Showcase Baseball... too many teams???

Based on the time frame you have given you are correct. However it's hard to deny the recent growth of Showcase ball and the success some kids have had playing Showcase. And it appears even more options are starting.

What I'm finding is the same thing may not be good for everyone. Kids are going to have to look at options that are a good fit for them but maybe not their friends or teammates.

I'm a big fan of Legion ball. However it's not an option for kids at our school at this time.

Sometimes i get the feeling that it's not where you show your talents but do you have the talent to show?

 

Well put. But in some cases it is the money you have. I am sure that if we looked at true stats on some players we have to ask ourselves why are they there? I see good players unable to showcase their talents due to not having the means to pay some of the fees for some of these teams and showcase events. This does not mean that the teams or showcases are wrong in charging these fees. It is just part of it. Legion and other summer programs offer the chance but compared to an East Cobb, Impact or PG event. I do not think they get their fair share. It would be nice to see just how many players used which event to be seen. Showcase will exceed the others as time goes on or be replaced by others as time goes on.

 

With showcase ball is that since 03 it has really gotten big. With On Deck you had Woodard and Bard and since then they have produced so much talent. Then you have teams like Impact and many others to add to that list that has produced great talent. I think that the D1 signings are about the same. But we can't let D1 be the deciding factor in all this. The important thing is that both leagues send players to the next level. Both legion have their Pro's and Con's and we could go all night long debating which is better but what matter's the most is that players are getting PT and going to the next level.


I want to just go out and say how impressed I have been with the rise of talent within both NC and SC. It seems like 4 or 5 years ago NC/SC talent wasn't nationally known. But with showcase teams like On Deck/Impact/Carolina Cubs/Diamond Devils and legions teams like Cherryville/Pineville to name a few. With these teams and MANY others going to tournaments in Florida and Georgia and all over the US going out and showing people what the Carolinas is all about. It is great to read updates from tournaments with teams from all over and hearing that home-grown talent showing these kids how we play ball in the Carolina's. It is a testament to all the players that go out and work their butts off all year long and the parents that provide the best for their kids. I hope that we can start winning tournaments like East Cobb and Jupiter to really show people that the best ball and ball players are from the Carolina's.

 

Great post, Lefty. I couldn't agree more

 

Did the programs you reference produce great talent or were they great when they went there? My point is, some of these teams don't even practice. You just show up and play and show your wares. Not to say that there isn't some instruction during games. Seems to me those kids were pretty developed when they got there. Other programs I have heard have some training and actually practice. Can someone answer who has been through the showcase route completely?

 

Good point. What did they show up with? Are some of these teams just providing a venue. I know that On Deck, Megastars and Charlotte Heat (Sure there are others) have training programs that work to get them to the next level.

 

How do good players get better?

Your right I know Impact does not practice. They just show up and play. Yes the guys that AP gets are pretty talented guys. They just show up and he lets them play. So how does playing for a team like Impact make a player better or does it?

Well I guess I will give my answer to my question. Most of the guys on this type of team are either the best player on their HS team or one of them. They rarely get challenged in HS baseball. In fact HS baseball is a step down in the level of play that they participate in during the summer and fall. The players that they play with in HS look to them to get the big hit , strike out the side or make the big play. They never sit the bench and they always hit in the top of the order. When they come to a team like Impact they learn more than you can ever imagine. They learn how to spend three hours in the bull pen getting the pitchers ready to go into the game one after another. They learn how to sit on the bench and cheer for their team mates. They learn how to come in the game cold after sitting for two hours and be called on to pinch hit off a guy throwing 90 plus with two outs in the 7th down by a run at the WWBA. They learn that there are alot of other guys out there that are just as good if not better. They learn that they had better work their butt off if they are going to "play" at the next level. They learn that being the big fish in the little pond wont work at the next level. They learn that throwing 90 down the heart wont work at the next level like it does in HS. They learn that even the 9 hole hitter can put your sh** in the street no matter how hard you throw if you dont locate it. They learn that no one cares who you are or what you did for your HS if you dont produce you will find your butt on the bench in the big game. They learn from their team mates. Guys like David Mailman and Greg Holt. They see their desire to win. They learn from guys like Seth Frankoff. A guy that would run 3 miles after every start and instead of hanging out at the motel would spend hours in the weight room and treadmill. Get up at 5am and swim laps in the pool before he would then go out and run. They learn from being around guys that have the same desire and passion to be the absolute best player they can be. You can not begin to imagine what a kid learns from being around other players that have the same deire and passion for the game that they do for the first time in their life. They learn that the most important coaching tips they can get are from their team mates. They learn the satisfaction of earning the respect of their team mates by helping their team win. They get the satisfaction of knowing that they have proven that they belong. Coaching? Instruction? Everytime they show up. By the coaches and more importantly from each other.

As a parent I would ask myself this question. If I am so concerned with what type of coaching and instruction my son was going to get on a showcase team , is he really ready to be showcased?

Im more concerned with the type of players he is going to be playing with. Not the guy making out the line up card. My son says AP is the best coach he has ever played for. I disagree of course , he is the second best.

 

Although, what you say has truth to it. Is this truely getting them ready for the next level? I am sure that that college coach out there is looking for that player that does those things off the field. But, instruction is one of those basic things that every player needs. I'm sure you would agree that what works for one does not work for others. Without instruction how would there be improvement. If we are to let the players instruct themselves why does any team need a coach. Ever in the Majors the top players still get instruction at practice. So it does holds some weight. That is part of the team build concept.

As for Impact or the others that you meantioned. My comments are not directed to any one team, player, coach or manager.

As a parent I do ask myself that question. Coaching is more about getting a bunch of players together. It is about leading them, teaching the things that life will be throwing at them. I have seen coaches that let a player throw his bat or helmet or both after a strike. Mutter words that they should not use. And pay no price for it. If that is a coach, I will still use my path. Others choose as they wish. You are right about the players they are around. They will act as thier teammates do. So think about some that you have seen.

 

I thought this thread was about

"Showcase" teams? Now if you want to talk instructional teams thats fine. I would be glad to host an instructional team. We can spend all week or weekends working on the fundementals of the game. We can even start a thread on "Instructional Teams".

Getting ready for the next level is what the majority of the post was about. Understanding that there is way more to being able to play at the next level than talent. In fact talent probaly has the least amount to do with it. Every kid that gets a scholley to play at the next level has talent. But not every kid understands what it takes to stay there and get on the field. How many kids at a College program are used to sitting on the bench? How many of those kids knows what it is like and what it takes to actually battle for a spot on the field?

As far as instruction that is not a showcase teams role imo. A showcase team takes talented kids and exposes them to college coaches. If they can not field a ground ball or hit a baseball what in the hell are they doing on a showcase team in the first place? The instruction should to relative to the talent of the players and the level that they can play at. Maybe the instruction is how to hit a slider vs how to actually hit?

Coaching a HS team is alot different than coaching a showcase team. In HS you are teaching everything from taking leads to knowing when to tag. If a kid on a showcase team doesnt know how to take a lead or when to tag , again what is he doing there? A showcase coach that HAS to teach and instruct did a bad job picking his players.

Of course all kids need to be told when they did something wrong or how to do something better etc. But it is not the purpose of the team in the first place. It is only a by product of learning from the game you are playing.

Now if this was the only baseball these guys played your point about the ML would hold water. But dont these same kids play HS baseball? Dont they have HS coaches that instruct and teach the game?

 

Showcase Teams

So if I understand your point of view. Get the best talent, play them and that's it? Just kidding. The thread was "Showcase Baseball.......too many teams". About the number of teams using showcase in their names. As with all threads most lead to new and sprited post. As this one has become. It would be unfair to dismiss those teams such as On Deck, Megastar and others that instruct their players and showcase them. With the sucess of the elite teams such as these. It would be a shame to call them an "instructional" team. I started a post sometime ago "What makes a Showcase" it went everywhere. It nevered really nailed do what makes the event. Great Country freedom of speech. My comment about ML was that even at that level instruction still takes place. With great repect to all teams and players that work hard in whatever format. One should do what they think best for them.