| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| PeachFuzz |
Posted - 10/24/2011 : 09:33:51
I have a 16U player that has done the typical travel ball thing since 10U...has played on some good teams...and some not-so-good teams over the years. He played on the HS feeder team as an 8th grader, and JV as Frosh. He is a soph this year, and he plans to continue on the current path. He's a solid player, with possible college potential...unless he explodes between his soph-Senior year, D-I is probably not in the cards (but who knows??) He has a 3.9 GPA (so Div III could be a real option).
Up until now, I've assumed that playing on a showcase/PG summer team was the way to go...he's currently on a very good majors level team that will play several showcase and PG tourneys next summer.
Now to my question. Would he (and my wallet) be better served by taking the $$ needed to play on a showcase team, and using it instead to send him to several different individual college showcase weekends (the type where you go as an individual...get evaluated at your primary/secondary position..and play a couple of scrimmage games).....he plays both corners of the infield and has a solid bat....I've always heard that college recruiters (at showcase tourneys) look up the middle first (catcher/pitcher/SS/2nd/CF) and the corners last....My concern is that he, as a corner infielder, could go unnoticed (unless you have alot hit to you and you scortch the BB in front of the right recruiter)...wouldn't he be better served to get individually evaluated at a college showcase designed to evaluate players position-by-position?
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| bballman |
Posted - 10/25/2011 : 20:11:57
Do a google search for High School Baseball Web. It is another discussion forum with a plethora of information and wisdom. |
| bbmom2 |
Posted - 10/25/2011 : 16:27:58
We have a couple of years before we have to start worrying about this but is there a handbook out there somewhere?  How does one go about navigating this maze? Website??? |
| bballman |
Posted - 10/25/2011 : 15:03:52
Georgia Dugout Club is a good one. My son did that and made the Top 100 and there were more scouts there than you can even imagine. There were probably close to 120 scouts at the Top 100 day. In fact, that is where the recruiter from the school that my son committed to first saw him. The event was just before the 18u PG event. After he saw my son at the Top 100, he called him and told him he liked what he saw and heard he pitched well at the 18u PG event. Wanted to know when he would be pitching at the 17u event. Came out to see him and liked what he saw there as well. Wanted to see him and let the head coach see him one more time in the fall. We went down to that school with his travel team for a team showcase. He pitched for them and they gave him an offer that day.
Just another example of how the two work together. |
| mallard |
Posted - 10/25/2011 : 13:43:30
I would also try the Georgia Dugout Club top 100. I think they usually have 10 different locations all over GA that your son can showcase. I also think it's done a t pretty reasonable price and if your son is picked to be in the top 100 he will play in front of a bunch of scouts and it's usually around the same time that WWBA is playing at East Cobb. |
| PeachFuzz |
Posted - 10/25/2011 : 11:31:12
Beanball...that's exactly the alternative I was talking about....going to one college's camp/showcase that is attended by numerous recruiters and scouts. Reading the other replies, I'm realizing that my initial instinct is unfortunately correct...my player needs to do both...PG tourneys and individual camps/showcases... |
| bballman |
Posted - 10/25/2011 : 08:41:00
quote:
Originally posted by beanball
There are also school run Camps that will have coaches from several schools in attendance. Young Harris for example will have 15-25 other schools, JUCO - D1 on the field scouting. My son has received interest from several schools as a result of attending their camp. Clemson will also have many coaches in attendance.
Both camps have a lot of player attend but are well run and you will get looks.
Yep, those are out there as well. North Gwinnett HS has one coming up in November that is a well run, pretty well attended showcase as well. However, as I stated earlier, that is a good starting point. If there is serious interest in your son, they will want to see him play again in a regular game to see how he does. I just don't think you can get away from doing both. |
| beanball |
Posted - 10/25/2011 : 08:24:57
There are also school run Camps that will have coaches from several schools in attendance. Young Harris for example will have 15-25 other schools, JUCO - D1 on the field scouting. My son has received interest from several schools as a result of attending their camp. Clemson will also have many coaches in attendance.
Both camps have a lot of player attend but are well run and you will get looks. |
| bballman |
Posted - 10/24/2011 : 14:57:35
I would say it's important to do both. You want to go to camps at the schools your player is interested in. This may get him on the radar of that school. However, what if that school does not have a need for the position your player plays at that time. In other words, what if your son plays 1st base, but they just signed a stud 1st baseman last year? They might not be looking for one right now. And even if they took you, how much playing time will your player get with that other player already one year ahead of you? What if he goes to 5 camps of schools he is interested in and none of them are interested? You can only go to so many camps and individual school showcases.
However, if you are on a good showcase team, you may go to events, such as the PG tournaments where there could be 20 coaches there. Your son may catch one of their eyes and generate some interest. This could be a school you never even thought about going to. I have found that even if you go to a showcase and generate interest from a school, they will want to see you play again. This is usually done over the summer and usually at one of the PG events. You have to be on a team in order for them to see you. So, unfortunately for the wallet, I think it is best to do some of both.
Generate a list of schools your son may be interested in. Plan on going to one of their camps. Then have your son let them know he is interested in going there and give him your summer schedule so they can come out and see him again. Sometimes going to the camp first will generate interest, then they can come see him play over the summer. Sometimes someone will see him over the summer, then want him to come to their camp. You just never know. It is a process and bottom line is, the more exposure he has to coaches and scouts and the more they get to see him play, the better your chances of getting to the next level. |
| beanball |
Posted - 10/24/2011 : 13:49:10
You need to do both the showcase team and the individual college events that come usually in the fall/winter. |
