| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| hshuler |
Posted - 03/21/2015 : 09:23:45
Simple question - with all that Perfect Game has become - assuming that most high school kids play PG events - does a kid with talent have a better chance being exposed/recruited at a large academy over his high school team? |
| 22 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| ItsGodGiven |
Posted - 03/24/2015 : 18:53:36
CaCo...I hope your kid is a stud. Good stuff. Thanks for the feedback guys. |
| nastycurve |
Posted - 03/24/2015 : 14:24:49
I agree, if you can afford to be on a team that plays in them and he loves playing that much go for it. Mine attended his first individual showcase August 2013 as a 10th grader(SE underclass) and started varsity that year. After the season he had gained an inch in height and about 30 lbs of muscle, so we did another PG showcase(Sunshine SE). Going into the summer he had no next level contact. Our team played 18u as a group of 16u players. He excelled making multiple All Tournament Teams as both a pitcher and a hitter. Leaving the summer he had been approached by 11 D1's and 4 pro teams. Played through the fall, worked out in the winter and went to the PG Nat'l underclass showcase in Ft. Myers. Going into this HS season(11th grade), he now has 13 D1's and 6 pro programs. We are working on an updated video to send to the additional schools that he wants to attend.
My point in all this is that if you put yourself out there, and have talents and skills they are looking for, you will be approached. There will be a lot of hard work on your players part, and even more hard work on your wallets part :-) Get with a team that will get you in the game and give you opportunities. Do your individual showcases so you can build a profile and give scouts/coaches a performance they can focus on and see your mechanics/ability individually. |
| rippit |
Posted - 03/24/2015 : 12:37:12
I came back to add another thing...when I talked about playing multiple PG events in case the first one is a bad weekend - the contrary can be true as well.
We've known kids who got hot one weekend, made the all tourney team then rested on their laurels and are out of baseball now.
If you do it once, do it twice to prove it wasn't a fluke. |
| hshuler |
Posted - 03/24/2015 : 12:15:58
I know a few scouts personally, including my college coach and TuffMav is absolutely correct. The best you can expect before the age of 15 is to have your kid's name jotted down as someone to check on in a year or so. They are big on 'bodies' and are always asking about the size of kid's parents when they see talent. For them, it's mostly about how they project down the road versus now. |
| tuffmavrick |
Posted - 03/24/2015 : 10:53:12
Side note to early post. The same weekend my son played at oak pointe he was named to the all tournamount team for TBS on Saturday and Perfect Game on Sunday. The next tournament he had an excellent weekend and had kudos after one game from opposing coach, had another coach talking to him while he was in the batting cage, and I heard several other coaches talking about him in the stands.
I guess the more your son can play and get his name out there you never know who is around or who they may know that they can talk to. Hard work and game time always helps. |
| bballman |
Posted - 03/24/2015 : 09:30:45
14 is a little young to do it to be recognized. It doesn't hurt to do multiple 14u PG tournaments if you don't mind spending the money, but I seriously doubt you will get a return for that money at 14. I know my son didn't do any at 14u, but then, I don't even remember if PG had 14u tournaments then. I know at 15 he did the 15u & 16u. At 16, he did the 16, 17 & 18u. At 17 he did the 17 & 18. But, obviously we were local, so it wasn't a killer. So, if a 14u team wants to spend the money for multiple PG tourneys, what they will get out of it is many weeks of facing top notch competition. What they probably won't get is a ton of exposure to college coaches. There may be some guys there, but unless you are the top 2% like we've been talking about, these recruiters are more looking towards the older age groups to fill their needs.
JMHO. |
| CaCO3Girl |
Posted - 03/24/2015 : 09:20:51
quote:
Originally posted by ItsGodGiven
Here is my question about PG tourneys. My son is going into his 14u year and I notice a lot of 14u teams playing several of these week long PG tourneys. I understand if you live near Emerson, but I see teams from all over making repeated week long trips at 14u. Are college scouts really paying attention to kids at this age (14)? I can see one PG tourney at 14, but three or four? Is this a waste of time and money? I think it would be better money spent when they are 15, 16, 17. Any thoughts?
Of course at 16 PG events are going to matter a whole lot more but if you can afford it why not give your kid the chance now? We live so close to Emerson, East Cobb, and even in a way Ft. Myers. The Georgia baseball players have a real advantage compared to kids in say Nebraska or Kansas, why not take advantage of it?
Yes there are 8th, 9th and 10th graders getting offers from colleges. Just because a college coach isn't allowed to call a 9th grader doesn't mean that same college coach can't call your kids travel coach and say "Please have Johnny call me at 2pm on Sunday"...there are no rules about the kid calling the college coach!
Bottom line, PG events can get scary...especially if you are a pitcher. Do you really want your kid to be playing at a 16u PG event when 50 radar guns pop up in the stands...or do you maybe want him to ease into that type of situation? |
| tuffmavrick |
Posted - 03/24/2015 : 09:01:28
My son is 11 and played a tournament at lake pointe a few weeks back. I talked to a scout from the Rangers that was do game changer for the game. He said he didn't really start looking at kids until they were 15 because they changed a lot from 14 to 15. He did say that sometimes he would get word of a stud 14 and he would put there name in his book. But most of his scouting was 15 and up. |
| ItsGodGiven |
Posted - 03/24/2015 : 06:27:20
Here is my question about PG tourneys. My son is going into his 14u year and I notice a lot of 14u teams playing several of these week long PG tourneys. I understand if you live near Emerson, but I see teams from all over making repeated week long trips at 14u. Are college scouts really paying attention to kids at this age (14)? I can see one PG tourney at 14, but three or four? Is this a waste of time and money? I think it would be better money spent when they are 15, 16, 17. Any thoughts? |
| hshuler |
Posted - 03/23/2015 : 17:26:13
Good info - thanks for the responses. |
| zwndad |
Posted - 03/23/2015 : 11:07:00
And to T13's point, make sure he's taking care of his academics regardless. With the limited scholarships, you may get more money on the academic side than they can give you in athletic money. If the goal is to play college baseball, then it doesn't matter how you get money. If the goal is to get a full athletic scholarship, you might need to change sports, unless your son is a 6'4", 250lb LHP who throws in the low 90's with nasty movement. |
| zwndad |
Posted - 03/23/2015 : 11:03:38
From my past experience with my older kids, I agree with CaCo3Girl. At PG tournaments, if you're NOT one of the top recruits already, it is really hard to stand out in the crowd. For the vast majority of prospects, recruiting happens at least as much from the player's side as it does from the colleges. Yes, most colleges are at the PG tournaments, especially WWBA, but just being good there won't get you noticed.
In my oldest son's 17U summer, he played in the 17U & 18U WWBA here in Atlanta. If he hadn't already been corresponding with a few schools, they probably wouldn't have noticed him. However, he told them what team he was on and when he would be playing. They showed up for a couple of games, talked to his coaches, and next thing you know, the scout is talking to other scouts about my son at the game. At 6'0" 160lbs, he's not the physical specimen that would otherwise get noticed, especially as a non-pitcher. At 17, he hated doing all the emails and promoting himself to the colleges, but it was necessary, so he did it.
My point is ... all of these avenues can be good for recruiting (PG, showcases, even HS). BUT, you and your son have to (1) do your homework and (2) build correspondence with the schools he is interested in.
|
| tlopez |
Posted - 03/23/2015 : 10:28:08
CaCO is correct. Unless you are one of those rare players with very special God-given abilities, they will not just find you. As a parent, you should be actively pursuing your son's schools of interest. |
| bballman |
Posted - 03/23/2015 : 10:23:38
quote:
Originally posted by T13
if a kid is good enough colleges and/or pros will find him! If not, he probably not as good as the parent thought :(
CaCO3Girl's response is right on. DO NOT depend on this unless your kid is throwing 95+ or is 6'5", 240 lb. hitting mega bombs or running a 6.4 60. Even then, he could slip thru the cracks unless someone sees him. Around metro Atlanta, chances are slim someone won't see him, but why take that chance?
If your kid is a good ball player, but throwing 85-88 or is a gap hitter or runs a 6.8 60, you better get him in front of as many people as possible because there are a million of those kids out there. Coaches have SO many kids to pick from that unless you get out there and promote yourself, you will be going to college as a regular student and not as a baseball player.
Yes, there are times that college coaches go to HS games, but that happens very infrequently and when it does happen, they are coming to see a particular player that they have seen somewhere else. It would be VERY hard to make an impression on one of those guys if they don't know who you are. It's possible, but I wouldn't depend on it for my son's baseball career. And like nastycurve said, during the HS season, college coaches are coaching their own teams and generally don't have the time to get out to many HS games.
I'll add to that, it takes more than just showing up to a few PG tournaments to have a reasonable chance of getting an offer. Unless you meet the criteria in the first paragraph. You should be looking at going to a couple of college showcases and sending out some emails to college coaches to get your name out there.
Like I said, unless you are in the top 2%, you will have to promote yourself. You simply cannot believe how competitive the college baseball scene is. I could go into that for a while as well, but I'll save that for another time.
Just don't rely on "if you're good, they will find you". For most, it will not work. |
| rippit |
Posted - 03/23/2015 : 10:03:15
quote:
Originally posted by CaCO3Girl
quote:
Originally posted by nastycurve
quote:
Originally posted by T13
if a kid is good enough colleges and/or pros will find him! If not, he probably not as good as the parent thought :(
100% right there 
And I disagree with this statement 100%.
I have heard such horror stories of talented kids being never found because they just didn't have the exposure to be found. If there is a kid who breaks all known baseball rules and runs a 60 in 5 seconds and has hit 400 home runs, while pitching in the high 90's this year yeah he will be found....but if there is a RHP sitting in the high 80's you will need to work for that recruitment and can't expect "them" to just find the kid.
Please remember that there are thousands, tens of thousands, of kids hoping to be recruited. It is far easier for a coach to go to a PG event where there are 500 very talented kids there and take their pick...than scouting out every small town High School for some talent. Also when you peak one coach's interest you peak others interest. Do not depend on the "if he's got talent they will find him" mantra, you will likely be sadly disappointed and be stuck with several "What If's" plaguing your conscience.
You don't have to be at a large academy but make sure you attend at least one showcase.
Yep I'm not so hot to trot on that opinion of T13's either and I just emailed a select handful of y'all about a situation that echoes this. A scout will find you if you are PLAYING and in some situations (RARE SITUATIONS DO EXIST) you are sitting in HS and really do depend on that summer exposure so you better be with an organization that knows what they are doing and how to get you the right exposure.
One PG tournament won't cut it if you have an off weekend. It's baseball for Pete's sake. Play in as many as possible, go to showcases, get a profile or whatever.
You may be a "stud" in your little town, but how do you do against the top competition? Just sayin'... |
| T13 |
Posted - 03/23/2015 : 09:40:54
If a kid doesn't get found make sure he's taking care of his academics because that's where the most scholarship money is available....baseball will not pay for college! |
| CaCO3Girl |
Posted - 03/23/2015 : 08:53:16
quote:
Originally posted by nastycurve
quote:
Originally posted by T13
if a kid is good enough colleges and/or pros will find him! If not, he probably not as good as the parent thought :(
100% right there
And I disagree with this statement 100%.
I have heard such horror stories of talented kids being never found because they just didn't have the exposure to be found. If there is a kid who breaks all known baseball rules and runs a 60 in 5 seconds and has hit 400 home runs, while pitching in the high 90's this year yeah he will be found....but if there is a RHP sitting in the high 80's you will need to work for that recruitment and can't expect "them" to just find the kid.
Please remember that there are thousands, tens of thousands, of kids hoping to be recruited. It is far easier for a coach to go to a PG event where there are 500 very talented kids there and take their pick...than scouting out every small town High School for some talent. Also when you peak one coach's interest you peak others interest. Do not depend on the "if he's got talent they will find him" mantra, you will likely be sadly disappointed and be stuck with several "What If's" plaguing your conscience.
You don't have to be at a large academy but make sure you attend at least one showcase. |
| nastycurve |
Posted - 03/22/2015 : 20:49:02
quote:
Originally posted by T13
if a kid is good enough colleges and/or pros will find him! If not, he probably not as good as the parent thought :(
100% right there |
| nastycurve |
Posted - 03/22/2015 : 01:45:00
I think the best chance of being exposed for a kid is at showcases and PG tourneys throughout the summer. HS ball is a prerequisite to being a good ballplayer, as there are no tourneys for HS age kids until HS ball is done and if you arent making your HS team, being realistic, you dont have much of a shot of playing in College or the Pros. HS ball is also watered down somewhat, as most HS teams couldn't hold a candle to the mid/high level travel/academy teams.
The HS season and college Season are going on at the same time, so there is very little, if any, recruitment/scouting going on during the HS season. Colleges dont have scouts, they have recruiting coordinators and coaches. Their main goal is to win games for their school in order to keep both the team successful and themselves employed. Most colleges recruit during the summer and fall, and they go where the most players are concentrated, which as we know is PG. The more events you play in, the more PG experiences you have, the better it is for the school to base their offer on to you.
Overall, Summer ball is going to do a lot more for your kid exposure-wise, but if he is a baller, than best believe he is on the HS team as well. I dont recommend the super large academies, nor do I recommend spending 4k. I would however make sure your kid is on a team that is playing in the events here at lakepoint, and also make sure he is on the field so he can be seen. |
| T13 |
Posted - 03/21/2015 : 22:21:09
if a kid is good enough colleges and/or pros will find him! If not, he probably not as good as the parent thought :( |
| hshuler |
Posted - 03/21/2015 : 21:30:55
Thanks, Buckeye! My question was not intended to be either/or. If anything, it seems to me that maybe a talented kid doesn't need to play for a nationally recognized academy to get exposure. Maybe $500 to play with his high school over the summer, instead of $4000 with XYZ academy, would suffice. But, the academies probably play in all the big events, whereas the high school may only play one or two. Your thoughts? |
| SSBuckeye |
Posted - 03/21/2015 : 11:17:10
I don't think it's an either/or thing. I think it's both. Last week I watched my son's varsity team play a game in front of 3-4 scouts, including the head coach from Clemson. Scouts still come to HS games when there's someone to see. PG just brings so many kids into close proximity that you have to be there, but I wouldn't just give up on HS ball. |
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