Worth the Drive?

@Tigre Azul posted:

My son and I spend a lot of time in the car together as it is (and has been that way since he was younger and racing BMX).    One of the things I enjoy doing with him is putting together a curated playlist for the ride so that he can be exposed to a lot of different kinds of music.  We listen to blues, punk, hip-hop, classical, rock, jazz, heavy metal, country...everything.  It makes for good conversations.  We now take turns playing DJ.

We tried that. A little Cardi B "WAP" and "Up" ended that pretty quick.

As I've been exposed more and more to college baseball I've actually become more cynical and disappointed. From what I've learned in the past few years I would definitely not recommend the Option #2. Those guys are there to collect a paycheck and scout other players. Half the roster being good and half being bad means half are good and half are walking checks, meaning they're only there to fill out a roster.

Play with the best players and don't stop until he can't reach a higher level. I'd play up at 16u this summer. If that is not an option I'd be joining team 3. Reps are nice. Quality reps are better. After freshman year I pulled mine off the cushy team with all this friends he had been on since 10u and put him with a regional team. At 16u I put him with a national team where 5 were drafted out of high school. Nobody has ever said playing with/against the better competition was a bad idea

@Tigre Azul posted:

I agree on the car rides.  Those are special times.  Since he will have his learner's permit by then, he will likely be sharing in the driving, no matter where he ends up.

If taken advantage of properly, this will provide more valuable for his future than any of the baseball work. Ensuring that he drives as much as possible, no matter the time/weather/location, can help prepare him for a lifetime of responsible driving.

Our son logged close to 15,000 miles behind the wheel before he turned 16 as a result of his baseball activities. He had his share of near accidents in that time, and we were so grateful that we could be with him during those learning experiences.

@PABaseball posted:

As I've been exposed more and more to college baseball I've actually become more cynical and disappointed. From what I've learned in the past few years I would definitely not recommend the Option #2. Those guys are there to collect a paycheck and scout other players. Half the roster being good and half being bad means half are good and half are walking checks, meaning they're only there to fill out a roster.

Play with the best players and don't stop until he can't reach a higher level. I'd play up at 16u this summer. If that is not an option I'd be joining team 3. Reps are nice. Quality reps are better. After freshman year I pulled mine off the cushy team with all this friends he had been on since 10u and put him with a regional team. At 16u I put him with a national team where 5 were drafted out of high school. Nobody has ever said playing with/against the better competition was a bad idea

Sounds like you are in a dark place right now with college baseball.  Sorry for whatever caused it.  Got there my middle son's senior year.  But have renewed appreciation.

@PitchingFan posted:

Sounds like you are in a dark place right now with college baseball.  Sorry for whatever caused it.  Got there my middle son's senior year.  But have renewed appreciation.

I guess that would depend on who you ask. It can get dark when you step behind the curtain. It's one of those - I'm not mad, I'm disappointed type situations and I'm mostly bitter for a lot of roommates, teammates, friends, etc. Especially the ones who were living with him but not technically officially on the lease so my wallet will definitely be in a darker place. But this is not the thread for any of that.

In any event I'm still looking forward to the season, especially since it may be the only form of baseball we have for the foreseeable future. Just hoping we make the tournament this year after a late season skid last year. As always I will be rooting for your son and for UT to make another deep run.

I've gotten a bit cynical myself. They say college camps are the best option. My son has gone to two D1 camps at different schools and they were about the same price. First school's camp was two days, limited participants, with coaches/players providing instruction/feedback. Second school's camp was one day, unlimited participants, with coaches taking notes (no feedback) and athletic department majors operating the equipment at stations. I have no idea how the second school's coaches could get a feel for any of the participants...it definitely felt like it was designed to bring in money more than anything. They always advertise how many of their current players had attended one of the camps, but I'm pretty sure these players were not "discovered" at a camp.

You're asking a guy who has literally done 4 hours of driving for his son to attend a 2 hour practice. (Several times.) Two hours to get there, two hours at practice, two hours to get home.  Oh, and there were many times where we left at 5 AM to make said practice.

The way I looked at it: If it was going to help, why not?

Plus, I have never been that dad who is too into his own stuff and would go golfing or be on a fishing boat all day and ignore an opportunity to do something for his kid. I would rather drive two hours, sit in a parking lot for two more hours, and then drive another two hours...if it was beneficial to my kid.

Also, I wanted to set the example for him for when the time comes when he has his own kids: Being a parent means making sacrifices and putting your dependents ahead of yourself.

@Momball11 posted:

I've gotten a bit cynical myself. They say college camps are the best option. My son has gone to two D1 camps at different schools and they were about the same price. First school's camp was two days, limited participants, with coaches/players providing instruction/feedback. Second school's camp was one day, unlimited participants, with coaches taking notes (no feedback) and athletic department majors operating the equipment at stations. I have no idea how the second school's coaches could get a feel for any of the participants...it definitely felt like it was designed to bring in money more than anything. They always advertise how many of their current players had attended one of the camps, but I'm pretty sure these players were not "discovered" at a camp.

I stopped to watch a showcase at a local D1. I stayed for a couple of hours. I knew one of the players helping out. I told him I only saw four players with D1 swings. He said those four were discovered at PG and invited up for the weekend. He said everyone else is a paying customer and likely have no shot.  

Everyone looked good in the field and had quality arms. But the swings on four players were significantly quicker and better than the rest. The ball jumped off their bats differently than the rest.

@Momball11 posted:

I've gotten a bit cynical myself. They say college camps are the best option. My son has gone to two D1 camps at different schools and they were about the same price. First school's camp was two days, limited participants, with coaches/players providing instruction/feedback. Second school's camp was one day, unlimited participants, with coaches taking notes (no feedback) and athletic department majors operating the equipment at stations. I have no idea how the second school's coaches could get a feel for any of the participants...it definitely felt like it was designed to bring in money more than anything. They always advertise how many of their current players had attended one of the camps, but I'm pretty sure these players were not "discovered" at a camp.

So, this is really worthy of a different thread.  But, who says that "college camps are the best option"?  On this site, most agree that college camps are mainly worth it for recruiting if you have been personally invited by the coach (not in a "personalized" email, but in a call to your travel coach or someone like that).  That's how they can advertise that current players attended camps.

It can be different for levels below D1 with smaller recruiting budgets, where camps can make a difference, but even they often cast a much wider net than just their camps.

@anotherparent posted:

So, this is really worthy of a different thread.  But, who says that "college camps are the best option"?  On this site, most agree that college camps are mainly worth it for recruiting if you have been personally invited by the coach (not in a "personalized" email, but in a call to your travel coach or someone like that).  That's how they can advertise that current players attended camps.

It can be different for levels below D1 with smaller recruiting budgets, where camps can make a difference, but even they often cast a much wider net than just their camps.

Maybe "best" wasn't a good choice of words. In terms of financial cost, camps are lower than PG and PBR showcases.

My son has decided to go with option 3 (50 minute drive) and is excited about joining the team.  I looked and my gym has a location a few minutes away, so I'll have a productive place to go during practice. 

I sincerely appreciate everyone's feedback, all of it has been enlightening.  I knew there would be a sampling bias posting this question to this board but that is exactly what I wanted, people who have been there and done that and know what it takes.  Much appreciated.

@Momball11 posted:

Maybe "best" wasn't a good choice of words. In terms of financial cost, camps are lower than PG and PBR showcases.

You can usually get an idea of how good a camp is if you put it out there for review.  Camps were great for us and my son did go to some unsolicited that worked out well.  The worst camp he ever went to (by a long shot) is the number one ranked preseason team.  Completely unorganized. Kids running everything. They did invite him via twitter message.  He told them he was coming.  They didn't talk to him at all.  Had his stats mixed up with someone else and then called the next day asking if he was at all interested in their program...they had no idea he had even been at the camp the day before.  He was so irritated by the camp that we juggled things around to go to, I don't think he would have even considered them.  After talking with some others, I heard that was a very normal occurrence for their camps.  On the other hand there are camps that are amazing and that I've never heard anyone say anything different about.  Just ask around before you invest, or have a few interactions with the coach before you go.