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‼️

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

— PBR Washington (@PBR_Washington) May 26, 2019

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

Check out former #FutureGames participant and Xavier commit @geisenardt24 (Lakeridge, OR) and the metrics of his FB/CH combo pic.twitter.com/DoA7Ga0jDr

— Dan Jurik (@PBR_DanJurik) May 1, 2020

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.