Showcase Opinion

Oh it is so nice to be loved. Posted this out of a suggestion from Braves to give an area where it would pull these points to one place. As for bait. I use nightcrawlers with a touch of hot sauce. Try it. see what you get.

 

At this point in time it matters not whether YOU like showcase ball , or not. What does matter is that the college coaches use it to spot, and watch players. So if a kid has designs on playing beyond high school, I think his chances are improved by playing with a GOOD showcase organization. One thing that I think is missing from showcase circuits, and this is just my observation, is a lack of D2, and D3 coaches. I think there are lots more kids wanting to play that may not get D1 offers with which these guys could get involved. I will say that Methodist University in Fayetteville recruits just as most D1s. They work.

 

Good point. It seems that the leaders in the showcase realm would work together to hold events that would promote all players at all levels. Not meaning that it would be come a showcase open or another travel ball format. But though so kind of invite only or some other means that identify those teams. Then some type of system that would attact those D-2, D-3 and Junior Colleges. I think that is the future level of showcase is.

 

Here's a good Showcase tournament that attracts many D2 schools

http://www.thisboardrocks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=135170

One has to understand the attitudes of the recruited players to understand why you don't see as many D2 schools recruiting aggressively during this time of year.

For whatever reason, nearly every recruited athlete think they are D1 material during this time of year.....when actuality there are not nearly enough schools in our region to fill the desires of all the players being recruited (and I'm not even mentioning talent level).

In many cases, the schools will recruit heavily in areas that a player will jump at the chance to play baseball for them. States like Florida and New England have a ton of players that don't have all the opportunities that our state provides. So, they are spending their time wisely going after those players at this time of year.

After the early signing period, many players have a sobering experience and realize that D2 baseball is much better and provides better opportunites to play than originally thought....this is when the D2 recruiters become more aggressive in their recruiting efforts in NC.

 

showcase recruiting

Wait a minute boys.. I have been a DII coach and I am currently a Juco coach and I see more DII DIII coaches out more than I see DIs. The problem comes in that most parents only recognize the DI coaches. This past weekend I was at the USA Baseball Complex for the GRFBL Showcase and there were 5 coaches there and geuss how many D1s were there?? We do use showcase ball to spot players because most showcases have at least 5-6 teams there. More bang for your buck, it is more beneficial to see multiple teams play in one location vs 2 teams at 1. However, hearing about players from coaches you trust, other college coaches, recruiting services, & etc is the most common form used in recruiting after the fall stuff is over.

DII, DIII, JC are always out even more so than the DIs so I would have to disagree with some comments made.

 

Great info. Sorry if I implied that schools other than D-1 attended most showcases. My point was that showcase teams need to get together and create avenues for those players not on the elite showcase teams and cannot get to those grand events. With your experiance what would be a good venue for you to attend. How many teams? Location?

 

Here is another good post from a D2 college coach and recruiter:

Two perspectives 1) From the Recruiter 2) From the parent, highschool coach, or the player.

1) Think about it this way. When a recruiter goes out to a showcase, they look for the very best players. Regardless of what level they are. Do you think a recruiter would say, "well I'm a DII school so I'm going to approach this looking for second and third tier players." If you really think that you must be kidding yourself. After a showcase they will take the rosters, list the top 5-10 at each position and why. When they make calls, they start from the top. Several players that are the 2nd and 3rd names on this very list will choose a division II school. Believe me, there are very persistent recruiters out there. It may not happen right away, but check the announcement of signings at the end of the year at your local DII school. I've never made this quote myself, but have heard many people say that DII guys are the hardest working guys out there because they have to do everything, from field maintenence to JV teams, to recruiting. And that breeds confidence and thick skin.

2) I truly believe that parents, and players believe this... Just because they find out that they are not DI players they are automatically D2 players. That could not be more incorrect. A pet peeve of mine from high school coaches is they often times compare a player to one that may have went to a DII school in the past. Look at the player for what he is. Do not get caught up in a comparison to a kid that you coached 5 years ago.

- Another bit of information; Players improve. Colleges work day and night training their guys to perform to the best of their capability. Guys are in peak physical condition when the season hits. Although high school kids are coming in more prepared than ever, they are not in as good of condition as the college kids.

To answer your question Braves. C'mon, tell them to come watch. They'll be surprised at the kind of athletes that DII roles out on to the field.

Another analogy for all of you baseball historians out there. Fifteen years ago the best division IA baseball team in the country was Mississippi State. Elon College was a DII school in the Carolinas Conference (or SAC 8 I can't remember). Last year in the Clemson regional now Elon University beat Miss. St. (Who on God's green earth would have imagined that 15 years ago?) My point is not to say the MSU has gotten worse, but to show the trickle down effect of successful smaller programs. Why would that same trickle down not drastically help a DII school?

 

People partiscipate in showcase for a variety of reasons. Whether we like it or not isn't the point. It's one of several avenues that may or may not help a player.

JTbaseball raised a point on his other thread. College coaches did not create showcase, parents and kids did. The coaches just followed.

 

Well, not exactly. Parents and kids didn't create it, but they joined and you are right ...the coaches followed. What a great concept! Instead of hoping a college coach may stop by to watch a player on your team with the hope that he may spot you; we have tournaments that one may attend that will have over 300 scouts in one setting that can see you day after day after day.

Whomever started the modern day showcasing concept had a stroke of genius...I wish it had been me

America- the place where dreams can come true

 

I thought the gist of this thread was whether we liked showcase baseball. I can't imagine anyone participating in showcase baseball if not to be seen by college coaches. If my son only wanted to play baseball right now just to play, he certainly wouldn't be playing showcase.