PBR Mailbag: High School And Travel Ball; The Magic Number 90

By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

It’s the end of April, which means there are about five weeks left before the draft. In Florida, the state playoffs begin this week. In New York, RHP Scott Blewett (Baker HS, NY)—a potential first-round pick—made his third start of the season last week. Another first-round prospect, RHP Grant Holmes (Conway HS, SC), made the last start of his high school career last week as his team failed to reach the postseason. The world of high school baseball is pretty interesting isn’t it?

Let’s get to your questions…

Are coaches looking more at high school or travel ball seasons?
I seem to get this question, or versions of it, quite a bit and part of it bothers me. Before I get into a segment of "You know what really grinds my gears?” I'll give a straightforward answer. Simply because of scheduling, college recruiters are on the road more during the summer and fall, which is in line with the travel ball season. That's for obvious reasons—they're not playing their own games. But recruiters still get out during the spring. There are times that a coach can afford to miss one of his school's games to get out and either keep tabs on a player already committed or track one down that he wants to recruit. This dynamic doesn't make high school ball any less important.