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The evolution of data-driven baseball has hardly been on a slow rise in the industry, and to say that it is not at the forefront of the sport is to see the game pass you by. Data and analytics are here to stay (though they were always present). New departments have been developed within organizations, as the drive to perfect the sport, a sport that so famously deals in failure and the overcoming of it, rages on daily.

But how do these new metrics and possibilities fit into amateur baseball? Is there a need for such detail oriented specifications? Is it possible to unite data-driven analytics with a human element?

Since it was first established in 2005, the Prep Baseball Report has been built around the promise to provide the most comprehensive coverage of amateur baseball in the country. Accomplishing this goal is a process that is never finished and perpetually evolving. Just as college recruiting and scouting have made advancements, PBR aims to be at the forefront of all things amateur baseball, and help connect the player/parent along the line.

Demonstrating its commitment to the player, family, recruit and scout, PBR’s Trackman and data initiatives have helped shrink the baseball world even more by providing the most credible and comprehensive platform for all parties to meet on.

Thanks to the work of PBR’s analytics department, with some of the top thinkers in the space, the quantification of Trackman’s pitching metrics into separate scores (Hop, Hop+, Sink, Hammer) aims to help players shoot for future advancements while making it easier for college coaches and scouts to sift through data sets that they deem most valuable.

Below is an initial look at some of the players and top Hammer+ Scores from the country’s most prolific underclass event, the PBR Future Games:

2021 PBR Future Games Hammer+ Leaders

From a recruiting standpoint, there is no better event than the PBR Future Games. Every player is uncommitted with nearly every state in the country represented. More than 300 college coaches were in attendance at Lakepoint in 2021, and to date there are more than 200 players that have made college commitments after the event. As Vice President of Scouting, I pride myself in trying to see EVERYTHING that goes on in the amateur baseball space, but especially at the Future Games. However, for as hard as I try to do so, there is always something that slips by without me seeing. This is why I was so fascinated by the introduction of the Hop/Hammer/Sink scores as a whole, but specifically at the Future Games. Much as a college recruiting coordinator would do in reviewing notes, this list provided even greater insight to quantifying my thoughts, but even more importantly uncovering missed values.

In an age where velocity reigns supreme and its ability to be developed is flourishing, finding value in breaking balls might (sneakily) be even more valuable. As fastball use continues to fall in professional baseball, a more concerted effort to find quality breaking pitches, and especially aptitude in such “feel pitches”, is quickly becoming paramount. It is for this reason that I find PBR’s new Hammer Score such a ground-breaking feature at the amateur level. Beyond the simple velocity and spin (though both are included in the proprietary algorithm), the Hammer Score helps point to which breaking balls are best, which, for the sake of amateur baseball, helps provide a glimpse at some of the highest upsides for youth prospects.

 A look at MLB's top 25 Hammer+ Scores from the 2021 season: 

2021 MLB Hammer+ Leaders

Separating the score from simply spin or speed was paramount to the Hammer Score’s development. So many frustrations can come from seeing youth players outpace Major League averages in velocity and spin rates, but when diving into the datasets from the PBR Future Games, there was a clear separation from the top breaking balls in MLB and that of the country’s top underclass event (as there should be!). However, the data of the youth prospects still provides valuable information, and shines a light on the upside of what might ultimately be coming. College coaches and scouts are sure to value this information as the development of a breaking ball is more difficult than that of fastball velocity.

+ Leading the way at the PBR Future, RHP/SS Tanner Paschke (Fort Zumwalt North HS, MO) brought his two-way athleticism to the mound where he demonstrated an innate ability to spin the baseball. An initial glance at the spin rates sees a max of 3033 RPM (2919 RPM avg.), and the numbers quantified what the eyes were seeing in real time. Facing off against a stout Texas lineup, Paschke produced a first at the premier event: the opposing team had the umpire check for foreign substances. A tip of the cap to just how tight the spin was, and a humorous validation to the top Hammer+ score at the event, and the only one that registered over 100 (106). Splitting his time as a position player, there is clearly some untapped potential from Paschke on the mound, and given his spin metrics and likelihood to miss bats, college coaches are likely to follow him closely moving forward.