Heat Showcase Baseball Tryouts

I don't think anybody minds one's opinion, but to attack an amateur organization on TBR---this is not a place for that. As I said, if you felt strongly to make your point with them, just send a PM. Your point will elicit a better response privately, then to put an organization on the defensive on an open forum. I'm sure others have a different point of view than you, but let's don't argue that point on here. That's not the purpose of this thread nor the purpose of this board.

Febreeze- I have enjoyed your posts and I hope that you choose to continue, but I also hope you understand what I am saying and why.

 

My son was selected to join the Heat organization's 2010 team last fall. I'll try to cover what we experienced.

Leadership - The gentleman that runs the organization is organized. He used to coach however he is now the organizer. He is also a former college player. He communicates well and often and is easily accessible by cell and email. The Head Coach over the organization is a former player at Clemson, former college coach at multiple locations, former HS head coach and is now an instructor. He knows the game, can instruct and appears to receive respect from the college baseball community. And most importantly, most kids seem to really enjoy being around him. Our Head Coach this year was a HS Head Coach who never missed a tourney. Not once did we have a substitute coach. He has a great approach with the kids and is constantly teaching. He did a lot for the kids confidence.

Preparation - Our team had some very good practices. Some teams practice, some don't. Everyone has to decide what is best for them. My son is 15 and at this point he still needs all the quality practices and instruction he can get. My son is fortunate enough to have a quality coaching staff at Ragsdale. However sometimes you can pick up some things from others. That happened with the Heat. Sometimes they might say the same thing his HS coaches said but just worded differently and it made more sense. All the heat guys told us if your HS coach wanted you to do something a certain way that you should follow your HS coaches direction. They always defered to the HS coaches direction. Before we joined the Heat we got the blessing of his HS coaches and they were also high on the organization.

Scheduling - We played a bunch of nice venues; Winthrop, College of Charleston, Ap State, Lenoir Rhyne, Pheiffer, and such. At each location everything was well-organized by the staff and the host school. We started out seeing some weaker competition and the coaches spoke with the parents and made an adjustment to the schedule. We went to a few events and playe some '09 and '08 teams. At Charleston we held our own and won a couple against quality programs older teams however we played some quality '08n teams at Ap. State and got our teeth kicked in. However the boys still learned from the tourney and everyone was glad to be there. I hate we couldn't give the older teams a better game. We probably learned more than they did. Our summer schedule is being finalized and it looks very competitive. We will see plenty of competition and some great venues.

The Heat also held a tourney of their own and initially 22 teams signed up which would have been the biggest event we saw all fall. However the one weekend it rained in the area was that weekend and the event got pushed out to the next weekend and we only got 14 teams because it was the same weekend as the Belmont Abbey Showcase. The response the organization got for their event tells me the showcase community has at least some respect for the Heat organization.

On top of all this, my son met a whole new team, a wonderful group of boys and developed some new friendships. Nobody ever complained, they all cheered for each other. Nobody minded sitting or trying something new and they had fun. Everyone has their own motivations for playing showcase but there is still something to be said for just having fun and playing ball. Key word being, PLAYING. And the parents were the best I have been around in 7 years of travel ball. Every single parent cheered for my son and everyone else like we were all neighbors. You would have thought they had known my son all their lives. We were not able to make some saturday games due to sat. am football practice and no one ever complained, instead they understood. Simply put, they were all a quality bunch of people.

I can't speak about the other Heat teams. But in all our years of travel ball it's the happiest my son has ever been. There are many good organizations out there in showcase and you can probably find a team to meet whatever your needs may be. TBR has been a great avenue to learn more on the subject. We feel very fortunate to have been a part of the Heat. The whole experience was very professional and is what my son needed at the time.

 

To me, this is the one thing that gets overlooked whether it be showcase, legion, travel ball, etc. I have been involved with all of the above over the past five or six years from many different angles (coaching, recruiting, running tournaments, etc.). The one thing that amazes me is how little some players progress over a year or two. Somewhere in between playing six games a weekend, we have to find a time to instruct the players and work with them to make sure they are developing. There have been countless times where I have seen a player in February and when I see the same player in August, he is no better and sometimes even worse. Somewhere along the lines, we have become so caught up in "being seen" that we aren't taking the time to develop players. That is the thing that has always impressed me about the Heat organization (SC Panthers as well). You always know when they come to a tournament, you are going to see a team that is fundamentally sound and that has improved since the last time that you saw them.

 

Great points Coach...thanks for sharing

 

What are you doing during the week?

What are these kids doing during the week? You play on the weekends right? What are you doing Mon thru Fri? A practice on Saturday or Sunday during the summer is really that productive? Im sure it helps but does is it a difference maker?

Mon - Fri
This is where you get better. Then you show that off on the weekends. What do you do Mon - Fri? Core work , weight room , long toss , run hills - stadiums - sprints , ladder drills - agility drills , med ball work. In other words you work on getting more athletic , faster , stronger , more agile , strengthen the core building arm strength. You hit alot and you take some ground balls. This is what will allow you to become a better player.

Do people actually think by playing on the weekends and having some practices they are going to take a jump in ability? Do you think that if you play enough games you are going to take a huge jump? Or if you play on a showcase team you are going to get better? If you work on the things that will allow you to throw harder , run faster , hit it harder, become more athletic , then you will take that jump. Until you do, you will be the same player in ability with alot more experience being that same player.

Showcase baseballs intentions are not to develop players. It is to SHOWCASE baseball players. The development part is on the player. And it has alot less to do with a ball , glove and bat and alot more to do with working your azz off.

Why do some kids look the same from the start of the year to the end of the year? Why do some kids always seem to get better? Its not about how many games they are playing. Its not about what showcase team they are on. Its about what they are or are not doing when no one is watching.

Taking ground balls , bp , working on fundementals thats great. Now what are you doing to be able to get to that ball in the hole? Get to that slow roller quicker? Hit the ball with more power? Throw the ball harder? Get down the line faster? Does practice address these issues? To me people put way too much focus on how many games their kids play. What showcase team their kid gets on. And not enough focus on what they are doing during the week in order to get better.

Maybe its just me. But I thought Showcase teams were for Showcaseing players that had reached the ability level where college coaches wanted to come see these guys play? If I were interested in development from a team I would not play showcase. I would send my son to Stem Boot Camp. Probaly alot more painfull. But definitely alot cheaper.

Why travel and spend money if your worried about development? Oh you want both? Be seen by the college coaches and develop. Guess what, they are not looking at the guys that need alot of deveopment. They are too busy looking at the guys that are more developed. Get developed , keep working at getting more developed and then showcase it.

Each kid is different. Everyones situation is different. I say dont look for a team to develop your kid. Dont look for a coach to develop your kid. Go out and develop yourself. Then have a quality coach , coach your kid at the game itself. What it takes to be able to play the game at a high level comes from the hard work the kid puts in himself.

My fear for the young kids is that they and their parents are so worried about being "seen" and "getting on the radar" they think they need to get on a "showcase" team. So they think playing games is going to get it done. Nothing could be farther from the truth. These young players need to be spending the vast majority of their time working on the things that will make them a better player. Learning the fundementals of the game. And playing some baseball. The ones that are developed early and tremendously talented are the exception not the rule.

If I were a parent of a young player entering HS or about to enter HS I would not get caught up in this trend. I would be way more concerned with what he was doing to get better during the week than what team he was playing on during the weekends. When he reached the level of development where I felt he was ready to be showcased then I would find a team for him to play on. And development and practices would not be part of the decision process. What types of kids will he play with? Who comes to see them play? Where do they play? Who do they play? What type of guy is the coach? Does he work for his players? What is their track record?

 

Coach, I didn't realize that I implied that me or anyone else was depending on someone to train my kid. Sorry about that.

I don't want to say much about my son on here but I'll say this. Here is what he does Mon.-Fri. He lifts 5 days a week with an instructor. He has pitcher/catcher workouts 2 days a week, on the other 3 weekdays he runs indoor track. He then works 3 days a week with a speed and agility trainer. Oh yea, he jumps rope 7 days a week and stretches for 30 minutes a day minimum on his own. Sometimes he also gets up and goes and lifts in the morning with the freshmen baseball players (he is a sophomore) just to help build comradarie (sp). All of this started immediately after football ended.

You told me months ago that showcase is for showing. I understand that. But my son feels if he learn just one thing each time that it makes him better. He doesn't count on anyone else. So the practices have been a positive.

As you say, everyone has to decide what is best for them. My son is happy and he believes he is growing, learning and getting better. I can't speak for anyone else. The Heat is not the only group that could provide this to my son. There are many other people and groups that. His needs may change one day but for now this works. And next weekend he'll be in Winston Salem at the training clinic hoping to learn something from Olefty.

Your advice is always appreciated and I always read your posts and re-read them. You have helped my son a great deal with your advice and he appreciates it (he reads your posts but he never posts himself). Keep it coming. Maybe he can meet you one day. Thanks for all your help.

 

BTW Coach 27, you would not believe how many of your posts I have printed out and filed away or shared with others. Your post a few weeks ago on how to prepare yourself the morning of the Belmont Abbey Showcase was a very informative post. Not only did my son read it a few times and put it in his room but I shared it with some other younger kids. By you sharing your knowledge and experiences you continue to show the value of this website. As always, thanks.

 

Coach of the year

A big TBR benefit....having great coaches and announcers like Coach 27. There are many posts on here that can help kids, dads, moms and everyone so hopefully we can all improve our game. Many thanks to all the coaches.

 

One Putt

Thank you. Please understand that my post was not directed at any one person but just my opinion from my experience. It seems that the trend has become "If I can just get on a showcase team I will get a scholley". Instead of working on getting better and spending the vast majority of your time working at getting better kids and parents alike seem to think that getting on the right team etc will do the trick. The fact is your not going to get on an elite showcase team unless you are advanced in your abilities. Dont follow the crowd thinking that is the best way to go. Its not the jersey or the name on it its the kid inside the jersey.

The very good showcase programs go out and ID the best players and then get them on their rosters. They are the best because they have the best players. Some do a great job of working for their players and getting them in the right situations. Their track records speak for themselves. But it is not for every kid and the timing is not the same for every kid. What happens is a kid joins a showcase team and the parents of the other kids feel their son is being left out. So they do everything they can to get their kid on a showcase team. Just like a kid that comes back and says "Im going to a Perfect Game Showcase". Now all the kids feel left out and the parents are ready to fork out the 549.00 to send their kid.

Every kids situation is different. But what is not different is what they can do to make themselves better. And where they need to put their work in. Legion may be best for me. Showcase may be best for the next guy. HS summer league may be best for another. But what is best for all of them? Mon thru Friday they need to be working at getting better. The focus needs to be more on working to get better instead of how can I get "seen". If you take care of getting better and work really hard you will be someone that people want to see. It may or may not be D-1 but if you really want to play in college should it matter?

When a kid gets drafted out of a D-2 program does it matter he didnt go to State U? We are talking baseball. Too many young kids are worried about being seen. Worried about getting on the radar. Put in your work first. Earn your stripes first. Go to the ballpark without a glove or bat and find out what a real work out really is. Put your focus on working hard to be the best you can be. Then the other stuff will take care of itself in due time. There are guys out there that are way advanced for their age. They are extremely talented. They work hard. Showcase is a great venue for them it they continue to put in their work during the week. But that is not the case for the majority of kids. Those kids need to focus on working hard and finding coaches that will help them develop their skills. Then when its their time they can showcase or go to a camp etc. Its not the same path for everyone. But the destination can be the same.

 

It's unbelievable that you can get this type of advice....................for free.