When I was a high school baseball player, I attended free MLB tryouts to gain exposure. Often times, there were college baseball coaches there, too. The pro scouts would say, “Hey coach. I got a kid for you. He came to my workout.”
Perfect Game USA is the world’s largest showcase company, attracting thousands of amateur players, and professional and collegiate scouts each year.
During a showcase event, players get their baseball physical tools evaluated within three to four days. Running. Defending. Throwing. Hitting. The scouts provide their reports on you and decide if you are worthy of being evaluated at the next event.
It’s not fair, but it’s reality.
Arguably, 90 percent of baseball is mental, including your work ethic, how you handle failure and success, how you practice, how you communicate with others, how you learn new information and how quickly you apply it.
The other 10 percent is aforementioned physical attributes – the running, defending, throwing and hitting. That means scouts evaluate 10 percent of who you really are during a showcase. In reality, the scouts really are evaluating only 10 percent of the players at a showcase.
I believe the best place to gain exposure for a college scholarship is during a camp held on its baseball campus. I’m a huge fan of the Clemson University and Georgia Tech summer camps. You learn a lot, receive lots of development drills and the head coaches are there everyday.
They can see you struggle one day and make the adjustment the next. They can see you handle adversity with a proper attitude. And you can evaluate their communications style. Is it a college coach you’d be willing to put your baseball career in the hands of?
I recommend that you should attend a college baseball camp beginning at age 10. This gives you an opportunity to develop a relationship with the coaches. In turn, they can watch you develop.
In addition, you can begin to get comfortable with being around college players and having your talent evaluate against other players your age. There is no pressure there. Showcases continue to be a great way to expose your physical tools and get your talent on the radar of coaches who are going to be looking for you down the line.
Remember: Good hitters don’t work hard; they work smart.
For more information, visit www.diamonddirectors.com today.
BIO:
C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an area scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, CJ has more than 12 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J Stewart has a proven system of development and track record of success that can work for you.
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