My son is an 05 interested in William and Mary.He went to their winter camp and received a follow-up letter from the coach.He is going to the summer camp and BIV. Also considering going to Blue Gray at W&M. Could this be over exposure?

Paul Jacobi

No. The more times they get to see him, the better evaluation they'll have of him. And the more comfortable they become with him, the more confident they will be to pursue him. They will not be as interested in someone they have seen only once.

Your son will not be perfect or perform at the top of his game for every event. Coaches know that. But if he can demonstrate a certain consistency, that will be to his huge advantage. They will look at his capabilities and it sounds like he's off to a good start on that issue to have received a follow-up letter.

I've been curious to know how many follow up letters are sent after the camps. Is it something they do for all the kids that attend?

Depending on the camps...some write a detailed profile/summary while others do nothing.

Find out what they do beforehand so you are not disappointed later.

I have a slightly different take... I would think carefully about the risk of a sub-par performance at one of these events/showcases/camps, particularly if you are a position player/hitter. In theory, it is logical to recognize that players, even the best ones,do not perform at the top of their game at every event. That being said, I swear it is the mind set of these coaches to become overly distracted by a bad performance at one event. I do believe, pitchers are given greater latitude in the performance area, particularly if there has been a favorable review from a reliable source at a previous event(s). My recommendation: Don't go to everything you are considering for this one school; shut it down at some point.

thurber - I used to think about things the way you have stated. But I learned this past summer that there is another side to it. That side is that coaches appreciate players that want to challenge themselves against good competition and aren't afraid of it or the risks.

We could have easily shut it down early last summer and been in a great position for his future, but we let our son keep going because he wanted to, and the rewards were tremendous in every way. I think you shut it down if you're afraid that the "good" outing/appearance was lucky.

With all due respect, justbaseball, most of us know who your son is by now ( Mine even came up to bat against ED (Brewers) in the Area Code Games this summer and mine was so tempted to swing at what was ball 4, but walked, because he wanted to get a hit off of ED, if possible.) ED is way special, most are not, I recommend a little circumspect caution

thurber - You've got a good point. You have a PM. At least he's not the guy ED hit on the first pitch?!?!

Here's another angle to consider. From what I've seen, it's my opinion that seeing him more is better than seeing him less. Aside from performance, going to a camp or showcase more than once makes most coaches draw several positive conclusions about a kid in other areas:
1) This kid and/or his family have iniative. He attended once, which is good, and it's fairly common. But he's back again, that shows a lot of iniative.
2) This kid is serious. Attending once is good, attending two or three times shows the kid is serious.
3) This kid really wants to play, wants to be seen, wants to work, wants to learn. Every time I look around, he's here.
4) This kid has his priorities in the proper order. To attend more than once, considering the cost and time involved, shows me what his priorities are.
5) This kid must love to play, love to practice, wants to be around the game and baseball people as much as possible.
6) Also, as someone stated earlier, the more they see him the more comfortable they become with him. They feel like they know him better than someone that's there for the first time. They feel a connection with him.
7) Going back to performance, if they see him several times over a period of time, and can see an improvement during that time, they'll feel this is a great indicator of his willingness to work hard to improve.

I have heard comments such as these being made.

Eagle makes very good points. You definately want the coaches to know him, call him by name, and feel the connection & commitment.

A couple more to consider: These things cost, are you putting all your financial eggs in one basket? Or are there more opportunities for other schools to see him? What's the W & M roster look like? Do they need someone at your son's position? The best advice is always 'go where you will play'.

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From 'Nice Guys Finish Last' by Leo Durocher:

Baseball lives at the center of a never-flagging whirl of irreconcilable opinions.

I have read all the posts on this issue and am intrigued by some of the opinions. The opinion seems to be that the more times your son is seen the better. I'm not sure i disagree with that---what I do disagree is the reasons that Eagle and some of the other posters gave. That a coach will assume this kid loves to play, practice, etc. based on the fact that he has been to more than one camp??What about the kids who are committed, love to play, practice, have their priorities in order,is serious and has initiave, but doesn't have the financial resources to travel around the country going to showcases and camps? Are those kids less serious? Because their families cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars a year, and chooses one or two high quality events----does a coach write him off because he hasn't seen that kid at every camp?? I doubt it. Anyone have input on this??

JohnnieM,
Nobody said that the kid that doesn't attend showcases or camps will be written off, or thought to love the game less. They may not be considered as less serious about the game, but I will tell you this, they'll be considered more difficult to get enrolled, particularly at many schools. With athletic money covering only a small portion of a team's total college costs, coaches know that families will be required to help financially. Many coaches recruit from camps and showcases because they assume those families will be financially able to help. They don't just recruit the best players. They try to recruit the best players they feel can successfully enroll at their school. May not be fair, but that's the way it is.

FOLKS

I am not quite sure that all coaches use the camps the same way. Some recruit out of them and others do not

As for fear of poor performance I think that is a problem more in the parents head than the player--- most kids I know do not think of having a poor performance--never ever--if they did they would not succeed.

Just make sure you know as much as you can about anything you attend or take part in--- the more you know the less you are to be disappointed.

TRhit

eagle,

I certainly appreciate reading your view---as i haven't looked at it that way before. I must say that I hope that is NOT the way most college coaches view it. I would hate to think that they would assume that a player who does not attend repeated camps, etc., would come from a family unable to participate in the cost of college. Many families I know view college costs and camp/showcase costs as two very different things. I would be interested to hear from others who have 'been there'---is that how it goes??

Camp/showcases costs to me are investmnets in your sons college future in hopes of some degree of scholarship money.

I do not think that any coach feels that just becuase a player does not come to his camp the player has no interest---he may be playing with his team on those dates and feels his responsibility to his team is more important at that time

TRhit

While I am a firm believer that showcases work (can't give my opinion on the camps) there is one point that you must consider more important than anything else. While the player gets to show off his tools at these events, playing in an actual game, with a team he plays with on a day to day basis where there is competition is really what coaches like to see. Example, pitcher facing a hitter who is a top prospect or vice versa. I believe keying in on team tournaments like Wood Bat, etc, is more important. If a particular coach is really interested in the player, he will make it his business to see him if he has not seen him play,before he considers recruiting him. This is just my opinion.
If funds are limited, I suggest you consider this option above all else.Is it possible to play on a summer travel team? If funds are no problem, the sky is the limit, attend as many as you want and your son can handle. We can all give you different opinions, but you and your son have to choose the path that is best for him and your pocketbook. Also, know that your son may want to attend a particular school, it may not work out in the end, so you might not want to put all of your eggs in one basket.

Baseonballs, here is something that articulates what you are trying to say in an Interview I did with the Wheaton Baseball Coach.

Do you attend Baseball showcases and what are your thoughts on these?

I probably attend 15-20 showcases a year including things like Bay State Games and the Brockton Invitational. I don't usually attend indoor showcases because they are usually in the winter when kids are not even in baseball mode and often times they end up looking worse. Outdoor showcases allow me to see a lot of players quickly but I never use those as a final way to evaluate talent. Many kids at showcases put a smile on their face and hustle their butt off, then you see them 4 months later at a high school game, walking on and off the field, moping around and generally not being a good teammate. Bay State games gives me the chance to see many good players and I usually attend all 4 days of competition when other coaches have gone home. I like to see how the kids in the final games act because they have something important to play for.

Make sure you are on your best behavior during games. I need to get out and see every player play in real games that are important to not only the player, but to the team. How you act in a game is as important as how you play. I look for kids that are great teammates, that hustle, that support their teammates in winning situations and losing situations, kids who are not complaining and sulking on the field.

Many players think they can just show off at a few showcases and then they are all set. In my case, that is not good enough and I cannot get a true sense of a player until I have seem them play in meaningful high school games. So how you act on the field is very important to me and to other coaches as well and you never know when I will show up at a game. If I have time I am at a game and I am not only watching the player I was there to see but 20 other players as well that may be potential recruits.

First of all most colleges are playing when HS baseball is playing, so recruiting at that point if limited at best.

Most college recruiting is done during the summer before your senior year. College are not playing baseball then.

Most of HS players will not play college baseball. So you are hitting against a future lawyer or CPA most of the time who can't crack 80 mph.

Any college coach or MLB scouts can tell in 5 minutes if you have tools or not in a pro tryout camp, HS Showcase or tournaments.

How can anyone be "over doing" it when it involves your son?

quote:

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Originally posted by Dibble:
First of all most colleges are playing when HS baseball is playing, so recruiting at that point if limited at best.

Most college recruiting is done during the summer before your senior year. College are not playing baseball then.

Most of HS players will not play college baseball. So you are hitting against a future lawyer or CPA most of the time who can't crack 80 mph.

Any college coach or MLB scouts can tell in 5 minutes if you have tools or not in a pro tryout camp, HS Showcase or tournaments.

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