BASEBALL SHOWCASES

BE PREPARED TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR CHANCE TO SHINE

Baseball showcases and large scale tryouts can be one of the big make or break moments of your baseball career. Whether you’re trying to make a better team, get signed to a deal, or simply keep working your way up the ladder, your showcase can be the jumpstart you need. Alternatively, if handled poorly, it can be your one way ticket towards never improving and advancing. Follow these quick tips to make the most out of your opportunity to shine in a baseball showcase.

PREPARE TO THE FULLEST

You should always be completely ready to play by the time a baseball showcase camp comes around. You should be fit, you should be mentally zoned in, and all of your skills should be sharp. Sitting around and just hoping for the best is a great strategy if you want to leave your performance to chance and get outperformed by guys simply because they worked harder than you do. Prepare your best and you’ll have nothing to regret, no matter how it goes.

RELAX DURING YOUR BASEBALL SHOWCASE

If you prepared as you’re supposed to, then there’s no reason to be nervous. Now it’s time for reflexes, skills and muscle memory to kick into gear. It’s normal to have some jitters but don’t drive yourself crazy. Take a deep breath and get ready to perform. You should be nervous only if you didn’t prepare, because then you have a serious uphill battle starting at you in the face. So, whether it is a high school baseball showcase or a college baseball showcase, just relax.

INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE BASEBALL SHOWCASE CAMPS COACHES

Don’t assume that anybody knows who you are, and don’t wait for coaches to talk to you. Go up and introduce yourself to everybody you can. Talk about who you are, what your goals are, and what you’re hoping to prove to everybody. You’ll find yourself making some great contacts, winning supporters, and even picking up valuable tips along the way. Also remember that every person you talk to also knows a whole network of other coaches and scouts as well. That means winning over a few people can actually go much farther than you would think, both in the immediate future and over the long term as well.

BE PROACTIVE WHILE AT THE SHOWCASE

A showcase is all about making the most of your chance to shine, right? That means you need to be proactive. Volunteer for different exercises or tutorials. Be as active and involved as you can in all areas of the showcase, whether that’s answering a question, offering an opinion, asking a question or simply getting out there and working hard at each and every opportunity.

ALWAYS HUSTLE

During any of your showcase camps, one of the most important factors of all is always hustling. It doesn’t matter if you’re running out an easy popup, or you’re stretching before getting in the field, there are always going to be eyes on you. If you get a bad reputation now as somebody not trying or not giving it their all, then nobody will ever take a chance on you. Conversely, coaches and scouts are always willing to give players a chance when they work as hard as they can, and never take their focus of the task at hand.

BE COACHABLE

No player in any showcase camp is going to leave without making a mistake, whether it was a mental or a physical error, or a combination of the two. Making mistakes isn’t a terrible thing, but not listening to your coaches to correct those mistakes is. Be as coachable as you can, and show that you can learn, you can improve, you can heed advice and you can be a solid part of the team.

SHOWCASE SUMMARY

Ultimately, the results you see from that upcoming college, high school or professional showcase are entirely in your own hands. It’s all about preparing to the fullest extent possible, so that you are giving yourself every opportunity to succeed. That means preparing beforehand, working hard and hustling, listening to advice and more. Don’t forget to be your own biggest fan out there too, which means networking a bit, volunteering and making sure that you get noticed for the right reasons. You can never guarantee success or results, but you can guarantee that you do everything in your power to give yourself a great shot, and that’s all anyone can ask for you, in any situation.

Additional reading: check out Jon Doyle’s baseball training website, where you will find more insights on baseball strength training, hitting techniques, getting a baseball scholarship and more.