Interesting...I have been an associate scout with the Houston Astros for 12 years. Mr. Jim Pransky recruited me to assist him in MD. He was in charge of this territory, but lived in Davenport, Iowa. He is no longer with the Astros. Went to Oakland, and is now doing pro coverage for Cincinnati.
I never used "associate scout" in trying to recruit players. I figured he knew I had some good players, knew our team played teams with good players, and this was a way for him to tap me for advice on who to come see when he would trek East. It was a tremendous learning experience. I really got an insiders point of view on how to tell the difference between a college player and a pro. Kids who I thought would be "pro material", were pointed out to me as going to be very good college players and that was all. Other kids, who lacked the polish, but because they had size, speed, strength, etc..., had a greater upside and would be more likely to be on a major league roster in 5 years if they were taught how to play correctly.
It was, and has been, a great learning experience.
I guess my question about "showcase teams" comes down to 2 fundamental issues I have with this whole business.
The first, the showcase teams who are simply in existance so head coach (dad) can surround his son with players to help promote his son's prospects of "being seen". They seem to exist for a year or two, and then magically disappear once junior has his future set.
The second, and probably most irritating to me, is the money making team. These are the teams who have paid coaches. Coaches who are "in it for the kids", yet somehow profit financially from coaching these teams.
This business can be very emotional for parents, and preying upon parents' emotions just doesn't seem right to me. I make it akin to sales. I just have no stomach for it. I know it is a necessary evil, but not for me.
Me and my coaches have been coaching for years...and we coach cause we love it. None of us have a child on the team, and we don't profit a single cent from doing what we are doing.
I'm still confused about what specifically makes a team a "showcase team".
