Perfect Game, Area Codes, East Coast, Aflac, Under Armour, and Team USA are the main showcases for high school baseball players these days. When I was coming up as an amateur player, the Area Code Games and Team One Showcase were the two main events. Now, showcases exist everywhere to locate the next crop of top players for MLB organizations.
Scouts focus so much on players for the current year, that they wonder where the players are for the next year. Everything happens fast. The MLB Draft ends around June 
10th each year, and the next day one has to start looking at prospects for the next year. Just when you think there's not as much talent as the year before, the players all of a sudden come to fruition.
The Showcase schedule for HS players across the country begins in June and ends in August. Times have definitely changed where scouts would see players at Connie Mack and American Legion games. Now, most players are seen through the different showcases across the country.
Most amateur area scouts have professional coverage to do for the summer, and the showcase circuit allows the scouts to identify some of the top players for next year without having to dig around too much. It has definitely changed from how things used to be, but this should be expected. It may not be as fun, but it allows organizations to become more efficient because they know they will be able to see players throughout the year and set a somewhat flexible schedule. This is best for baseball all around because it allows MLB to identify the top players throughout the country easily.
Players are what make the game of baseball great, and the better the players, the more fans will be interested. With the growing interest of other sports, such as soccer, lacrosse, and the competition among football and basketball, MLB must do what it can to keep great athletes interested in the game of baseball. The showcase circuit helps young amateur players both on the professional and collegiate level. Through the showcases, players are seen by college and professional baseball personnel. This provides players the potential avenues of either college scholarships or MLB contracts.
What we're looking for in players in the showcase circuit are the five tools that all scouts covet. Can he hit, hit for power, run, throw, and field? Those are always the main ingredients scouts scout. While at the showcases, I may have the chance to talk to some players and their parents. This is a good way to initiate the process and answer some questions the parents or players may have. The Summer Showcase circuit is just the beginning of the next draft season. Scouts will have plenty of time to meet the players and their parents along the way. Most of the showcases coordinate with each other so they can have most of the best players at each one.
Scouts sit together at a lot of games so you start to develop relationships with some. It's the same thing as a player, but off the field. I have stronger relationships with some scouts than I do others. Many scouts have known some people for a long time and stick with those guys. I was fortunate enough to meet some good people my first year and we help each other out every now and then.
Sharing one's thoughts on certain guys at this point is irrelevant. Once the spring draft season really begins, teams start to see who really likes who. For example, I may go to a certain game and see that one team has three guys there to see a certain player. This shows me that they are having the player cross-checked (viewings by the higher ups) and have some higher level of interest in the player. This happens a lot and information travels fast. It's hard to show teams that you may be hiding something. The draft will dictate if a certain player can fall to a team's slot in the draft or not.
I was a participant in the showcase circuit and it helps me tremendously today as a scout. I vividly recall my experiences at Team One and for two years in the Area Code games. I played alongside many players of top talent and can compare them to the players I see today. A player may be nervous in the beginning of the showcases, but it becomes second nature before long and their true talent surfaces.
I really enjoyed the showcases because I was able to show both college and professional personnel my tools on a grand stage. Also, by having the opportunity to compete against other players of top talent, I was able to see where I stood among them. I took an honest assessment of myself, knowing I wasn't the best player and wasn't the worst player. This allowed me to truthfully see where I stood. Of course, my parents were there along the way. They saw I had a dream and helped me live that dream. Along with other amateur players in today's events, without them I would never have experienced the things I was able to: Travel the world, receive a scholarship, play professional baseball, and meet great people along the way. It was a great time in my life and I enjoy seeing today's players have the same opportunities I had over 10 years ago.
three players from the 2004 squad that went on to play Division I college baseball along with teammates, Andy Ernesto (West Point) and Nate Reed (University of Pittsburgh). Reed was also the 27th Berkshire player to move onto professional baseball when he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 40th round of Major League Baseball's Amateur draft in 2010.