TBR Instant Classic: Recruiting, Showcases & Scouting

If you want to play college baseball in the southeast, which are the best showcases to attend? Why?

 

Seriously, some of these questions need to be addressed by Prepster. He is a master in his knowledge of showcases and such

 

Braves, I'll come back later on this weekend and do something about showcases. Instead, I'd like to react to a couple of earlier questions here on the topic of baseball scholarships:

First, if all you've ever heard about athletic scholarships is from the sports of football and basketball, forget everything you know because baseball scholarships are COMPLETELY different.

The NCAA restricts Division I (DI) baseball programs to 11.7 scholarships for the entire team. At the Division II level, each team is allowed 9; and Division III schools are prohibited altogether from awarding ATHLETIC scholarships.

While Division I and Division II baseball teams are allowed 11.7 and 9 scholarships, respectively, not all programs have sufficient resources available to offer the NCAA maximum. For example, an area DI program offers one scholarship for its entire team. It's my understanding that that scholarship is routinely split among 3 players.

A scholarship is defined by the NCAA as being equal to the "total costs" of an "average" student at each, individual school. "Total costs" are defined as tuition, fees, room, board, and books.

At a DI school where the program has sufficient resources to provide all 11.7 scholarships, the coaching staff multiplies its cost per "average" student by a multiple of 11.7, creating a pool of dollars available to be awarded as they see fit to individual players.

In a fully funded situation, it doesn't take a math wizard to figure out that if the average DI baseball roster includes 30-35 players, and only 11.7 scholarships are available, the average player is going to receive 25-30% of their costs in the form of ATHLETIC scholarship aid. This is affimed by the fact that, of all 200 players present at the DI College World Series last June, only ONE player was there on a full, ATHLETIC scholarship.

So, how then is it that we hear from time-to-time that "Joe All-Star" is attending Podunk College on a "FULL RIDE?" Well, in my opinion, it usually comes from one of three different sources. The first is simple misconception when people around Joe All-Star presume that baseball scholarships work like their football and basketball brethren. Secondly, I think the truth gets stretched a bit at times by someone close to "Joe;" and, third, Joe may be receiving a COMBINATION of ACADEMIC and ATHLETIC assistance which add up to the player's total costs.

This last possibility is routinely referred to as "scholarship blending," and the NCAA prescribes strict academic criteria on how a player may qualify for such academic assistance without it counting against the program's athletic scholarship limit. For those of you who have visited the High School Baseball Web, you may have already found the refernce to this in the "NCAA Information" section of the Recruiting portion of that outstanding website.

I hope this helps some. Later on this weekend, I'll revisit the topic of showcases.

 

Ask Coach Weatherspoon

Coach Weatherspoon has been coaching baseball for many years. Most recently, as the Head Coach of the Diamond Dawgs showcase team in Raleigh.

He was honored, recently, by being selected as the head coach for Team North Carolina in the Blue/Grey Showcase tournaments competing nationally against the best teams in the nation.

And even though Coach has his plate full with activities he has found time to work as a scout for the Red Sox organization as well.

So his time may be limited, but he is willing to sacrifice just a little more time in responding to some of the "20 questions" thread and anything else you may have in mind.

Please help me in welcoming Coach Lew Weatherspoon to our Board

:applause:

 

Coach Weatherspoon ..........

 

A few comments about showcases:

If there's a group of baseball parents standing around talking, chances are it won't take long for one to ask, "Which showcase do you think is the best?"

My reaction when I hear that question? I cringe. Why? Because, almost always, it prompts a never-ending dialogue about the pros and cons of the ever-growing number of baseball showcases.

In my opinion, the only valid answer to that question is a HIGHLY individual one. The real question is, "Which showcase fits a player's skill level and aspirations best?" Fortunately, there is a wide range of showcases from which to choose, and a family ought to be both knowledgeable and highly selective in making their showcase choice(s).

To give you a sense of what's out there:

There are two events that are best referred to as "scouting combines" than showcases. They are the Area Code Games and the East Coast Professional Baseball showcase. The Area Code Games are held annually the second week of August in Southern California and the East Coast Professional takes place the week before the Area Code Games at UNC-Wilmington. Each receives significant resources from major league baseball and charges only a nominal amount for room board. There is no showcase fee.

Each of these two splits the country up into regions and forms regional teams which play one another in the showcase. In the case of the Area Code Games, players are invited by scouts to attend regional tryouts. In contrast, the East Coast Professional has no tryouts. Players are invited directly on to their region's team through an invitation from the scout organizing that region's team. The vast majority of participants are rising seniors, with a handful of exceptionally talented rising juniors sprinkled in. All major league clubs are represented at each of these and every major college program in the country send recruiters. It would not be unusual for a total of 200-250 scouts and recruiters to watch games here.

Moving from the "scouting combines," you have several national/regional scouting services that sponsor showcases. The best known at a national level are Perfect Game, TeamOne, and Blue-Grey. Each is organized somewhat differently than the rest; but, generally, they offer regional showcases that, in the case of Perfect Game and TeamOne, culminate in invitation-only, national events.

Close behind these are several others that operate on a more regional basis. Ones in this category that take place in our own backyard would be Impact Baseball and Best in Virginia.

While specific details will vary, all of these offer the high school player the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of a collection of pro scouts and college recruiters. As you might expect, the number and breadth of representation of scouts/recruiters can vary considerably; depending on the overall quality of talent available at the showcase. To a certain extent, this is generally a reflection of how "regional" a showcase is in its orientation.

Every one of these organizations charges a fee for the visibility offered. I've seen fees range from $125 to $500.

By the way, not to be forgotten in the midst of the fee-based showcases is the State Games of North Carolina. Every spring, 8 regional teams hold tryouts for the underclass portion of June's State Games event. Its multi-day tournament is well attended by scouts and recruiters. Players are nominated to their regional tryouts by their high school coaches. The cost is limited to a fee of approximately $25 and food/lodging. Here's a link to the State Games baseball webpage:

State Games Baseball

That's the "basics" on showcases for individual players. there are also showcase tournaments for teams. In the Southeastern U.S., a good example would be the Diamond Devils' showcases held periodically in the Charleston area or similar tournaments held at the East Cobb Baseball Association's facilities in Marietta, Georgia. These tend to be well-attended by scouts and recruiters, as well.

So, when should a player consider going to an individual showcase? The simple answer is "not until he's ready." In my opinion, a player is rarely ready as a rising sophomore; even if he started for his varsity as a freshman. If that's the case, he'll be even more ready as a rising junior; and there's still LOTS of time remaining for him to be evaluated.

Perfect Game's and TeamOne's regional showcases tend to be made up of approximately 85% rising seniors, with all but a few of the remaining portion coming from the rising junior class.

I'd make sure that the player had been a varsity starter in the prior season and an above-average contributor to the team. I'd also suggest that a family ask a trusted baseball person to offer his objective assessment as an aid in choosing a showcase level that's appropriate to the player's level of development.

My "bottom line" advice to a family making showcase decisions? Arm yourself with as much information on the front-end as you can, so that you can make the best possible choice of available showcase(s). Choose one at a realistic, appropriate level and it can be a real aid to your recruiting process.

Here's a link to the Showcase Section of the High School Baseball Web. It's a great place to begin your information-gathering process:

HSBaseballWeb Showcase Section

 

As always Prepster. Outstanding information presented in a clear, concise format. Another "TBR Instant Classic" response.

 

I concur! Great info by Prepster!:notworthy

 

I remember coach Weatherspoon from a camp my son attended about 4 years ago. His input will be a valuable addition to this site. Looking forward to it!

 

Alright..the Coach is here.....

When you get an opportunity, check the 20 question thread. Some questions have been asked for you to answer. Take your time and address when you can

Thanks again Coach, your support is much appreciated