what's the most important thing?

is it to play on your team and win games or to leave your team and teammates to make sure you're seen by scouts? imo it's about winning if you win you'll get seen if you can play scouts will find you. it tells me that a lot of kids and parents are only interested in what their kid does not what the team does.

 

Yeah I hate when a player just plays to be seen by scouts. I belive that if someone plays on a baseball team you should give a 100% effort toward the team not yourself.

 

I have no problem with your opinion, but I've heard this mistake so frequently it's becoming sad.

... just because you repeat an old axiom year, after year, after year doesn't make it valid. This isn't a true statement anymore, so you need come up with a different justification for your position.

 

What age /grade is the player in question.

If it is a rising 10th or 11th grader i can see where you might have a problem with that player leaving for a showcase event.
But, we are not the parent who has to make the college decisions for this player.That parent might feel he/she is doing the right thing for their child.

If the player is a rising senior, i think if he or she can benefit by showcasing in front of the scouts you go for it..

Already graduated and havent been contacted or still trying to make a decision, you better believe i support that player and the parents decision to take whatever action to better their son or daughters career.

This goes back to a discussion we had some time ago about where are the scouts...
Near the end of the High School season or during big games where scouts might be watching several players on both teams you might have an occasional visit from a college scout at each game or even an occasional visit from a regional pro scout .
During American Legion baseball you still dont find the scouits in the stands in very large numbers unless again they are watching several players from both teams or until the playoff start, then they start showing up some.
But , at a showcase event you might be seen by as many as 75 to 100 pro and college scouts over a 2 or 3 day period.
bettering your chances i suppose .
just my opinion.

 

the right thing

today i talked with a close friend who is one of nc's winningest coaches and has had many many guys sign both pro contracts and college scholarships and he said something to me that made great sense. he said that if you can play they will find you. it's their job and if they don't they'll be fired. maybe the reason you don't see scouts at games is that they've already seen the players and there is no one there they are interested in. for some reason i think if you can throw 95mph with movement and command but only play legion that the scouts will still see you but if you throw 80 with no movement or command thy won't come back.

 

It is getting to the point where there is way to much emphasis put on scouts and scholarships in baseball and softball. I can remember when as kids you played the game for fun. It was all about winning and the team. It is a shame it has gotten to the point even with high school age kids that it is more about the mighty dollar (scholarships) than any other thing. Most of the scholarships given are only a couple thousand dollars a year anyway so it is not a big deal when you get one. Even in tournament ball now they are having the "Showcase" tournaments and you just play some games and actually have no tournament champions. That sucks. I hate to see the direction baseball and softball are going lets get back to playing to compete, win and have fun. If it is scholarships your after work hard in school make good grades and do well on the SAT and you will get 5 times more money than you would ever get for athletics

 

makes no sense to me...
the majority of pitchers in college and many in the pro's only manage between 84-90 mph.. so the 95 mph pitch isnt even in 10% of the pitchers out there.

 

right on

good point reporter. most people have no clue that even the biggest school will offer a kid maybe a quarter of a scholarship. they spend thousands to try and get a scholarship worth less than what they spent. playing just to be seen and not to win is like what is wrong with sports. remember the showcase people are in it to make money. it's bastardizing the game. why even play in high school why not just work out and go to showcases?

 

Great post. I've overheard many parents talking anbout scholarship $$$ and they all seem to equate scholarship money to the amount of sucess of their son. Little Johnny baseball player is not a success as a player unless he gets "a full ride", whatever they think that is. To me it's more important to have the opportunity to get to play at the next level than who's going to pay for it.

 

Showcase baseball

I have to take a different approach than what some of you are saying. My son plays on a major showcase team but he plays for the competion, not to be seen by scouts. When he travels to East Cobb, Florida, and other places across the country, he gets an understanding that there is more baseball than North Carolina. We love to watch other kids plays and he realizes that he may not be the greatest player that ever lived. He played this weekend and faced a 16U from Northern California who threw 93 miles an hour ( 16 years old). Playing on a local level in most cases does not give you that opportunity to see baseball players from across the country. Sure price is a major obstacle for some people, but if you have the opportunity, it is well worth the return.