This may be a dumb question, but, I'm asking anyway.
How do recommendations for showcases obtained? Do you rely on the coach to give one, if he thinks your child is good enough? Or, do you come out and ask for one? I don't want to wait until it's too late to do either, so I'm asking now.

You can make most showcase recommendations yourself through the showcase website. That is what we did. No one ever turned away our money. I think that is the most common way to get an invite.

Don't know the age of your player but - after our player finished his summer 16-yr old season we asked for a letter of recommendation from the coach. We used it in many mailings to colleges. I'm convinced it helped direct the path that led our son to his college team.

well if a showcase doesn't require MLB scouts recommendations or make you go through a tryout, the talent level will be laughable.

ask how many people apply and how many get accepted to attend their showcase

DIBBLE

MLB Scout recommendations or tryouts !!!!

Come on now--- there are programs whose kids you know will be sound; there are HS coaches who recommend a kid and you know he is a solid player because of who recommends him; there are summer team coaches who recommend kids and you certainly know who and what the program is.

I could go on but I dont need to--- I think you all get the point-- there is more than one way to get info on kids-- other than MLB scouts and tryouts--by the way who runs tryouts for a showcase?

TRhit

these all run tryouts that screen for future showcases

Team One Florida
Perfect Game Indentification Camps
Blue Grey Classics Tryouts
Area Code Games Tryouts

Hate to break to you , but parents, HS coaches, travel team coaches often greatly exaggerate the abilities of their players. No reason for a MLB scout to inflate a player's ability. If they recommend a stiff they lose all credibilty very fast with college coaches.

Just ask any Top 25 Division 1 coach how many players write, call ,smoke signal them and claim to throw 90 mph and how many actually do.

I do not know that they are tryouts per se.In my mind they are not except for possibly the Area Code regionals which are run by the scouts to pick their team. And I look at Area Codes as a not being a showcase in the same light as others. They are somewhat unique unto themselves in how they do what they do.

I cannot speak for any of the programs you note but I do not see them as you see them. Each of them can answer for themselves if they wish.

JMHO

TRhit

Thanks for the info.

Here are 3 national sites that have on-line forms you can fill out. No guarantee of on invitation, but it’s a start.
Perfect Game
Team One
Area Code

I am certain that not all "reputable" showcases require a recommendation from a MLB scout, nor should they. Parents and some coaches do sometimes exaggerate the players ability. However, most high school coaches are interested in maintaining integrity (for future relationships) so they won't inflate a player rating. As everyone knows there are also good and bad MLB scouts. Some scouts only look at tools while many colleges are now looking at performance (the two don't always line up). Many of the colleges that attend showcases are interested in performance so if you only invited "tools players" they might miss a good prospect. Finally, I know for a fact that some of the Showcases (i.e. Teamone) will use a trusted area advisor to get info on a player. I know this because a friend of mine is one of these advisors (and he's not a MLB scout or coach).

Maybe this will help:

We , College Select, use nomination forms as well as letters/calls of recommendation. I cannot speak for others but I am sure they do pretty much the same.

We also get players via coaches recommendations and scouts recommendations-- we ask for a letter of recommendation from HS/Summer Coach and or pro scout--- I agree with "buckeyefan"--not every good player has been seen by a pro scout and thus cannot get a recommendation.

You never know where you will find a kid who is a "player" but you can get a pretty good idea before he arrives at the showcase.

There are various means of getting a " feel" about a players talent--- we have even had players teammates recommend a player to us and this is usually a pretty good barometer of a kids talent.


Hope this helps you

TRhit

Just a reminder there are no dumb questions here! Nuff said. Anyway what we did was fill out the player profile on the AreaCodeBaseball, TeamOneBaseball, and Perfect Game websites. Got invites to Pefect Game ID showcase in Escondido, after which we got invite to National Showcase in Ft.Meyer, he is going to a TeamOne Showcase in Tempe in June, and just returned from the Goodwill Series in Australia over Christmas break. Fill out the profile, and see what happens. The worst is you don't hear anything, then you are no worse off than now. Go fill out the player profile nominations. Area Code, Team One, and Perfect Game are all class organizations that have professionally run showcases. We love 'em. Good luck!

Oh one more thing, we have noticed since attending these. Don't fudge on the height/weight thing. It is so funny when on a player's profile it says he is all of 6'3", and when he shows up, he doesn't look any bigger than 5'10". It happens, believe me.

The same goes for info regarding foot speed and arm strength-- tell the truth

TRhit

TRhit -

Wow - I wish that I had found this web site before my son signed. You are a wealth of information. Things have turned out great, but my son got so many invitatons that we were ignorant as to which ones to go to. We did not go to Team One or yours, but we didn't know what we were turning away at the time.

My question is: What can I tell the talented players on my son's HS team to do right now as a soph or jr.? Where should they go first? (They are all asking since my son got offers - and I know we missed out on a few things) I want to give them good advice - in addition to working hard and getting good grades.
Thanks!

bb

bbmama

Please feel free to phone me---800-782-3672-- and we can chat about it

Tom Rizzi
www.collegeselect.org

TRhit