My son just attended his second showcase last weekend, and the difference was like night and day compared to his first one. He was much more relaxed, because he knew what to expect. It occurred to me that there is a lot of info that, had we known it ahead of time, might have made the first outing a little more productive. Showcases are expensive and it's worth getting your bang for the buck. There is such a wealth of information and experience on this site that perhaps people will be willing to share their tips and advice on how to get the most out of the showcase. I will start off with a few things we noticed. Our experience was with Perfect Game, and perhaps other showcases do things differently; if so, please note which showcase you are posting about.

1. When it's your turn to showcase, all eyes are on you. There are not simultaneously run stations for running, fielding, and hitting--instead, everyone runs their 60s before the entire group moves on to the next skill. If you know this going in, it won't be such a shock having two hundred people stare at you while you run your sixty or take batting practice.

2. If it's a big showcase, there is a lot of "standing around" waiting your turn. Use the time to your advantage. Keep your arm warm. Volunteer to field balls at 3rd when the outfielders are showcasing, or at second when the catchers are doing pop times.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for feedback on the spot. Official reports take awhile to come out, but the evaluators can often give pithy advice that is very useful. Of course, be judicious about this--don't get in the way of the evaluations taking place. But the evaluators are very approachable. We got some great advice at this last showcase that alone was was worth the cost of the showcase.

4. Realize that a good performance is wonderful to have but a bad performance is not a disaster. Perfect Game focuses on what you can do, not what you can't. If you didn't hit well that day, or you had a bad outing on the mound, it's not the end of the world--you just didn't show your stuff that day. If you don't hit well, Perfect Game will never say you can't hit--they will focus on what you did do well, and comment on what you need to do to improve your hitting.

quote:

Originally posted by beepers40:
3. Don't be afraid to ask for feedback on the spot. Official reports take awhile to come out, but the evaluators can often give pithy advice that is very useful. Of course, be judicious about this--don't get in the way of the evaluations taking place. But the evaluators are very approachable. We got some great advice at this last showcase that alone was was worth the cost of the showcase.

beepers - Good to hear from you again! Glad to hear you and your son are out there on the circuit!

This piece of advice you gave quoted above was very useful for us when we did this. Don't be a nuisance, but getting some feedback is really useful in understanding what his going on and in guiding you on where to go next. As long as you're respectful of the job they are doing, you will be greeted with useful advice from the evaluator in most cases.

Best of luck!

beepers
You stated some of the reasons I think its a good idea to attend some free pro tryouts. It helps you prepare for the costly showcases.

beepers

You and others new to showcases might want to check the number of articles by showcase people in the list of articles on the showcase page on this site

I think the articles might answer expand on a lot of what you have posted

Thanks you guys for what you have posted so far. TR, you are right about checking the articles--they have a wealth of good information, especially around the area of how to choose a showcase and what are reasonable expectations to have with regards to exposure and results. I went back and reread the list of tips and one in particular caught my eye-a little thing, but something that could save someone some unneeded effort. One of the tips is to wear a shirt with your name on the back--but Perfect Game showcases provide shirts with identifying numbers, and also caps that match the shirts, so this suggestion does not apply to Perfect Game showcases. A jacket or sweatshirt with your name or even just your high school logo can help identify you a little more specifically, in this case.

I took my son to the Auburn showcase this past Labor Day to get his feet wet. Since he's only a sophomore, we didn't expect to be "discovered" I just wanted to prepare him for next year. I agree with much of what has been said about being ready.

Arrive early;
Look like a ball player;
Stay loose;
Be ready;

The Auburn showcase was pretty big, based on my inexperienced estimate. Their showcase was held over two days; participants were only there for one. They broke the groups into 8 teams with all positions represented on all teams. The scouts and college coaches hung around the field to see and measure the performance of the field drills.

They then sent the teams off to different stations. My son's group started on the field. They sent all outfielders to right field, hit them balls, mainly grounders, and had them throw to the different bases. They had radar guns on them measuring arm speed on most throws (2, 3, home). I noticed they they also made notes on kids who through the ball "through" the cutoff man. I even saw some head shaking on kids who sailed the ball.

Then the infielders all went to short, except for an F3. Again they hit grounders to each one, taking approximately 5 balls. They again had the gun at first and measured arm speed. The fielders had to field balls in the holes as well as charging a soft hit ball. The guys then went to the practice football field and any position player ran the 60 at least once, twice if they wanted to, it was optional for the pitchers. (My son is a pitcher)

After that the guys had a semi tour of the facilities while the next group hit the field. After the morning session, the groups participated in a short game session where each kid got to hit twice. I got the impression that this session was more geared for the pitchers and a little toward the catchers. Each pitcher through to 5 batters and then the teams changed sides.

After the games session the rest of the day was pretty much filler so they could have the other teams play. They went to a batting cage and got a “little “ instruction, then to a local high school field and hit some more. There was minimal coach exposure and no scouts at either of these stations.

My son did enjoy the experience and he got a good look at what is available and involved in a D1 program. I asked one of the Auburn coaches who was walking through the stand about getting feedback and he said all we needed to do was to call or Email the Tuesday after the showcase and they’d be glad to give you what they had. He gave the pat answer; hard numbers like arm speed and 60 times, but he when I asked about my son he did say that they would give feedback on their perception because he had made an impression in them. I would imagine that if you were just another guy, you might not get that.

quote:

Originally posted by beepers40:
One of the tips is to wear a shirt with your name on the back...

Thats an interesting tip that I hadn't remembered. I DO remember advising my son to wear his HS baseball cap...thought it would be good for anyone who might like him to more easily tie him to his HS and thus remember his name. BTW, he thought I was nutso!

What we do is give every player a shirt--15 players to a team--8 distinct colors--- 8 inch number on the back, not s-o-c-c-e-r size--- our program has the teams listed so the scouts just need to look at the team page for the player as noted by his number-- it works-- coaches can talk about "player number 5 on the blue team" and know who they are talking about. Funnyb think we will get calls six months hence and the coach will ask about player # so and so on the blue team etc--they may not remember his name specifically but they know his number and team shirt color.,

Another aspect to help the coaches recognoize the players--when doing the 60, fielding drills or catcher pop times the players are directed to turn and show number to Showcase Announcer in press box so he can give coaches all the needed info-- during the three games batters are announced as are pitcher and announcer also makes note of players who make superb plays in the outfield.

Hope that this helps you

How To Run A High School Showcase
http://www.angelfire.com/vt/prospectwatch/index93.html