Baseball Camps DUGOUT CHAT Tom Magedanz - 03.24.2002

When I was a little kid, I thought it would be great to go to a baseball camp, like those I saw advertised in the back of The Sporting News or Baseball Digest. They were expensive, however, and a long ways away and were pretty much out of the question, but I always kind of wished I could have gone. So, when I had a son who liked baseball, a camp for him seemed like a good idea. He's been able to attend several camps, some that we planned for and some that sort of came up on short notice. Generally, he's enjoyed them and always learned a thing or two.

Baseball camps, clinics, and showcases come in many types and sizes and are conducted for varying purposes for different age and ability levels. These include commercial camps, college camps, and private and college-run showcases. Professional teams also sometimes run tryout camps and clinics. Some camps are expensive one- or two-week affairs in Florida or Arizona, while some are very reasonably-priced clinics at the local college. Some camps are intended for instruction and are open to all age groups, while some are intended for "exposure" ... a chance to be seen by a particular college and used as a recruiting tool by colleges. Usually, they're a combination of both.

Commerical camps are generally located in warm-weather baseball states, especially Florida, Arizona, and California. Mickey Owen Baseball School, Doyle Baseball, Bucky Dent Baseball, and America's Baseball Camps are good examples. These are well-known nationally and offer sessions for all age groups. Sessions typically include instruction and a number of actual games. Mickey Owen has its home base in Missouri, where it runs numerous sessions during the summer. They also run one-week "holiday camps" during Christmas vacation in Arizona and in Florida using major league spring training facilities in both areas. Doyle Baseball has its own facility in Florida and runs sessions for most of the year, including a lengthier summer academy program for advanced students, and a number of "showcase" events for player exposure. Doyle and Mickey Owen are two of the best-known national commercial baseball camps, although there are many more around the country. For older kids, both camps provide a detailed evaluation of the student's baseball skills, which they will send to colleges on request. Bucky Dent has almost year-round sessions in Florida but doesn't provide as much evaluation as the other two. Post 8 players have attended all three of these camps and have enjoyed the experience. The main drawback of commercial camps is their location and expense. Getting there and playing for a week will run $1000 or so.

College camps range from simple one-day clinics for all ages to four- or five-day camps at major universities for high school players who are college prospects. Most large universities have camps of one type or another, and they are generally less expensive than commercial camps. Usually they will have holiday camps over Christmas vacation and summer camps. Some offer general instruction camps and separate "select" camps by invitation for potential college players. The best way to find out about college camps is to contact the athletic department and ask. That will get you on the mailing list. A college camp will usually include timing you in the 60 yard dash, getting your throwing velocity on the radar gun, doing hitting and fielding in practice and game situations, and some instruction. The player gets instruction and an enjoyable experience; the college gets a first-hand look at kids who might light up the radar gun or stopwatch and the chance to make the kid feel at home at their institution. Camps are also a significant source of income for the college's baseball program.

College camps in my opinion are a pretty good deal for the money. The problem is that not many are held in South Dakota, although Dakota State University in Madison has scheduled some camps this year, and Augustana has had some short sessions during the winter. Also, summer sessions aren't very practical for us because they conflict with our Legion summer season. My son attended winter camps at North Dakota State University and Iowa State University and summer sessions at the University of Nebraska and Iowa Central Community College (a good junior college baseball program in Ft. Dodge). He enjoyed them, all were good experience, and the Iowa Central camp led to an invitation to a Perfect Game Regional Showcase. In addition, he and several other Post 8 players attended a camp last September at Wayne State College following the Legion state tournament. Other good camps that I'm
aware of in this area are at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) and at Minnesota State University-Mankato, but these are during the summer, so it's hard to get to them during the Legion season. SDSU used to run camps for younger kids, but hasn't for a few years now. If you are interested in college baseball, it's a good idea to write to college baseball programs telling them of your interest. This gets you on their mailing list for further follow-up, and it also lets you know about camps they might be having.

Showcases are a more recent phenomenon and are designed strictly to give a high school player exposure to college and pro scouts. Some are run by private companies; some are put on by colleges. In urban areas there are a lot of showcases put on for the local area where the event is publicized and players can sign up. There are also a number of more elite showcases that attract players from around the nation and admit players by invitation only. These are fairly expensive, but they do provide the exposure as promised. Some of these include Area Code Games, Team One Showcases, East Coast Professional Showcase, and Perfect Game Showcase, among others. Doyle Baseball, as noted above, also holds showcases.

Perfect Game is an interesting organization because it is based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, of all places, and in addition to its national efforts, it pays some attention to kids from Iowa, the Dakotas, and the upper midwest. Perfect Game Game holds several national events in Florida each year, but it also holds three or four regional showcases as well (at Wareham, Mass., Baylor University, Ft. Meyers, Florida, and Cedar Rapids in 2001). Talent levels at the regional showcases are very good and many of the kids at the regional showcase also attend the national. My son got invited to the Cedar Rapids Midwest Showcase last fall because someone from Perfect Game saw him at the Iowa Central Camp in August. At Cedar Rapids, there were 60 kids from 18 states and two from Venezuela. There were some very good players there (average pitcher threw 86 mph with several over 90). He was not among the top players there, but he held his own and hit the ball so it was a good experience and a confidence builder to participate at that level. It's a good example of one thing leading to another. If we hadn't gone to the Iowa Central camp, he would not have been invited to Perfect Game, and if we hadn't written to colleges during his junior year he wouldn't have found out about the Iowa Central Camp.

Baseball camps, clinics, and showcases are a lot of fun and are beneficial if you keep things in perspective. You can see how you stack up against players form other parts of the nation or region, and you can always pick up more baseball knowledge. There is nothing magic about a camp; going to a camp won't turn a bad player into a good player, but it can help you improve, and as you get older, it may help you in deciding about college baseball. My son has enjoyed the camps he's attended; I don't think he's been to a bad one. We both had a lot of fun; I'm glad we did it.