Showcase Baseball

Showcase baseball is teaching players to play the game the wrong way. I'd just like to see your thoughts.

 

Explain how you think it is teaching them the wrong way.

 

Unless you make points discuss, there is no basis to talk on this. Showcase baseball has been debated and debated that it is beating a dead horse. It is available to meet the needs of kids, just as Legion and High School ball is.

Let's hear the points you have for debate.

 

do they teach them to hold the fat end of the bat?

run to third when they hit the ball?

what? what?

 

maybe to field the ball with their bat, i dont know...
or catch a pop fly with their teeth, now theres a brilliant idea.

 

By playing the game the right way I am not takling about the sarcastic points that have been mentioned. If a player is playing in a showcase game they are worried about getting noticed. Therefor if a batter is up with no outs, 2 strikes, runner on 2nd rather than trying to hit a ground ball right side to move him over they are still trying to hit a homerun. It is not about winning games, it is about getting notice.

 

Most "showcase games / tournaments" are about "showcasing the players" and not the team...recruiters and scouts come to see the players perform not to see who wins the games. Most games are held to strict time limits to keep games moving. You will see some tournaments like the WWBC in Jupiter, FLa where the teams play to win.

 

One thing I have always done when coaching showcase ball, whether when I was with the Dirtbags or with the Copperheads was to play everybody. We are aggressive on the bases. We have three signs, steal, hit and run and bunt. We dont bunt unless we are in the last two innings (Although all rules were out of the window when we played the Black Copperhead team this past weekend, which was our last weekend of the summer and the only time the 2 teams met all summer or fall). College want to see their skills. We teach baseball, to play hard play the right way. College coaches want to see players move the runners over with the bat, which includes hitting back side. Hitting back side is an important skill... They want to see runners run and outfielders forced to throw guys out, so I take more chances than in a high school game. We teach players to read the throws from the outfield and take the extra base. I encourage my players to play their game, if dragging is one of their tools, by all means drag. Another thing I do is to script out playing time and I use pitch counts (80). I bat all position players available. We were at Louisburg playing the Bayside Yankees (who batted 8 and played like they were in Jupiter) and we batted 13. I could have held out weaker hitters and we would have played closer than our 6-1 loss. They trash talked about us batting the water boy. Their pitcher threw a 9 inning complete game in 40 degree weather. I used 3 pitchers for 3 innings each (50 pitches max in the cold). I hope this tells you what I teach in showcase ball. Winning is not the most important thing but winning teams attract more looks.

 

My kid was at this showcase and was the hitter in that exact situation. He did his job and advanced the runner. He recieved numerous high-fives in returning to the dugout and two pitches later, the runner on third scored on a wild pitch. My guess is every scout in attendance recognized he knew how to play the game properly and appreciated that fact as did his teammates. IMO, showcase baseball is not obligated to "teach" you anything....it is your opportunity to show others you know how to play the game properly.

I agree with coachevans. People think showcase is all about power hitting and things like bunting, moving runners, etc. has no place. Not so fast my friend. Every college coach understands the importance of chemistry through out a line up. They all have leadoff hitters that can bunt, draw walks, steal bases and others that can handle the bat, hit backside and move runners. Believe me, they see the little things as well as home runs.

But then again, at 5' nothing and 100 and nothing pounds my son couldn't have hit one out of Wingate with a 6 hph tail wind. :newsmile12: BTW, who is this Jennifer Anniston?

 

Good Point Coach

Recently I asked a Division I coach about his thoughts on showcase ball and how best to show my sons particular skills. Many showcase coaches believe you should not bunt during showcase events. Coach quickly responded that if dragging or bunting is part of your sons offensive arsenal, then he should show it. "Heck, we are going to bunt every chance we get" was his response.
No matter what level of baseball you are playing, hitting behind the runner, getting the extra base, stealing a base, bunting the runner over to third are valuable tools. Coaches recognize it when a player does "his job" and has a productive at bat.
You can bet when junior sees that third baseman even with the bag or deeper, he is going to lay the bunt down and smile at you as he stands at first base.
Showcase is about showing coaches your individual skills. Yes, in some cases you have to be selfish. You do not get many opportunities to shine: whether it be hitting, fielding, or throwing from the outfield. A kid has to understand that someone is always watching. A college coach told me once that he is not looking for kids at certain events. He is looking to scratch kids from his list. There are hundreds of kids for a coach to look at for every position. A player has to make himself stand out. Show your arm during warm ups between innings, because you may not get an opportunity to show your arm from the outfield or deep short during the cousrse of a showcase tournament. Show your speed: run HARD to first on every ground out, steal some bases, take the extra base. Also, play smart defense. Show the coaches that you know when to throw the ball to home plate, and when to throw to second to keep that next runner out of scoring position.
Some coaches build their program around power hitters, others around speed, but no matter what they are all going after pitching. With the condensing of the Division I season in 2008 many coaches are being forced to expand their pitching rosters which may mean fewer spots for position players.
Bottom line: Let them see you play the game. Just play the game as it should be played. They'll notice.