Recently I wrote an article expressing my preference for club events as opposed to showcase-style events.  My comparisons centered on the Connie Mack World Series and Area Code Games, which take place simultaneously most summers and immediately precede Aflac weekend, which is now a Perfect Game event.  My preference for club ball stemmed from my belief that real games with substance and meaning beyond simply recruitment, scholarship dollars, and the draft is not only better for fans and players, but also actually leads to more effective and accurate player evaluation.  I personally find this to be beyond debate.  However, club baseball is certainly not devoid of flaws, and in some ways may be reflective of an accelerating problem within amateur baseball.

Like many large baseball events, the CMWS houses its visiting players with host families.  This both provides players a convenient way of getting from place to place and being attended to so that their focus can be on the game during their stay as well as a way of saving money.  Nearly all baseball families with the means to host players join in actively in the process especially those households with young children.  As a child my family housed players for the CMWS.  We typically housed players from the West region since during my childhood New Mexico was a member of that region of AABC.

Since then New Mexico has been moved to the South Plains region.  My recollection of what the teams from the West region represented displays club baseball in the 90’s as essentially a collection of players of similar skill level who primarily played events within a 500-mile radius of where the squads were based.  This in no way limited what the talent levels of the teams constituted, but simply reflected the quality of play within their region.  Understandably our hosting of the West players typically meant that we hosted players from southern California, the finest recruiting area in the U.S.A. for the last 50 years.  Nevertheless, these players, when asked by a pre-pubescent version of me how they got so good, simply replied nearly unanimously, “We play great players every single night.”  They didn’t participate in big tournament prior to the West regional or have 40 uniform combinations.  They went to the yard and played.  That’s it.  It was that simple to them.  When asked where they did this, they told me, “In our summer Connie Mack league.”  I was stunned.

In Farmington there are at most four competitive U18 teams annually – typically two.  Over half of the teams in the local Connie Mack league are capable of providing no real challenge to anyone who even came close to starting for a high school varsity.  However, the structure of the league every season is one in which each team must play each other team at least once.  It is possible that, given the schedule and the unfortunate and incorrect illusion that playing at Ricketts during the months of June and July is somehow of more value than simply playing comparably talented and skilled players as many times and at as many venues as possible, the best two teams in the league will not play each other a single time.  What’s more is that the top U16 teams are often not permitted to play any of the top U18 squads.  It is possible that a team like the Strike Zone Cardinals or Naataanii, good club teams with quality showings at various nationally renown tournaments, might go the entire month of June without playing even a single meaningful game in Farmington.  So obviously it is difficult to comprehend playing great players night in and night out, as is the case in leagues like the Lone Star league in Dallas, the East Cobb league in Atlanta, and the South Coast league in southern California.  Farmington baseball is not unique in this regard, but it may be the least capable of solving the problem due to the requirements in place that must be fulfilled to earn the hosting rights of the CMWS.

To somehow ensure that the premier talent in town is challenged as often as possible, teams play in numerous tournaments nationwide throughout the fall and summer from around the ages of 12 through age 18.  Obviously these events require money for travel, hotels, tournament entry fees, and food, and obviously not all of the players who ability-wise should be on the top team are rostered by these squads.  This has far-reaching implications for players of pre-high school age since it stunts their development relative to their peers.  Because the level of play in local leagues has become so stratified, a product of the players with the means to travel doing so in effort to find competitive games, many youth nationwide have found little joy in the game since they get manhandled nightly by those teams who travel.  These players who either lack the means to travel or are simply not among the best in town as young children are weeded out early, and the quality of the local leagues is perpetually downgraded as a result.

The threat to the game as a whole is found in the fact that the earlier and earlier that players are weeded out, the smaller and smaller the pool of players becomes such that many potentially talented players are removed prior to adolescence.  Who among us is the same guy now that we were when we were 10?  It should be blatantly obvious that this poses massive potential problems and is far from exclusive to Farmington, although in all cases the effect is felt more the smaller the population.  The danger of high profile club baseball events is that it belongs only to the players, teams, families, and programs that can afford it.  This group is certainly not inclusive of all players whose ability justifies inclusion in this group.  The beauty of Area Code is that it belongs to everyone who has shown a scout that they deserve to be there theoretically based solely on ability.  But what happens if a player was weeded out before he could show a scout that he deserves the exposure because he couldn’t pay to play as a pre-pubescent child?

Providing players with club opportunities and access to events like the CMWS and World Wood Bats is a service to the players and to the game as a whole, but efforts must be made to ensure that players who lack the funds to take part in travel baseball prior to school ball age is reached are not lost to the game before sponsors can take over, which usually happens at the ages of 16-18.

On Twitter this morning, Oakland pitcher and former CMWS (2005 and 2006) and Area Code Games (2004) participant, Brett Anderson, asked ESPN’s Keith Law if he’d ever been to Farmington in August for the Connie Mack World Series.  Law said that he had not due to the simultaneous annual scheduling of the CMWS and Area Code Games.  This is an issue for top underclassmen each summer whose club organizations happen to still be alive after Connie Mack state and regional play concludes.  Fortunately for both events only 10 teams can make it to Farmington each year, and only two are there the entire week, so often players find little conflict in terms of attending both events if only for a portion of each.  For instance, in 2009 Farmington’s own Jake McCasland was the scheduled starter in the opening round of the CMWS as well as a participant in the tourney’s homerun derby.  He obviously was obligated and thrilled to participate in the CMWS as long as his club had not been eliminated.

Once, however, they were knocked out, Jake boarded a plane to California to pitch at Area Code.  This is common for players with invitations to Area Code who do not wish to abandon their club and/or miss the annual CMWS festivities.  Additionally, players who elect to play for organizations like the Midland Redskins, South Troy Dodgers, Florida Legends, East Cobb Yankees, Arizona Firebirds, or Strike Zone Cardinals do so understanding that the clubs’ expectations are to play into the middle of August ever single season.  While these clubs are without question among the finest in the country, playing for them can mean less time to spend on the ever-developing national showcase circuit.

Showcases are designed to present recruitable players to recruiters, be it professional scouts or collegiate coaches.  A great deal of what amateur club coaches and financiers as well as prep coaches are trying to accomplish is “helping kids reach the next level.”  It is next to impossible to walk into any indoor facility or read any amateur club’s website “about us” page without hearing something about the “next level” and how their club is second to none with regards to helping kids reach whatever that is.  And those are the good guys.  The bad guys are the people suggesting to kids that playing club baseball is no longer necessary or beneficial.

That is how we arrived at the national showcase circuit, a circuit that Bryce Harper made famous during his amateur ascension.  Players in this circuit have allegiance to no one and have practically no concept of what “team” constitutes.  They immediately hit the road following the end of the school season in pursuit of BP rounds and 60-yard dashes.  The showcase circuit is a joke to fans of baseball because it effectively strips the game of any intrinsic meaning or value in favor of dollars and exposure.

The CMWS is somewhat of a throwback relative to the national showcase circuit in that it actually fields teams of players who have spent a minimum of a couple of months together, and in some cases years to a decade together.  This in many ways is analogous to school ball except for that the talent level tends to be considerably higher.  The thought of a school team succeeding in an event like the CMWS is laughable, but the idea that “team” matters is certainly a reflection of the school baseball concept.  This isn’t to discredit players who outside of school baseball have no means of exposure during the non-spring months other than showcases.  This is common in rural areas, inner cities, and areas like Wyoming and Iowa where club baseball options are limited or nonexistent because the school season takes place during the summer months.  Brandon Nimmo is a product of that sort of environment, and he landed in the first round and now has a chance to really learn what team baseball means within the professional ranks.

The Area Code Games have much more in common with a basic showcase than they do with something like the CMWS.  Teams are assembled in glorified random fashion based loosely on geography.  Yes, the talent level is through the roof.  A great deal of the top NCAA recruits as well as the early portion of any draft will have experience in Area Code, but the same can be said for many events including the CMWS.  The PG All-American game (formerly Aflac) is held the Sunday after Area Codes and the CMWS and has many players from both rostered.  It’s always sort of an end-of-the-summer shindig bringing together the best players from the CMWS and Area Codes into one facility for a handful of high profile innings.  Aside from a select few Midland and 18U Team USA rosters, the PG/Aflac rosters are the best assembled annually.  This year is no different, but once again, there is zero team concept involved and the sample size tends to be so small and meaningless that talent evaluators have less to go by than what they would find at an event like the CMWS where players actually give a shit what the score is.

The difference between events like Area Code and the CMWS as well as the PG/Aflac All-American Game is that the fans in the CMWS root for the players, but they also root for the teams.  At events like Area Codes and other showcase-style recruiting events, the name on the front of any player’s jersey is of little concern to anyone either on the field or in the stands, and the score on the scoreboard is worth far less than each player’s box score line.  Perhaps the perfect example is Strike Zone Cardinal Damion Lovato’s final at-bat in the CMWS, which took place in the 8^th inning Monday night against the South Troy Dodgers.   Damion hit a triple after breaking his hamate bone on a foul ball earlier in the game.  Something tells me that any player at Area Codes would have probably sat the at-bat out, but the Cards needed him to contribute, and so he gave his team the best he had.  I, as a baseball fan, greatly prefer the Connie Mack World Series and selfless performances like Lovato’s to any showcase-style event like the Area Code Games.

This year’s Cardinals took the field Friday night following a day of pictures, opening ceremonies, and a parade.  The first Friday of the CMWS is a grind, and unprepared teams who happen to draw a Friday evening game always get trounced for not managing the day properly.  The host team has no excuse for this since they know exactly what to expect and rarely plays poorly on Friday night when they draw that game.  This Friday Dominic Moreno will take the ball, and he is no stranger to either the CMWS or opening ceremonies prior to a big start.  The annual Knothole Day event includes the last regular season meeting between rivals Farmington High and Piedra Vista High as well as the FABC opening ceremonies for the 12 and under age groups.

For the FHS and PV players, that typically means standing in line and high-fiving each of several hundred players as they run across the diamond at Ricketts.  It can take over an hour and has a way of delaying the game a couple of hours.  Moreno threw the Knothole Game in 2011 and won, so he’s dealt with distractions before and succeeded in doing so.  Dominic has had a stellar career here in Farmington, and, if Friday night is his last start at Ricketts, he will be remembered fondly.  Moreno was also a member of the 2010 Cards and started their 4^th round game against the Arizona Firebirds.  While he took the loss that night, he threw well enough to keep the game tight and flashed the quality stuff that ultimately led to his signing at Howard College in Big Spring, TX, one of the finest JUCO programs in the United States.

Moreno was not the only standout pitcher on the Cards CMWS roster, a staff that will go down as the finest a host team has ever produced.  Led by pitching coach and manager Griffin Phelps, the Cards’ Series staff also included Jake McCasland who was drafted by the Giants in the 38^th round and later offered second round money, which Jake turned down to attend UNM where he collected 15 starts as a true freshman.  The staff also included Eli Freese who signed at UNM out of FHS before transferring to NMJC where he threw 53 innings before injury ended his season.  Tim Bailey also attended UNM in 2011 and tossed 53.2 innings following a terrific relief appearance against the Firebirds after Dominic left the game.  Freese and Bailey both posted ERA’s in the 4.50 realm and both were considered weekend starters.  Adrian Houser, a regional pickup, won a state title in Oklahoma in 2011 after signing at the University of Oklahoma.  That commitment never materialized, however, as Houser was drafted by the Astros in the 2^nd round of June’s draft and signed a week or so later.  Houser currently has a 4.33 ERA in 6 professional starts and has a very bright future in front of him.  Joining the Cards out of the 2010 South Plains regional was Philip Wilson, who had a nice relief outing against DBAT in the third round.  Wilson is back for the 2011 Series and is projected to start the Cards 2^nd game.  Philip is signed at Oral Roberts and, with three effective pitches and quality command of all three, should be one of the better freshmen arms in the Big XII.  The Cardinals staff also had a strong lefty presence in 2010 with Robbie Ingram from Flagstaff, AZ.  Ingram started against DBAT and had a solid outing in a game the Cards eventually lost in large part due to not producing enough offense against Archie Bradley (7^th overall to the DBacks), a common problem nationwide.  Ingram pitched for Yavapai College in 2011 and was drafted in the 45^th round by the Pirates in June.  Starting catcher and 2-way standout and starting catcher, Andrew Castillo, did not step onto the CMWS mound, but he certainly was a huge reason they were there in the first place.  Castillo spent 2010 with Eastern Arizona, but was injured early on after a hot start as a 2-way guy.  Rounding out the staff were Castillo’s teammate at Eastern Arizona Jesus Carlos, Durango’s Austin Rochford (Trinidad State), and Shiprock’s Bryce Rockwell, the first Shiprock player to ever appear on a CMWS roster.

It’s not so much that this staff had more upside than other staffs individually.  For instance, the 2002 Sky Sox had Danny Ray Herrera who has reached the Big Leagues.  The 2003 host team, the Farmington Virus, featured Mike Dunn who is currently setting up for the Marlins.  Josh Karp (Bandits, 2008) was a first-rounder and tossed a shutout against East Cobb for Christ’s sake.  It was that the Cardinal staff had remarkable depth.  The Cards had 6 guys who had reached 90 mph, 4 guys who were 6’4” or taller, quality secondary offerings, good command, multiple draft picks and D1 signees, and past success against good opponents.  Their staff was very capable of getting the best hitters in the United States out consistently.  The CMWS is won and lost largely on the mound, and 2011’s Cardinals pitchers have big shoes to fill.  It’s a blessing to have players like Moreno and Wilson to hand the ball to at the beginning of the game who know what the CMWS stage is like, and we at the Sombrero are psyched to see how they do their second time around.

The Connie Mack World Series features star-studded amateur lineups annually, but after some reflection and some searching around old programs and online, a look at the last 11 MVP’s of the Series perhaps does the event justice.  Remember that these were just the players who had the best week while they were here and were not necessarily the top prospect or even the best player on any team.  For instance, in 2003 Danny Payne won the Series MVP award as a member of an East Cobb Yankee team that also included Chris Nelson and Dexter Fowler of the Colorado Rockies.  Without further ado, here are the last 11 CMWS MVP’s beginning with 2010’s MVP, Dillon Howard of the Midland Redskins.

2010: Dillon Howard – Midland Redskins

Howard has been mentioned in pre-draft analysis here at the Sombrero before, but after his selection in the second round by Cleveland and his commitment to Arkansas in the fall, he surely lived up to the hype after his MVP performance at the 2010 CMWS.  Look for Howard to either sign for close to $2 million  (over $1 million above slot value for his spot in the draft) in the next week or so, or attend Arkansas and entrench himself in the Razorbacks’ rotation for the next three years.  He’s a stud and is rostered for the 2011 Series, so he likely has the ball in the opening round against Danville in what could prove to be his last amateur start.  Cleveland will surely have a team of guys here monitoring that start.

2009 – Deven Marrero – Midland Redskins

Marrero is currently in Cape Cod with the Cotuit Kettleers and is regarded almost unanimously as the top position player there.  His career at ASU has been brilliant, and he has the feet, hands, and arm to be an impact SS in the professional ranks.  Marrero hit .471 in 2009’s Series, but was perhaps outshined a bit at his own position by Manny Machado of the Florida Legends who was selected third overall in 2010 and is now the premier SS prospect in the Minors today.  Marrero nevertheless has posted a career line of .349/.390/.515 at ASU and has been the premier defender in the PAC-10 since he arrived on campus in Tempe.

2008: Buck Farmer – East Cobb Yankees

Farmer signed at Georgia Tech out of high school after winning the CMWS MVP as a rising senior and has been terrific with the Yellow Jackets.  In 2011 as a sophomore the righty started 16 games as GTs #2 behind first rounder Jed Bradley.  Farmer posted a 2.91 ERA with 106 K’s opposed to 31 BB’s on his way to an 11-3 mark over 108.1 IP.  He has a tight slider with a lively changeup that both project as at least 50’s, and his fastball works in the low-90’s with good arm-side run.  Farmer has a chance to land inside the first round (probably 25-40) and should not make it to day 2 considering his stuff and history of success in the ACC despite struggling a bit in the cape with Chatham this summer.

2007: Eric Hosmer – Midland Redskins

Eric Hosmer played in the CMWS as a member of the Florida Legends as a sophomore in 2006 and as a Redskin in 2007 and 2008.  His career at American Heritage in Florida was historic as he led them to a state title as a senior while garnering several All-American honors.  He played the 2008 Series after being selected 3^rd overall and refusing to sign until Midland’s summer was over.  As a result, the community of Farmington absolutely loves Eric Hosmer and will always support him in his career, which has landed him the starting 1B gig in KC for the foreseeable future.  As a rookie Hosmer has slashed .283/.335/.451 with 10 jacks.  Hosmer is going to be an all-star with a ceiling that probably doesn’t exist and a chance at the HOF.

2006: Jason Jarvis – Arizona Firebirds

Jason Jarvis was electric for the Firebirds in their only championship run to date.  He was among the tournament’s finest at the plate and on the mound, although his career post-HS was spent on the mound.  Jarvis closed for ASU in 2007 with moderate success especially when considering the role that the freshman landed.  However, Jarvis was deemed ineligible at ASU during the 2008 season due to a conflict involving an online art course.  Jarvis was exonerated of all academic dishonesty charges following an appeal, but the university shamefully refused to allow Jarvis back on the team.  Check this link out if you’re even considering attending ASU, and then don’t go. http://prof-fan.blogspot.com/2008/03/asu-baseball-jason-jarvis-declared.html Seriously.  Bud Selig for once made the right call and allowed Jarvis to enter the MLB draft a year early, and he made it as high as AA as a 20-year old starter before converting to the pen and ultimately being released last year.

2005: Gordon Beckham – East Cobb Yankees

In 2005 the city of Farmington was witness to a show to remember at shortstop in the title game between the East Cobb Yankees; Gordon Beckham and Danny Espinosa of the Trombly Braves.  It seemed to the fans in attendance that they were just trading blows at short with exceptional play after exceptional play and big hit after big hit.  Both stars are now in the Bigs after tremendous careers at South Carolina and Long Beach State respectively.  Beckham is having his second consecutive down year slashing .250/.307/.357 for the sub-.500 White Sox while Espinosa is slashing .226/.314/.420 with a shot at 20 bombs.  Regardless of where their careers ultimately lead, for me and for many in attendance on 2005’s title night, there will never be a pair of shortstops that put on a show of the same quality as these two did.

2004: Cameron Maybin – Midland Redskins

Cameron Maybin played CF for Midland in the 2003 and 2004 CMWS and dazzled both years showing obvious athleticism and baseball instincts. He was selected in the first round (10^th overall) by the Tigers in 2005 and signed for $2.65 million.  He was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers and now is starting in center for the Padres after being traded for Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica.  His slash line of .273/.326/.399 is a little light, but he should steal around 40 bags by the end of 2011 while playing terrific defense (4^th best among NL CF’s).  He has a chance to be an all-star at some point in his career and is outstandingly talented with room still to grow considering he’s only 24.

2003: Danny Payne – East Cobb Yankees

Danny Payne was a member of one of the more talented teams East Cobb has assembled with numerous Big Leaguers, high draft picks, and major conference signees, but Payne was the guy to walk away with the MVP hardware in August of 2003.  As a two-way performer for Georgia Tech, Payne garnered All-ACC and All-America honors and was later drafted in the supplemental round by the Padres in the 2007 MLB draft.  Payne is currently a 25-year old in the California League (High A) demonstrating above average on-base skills but little else and is probably in need of a change of scenery as he has been demoted from both AAA and AA this year.

2002: Randy Akasaka – Long Beach Cardinals

Randy Akasaka still holds the Series bomb record with 6 despite adding two teams to the field in recent years and thusly an extra round to the event.  Akasaka went on to catch at Cal State-Northridge and Cal State-Los Angeles but never was able to catch on professionally.  The Cardinals were the last team from Southern California to win the CMWS, and Akasaka along with teammates Ricky Romero (Toronto’s ace) and Danny Dorn (AAA-Reds) were a big reason why.

2001: Micah Owings – East Cobb Yankees

Micah Owings was a two-way star for the East Cobb Yankees before attending Georgia Tech.  He later transferred to Tulane who he led to the nation’s top ranking and a trip to Omaha.  Owings signed with Arizona following his selection in the 3^rd round.  He debuted in the Show as the Diamondbacks 5^th starter in 2007 and, after spending around two seasons with the Reds, is back with Arizona and in the rotation.  Perhaps the most notable aspect of Owings’ career is his frequent use as a pinch hitter relative to other MLB pitchers.  He even won the 2007 Silver Slugger.

2000: Paul Oseguera – Encinitas Reds

This is my personal favorite MVP because Paul stayed with my family during the World Series alongside Hank Blalock’s younger brother, Jake.  Paul gave up just a single run in two CG’s as a 16-year old to lead the Reds to the first title of the new millennium.  After pitching for the UCLA Bruins, Paul signed with the Giants following his selection in the 16^th round of the 2006 draft.  He battled injuries much of his college and professional careers and was released in July of 2010 after reaching as high as AA with appearances in the A’s and Giants organizations.

This is quite a list to be sure.  Who will be added to it from 2011’s Series?  My early prediction is Florida’s Albert Almora, but that requires the Legends to first win the championship.  Dark horse candidate: Mike Bernal of the Strike Zone Cardinals.

Last year’s Connie Mack World Series featured perhaps the finest collection of amateur pitching the tournament has ever featured.  This group of horses included Lucas Jackson of the Florida Legends (Rangers-supplemental round, 2010), Jake McCasland of the Strike Zone Cardinals (UNM, offered and turned down 2^nd round money), Adrian Houser of the Strike Zone Cardinals (Astros-2^nd round, 2011), Dylan Bundy of the DBAT Mustangs (Orioles-4^th overall, 2011), Dillon Howard of Midland (Indians-2^nd round, 2011), Archie Bradley of DBAT (Diamondbacks-7^th overall, 2011), and Daniel Norris of the East Cobb Yankees (Blue Jays-2^nd round, 2011).  Last year’s pitcher heavy CMWS produced plenty of low-scoring games and a disproportionately high amount of strikeouts.  It was very exciting as a coach and fan to witness these talented arms knowing that a finer group of prep pitchers had likely never been in Farmington before.  Which players have the highest ceiling at this year’s CMWS?

As mentioned previously, the Legends return with new management and a new financial situation, but the talent level is still through the roof led by Albert Almora and David Thompson, both 2012 HS grads and both committed to Miami.  Almora is an easy plus hitter with terrific speed and an arm capable of a RF job professionally, where his foot speed will play up a bit.  Almora has a projectable frame and enough loft in his swing currently to hit for plus power in the future.  Long story short, I highly doubt he falls out of the first round come June.  Thompson is a tougher player to call because he likely will be a 3B in the pros despite playing a number of innings at both left-side infield spots as a prep player.  He may not have the arm to be on the left side of the infield professionally, but his hit and power tools are both good enough to slide to left.  Personally, I’d prefer that he gets a shot to stay at short until he absolutely must move, but that’s how I feel about just about everyone who has even a semblance of a shot to stay at short.  Thompson is easily one of the best rising seniors in the United States.

Midland is bringing a pair of giants who both project as top of the draft arms in 6’8” lefty Matt Smoral (committed to UNC) and 6’10” righty Taylore Cherry (also committed to UNC).  Cherry and Smoral can both reach the mid-90s with live fastballs with good bite on breaking pitches.  Cherry throws more of a 10/4 or 11/5 true curveball while Smoral throws a low to mid-80s slider due to a lower slot.  Both are good athletes who repeat their deliveries well, and those bodies are worth millions in signing bonus dollars, although Smoral has the more projectable build. Both pitchers will be heavily scouted this year prior to the draft, and Farmington is sure to appreciate their quality arms.

DBAT righty Jack Moffitt can reach the low-90s with his fastball with great arm-side action and good command.  His delivery is clean and consistent with an athletic ¾ slot.  His curveball is tight and more of the 11 to 5 variety.  His changeup is behind the breaker, and he tends to slow his delivery a bit with it, but it has a chance to be an effective third pitch.  Rising junior infielder Niko Buentello is also an exciting young player with a lot of upside in the field and with the bat.  He is the only 16-year old on the DBAT club and one of the few in the entire tournament.

The Strike Zone Cardinals possess a potential helium guy in Shilo McCall. McCall turned a lot of heads when he ran a 6.6 60 at the Perfect Game Nationals as a 6’1”, 205 lb. 16-year old.  He will be one of the youngest draft eligible players at the CMWS and nationwide.  His hit tool and power tool are very strong with a lot of projection.  Shilo’s arm is at least a 50 now with a chance at a 55-60 in the future, which means he could slide to right as well.  Shilo has quality makeup and the talent and head to achieve a lot in the game.  He is without question the best position player Farmington has produced since Casey Andrews (FHS 2001) and quite possibly the best yet.

The CMWS has helped launch the careers of a lot of young players as they attempt to take their games beyond the prep ranks, and 2011’s tourney will surely be no different.  The Series is not typical of national recruiting events because the scores of the game actually matter.  The national showcase circuit has its pros and cons, but the biggest con is the fact that there exists no team atmosphere at many of these events.  Baseball is a sport to be won and lost as a team beyond anything else, and the CMWS reflects this more than any other club tournament in the United States, year after year.  These are just a handful of the most highly regarded participants in 2011’s Series with likely dozens of other top recruits and draft prospects also gearing up for the week ahead.  I’m psyched.