Maryland Mailbag: January 14th
January 16, 2015
By Jerry Shank
Maryland Director of Scouting
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Every week, PBR Maryland holds an interactive chat through Twitter with our followers. Our goal is to be accessible. This is your chance to take advantage of our expertise. Ask questions to Jerry Shank, Maryland Scouting Director, about the recruiting process, upcoming high school season, specific prospects, PBR events, or anything else that may be on your mind.
We would like to thank all who participated, we enjoy bringing you knowledge and expertise on players and programs in your area.
We will be answering questions on either Tuesday or Wednesday, stay tuned.
This week the Mailbag was on the topic of Recruiting
If I'm a position player, what should I focus on for college recruiting purposes? How do you suggest I get the best exposure?
--A lot depends on the position you play, like infielders need to work consistently on the proper technique of fielding, good hands, and getting rid of the baseball. Arm strength is always key. Footwork is something that gets forgotten about and shouldn't. Work on getting yourself stronger and not only faster, but quicker in terms of reaction and side to side movement. As a hitter, coaches like to see a player with balance, and the ability to be short to the ball and quickly get barrel on it. Once again video is a great tool to get exposure, but also getting out to events. PBR events are great way to get exposure. Also if you are interested in a school, check out that specific schools camps they might have.
How do I sign up for a PBR event?
--Go to
http://www.prepbaseballreport.com/maryland/showcases and click on the event you wish to attend. after that, just simply fill out the online registration form attached to the event. Nice and easy.
What do college coaches look for in HS pitchers? I have a son who is a freshman in HS, when should I start the recruiting process?
--There are a lot of factors that college coaches are looking for in HS pitchers. Size is a plus, but arm action, command, and velocity can all play factors. You might be able to throw hard, but you also need to be able to throw strikes. For the second part of your question, its never too early to begin the recruiting process. Video is a great way to get your son some easy exposure. Coaches cannot travel everywhere at once so video is a great tool to use. The beauty of PBR Maryland is that we video each and every player at our event and post all of their statistics up on their profile along with evaluations. Many colleges are subscribed to us because they can get great information on any player that has ever attended a Prep Baseball Report event
What should I do in high school to help me get seen by college scouts?
--Video is a great tool for exposure. Its a great way for coaches to see you and get their first glimpse of you. Any player that attends a PBR Maryland event get video and their own free profile that is accessible by the 500 plus colleges that are subscribed to Prep Baseball Report
How hard should a left-handed pitcher throw in order to get recruited by a D-1 program?
--I wouldn't put one particular speed for a LHP. I've seen LHP's throw in the upper 70's for Division I programs. If I had to give a number I would say a starting point would be low 80's. As I stated earlier its about command of your pitches and lefties are at more of a premium because of the scarcity of them. When I coached I had a LHP beat a Top 25 program one year and he never threw a pitch over 77. His fastball moved like a knuckle-ball though.
