What a crazy weekend I had. This past Sunday I was asked to work at a college showcase/skills camp. I wasn’t there to do any instruction but just check people in and then abuse my arm by throwing two hours of batting practice. The camp ran from 7am-5pm and featured 16 college coaches. I could not believe how many athletes showed up and from how many different areas. The camp was held here in Southern California and while most of the athletes were local or from just a short drive away there was athletes from Northern California, Arizona, and Nevada in attendance. The basis of the camp was supposed to be that the athletes receive instruction from top college coaches and at the same time were able to showcase their skills in front of these schools.150 athletes showed up, all of them believing that they had been invited. That these schools were actually interested in recruiting them and that they had a legitament opportunity to showcase themselves and impress these coaches with their abilities. I myself bought into the idea that this camp was something more than just a money maker. I went into the day thinking that this camp was a genius idea. I mean not only is the coach that is running it going to make some good money but he also has the opportunity to get all of the athletes he is interested in recruiting in one place at one time which would only make his job as a recruiter easier.
As the camp progressed it became painfully clear to me that this camp was nothing more than an opportunity to make a lot of money and fast. There were only a few recruitable kids at this camp and the level of instruction that was offered was terrible. Of course the consumers were happy, each one leaving the camp believing they received top level instruction from some of the country’s top college coaches and that they just showed each school that they were deserving of attending and receiving a scholarship to a Division 1 university.
As I walked away from the experience I was bothered by how these coaches preyed upon the dreams of these athletes. Each athlete dreaming of earning the opportunity to play major college athletics and each coach with no intention of signing a single player at that camp. My thoughts raced back to my experiences in college and professional baseball. Each showcase event you attend you are filled with the feeling of hope. You feel excited for the opportunity that awaits you and you just know that someone at this camp will see you and want you to sign with them. Sadly, the majority of the coaches and scouts have checked out long before they even take a look at you. Either because they looked at your bio and have already made a judgement on you before ever seeing you play or because they don’t really have a need for you and they are just attending the event to collect a paycheck. Which is what happened at this camp. I spoke with one coach of a major university who told me that their recruiting is done on players who graduate in 2010 and 2011 and they only need two more players for 2012. Which means they only need to recruit two more high school sophomores before they’re done recruiting for 2012! That’s crazy, especially when you consider that the majority of the kids at this event were seniors doing everything they could to get noticed.
My frustration stems from the blatened disregard for the feelings of the athletes. Most of these showcase events take advantage of the athlete’s desire to play at the next level. They play off of the athlete’s and the parent’s desperation to get noticed or get a scholarship usually costing the family thousands of dollars when there really was never any ligitament chance of the athlete getting recruited.
So here is how it works. Athletes in their desire to play will sign up for websites that claim to help them get recruited. Coaches then go on these sites and download hundreds of email addresses from the athletes who have signed up. They then tailor an email to the athlete or the parents making it sound as though their school is legitimately interested in the athlete, which usually isn’t very hard to do as most athletes and parents (because of their ego) are so excited of “being recruited” that they are willing to believe that this coach really is interested in them. The email will then invite them to their “showcase” event which only costs an arm and a leg but “you might get a scholarship out of it”.
I think it’s important for you to understand the real process of recruiting. What really goes on and what you can expect when you do start getting calls, letters, and emails. I’m tired of seeing good athletes taken advantage of and dumping tons of money into something that isn’t going to produce a result. So here are somethings to think about.
If you are entering the second semester of your senior year and you still have not committed to a school your dream of playing at a major Division 1 school is probably over. Unless you attend a Juco and transfer in two years most major Div. 1 schools have already signed their players years in advance. Are there exceptions? Of course, I’m just saying it’s not likely that they are actively recruiting you. You should consider a smaller school, a lesser known Div. 1 or consider attending a Div. 2, 3, or NAIA school. I know it doesn’t sound as sexy but other than your own ego the level in which you play doesn’t really matter.
Just because you receive a letter, email, or phone call from a college coach it doesn’t mean they are recruiting you. With the internet today there are multiple player lists available to coaches. Many times a coach will access one of these list and just mass mail a number of players. Many times they go based on stats and accomplishments but if you’ve read any of my other blogs then you will know that neither is a good way to determine ability. I once played with a guy who his senior year in high school was first team all state and lead the state of California in hitting. We recruited him based on his numbers and when he got to our school we quickly discovered that this player could hardly hit in batting practice. He even didn’t make it one semester. You compare that to myself who never won any awards or even played a single day of varsity baseball but was able to play four years of college and for 5 professional teams then you will understand that your stats really don’t mean much. They send out these mass emails to players with decent stats to try and entice them to attend the “showcase” camps.
Be wary if you are asked to attend a “showcase” camp where you have to pay to attend. In my experience with my players who have been legitimately recruited and signed they were never asked to pay for the showcase event. The schools that recruit them did have them attend their showcase event but it was never one they had to pay for. In addition the event they attended didn’t have anyone else who paid either. Meaning that the schools obviously have multiple events, one for the players they are really recruiting and one for the players they ask to pay.
College recruiting has become a science. Colleges have coaches whose main responsibility it is to find players and convince them to come to their school. As such the chances of you getting seen without attending these events is very high. Now the smaller schools don’t necessarily have the budget to travel all over and recruit which works in your benefit. They are more likely to sign you off of your stats or a video which means either way you don’t need to attend an event. The major schools probably won’t sign someone out of a camp and the small schools aren’t there so what’s the real reason to go? Unless you attend an event hosted by a highly reputable company (like Perfect Game) a high profile school probably won’t sign you out of a camp. Even if you attend the PG event the likelihood of you getting a scholarship immediately is highly unlikely. Most of the time the big showcase events just peak the school’s interest in you and then they will follow you more closely. But it is a combination of things that gets you signed not just the “showcase” camp.
So does this mean all showcases are bad? Well no, there are some reputable companies out there (I can only think of two) that major universities will attend and recruit players. However you are better served to play on a quality travel team and attend showcase tournaments over showcase camps. If you play in these events, play travel ball, high school, and so on chances are you’ve already been seen by college coaches a number of times. If you are nearing the end of your high school career and there is still no interest don’t be frustrated, it’s not over, you just need to adjust your approach and begin to consider smaller universities and schools in less populated areas, such as the midwest or the northeast.
By no means do I mean to discourage you about your chances of playing in college. My goal here is to educate you on the process so that you and your parents can spend your money on things that are more beneficial for your career. Spending your money and time on quality instruction is far more beneficial. Playing at a small school in no way hurts your chances of playing professionally. What it does is allow you time to develop your skills and since baseball is a skill sport this time is valuable. Don’t get caught up in the ego part of the game. Don’t put importance on the name on the front of the jersey when choosing a school or even getting excited about getting a letter from that school. The name on the back of the jersey is what matters after all it’s your career and you are the only one who will really care about it. Coaches are concerned about their careers and if they don’t feel like you can help them win or make money then they don’t have any use for you. Understand the process and do what’s best for you. Coaches will find you and by no means do you need to spend thousands of dollars trying to be seen. Chances are they already know who you are.
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