Information

2010 Midwest Identification Series

Frequently asked Questions

Sub-Regionals

Tulsa Event

Kansas City Event

St. Louis Event

If you need more information, click here

OR

Please contact

Matt Whiteside
mwhiteside@all-starperformance.net

Why is this a good opportunity for my son?

The sub-regionals are a great opportunity to go through a showcase-style event, run by baseball professionals. Even if your son is not selected to go forward, he will be more prepared for future showcase events. This learning experience is an important part of the process of playing at the next level. Players need to learn how to compete and perform in showcase style events.

USA Baseball events, like the NTIS, are the only events in the country which give players the opportunity to be evaluated to represent the United States in international competition as members of the National Team.

These events will have the top players from the region and country participating. If your son is a high caliber player, he belongs in the NTIS events.

Each step in this process is an honor and an accomplishment for aspiring baseball players. Accomplishments like this go directly in your son's baseball resume for college coaches and scouts.

All of the Midwest events and the USA event in Cary, NC will be heavily scouted by college and pro scouts for high school age players.

You will receive an evaluation report based on your son's performance at the event. At the sub-regional event, the skills testing results will be provided. At the Midwest NTIS, a more complete report with evaluator comments and recommendations will be provided.

How does my son get registered to participate in the Midwest Identification Series?

The sub-regional events are open tryouts/showcases. These are open registration events. Register for a sub-regional event on the tabs above. Recommendations are not required for the sub-regionals.

The top players from the sub-regional events will be selected to play in the Midwest Regional NTIS in St. Louis. This event will feature the top players from the Midwest, in one location for three great days of baseball. From there, the top players will be identified to represent the Midwest at the USA Baseball Complex in North Carolina. This is a great experience, where players can compete against the top 200 players in the country at each age group.

When should we register?

The sub-regional events are open registration events. Spots will be reserved on a first-come first basis. We have only 80 spots for each age group and expect these events to be full by May. If you are interested, please register in advance to reserve your spot.

What is the process for being selected to the 14u, 16u and 18u National Teams?

The process is simple:

From there, get selected to the Midwest Regional NTIS event in St. Louis on August 13-15. The top players in the Midwest Region will participate in this event.

The top players in St. Louis will be selected to represent the Midwest Region at the USA Baseball NTIS event in Cary, NC on September 10-12, 2010.

Top players from this event will then be invited to participate with the 14u, 16u and 18u National Team Trials.

Who will do the evaluation?

The evaluators at the Midwest events will be former major league players, professional players, MLB scouts, college coaches and experienced talent evaluators. Each game will have two evaluators, plus two coaches observing the play and assessing player talent and make-up.

What is the cost?

The cost for the sub-regional events is $169 per player.

If you are selected to participate in the Midwest Regional NTIS in St. Louis on August 13-15, the cost is and addtional $195 per player. This will be a 3 day event, and at the older ages will be heavily scouted by college coaches and pro scouts.

For players selected to go to the USA Baseball event in Cary, NC, there will be an additional cost of $150 per player.

The cost listed above does not include travel, lodging or food costs.

This is a unique event that offers a high level of competition, exposure and opportunity.

Which sub-regional event should I register for -- Tulsa, Kansas City or St. Louis?

We have provided three different locations to make the tryout process more convenient and give more players the opportunity to participate in the USA Baseball process. You can select any of three locations for the sub-regional events. Choose the location that is most convenient. All three sub-regionals will follow the same event schedule and evaluation approach.

How many players get selected to move forward at each stage of the process?

There will be approximately 80 players at each age group at the sub-regional events. A minimum of 20 players at each age group will be selected from each of the three sub-regional events to compete in the Midwest Regional NTIS.

From the Midwest Regional NTIS, 18 players at each age group will be selected to go to Cary, NC to compete at the USA Baseball Training Complex. It is a great honor to be selected at this level and the trip to Cary is a great baseball experience.

From the Cary, NC event, USA Baseball will select a minimum of 8 -17u players, 8 - 15u players and 24 - 13u players to participate in the National Team Trials in 2011. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Does this conflict with my current club team program?

Although the St. Louis Gamers administer the Midwest program for USA Baseball, the NTIS process is 100% focused on identifying individual players that deserve the opportunity to compete on the national stage to represent the USA. This process does not conflict with your current select, travel team program. The top players in the country participate in USA Baseball events. The vast majority of amateur baseball programs and club team programs encourage and support their players participating in the USA Baseball process.

Please check out the USA Baseball alumni list and rosters of the 2009 National Teams at http://USABaseball.com.

There are other organizations that promote events that lead to a "national team". How is this different?

USA Baseball events are the only events in the country which give players the opportunity to be evaluated to represent the United States in international competition as members of the National Team. USA Baseball events attract the most talented, highest caliber players in the country. If you want to compete at this level, USA Baseball events are the right choice.

What is the history of this event?

USA Baseball has hosted different forms of the NTIS event over the past 5 years. 2008 was the first year with a regional approach. The St. Louis Gamers took over responsibility for the Midwest region in 2009 and held a very successful regional event in August, 2009. At the 17u level, the event was one of the most heavily scouted events in the Midwest, with nine MLB franchises and over 20 college coaches in attendance. In September 2009, we took 54 players from the Midwest to compete against other regions at the USA Baseball complex. The players represented a broad cross-section of the Midwest:

16 players from Okahoma
17 players from Arkansas
11 players from Kansas and Kansas City area
10 players form Central Missouri and St. Louis Region

The players and families had a great experience and created lifelong memories. The teams were very competitive and received a lot of attention from USA Baseball.

6 of the 54 players from the Midwest were invited to the National Team Trials in 2010. We hope to improve further on that number during the 2010 NTIS.

Who is USA Baseball?

Since 1978, USA Baseball has been the national governing body for the sport of baseball. It represents the sport in the United States as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and internationally as a member federation of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). You can learn more about USA Baseball at http://usabaseball.com.

USA Baseball has the following teams:
Professional teams for World Baseball Classic, World Cup and Olympics.
Women's National Team.
National Collegiate Team.
National Teams at 14u, 16u and 18u.

The top players from the USA Baseball NTIS event will be selected to play on the National Teams at 14u, 16u and 18u.

Who are the St. Louis Gamers?

The St. Louis Gamers is club team program, founded by former major leaguers Matt Whiteside and Scott Cooper, along with a team of baseball professionals. The Gamers have 12u-18u teams and currently have approximately 180 players in the program. To find out more about the Gamers, visit the website at http://stlgamers.net.

The Gamers have partnered with Mac-n-Seitz in Kansas City to identify and evaluate players. The Mac-n-Seitz program is one of the top team programs in the country, founded by form major leaguers Mike MacFarland and Kevin Seitzer.