2021 Yearly Outlook
February 5, 2021
Well, here we are. On the cusp of beginning our 3rd year of coverage in the Pacific Northwest. When we first started in 2019, there was a lot to figure out. There’s no blueprint to follow when learning a new territory. It just takes effort and consistency. While we had plenty of expectations heading into 2020, everyone’s world was turned upside down and baseball had to take a backseat to bigger issues. As we prepare for what 2021 has in store, we wanted to address some priorities for PBR moving forward.
2021 outlook
HS Scouting
When we first began coverage of Washington and Oregon back in 2019, our initial focus was to scout the HS season as much as possible. The ebb and flow of high school baseball always creates terrific storylines. Whether it’s following MLB draft prospects, finding out about emerging young players or watching a standout team make a run into the playoffs, there’s always an exciting element to the spring.
‼️WHAT A WAY TO END IT‼️
— PBR Washington (@PBR_Washington) May 26, 2019
With the tying run on 2nd and 1 out, @KangsBaseball turns an inning ending 4-6-5 DOUBLE PLAY TO WIN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Wow. What an amazing ending to a terrific game
Lake Washington is the 3A State Champion pic.twitter.com/ra5d2oKbSA
Being able to blend what we see in games with the information we gather from showcases is a huge part of our platform. The two work in tandem to help create a comprehensive, well-rounded understanding of the talent across the state. We’ll continue to keep an eye on the tentative start dates for both Washington and Oregon and plan our scouting trips accordingly.
Here are a few examples of some of the blogs we wrote up a few years ago
Washington: Federal Way at Eastside Catholic (3/13/19) / Lake Washington at Mercer Island (4/12/19)
Oregon: Lincoln/Cleveland/Century/Liberty (4/21/19) / Central Catholic at Barlow (4/29/19)
We discussed a few major storylines heading into the 2021 season in a recent ‘Hotlist’ feature. As it stands now, Bainbridge (WA) and Lakeridge (OR) have exceptionally strong rosters capable of dominating this year.
If you are a coach and have specific players or match-ups that you think we need to be aware of, please email [email protected]
PBR Player Profiles
Whether you’re ‘old school’ or ‘new school’, ‘small ball’ or ‘launch angle’, one thing is for certain, technology has become a crucial part of the evaluation process and it is here to stay. Prep Baseball Report will continue to work at understanding what the numbers tell us and learn where we can find value in a player’s ability. In 2020, we brought Trackman and Blast Motion to events for the first time ever. Trackman is the industry leader in ball flight technology while Blast Motion is one of the most trusted sources for swing data.
What will @TrackManBB add to @PBR_Washington events? For starters, a better understanding of how well pitches work off each other
— Dan Jurik (@PBR_DanJurik) May 1, 2020
Check out former #FutureGames participant and Xavier commit @geisenardt24 (Lakeridge, OR) and the metrics of his FB/CH combo pic.twitter.com/DoA7Ga0jDr
These new additions not only help us on the state level but provide important information to coaches and evaluators when searching for players. Our player profiles are a one-stop shop for a multitude of player data that no other service can match. Our ability to collect data points and combine that with our continuous, year-round coverage will only improve as we grow and get more entrenched into the territory. Our ever-expanding video library is a must for college coaches. Over 900 colleges and pro teams subscribe to Prep Baseball Report. All the statistics found on player pages are verified by PBR scouts from events or scouting coverage.
Here are the most viewed PBR profiles from 2020:
Washington: Most Viewed Profiles of 2020
Oregon: Most Viewed Profiles of 2020
PBR Events
We’re on the cusp of running our biggest event that we’ve ever held out in the Pacific Northwest. Our Northwest Pre-Season Invite will feature over 300 players from both Washington and Oregon with grad years ranging from 2021 to 2025. If you are looking to get signed up, we have added an ‘Extra Session’ to the event. That registration can be found here
Moving forward, we will have a better understanding of when our next opportunities will be after the HS season is done. But there will be various events across both states that will offer showcase opportunities as well as game-play.
We will also be looking to put together rosters for the Junior Future Games and Future Games in 2021 as well. The JFG roster will be 2026 and 2025 grads competing in a 14u tournament setting. The Future Games will be strictly for uncommitted 2023 and 2024 grads this summer. The FGs consists of a workout day and then 3 games against regional opponents. It has grown into one of the premier events in the country for uncommitted prospects and is hosted at our LakePoint complex in Georgia.
‘23 SS Sebastian David (WA) continues his impressive showing at the #PBRFutureGames with @PBR_Washington
— Shooter Hunt (@ShooterHunt) August 3, 2020
1-2 w/ a single & 2 SBs today & the out was this missile ?⬇️
Lots to like w/ the tools & frame >> pic.twitter.com/KjuifxD00w
For coverage of the Pacific Northwest teams from 2020:
Junior Future Games: Games 1-2 Recap / Games 3-4 Recap
Future Games: Preview / Workout Notes
It’s been a long, strange journey waiting for normalcy to return to the baseball world. Although things might never be the same compared to what they once were, we’ll be prepared for whatever is thrown our way.