Prep Baseball Report

Ontario 12 Days of Christmas: Thank You



By Chris Kemlo and PBR Staff
PBR Ontario Scouting Director

Interested in attending a PBR Ontario event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

12 Days of Christmas Rundown:
Day 1: A Week In Florida
Day 2: Top Stats of the Year
Day 3: CPBL to Debut in 2016
Day 4: A Look Back at TPG
Day 5: A Look Back at Early Commitments
Day 6: OBJ Success
Day 7: Midget Elite League
Day 8: Futures Team
Day 9: Class of 2018
Day 10: Blue Jays & Amateur Baseball
Day 11: Draft Success

Ontario 12 Days of Christmas: Thank You

THANK YOU

To the staff at PBR Ontario, the entire staff at Prep Baseball Report across the other 23 states, the coaches at the amateur and collegiate level, to the grounds crews at our events, to the directors of the fields we use, to the people who run the indoor facilities we rent, to the parents who sacrifice for their children, to the players for putting in the work to obtain their goals and dreams and are getting better everyday ...

A sincerely big THANK YOU to all.

While we launched PBR Ontario in early September 2014, this past summer was where we actually had a plethora of games and events to scout and write about, and the staff was very excited to do so. The fall season tends to go by in a heartbeat here, and with a lot of teams traveling south for the fall and the summer, this was our first full go around with PBR Ontario and from my standpoint a very successful one.

People who play and live in Ontario know that amateur baseball is a serious matter. We all play for the love, fun, and passion we have for the game, but at the same time we have players that can play and want (and will) to move on to the next level whether that be collegiate or pro. We are all used to getting the questions like “does it snow all year round?” “Do you live in igloos?” and “aren’t you suppose to be playing hockey?” ... Well I can answer those with a no, no, and NO.

Canadians are ball players and pretty good ones as a matter of fact. We have Major League All-Stars, Cy Young winners, MVP’s, World Series Champions, all while the list of Canadian players in the major leagues, minor leagues, and collegiate baseball continue to grow every year.

When presented with this opportunity to bring PBR to Ontario, I had very little knowledge of what and who PBR was. I did my research, made some calls, and the first thing I found out was the people at PBR were first class. From Owner Sean Duncan to National Supervisor Nathan Rode, to my director and doer of all things Chris Valentine, and all the other state director’s, everyone had the best interest for their kids and state at mind, which was more exposure and promotion for the players.

This was something I felt we needed in Ontario and players could use to their beneficiary. I have been able to coach amateur baseball now for over 10 years in the province and seen the struggles of quality baseball players who never had the chance or opportunity to get to the next level. Players that schools would salivate over if we could go back in time six, seven, eight years ago. Hopefully this will never be the case again.

Our first summer we saw all kinds of highlights and the number of players who had dreams and aspirations of taking that step towards the next level. We saw Matt Brash, a 2016 right-hander out of Kingston come to our first event and find himself with a scholarship opportunity not too long after. We had an Ontario high school player drafted 12th overall in the MLB draft. Doubled the number of draft picks from 2014. Saw numerous players from our 2016 class sign at the early period with Major D1 programs. Our Team Canada Junior National Team was littered with players from Ontario, the Pan Am Games saw Canada bring home another Gold over our neighbors in the US and the Ontario Team at the Canada cup brought home the bronze. Overall it was an unbelievable year for Ontario and Canadian baseball.

That said, a very busy one as well. My wife has threatened to break my phone and laptop because of the amount of time I spend talking to college coaches who want info on our players here. She understands the excitement though when I make a call to let staff members know we have another commitment from Ontario. There is talent and people are starting to take notice.

Players are committing earlier and earlier, schools can’t wait on guys they want and it is no difference here. Adam Hall, Cooper Davis, Jacob Martins, all 2017 grads who have been committed to 4-year schools for some time now. The talent here is getting better at an earlier stage in their careers. Ontario is producing, and it doesn’t look like it is going to stop any time soon.

Now I could ramble on for hours, but what I want to imply from this piece is that none of this could be attainable without everyone’s help and sacrifice. All of the above mentioned has played a significant role in our first year here at PBR Ontario and I am extremely fortunate to be able to call a lot of you my friends. I am grateful for the opportunity to do what I do, and have never been more passionate and felt so strongly about what we are doing as a whole here in Ontario, producing and promote the best possible players and quality young men that we can.

A sincere and heartfelt THANK YOU to all those who helped make PBR Ontario what is was in 2015 and I cannot wait for the 2016 season to begin.

Pay close attention everyone, Ontario baseball is on its way!