PlayDog why are you so willing to go against establishment, when the establishment is working?

The player that I had at the Stevenson Tournament was extremely excited to have been invited and was blown away by the amount of scouts there. Without a doubt this will help this young man get an opportunity to play ball at the next level. He is a good player that had a good junior year but was behind a very good senior. He played mostly DH and didn't get to showcase his catching abilities.

As far as the "elite" players go, I agree with Playball2 about wanting to work with the kids that have the idea that the name on the front of the shirt means more than the name on the back. I believe in my abilities as a coach and that I can help any player get better if they are willing to work. If a kid thinks he is better off going else where than by all means go ahead. I for one would not offer my field to any team that wanted to use a field for this purpose. I really think all of this is really getting out of hand. Does anyone else agree?

High school coaches like Playball2, GBS25, and myself work hard to develop our players and our programs. Our programs wouldn't disappear if any "one" kid decided that he was too good to play for us. The grass is always greener from the other side of the fence. But once you jump across...

It is happening all the time isn't it? Potentially the best baseball player in a particular school may not even go out for baseball. He may focus on or enjoy football, basketball, swimming, s****r whatever. This has been the case for ever, and hs baseball has survived.

quote:

Originally posted by Playball2:
Traveldad, seems to be your mission to call out coaches over your last two posts?

Geez!
OK, one last time. I'll NOT take back my opinion of the BR/RHS "issue". It was innapropriate and unfortunate (IMO). I can appreciate you not liking the method chosen to express my dissapointment in what I saw and heard. If you believe the incident was appropriate, then we can agree to disagree.

Now I did have 2 conversations with Jim Hall this weekend and the lack of info on the website was brought up and he addressed. I was not the only person to question this and the Harvey Foster site left it to Hall to address. He did that.

To address your ascertation, no mission.

The Plainfield Showcase was everything it was billed to be; well run and filled with scouts.

IMO-- Stevenson is set up primarily for pitchers . They get to pitch at least one whole inning ( in some cases i saw couple pitchers pitch two innings) more than ample oportunity to show their stuff . Meanwhile , position players ..from what i saw in the ESCC games ..got only around THREE at bats in the two games . I must ask the question...why no batting practice session ? We batted 21 --count em ---21 players in the lineup ..some players did not get to bat until 6th inning . To me this is a joke . The heavier turnout of colleges was on saturday ..some kids got only ONE at bat on saturday . How can a college coach/scout assess a hitter in ONE at bat ?? ..three at bats total for the weekend . You call this a showcase?? How can a hitter showcase his talent with maybe one swing ?? Hitter has no rythym whatsoever like a normal game .They should consider changing this ridiculous format to give the kids a real chance to show what they got. Maybe have one group of players come saturday and the other sunday . That way player gets 4 or 5 at bats in a regular size batting order like a regular game with some rythym . Or maybe BP session only on one day and games on the other.

GBS

If im a position player ..i would go to the travel tournament too to get regulat at bats in front of the colleges instead of Plainfield . If it is the same format as Stevenson...then they made the correct choice . And yes, there were plenty of colleges there .

The team I had consisted of only 13 position players who we batted straight through. They all got several at bats since 5 players were just pitchers and did not bat. I don't know how the other teams set their rosters up but 20 players hitting is way too many on a roster. I think all of the kids on my squad were satisfied with their playing time and alot of them made the most of it.

The other thing of note is that the most important part of the showcases are the pre-game infield and the 60 yd sprint. The scouts are mostly looking to identify players to follow up on at a later time. I think a kid can get noticed at the plate in either situation but thats always hit and miss especially when you could get a walk or two in a tournament game. I cant speak for Stevenson but their are no walks in the Plainfield games. Another player runs for the hitter.

The players on our team played either four or five consecutive innings each day. The goal was to get everyone at least two at bats each game, which did indeed happen. Sunday, with rain threatening, they modified the batting order a bit and had players alternate at bats - they all got two ABs and in some cases three. But GBS states it correctly - the pre-game and the 60s are the most important part. The batting is more of an opportunity to see the pitchers throw in a game situation. No one is going to get (or not get) a scholarship offer based on a couple of at bats. Our Saturday game was definitely a pitching showcase - lots of strikeouts and pop ups, only a couple of hits on either side. It's definitely advantage pitcher when a batter only gets to see you once.

Actually, the most important part was getting invited to the showcase in the first place and getting your name, GPA and ACT in the book. Coaches see the Stevenson showcase as an opportunity to find top student athletes. Just being there tells them you are already one of the best players in your conference - they love that aspect of the showcase. Not like a showcase tournament where any team that pays can show up and play and they might see one or two that they are interested in. Here they have the potential of choosing from several hundred who they know will probably all end up playing at a college somewhere.

Coaches find players that fit their academic profile and try and get a look a them. At that point they are going more on instinct than anything - how does a player carry himself on the field, what's his approach at the plate, does he look like he loves the game, does he exhibit good sportsmanship and high energy, etc. The process begins there. Coaches will then do their job and contact and follow players of interest.

The Stevenson showcase is a one of a kind opportunity for players at a price that is an incredible bargain. Hopefully summer coaches will continue to encourage players to make it their top priority so college coaches will continue to have interest in showing up. It's one weekend out of one season that could change a player's future.

First, I want to thank Harvey Foster for the hard work he does getting the kids exposure. Stevenson had a lot of scouts for the money. It is a good opportunity overall.

But.... My son was on the Central Suburban team. He is a catcher, and they had four catchers (at one point 5 but Maine South's catcher moved and played fpr Du Page). My son got 3 at bats, one the first day. Due to the rain, his next two at bats were late Sunday, when many had left (can't control the weather).

Sully was right. There were too many players hitting. Many kids were listed as pitchers, and were in the line-up. Some played the field for their teams, some didn't.

There was a comment that only the best players are there. Not true. It seems like every team gets at least one player. One school had one representitve that didn't belong. When he pitched, he got hammered. The kids that batted against him looked great. If kids batted against one of our studs, they didn't look as good. Sometimes who you hit against is the luck of the draw. Your couple of hits could be against a kid throwing 90, or a kid that throws 72.

I am not suggesting format changes, just stating what I saw happen. I think some changes can and should be made to "tweak" the format. It needs the cooperation of the coaches. The CSL knew they should only send 3 catchers, but coaches sent 5 anyway. Fighting for their players? Egos? Both? I don't know.

It is tough on kids who get psyched for their big chance, and then sit for an hour and get the one at bat vs Koufax. That being said, our travel team had no problem with players going to Stevenson and Plainfield. We had players at both.

A couple of years ago my son went to Stevenson and was the last kid to pitch. Had some coaches and scouts left? Maybe. But it was what he did with his opportunity that made a difference, just like it does at any showcase or camp. What did you do with whatever opportunity you had in front of the guys you wanted to see you? He did well and got a lot out of the experience....ultimately, it probably led him to where he wanted to be.

Yes, maybe you only get a few chances at the plate....but these scouts and coaches are professionals at what they do and maybe they can see alot more in a kid's approach than they would in someone going yard.....especially since as one poster noted, maybe it was against a kid throwing 72. In that case, what would you do, complain he didn't get a chance to hit off a stud? And if that stud blew your kid away, would you complain about that?


I guess everyone wants their players or their kid to get a chance, but then again I'm sure the guys running these two showcases are truly thinking about the kids....as many as they can help. It isn't only D-1 and pro scouts there, there are plenty of D-3 Coaches as well.

In the end, I think many parents are going to find out that there are an awful lot of good players out there and it isn't guaranteed that any of these kids are going big-time. The other thing is the experience...some kids actually like interacting with kids from other schools and being in the dugout with them, as well as opposing coaches. My son wanted to beat Palatine as much as anyone, but it was tempered with respect that he gained from meeting coach Belo and seeing that he was a pretty good guy. In the end, those things matter more than most realize.

Great point Fastball!!! I really noticed the social aspect of it this year as well. A great opportunity for kids to make new friends and learn about each others programs and schools.

I can tell honestly that I look forward each year to working (10 yrs.) the Stevenson Showcase. With regard to the MSL our players are identified and a team is formulated at the all-conference meeting. As a rule any junior nominated to the all-conference team is automatically selected, the rest are nominated with the understanding that they fit particular criteria (first and foremost, desire to play at the next level). From a coaches perspective, this is not an all-star team so there is no need for all teams to show representation. I believe our conference has displayed this over the past years, it speaks of the coaches who honestly evaluate their players. Specifically we were told to select 25 players (9 pitchers, 6-8 Infielders, 6 OF's, 2-3 catchers) this is a general format to ensure playing time and a mininmum of AB's for position players. This year it worked out very well for us, having identified one player we thought would be a two way recruit (he was not present). The toughest task is deciding who stays and who goes, I can tell you it's never easy but it has to be done. What I really look forward to each year is building a relationship with the players and watching them build relationships with players from opposing schools. Believe me it can happen over the course of two days. There is an admirable effect of watching them come together in representation of the conference.

Does anyone have info on the Plainfield showcase, i.e., who looked good, where the times, etc., will be posted, and so forth?

Sulltiger,

21 guys batting on one team seems ridiculous. 2 years ago,however, Casey Macmurry from LT homered in his first 2 at bats on Saturday morning and followed it up with a triple off the top of the fence in his 3rd at bat. He could have left right then and not returned and his mark was already made. I think my sons team only batted 10 or so in each game. Sounds like your conference had too many players which may have forced your situation.

But, there were so many school represented that they must believe that it is more than worthwhile for them to attend. I've never seen more than 3 or 4 schools normally at a weekend, midwest travel tournament. JMO.

its all perspecitive, the pitching father wants to see pitching and will evaluate the event accordingly. The thumper's dad want to see only 15 kids that all hit. The recruiter wants to see the potential student athlete. the mlb guy wants find the one that slipped through the cracks. All i can say to sulli, is remember it is a competition and some squads did have some all area players. maybe we should chalk it up to the other conferences having quality pitching. Our guys all got at least 3 ab's in against Sullis staff and 5 or more all weekend. the kids all played 6 innings and had opportunities to make some sweet plays. Maybe i should moan how our games were both pm games and on sunday the numbers were down. so what. To me, it was more than just hitting the **** out of the ball, it was about presentation...show yourself well. Pesonally, the best thing my kid did was bust it down the line after a k that scapped the dirt. He did some other good things, but that play is something that i'll rememeber. maybe that opened some eyes? I also agree with playball, it was good for my son to be a team with and get to know a little better the guys he's been competing against for the last 6 summers. and if playball your were a coach, thanks for your time that weekend.

Is the Stevenson Showcase (and Plainfield) perfect? No. Is it a great opportunity? Absolutely. It is especialy good for the student athlete, as a coach's book is put together with both a baseball profile and academic records. Some student athletes will hear from schools, particularly the strong academic D111s, just based on their academic profiles.

Unfortunately, there are only two things that can be measured absolutely from a baseball perspective, how fast you run, and how hard you throw. There are other things you can control and project in a positive light, hustle, attitude, appearance, and how you play the game. If, and when, the opportunity arises to show your skills, seize it! You may not get the good at bats, or tough plays, but be ready for them if come. Everyone already knew Casey McMurray was good, but he put on a show when given that opportunity. His performance came against two current D1 pitchers, and another at a top JUCO.

Make the best of the opportunity, and follow up with schools where you are interested. To complain that it wasn't fair, or chances weren't given doesn't accomplish anything. You have to make your own breaks, and continue to pursue the goal of playing at the next level. The Stevenson Showcase is just one of the many vehicles to help make it happen

Rosy

this past weekend --thurs thru sunday --there were many --probably at least 10 division 1 colleges at the toc in cincinnati . I know because i saw them and talked to a few of them . there might have been more that i didnt see.

Diamond fan

The views i expressed were not only mine --but my sons as well . Many other parents and PLAYERS i spoke to share my opinion as far as the hitting portion at Stevenson . Yes, of course all of the other points you guys brought up about the 60 time , infield outfield throws and the social aspects -are all good points and is correct . But...what good hitter attending a showcase event like this with 50 colleges watching doesnt want to get a fair shot at the plate ?? You guys must have never been hitters yourselves or you would understand. look at it from the players perspective ..not mine . I believe im stating facts here ..not just an opinion. Pitcher gets to throw at least 10 pitches ..maybe 20 in his inning...more than enough to impress and throw all his pitches . Hitter ( on saturday when most of the colleges were there ) gets one at bat after waiting over an hour sitting on his *** where maybe he takes one swing .
Some of the players on the mid-suburban team we played got four at bats that game . Fairly obvious the college guys got a much better look at the hitters getting 4 at bats compared to those who got only 1 .
there shouldnt be such a disparity . yes..all the kids should receive the same opportunity . Im pretty sure my money is green like all the others .Shouldnt depend on what conference you are in..the people running it all need to get on the same page . I thought all other facets of the event were great . Just stating the facts ...no need to call it complaining .

Sull, I am not sure o some of your points. When you talk about it not being fair to all the hitters. Did all the kids in cincy this weekend get the same number of at bats? At the weekend showcases where there are many team playing do they all get the same chance as hitters or fielders, you could play infield or outfield at many of these and never get a ball hit to you. I have watched hitters intentionally walked at some of these weekend tournaments, what does that show the "scouts" about the hitter and worse yet the pitcher? I have watched the msl do Steveonson and it seems like all the hitters get 4 or so at bats maybe more. As far as the same color of money I hear you, but that is one of the best things about Stevenson, there is very little cost to the players and I watched the coaches give up there Fathers Day weekend to help some of these players move to the next level. When we were at Stevenson, there was many more than the 50 scouts you mentioned. I also agree with Rosy that at many of the weekend tournaments I don't see that many schools scouting.

My points are very clear--not sure what you are missing. Basically i thought stevenson was good experience ..just thought the hitting format left a lot to be desired ..whats so hard to comprehend ? Cincy has absolutely nothing to do with Stevenson--whole different situation. Used the number 50 as a roundabout number at our particular game ..could have been more . two games going on at once . You must not be going to the same tourneys ive gone to ....many many colleges at ours so far this year. Which tourneys are you referring to ?

For the record, I don't want my comments to be interpreted as complaining about Stevenson. My son was fortunate to be there. The organizers work hard to put on a great showcase, and they deliver the scouts. The price is well below market rates for such an event. The coaches should be thanked for giving their time.

Nothing is perfect and everything can't be completely "fair". Simply stated, if things can be improved by hearing comments both positive and negative, then everyone, kids, coaches, organizers and parents will be well served.