Johnson, Glen SS FL Jacksonville Mets 36
McGee, Mike SS FL Florida State Cubs 37
Leftridge, Joseph OF TX Navarro Twins 39
Yermal, Joseph RHP MD UNC Charlotte Orioles 39
LeMahieu, DJ SS MI Louisiana State Tigers 41
Nazario, Iden 1B FL Miami Nationals 41
Mahler, James RHP UT Arkansas Phillies 42
Rupp, Cameron C TX Texas Pirates 43
Zarraga, Shawn C FL UNC Greensboro Brewers 44
Jones, Zach C UT Stanford Rockies 45
Barroso, Yoandy OF FL South Florida Rangers 46
Bernatz, Connor OF CA San Francisco Athletics 46
Krill, Brett OF CA UCLA Braves 46
Blair, Seth RHP IL Arizona State Athletics 47
Lincoln, Joe C MO Bradley Braves 48
Gray, Cameron RHP ON Tripoli JC Reds 49
Newman, Mathew OF AZ Arizona State Diamondbacks 49
Hagen, Stephen 3B WA Oregon State Athletics 50
Peterson, Mark LHP FL Florida State Rays 50
Sanchez, Victor 3B CA San Diego Cubs 50
Alfonso, Raiko MIF FL Florida International
Allen, Cody RHP FL Central Florida
Amorosso, Greg LHP VA Elon
Annarummo, Gregory 3B MA Elon
Bailey, Samuel "Brock" IF GA Elon
Bayko, Steven C KY Irvine Valley College
Bodjiak, Brian RHP MA Elon
Brazeal, Todd 3B FL South Florida
Brewer, Aaron RHP TX Navarro
Brooks, Steven OF NJ Wake Forest
Brown, Jace MIF FL Georgia
Brunelle, Parker C GA Florida State
Buckner, Bobby MIF ID Texas
Butts, Jason C GA Mercer
Candelier, Jonathan C NY New Mexico JC
Carpenter, Tyler C TX UT San Antonio
Carrow, Alex OF TX North Central Texas College
Casali, Curtis C CT Vanderbilt
Chmielewski, Nick RHP IL Illinois
Christopher, Nicholas RHP TX Lamar
Cobb, Andrew OF FL Western Carolina
Cook, Cole RHP CA Pepperdine
Cooper, Casey OF AR Northeast Texas CC
Dehler, Kirk RHP MT Yavapai JC
Dishon, Johnny OF TX Louisiana State
Duren, Davis MIF OK Oklahoma State
Elorriaga-Matra, Daniel C FL San Diego State
Emsley-Pai, Kawika C WA Texas
Eubank, Jeffrey OF FL Seminole CC
Feldman, Gabriel RHP MD Wake Forest
Ferguson, Timothy MIF TX Mississippi
Fitzgerald, Derrick (DJ) MIF VA Georgia Southern
Fletcher, Brian MIF GA Auburn
French, Justice SS GA Mercer
Fuda, Michael MIF TX Rice
Gibbs, Micah C TX Louisiana State
Gilmer, Weston SS AL Auburn
Gipson, Michael RHP FL Florida Atlantic
Goeddel, Erik RHP CA UCLA
Gosselin, Philip MIF PA Virginia
Green, Cole RHP TX Texas
Greenwalt, Kyle RHP PA South Carolina
Gullickson, Craig LHP FL Clemson
Hamilton, Jace OF TX Hill College
Hawn, Cody OF TN Arkansas
Hoelscher, Sean 3B TX TCU
Hom, Nicholas 3B CA San Diego
Hooker, Deryk RHP CA San Diego State
Jacobs, Jon Luke RHP AL Auburn
Jensen, Nicholas LHP WI Iowa
Johnson, Jake C CA Fresno State
Johnson, Chase RHP AZ Arizona State
Johnson, Patrick RHP NC North Carolina
Jones, Nathan OF MO
Kaskow, Jonathan 1B TX Stanford
Kenny, Alex OF NJ Fordham
Korbal, Kendall RHP TX Arkansas
Leonard, Darryl OF FL St. Petersburg CC
Lucas, Jordan SS FL Western Carolina
Luciano, Tom OF NY Duke
Lytle, Casey OF AZ Kansas
Mann, Tyler OF VA Old Dominion
Martinez, Trenten MIF NY Wagner
Martz, Blake C AL Troy
Mathews, Ryan 1B FL Florida
McGuire, Deck RHP VA Georgia Tech
Means, Josh RHP GA East Tennessee State
Meintel, Michael RHP OH Wright State
Mercurio, Relly 1B TX TCU
Mikalsen, Ryan LHP NY Connecticut
Miller, Braxton C CA Nevada
Miller, Matt RHP FL Tallahassee CC
Moore, Andrew OF TX Yale
Morgan, Courtney MIF CA Wake Forest
Natale, Nicholas OF NJ Rice
Nettune, Andrew C TX Texas A&M
O'Campo, Kyle RHP CA Cal State Fullerton
Osich, Josh LHP ID Oregon State
Pavone, Joe C NY Connecticut
Pineda, Ryan MIF NV Cal State Northridge
Poovey, Justin RHP NC Clemson
Prohovich, Kyle 1B MA Boston College
Pugh, Tillman OF CA Arizona State
Quackenbush, Kevin RHP FL South Florida
Quinones, Raymond MIF NY UNC Greensboro
Reeves, Taylor RHP VA Mississippi Gulf Coast
Regoli, AJ OF FL South Florida
Rice, Nick LHP WI Southern Illinois
Riley, Braden MIF TX Sam Houston State
Roberts, Sam 3B VA VMI
Sammons, Scott 1B AR St. Petersburg JC
Sandbrink, Dan RHP MO Stanford
Sheffield, Austin 1B FL Manhattan
Shepherd, Tant 3B TX Texas
Shepherd, Jaron OF TX Mississippi State
Sherry, Gregory SS NJ Notre Dame
Shore, Brian RHP TX Navarro College
Small, David LHP CA Saint Mary's
Smith, Travis RHP TX Michigan
Sorrell, Matt 3B FL Stetson
Stobbs-Bultema, Evan 3B FL Central Florida
Stonecipher, Sequoyah OF CA San Diego
Swatscheno, D.J. LHP FL Miami
Tomkins, Ian C IL Kentucky
Tomshaw, Matthew LHP NY Jacksonville
Weinkofsky, Keith C NJ UNC Greensboro
Westlake, Aaron 1B CA Vanderbilt
Williams, Logan SS AR Mississippi
Williams, Leslie RHP ON Northeastern
Wilson, Remington C UT Kansas
Wilson, Tyler RHP VA Virginia

Okay PG, now your just showing off

Seriously, that list is impressive and really puts things in perspective.

I really appreciate the well-meaning opinions and advice given on here. Being new, I did not realize that this topic apparently comes up every year about this time. I'm much less impressed with the invite than I originally was, and am leaning towards not going. However, some part of me realizes that the days of baseball trips with my son that I have taken for granted are rapidly appoaching the end, and wonder if maybe we shouldn't go just to say we did. As with most folks, financial factors will ultimately make the decision for us, but I was encouraged to see plane flights from Alabama to AZ are unbelievably low ($150 each round trip)and I know my son would love to see this under the Christmas tree. Thanks to all of you who posted, and to the previous year's posters as well. If we do decide to go, it will be with open eyes and the expectations of a great baseball experience only.

Wayne, it's good to see that you're looking at this from both points of view, financially and personally. Your last post hit home with me and let me be the first (but not last) to tell you that when it's over, i.e. traveling to tournaments/showcases, talking in the car, eating at the fastfood joints, etc. it is most defintely over. My son is home for the holiday break and I was telling him how I missed those times with him. Granted, I have the distinct pleasure of watching him play college ball next spring, but it will be different going to watch instead of riding with him getting in some great Father/son time. These were the best times to me for bonding.

Enjoy these last few tournies, games, travels with him as much as possible. If you can afford it, then go!

Wayne, if your son is a good player that can flash good tools (especially running)and you have the money then GO. BB Factory and TeamOne are good people too.

My son got the same invite. My son is already D-1 committed, but the invite mentioned MLB so this is what I did and suggest you do for every invite you get.

Go to company's web site. Look up the roster for the same event from last year, or see if you can get a "top prospect list". Match what the top players from the event did against your goals. I was looking MLB and the kids that went to the event last year were round 25 and later. I declined the invite because that is not what we are looking for. If you are looking for college committments then see how many kids from that showcase last year got committments, if you are looking draft see who got drafted and where in the draft they went. (This will take a while, but earning eight hundred dollars takes a while too.)

Now the Wrigley field thing is for about 40 players. Half of them never did a BB Factory thing before the Wrigley event but because they are the top guys in the country they get the invite. Does your kid fit into that? Ask those questions of yourself and your player before you decide to go.

Here is my advice. The PG Nationals is for about 220 kids. To say every college and MLB team is represented might be an overstatement, but not by much. The number 220 is much more inclusive and accessable to the average really good player. It was the most important thing my kid did. My son earned his invite out of the "Sunshine" event in the spring. Every college that called my son said "I saw you at the PG Nationals". Figure out how to get there.



"When you make 100% of the effort you can always live with the result."

Here we go again.

It's late for me to check the 2008 information right now, but of the 111 seniors who attended this event in 2007 only 9 were selected in the entire 2007 MLB Draft.

Of the 126 Underarmour Pre-season All America seniors that were on the roster in 2008, the following 13 were drafted last summer. A pair of Aflac All-Americans attended the event; one signed. Overall, three of the 13 players signed.

(name round/overall)
Niko Vasquez 3/91
Jarek Cunningham 18/534
Andy Burns 25/767
Garrison Lassiter 27/830
Tommy Collier 29/878
Ryan Curl 31/925
James McCann 31/930
Justin Marrero 32/960
Joe Pond 39/1186
Patrick Johnson 44/1315
Joey Hainsfurther 46/1374
Matt Ramsey 46/1395
Hector Acosta-Carillo 50/1503

Just to try to keep it simple, I feel as a Dad whose son has played TOS,PG WB(Marietta,Jupiter)and currently highly ranked by PG here's my take.
Outright exposure, Perfect Game hands down. Talent is also PG dominated. Area Code tryouts invite very huge also. Underarmour in which my son was also named does provide benefit, there will be talent there and scouts.Last years was operated real professinal and my boy developed some friendships there with the staff and scouts. He for sure wanted to go back.
It is a great time of year to go to Arizona, if you can afford the trip. I feel any experience is an experience( is that a Yogism?). PG is having an underclassman in December, but this time of year we are hunting, and the boys need a break. My only complaint with PG is that event wise their's are domiciled in Florida and California, a lot of Texas kids would enjoy one here.
They all have a value of some sort, but you cannot broadly swipe an event's importance, because each kid has different needs. But, PG has the domination of talent and exposure at this time.
What is interesting down here is the emergence of Scout teams,this will cause some shifting with the organized summer ball programs, which will affect exposure on a local basis and eventually showcases as seen in Jupiter. The one my son played for was not fee driven, but was actually a HUGE investment on the MLB team getting to know the boys over the course of a few months. HIGHLY IMPRESSED with KC Royals, as they assembled some top talent. Better yet, they defintley created some relationships.
Anybody have any take on the Scout team concept as seen in other parts of the country?

IMHO, All these newbies that are trying to get into the showcase events (Triple Crown, Under Armour, etc....), do nothing more than make PG look even better.

You can almost take a whole team to a top PG event for what Under Armour is charging per player.

When son was entering HS, TeamOne and TripleCrown were the top dogs in the business. I actually was very unfamiliar with PG until we attended a qualifier for the World Tourney in Ft Myers. That was in 2002.
What you have to consider is how quickly PG has become the top promoters in a few short years. Back when son was asked to attend PG National in 2003, the selection process was quite different. I have also seen a huge change in their events, they have worked hard at being the best.
So as PG has moved forward quickly other companies are still struggling to follow their model. That's ok, that is a huge compliment to PG. I don't think that some of these venues should even be compared anymore to PG events. I don't always agree with what PG does, but one thing you can't do is take away the fact that they work hard on what they do, and that is to make sure that they bring to their events what YOU want, hundreds of coaches and scouts and the best teams to compete.

If you want to attend another event other than PG to another part of the country to enjoy some good baseball, good weather and some quality time with your player, that's great. Do it. Just remember that many of these events that are held during the holiday time is the quiet period for D1 schools and time for scouts to be with their families before things heat up again. January is when coaches are practicing with their teams and waiting for season to begin, the best time for them is summer/fall. If you are looking for them to be out in full force, that is the best time. If you are looking for exposure, it may not be the best investment at this time for that purpose. Definetly get a definite answer on who will be attending.



JMO.

Thanks, TPM. I've been flattered at the response to my original post, and think I'm going to be on this website a lot for the next few years. It seems the consensus is that the "all-american" term that you have to pay to receive is the cause of most of the displeasure with Baseball Factory. And justifiably so. Having said that, I also get the impression that the folks who actually attended the event enjoyed it, and said it was well ran and the talent level was good. Now my parents have offered plane tickets for Christmas, as they know we both would love to go. Never been to Arizona! As for scouts, BF makes no claim that colleges will be in attendance, they only mention pros. They say 22 of 30 MLB teams were represented last year. I would love for my son to play college baseball, and am confident he will, it's just a matter of at what level. I don't expect he will get drafted out of high school, so from that standpoint it's probably somewhat pointless to attend. Still torn.

Wayne, nothing to be "still torn" over. If you go you and your son will have a great time. It will be a great weekend.

Have fun.

Wayne,
Go because you want to go away with your son and have a great vacation to Arizona.
If this is son's first experience in front of scouts it might be a good time to start. Also know that often times scouts also make suggestions to coaches when they see a player that might fit their program. Also their may be schools there, D2,D3, JUCO but most likely close to that state. If that is a goal (to go to school out that way) it may be helpful.
Just be aware of all these invites, you have to research. All American sometimes is a word used to get your parental pride flowing. And the recruiting process can become very expensive, IMO best time to spend is when needed most.
I see you are from Alabama, if your son has talent and you give him exposure, there are many good programs within the southeast.
Hope that this helps.

quote:

the following 13 were drafted last summer

Now....how many of these 13 paid to attend the event?

Hey rbinaz,

I tried to navigate through your website, looks like i have to pay to find out! Tell me it ain't so.

Tpm's advice is solid, especially when he stated you can find S.E. schools right there in your area, or better yet, they find you. We live in a rich baseball climate here in the greater Houston area, which lends to what TPM related. Realistically between summer ball in this area,local tournaments, and camps,YOU WILL BE SEEN by tons of MLB scouts,D1 schools, D2, and Jucos evrywhere.So, if you were on a limited budget, then Houston would be your heaven. Now, if you want to do a tournament out of town, do as you wish, enjoy your trips and time, it is going by in a hurry.

quote:

I tried to navigate through your website, looks like i have to pay to find out! Tell me it ain't so.

Sorry...not sure what this is intended to say.

Sorry rbinaz
When you asked the question whether the 13 players had to pay or not pay, I saw you listed a website address, which I figured had some facts relating to your comment. When I checked your site, it was mostly fee driven, so I assumed you had "inside" scoop you were sharing with us all. Sorry, looks like a great site though.

Donnie,

My point was that when these types of events have top level players attending, its a good bet they are attending free of charge or at a greatly reduced rate so as to be human sandwich signs. Meanwhile, the rest of the attendees are paying full freight.

Thanks rbinaz,
Sure, that possibilty does exist.

I think PG's list is a little more impressive than UA's.

quote:

Originally posted by donnie:
Thanks rbinaz,
Sure, that possibilty does exist.

I've been looking for "Donnie" all over the country. Thought he was going to shut it down for the winter.......Glad to find him here.....