Wisconsin Mailbag: Top Questions Of The Week

October 24, 2014

By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Supervisor – Wisconsin/Illinois

The Mailbag is a feature which allows readers to ask our scouting directors any questions they wish about high school baseball in their state. Whether it’s about possible state title contenders, top prospects, recruiting, etc. your questions will get put into our “Mailbag” via the ask.fm app and our scouts will answer your questions through Twitter (@PBRWisconsin) and Facebook.

This week's top questions center around the recruiting process and what scouts and recruiters are looking for.

To submit a question about Wisconsin high school baseball to the PBR scouting staff simply follow the link HERE. Also if you have a burning question about the national landscape of high school baseball or draft specific questions you can send them to National Supervisor Nathan Rode HERE.

What kind of things are taken into account when drafting an LHP? What is the average size as well?

I'm not sure that there is an "average" size for a drafted LHP. Obviously body composition matters when drafting high school prospects. Pitchers are typically looked to have long projectable frames with athleticism. Other considerations for drafting pitchers is obviously arm strength and arm action. Scouts will look for a strong arm that works cleanly and quickly. Secondary stuff is also a critical factor. Being able to spin a breaking ball can also speak to additional velocity down the road.

Are there any benefits to committing to a college early in your high school career (as a sophomore, for example)?

The benefits are the roster spots and scholarship money that is still available. A lot of higher end Division I programs will have a majority of their scholarship money already verbally committed to sophomores and juniors. Obviously a lot of things change after the draft but you can take a look around the PBR website at all the commitments and see how many each school already has in the 2016 class or even 2017 class. Just remember you have to do your homework and make sure it is a good fit and that as the recruitable prospect, you hold the cards.

Does filling out questionnaires help the recruiting process?

It definitely doesn't hurt. It puts your name in that college's database and put you on their radar for any future camps they might be holding. It also shows your interest in them if you have any. If a college sends you a questionnaire and you ignore it, don't be disappointed when you don't hear from them.

Now that Arrowhead is playing spring ball, will they be a powerhouse in Wisconsin baseball?

It's early, but absolutely. Arrowhead should jump into spring baseball as the best team in Wisconsin on paper. They already boast 3 D1 commitments with RHP Jack Bredeson (Michigan), RHP Nathan Brown (Florida) and OF Dominic Clementi (Michigan) and should have at least one more on the way. Arrowhead also has 9 players ranked in the 2015 and 2016 classes with 3 of the top 10 in 2016. It'll be the first year for all these kids to be playing together but as the one of the biggest schools in the state I could see this trend continuing.

Wisconsin Mailbag: Top Questions Of The Week

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