Pre-Showcase FAQs: Part 1

Perfect Game Staff

Photo: Perfect Game

For many heading into their first Perfect Game showcase, there’s an element of the unknown for players and families as they simply haven’t experienced an event in a showcase setting before. The purpose of this article is to provide some knowledge about the flow of an event, answer some frequently asked questions, and give players and families as much information as possible to deliver upon and exceed expectations while providing a platform to take your game to the next level. This will serve as the first of three installments with the second iteration detailing what to expect once the showcase has begun and the third is a breakdown of the metrics accumulated throughout the showcase.

With the addition of Prospect Gateways (13U/14U Events) to the Perfect Game showcase schedule, players now have the opportunity to attend at a young age, post a baseline of numbers and watch their progress over the years. Whether it’s a Prospect Gateway or the National Showcase with 300 of the top rising seniors, the structure of a Perfect Game showcase remains the same, providing continuity from one event to the next. Beginning with the 60-yard dash, players will move into the defensive workout portion of the event where they’ll be split up between outfielders, infielders, first basemen and catchers (more detailed breakdown below) before entering batting practice and ultimately the live action where pitchers will take the mound.

What is the best type of showcase to attend (how are they different from one another)?
Within Perfect Game there are four different “types” of showcases, although the overall experience and set up remains the same. The four categories of showcases include the Prospect Gateways, regional showcases, All-State Games, and national invite-only showcases.

• Prospect Gateways (13U/14U): The Perfect Game Prospect Gateway focuses on providing works class exposure for young prospects while adding new developmental tips that will help each player improve their skill set now and in the future. Not only do players receive evaluation from PG Scouts that include metrics, grades, ranking and more, but young prospects will now have the opportunity to receive a detailed report for areas of improvement from a dedicated PG Advisor.
• Regional Showcases: these showcases are the most frequent in occurrence and are open to anybody from the 8th grade to seniors in high school. Players can earn offers to invite only and National Showcases with their performances here.
• All-State Games: these events are typically held during the summer months at venues across the country. Players who are nationally ranked or have earned an All-Tournament team at a tournament are considered by our staff.
• National Showcases: includes the National Showcase, Junior National Showcase, and Perfect Game Underclass All American Games; they are invite-only events and invites for these can be earned through regional showcases. The Sunshine events serve as a platform for finding talent for the Junior National and National Showcases while the All-State Games serve as a platform for finding talent for the High School National All-State Select Championship.

All showcases will be run similarly and players will receive the exact same updates to their player profile. Standing out at any type of showcase will have the same benefit to how a player is nationally ranked by us.

Do you know how many college coaches/pro scouts are going to be in attendance?
• While there’s no way to know which college coaches and scouts will be in attendance, as they all have busy schedules during the spring and summer seasons, they will all have access to your profile which will be complete with your metrics, videos, and an overall report. College coaches and pro scouts are often in attendance but there is no guarantee at any particular showcase as they are not required to register ahead of time. Even if not in attendance we will make sure everyone knows how you performed at a showcase.

How often should I be attending PG Showcases?
• There is no set schedule of doing X number of showcases throughout the year or even your Perfect Game career. However, if you have made progress in certain areas of your game and want to update your numbers on your profile, there’s certain to be a showcase near you to do so and have them reflected for college recruiters. If you have made a jump physically and in your skills, attending another showcase could be beneficial.

I attend PG Tournaments but what are the benefits of a PG Showcases?
• PG Tournaments are an incredible opportunity for exposure and to be seen by our scouting staff. The issue with a tournament is there can be so many fields going on at once it can be tough to be seen by our highest level scouts. At a showcase we guarantee every player a full scouting evaluation from our main scouting staff for their profile and our national rankings.

What are scouts looking for?
• Players will be evaluated in every facet of the event from the 60-yard dash, to the workout and batting practice, to live action. This is one question that we will break down in detail in the next installment of our “Showcase FAQs” series.

What is included in the showcase fee?
• This is a very popular question. Included in the fee to attend is a player jersey and cap, an online player profile with video clips from the showcase, a PG scouting report with metrics and PG player grade, as well as a Pelotero swing analysis. Once a player is given the PG Grade and report that will immediately be factored into our National Player Rankings for each class.

How do I sign up for a showcase?
• You can sign up online by using your username and password associated with your profile. Go to perfectgame.org and sign in; to sign in click on the “login” box in the top right-hand corner of the web site. Upon signing in, click the drop-down arrow to reveal three tabs, click on “my account” and then click on “approved events” and click on “register”. You can also request an invite for any event on the individualized showcase page for any given event. A sign-up button will also appear on each showcase page when signed into your account and pre-approved for the event.

When should I start attending showcases?
• Players attend their first showcase at all different points of their career. With the implementation of Prospect Gateways, players are now able to experience their first showcase setting at a younger age while providing a baseline of metrics to improve upon moving forward. The recruiting process begins for players at different times in their careers but attending a showcase and going through all the testing could certainly help begin the process! Players can show their strength, speed, and velocity gains from showcase-to-showcase over the years as well.

What will players do at a showcase?
• Upon registration during the scheduled time for checking in, players will receive their jersey and hat before proceeding to get their head shot for their Perfect Game profile. They will then be given ample time to stretch prior to running the 60-yard dash before moving into the workout portion where they will take five balls from first their primary position to show both their actions and arm strength before moving to a secondary position. In batting practice players will get ten swings, not pitches, to show their hit and power tools while switch-hitters will receive six swings from both sides.

• During the live action, players will be split into teams according to their primary postion and play games. We schedule 18-20 innings over two days. Primary pitchers will be evaluated during this time, typically scheduled to throw three innings, and take the mound prior to the secondary pitchers unless requested otherwise. Pitcher’s safety is important to us and the number of hitters per inning is also limited to ensure no long innings. Secondary pitchers are players whose first position is not pitching, and they will work either one or two innings. No pitcher will throw on both days.

Are players automatically ranked after a showcase?
• While players are not automatically ranked following a showcase, their performances are guaranteed to be taken into consideration. All the numbers, selection to the Top Prospect List and Top Prospect Team, and performance during live action will all be taken into consideration when updating the latest iteration of the rankings for all respective classes. Once a player receives their scouting report and grade from a showcase they can expect that to be factored into their classes national player rankings very soon after.

How long does it take for the written report and videos to be posted?
• Our scouts work diligently and quickly when it comes to getting the player reports posted as we know players and families are waiting for the reports to send to college coaches. Reports are typically returned within 5 weeks during the busy summer season and even quicker during the winter and early spring showcases.

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