Chandler Reber NLI Interview

In today’s edition we talk to 2021 Chandler Reber, CF 5-11 200 from Desert Hills HS, 

Chandler committed to Brigham Young U, a year ago and signed his NLI on Wednesday surrounded by his family. Reber is a force on both sides of the ball, as well as the bases, as he has been clocked as high as a 6.46/60 on the laser and toggles between a 6.5-6.6 by hand. Reber plays in the toughest 4A region of the state in Region 9, as these teams have played for and or won 9 of the last 10 state titles. As a freshman in 2017 Reber was a part of the state runner ups and in 2018, the Thunder won it all! Desert Hills has produced college level talent year in and year out with recent big names in Drew Thorpe-RHP (2020 Freshman All-American at Cal Poly) and Top 30 Brewers prospect, Dylan File-RHP. Reber has been schooled by coaches who have played at the D1 and professional levels.

REPORT: A compact 511 200 physical specimen with definition throughout. Chiseled thick forearms with strong loose hands to hit. The BYU commit has a feel to hit and drives the ball for power to the big part of the field, leaving to the pull side w/ease. Features a slightly wider than shoulder width even prop stance and presents well in the box. Leans back into his 45 degree load and steps to hit with balance and timing, while staying thru the center of his body. The stroke is quick, compact, short and whips the hands thru contact into an around the back shoulder two hand finish. Gets out of the box and looks for extra bases. Will challenge OF’ers arms and has the speed to do so. Toggles between a 6.5-6.65/60 yd dash and shows base stealing pot. Defensively runs balls down gap to gap, though his angles can be tightened and crisper. Has the athleticism to play all 3 OF spots. The arm is BA to fringe and is enough. The bat has the potential to impact a lineup as a freshman at BYU and will be scouted by four corner scouts in the spring. 

ME: What year in school did the recruiting process begin for you and what was the feeling like, knowing that a school(s) had interest?

Chandler: My freshman year, I started getting looks and attention from colleges. It was really cool to see that my hard work was starting to pay off. I started initiating calls with schools during my sophomore year,  and had my first D1 offer in January of my sophomore year. I had a total of 3 offers, before making the decision to commit to BYU. 

ME: What club teams were you involved with as a youth, and were there any of your teammates that have gone on to play college baseball, or committed this week as you have?

Chandler: Mountain West is who I’ve played with for most part, and I also played a little in the summer after my sophomore year with the Utah Bucks. This past fall, I played for the Nevada/UT Braves Scout Team and we were really talented. Some of the players I’ve played with signed this week in Mason Strong-C/UTL (BYU) Justis Resier-LHP (BYU) Dax Swenson-2B (Utah) Landon Frei-SS (Utah) Janzen Keisel-RHP (BYU) Colton Sundloff-RHP (CS Fullerton) and Cameron Day-RHP (Utah). 

ME: Who has been your biggest influence coaching wise or what person and what was it, that made them unique or helpful? 

Chandler: My Dad Leon Reber. He’s helped me to learn my swing, along with watching video and analyzing my swing as well as pushing me and teaching me to work hard. 

ME: Who is your favorite MLB team and why?

Chandler: I like to watch guys that play my position (CF) like Harper, Trout, Betts etc. 

ME: Who is your favorite player and why?

Chandler: I love to watch Mike Trout (Chandler is a mini version physically of Trout) and how he goes about his business. I watch a lot of his HR’s on YouTube and watch those videos on repeat. 

ME: What made you decide to commit to BYU, and what made it stand out to you?

Chandler: I feel like BYU is going to be really good and I can see myself developing as a player and person really well there. It's a plus that their facilities are phenomenal! I get along great with their staff and during the recruiting process, their recruiting coordinator Brent Haring has that laid back personality and he’s easy to talk with and that made the process a lot easier. 

ME: If you were to describe yourself as a player, what would your strengths be, and what do you need to improve upon to realize your potential?

Chandler: My bat and my speed are my biggest strengths. I feel like I'm pretty efficient at getting on base and I can steal bases, while taking the extra base and being an asset on the bases. I feel like I’m the best hitter on the field. I feel like I can square the ball up consistently. With my speed, I can be an even better base stealer and can make those improvements by being taught the nuances of the running game. 

ME: What piece of advice would you give to players coming from Utah, to help them get recruited, with having college level ability already a given?

Chandler: Make it a goal to go to more tournaments and play better composition out of state and LIVE to play in those crucial moments against the better players, if you do that and have ability, your ability will be noticed.