I can't name or think of any showcases that rank up to the same level as PG.

I say to myself that there is no way that PG can be the only organization out there that offers the best services for the best values.

Or is it?

See the green tab on the left of this page?
Pull it out, hit "Showcases" to go to a page listing several items/articles on showcases. Below is the link to contact info.

For my son, PG was the best option. This was several years ago, when showcasing was relatively new and "news" to us (2003-2006). PG is THE best for exposure, scouting results, recruiting results.

http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/showcase/showcase_table.htm

Generally I think that PG is the best, and that once you're in PG's database you're probably wasting your money going to most of the others.

A few exceptions:

If your son is high academic, Headfirst's Honor Roll Showcase is a big deal. Stanford, the Ivies, etc., recruit heavily from this event. It is heavily attended and very well run. They hold one session in VA every year but I think the bigger event is down in Jupiter.

In VA there is also an event called Best in Virginia that does a very good job of exposing kids to D-III schools. I suspect other states have similar events. If you think that level of play suits your son more, events like this one may be a good fit. Given that D-III's don't offer baseball money, it's a good chance to get immediate exposure to the schools in your area that may offer in-state tuition or other cost savings for your family.

Midlo -
How about selectfest or Blue Grey-North Carolina?

Without a doubt Perfect Game is regarded as the top showcase organization. If Perfect Game can continue to draw the top players they will always remain on top. Do they offer the best services at the best value?

Baseballmom says it is because her son attended PG, she was satisfied with the money she spent, the exposure her son received and she's happy with the offers her son received as she should be.

On the other hand I'm equally happy with the money I spent, the exposure my son received, and the offers my son received and he didn't attend a a PG event. It's difficult to say how good ANY organization is (on it's own) --- when in reality the players are the ones that make any event good.

My son played in the PG last year and the Premier tournament in Joplin, MO. The PG had many many scouts andwe drove all over Georgia to watch his team play and it was great. In Joplin, there weren't as many scouts or teams but it was great exposure as well just not as much driving. If we had a choice we would choose the PG tournament. Both of these tournaments were part of his summer ball team's fees.

From reading this board, I would conclude that in most cases the Perfect Game events are the best. In my case, they haven't fit into our finances, schedule, etc.

Perfect Game and Area Code seem to be geared to players that are putting baseball as their number one goal. My son's goals are academics and enjoying his high school experience, as well as playing baseball to the level his talent will take him. We have not been able to find a match on the Perfect Game or Area Code events that don't conflict with either SAT/ACT testing dates, conflict with other high school sports, or require expensive travel that also requires missing school days.

This may not be the case in other parts of the country, but here in California we have some camps/showcases/scout teams options that I am hoping will get him the exposure. The Stanford Camp, The Headfirst Showcase, and The USC Camp all boast 30 or more college teams present and involved, plus there are other colleges watching from the sideline.

I have had players from the Midwest from teams in the past that have attended PG events as well as many other showcases and camps ... I really think this all depends on what you are expecting from an event, what your budget allows, and when it comes down to it I agree with Fungo that

quote:

when in reality the players are the ones that make any event good.

However, because most of the players I have seen are from the Midwest region we don't attend PG events on a regular basis and have since attended several Top 96, Area Code and Pasttime events for "showcases" and tournaments. I've seen mixed reviews on Top 96 based on volunteer coaches attending instead of real coaches .... Area Code events have treated us well despite the prices .... and Pastime is more involved with showcase tournaments than "showcases" though they have a great deal of exposure at those events and are the best events in Midwest, Southwest and it looks like they grow every year.

I have seen and heard there are several new organizations coming up in the showcase/camp programs as well. There is word that a program similar to PG is popping up in 2009 but I also heard they are doing several sports, not just baseball, though baseball is said to be a big draw for them. I believe this Silver Spikes program has some affiliation with Pasttime Sports/Tournaments as I see them on the Pasttime site ... if they are connected we will attend. There is the MD Clinic that is put on in Southern Maryland that went over well with some of the coaches and players in attendance, cool event though is was kind of like managed chaos because there were so many kids in a small gymnasium.

In the end ... I think the players make the events what they are. PG attracts some of the top players in the country and that is great. These other guys are doing the same thing on many levels though they don't have the name behind them yet or the years of experience that PG has put together. I wouldn't count them out though. I would stay away from several events that are just worthless and run by those who have no business doing these events.

GED10 has not played any PG events, so far. We are already scheduled for several PG and WWBA events this summer.

However, we did play in state and national Premier events, summer 2008. We will not play in Premier events any longer. We saw very few college coaches and zero scouts at our events. We also faced alot of the same teams and competiton at Premier events that we faced all summer. And the fields we played on at Nat'ls were disappointing at best.

We had teams at the Premier Nat'ls in Joplin and Cincey, similar issues there.

GED10DaD
loves catchers!

I have heard similar on Premier lately. We went to watch the Cincy event and I wasn't all that impressed but from my understanding they prevent some top teams from attending because some teams conflict with the "recruiting" process for those organizations involved in the league. Kind of silly if you ask me ... you want the best teams at the event to help your kids get seen right. Not to make sure there is no chance of losing to your in state rivals.