PBR - Prep Baseball Report

I know this is a 4 year old and inactive thread but it was all I could find.

Just did the PBR at UVA this past weekend. Mostly Va. schools plus some from surrounding states.  Sammy Serrano and his group ran a great, on time event. Most of the scouts stayed to the bitter end and it was chilly when the sun went down. Player quality seemed very good. The playing time and at bats were very even and 2016 said that all the coaches were all helpful and very nice. Players will have 1 month acces to video and then will have to pay $10 monthly but it is not mandatory. They can also send the link to schools and hope that they have access. Would highly recommend this group.

When my son was being recruited, PBR was not even a blip on the radar. We depended on invite only showcases such as The Ohio Scout and the Walsh Jesuit showcase. Today , PBR has really taken off in Central Ohio. The Buckeye Scout is no longer in existence, but the coach who ran it is now working with PBR. 

I have no experience with it but many of the kids I know who are being recruited now go to a lot of the events. 

I would try to get to the invite only showcases that they have. The kids I know received better results from those than the showcases that took all comers. 

You are correct. This was an invite only and everybody looked pretty good. They had 4 teams with a total of 18 players each incl PO's. Each pitcher got 2, possibly 3 innings but no more. I think the innings were rolled at 6 batters. Saturday was 4 hours or so of rating/testing and the games started at 1.

Thanks for resurrecting this thread...been curious if PBR is becoming a legit player, good to see the feedback here.  2017 has been to one of their events and it was well run and him and I both follow PBR Michigan on Twitter and they post CONSTANTLY about showcases updates and kids scores during events, i.e."Timmy Smith from Smithville HS RHP had a velo of 89 on his FB", they also tweet signings which is interesting and will get moreso as my son's age/grade come up in two years so see where all the kids he butted heads with over the years end up going.

Lastly, I do think they are pricey, but we did see Michigan, CMU, WMU, MSU and others at the showcase we went to (and it was invite only).

Will follow this to see if anyone else had a good experience with their services.

Thanks!

My 2015 got his first "real" D1 contact from a PBR event last December.  He ended up committing to another school who was at the same event....but didn't contact him until this summer.  I will tell you that if PBR says that certain coaches are going to be there, then they will be there (obviously there can be circumstances where a coach can't come)...they don't embellish the names of the schools committing.  If you have questions, contact them.  PBR (at least here in OH) has become a major resource for kids to get in front of coaches.  The Top Prospect Games last June had 100+ coaches from all over the eastern half of the US in attendance in Cincinnati. 

Another +1 for PBR (PA). My 2015 attended one event, and would have attended at least one other if he wasn't playing two fall sports. 2015 has attended his share of showcases and camps since the summer after freshman year. PBR was the only one where I felt like they were actually promoting him. Not in a disingenuous way; just an honest effort to get him in front of the right audience. They talked to coaches about him before the event. They even mentioned in his write-up that he hadn't run the 60 because he was recovering from a knee problem. I found the fees to be reasonable compared to similar events in this region.

One thing I don't like about PBR is that their rankings always come out a day or two after PG releases theirs. That seems very convenient to me.

PBR updates their rankings several times per year.  If the fall one comes out just after the PG one, I'm guessing it's a coincidence.  PBR isn't nearly the "national" scope that PG is plus PBR is primarily covering the midwest states....which in most cases, it seems like PG doesn't know even exist....lol   You'll be lucky to find 20 guys in the entire PG rankings who are from the states PBR covers.....lol

Agree with Buckeye, I looked at the last 2-3 recruiting classes at UofMich and only 1-2 kids had both a PBR and a PG profile. Not that it is super scientific just that for that sample size which was maybe 20 some kids there was little overlap.

Just my .02 cents here, but I recently spoke with a couple of pro scouts about rankings. They both said that they had never met anyone in the industry that pays the slightest attention to rankings.  They said they value the event organizers and their ability to attract upper level talent to their events, but that these organizations don't have the draft picks.  The scout's parent club does.  In a nutshell their advice was, don't put so much stock into the rankings.

As to PBR (NY), my son did a couple of their events this year.  Really good guys who delivered what they said they would.  

Personally, I have nothing but nice things to say about PG and PBR.  But the bottom line for all players is that you have to show that you can play the game.

It's true that a director of player and development, or a general manager would not risk their job or the future of the organization on what PBR ranked some kid from Muncie Indiana. But if he is highly ranked because he runs a 6.5 throws 90 across the field and can hit the ball out of the park, than somebody might jump in the buick and come take a look at him. 

Keep in mind that you don't have to attend a PBR showcase to be in their rankings.  Here in Ohio least (PBR has been here longer than some other states) they do a nice job of getting out to HS games....and summer tourneys.  They have quite a few kids in their rankings who have no "profile" meaning they haven't attended a PBR event. 

Buckeye 2015,

I am totally confused by this comment below that you made.

"PBR isn't nearly the "national" scope that PG is plus PBR is primarily covering the midwest states....which in most cases, it seems like PG doesn't know even exist....lol   You'll be lucky to find 20 guys in the entire PG rankings who are from the states PBR covers.....lol"

First of all, let me say that PBR does a great job in several states.  I have respect for what they are doing. I have nothing negative to say about PBR.  They have earned their good reputation.

My problem is why you would post something so far from the truth!  Just in the 2015 class we (PG) have over 100 players from Ohio listed in the rankings, and many more without a ranking, but with a grade.  In Illinois we probably have a thousand kids listed.  in Indiana similar to Ohio.  Same goes for the other classes.  We have our corporate headquarters in Iowa and have had every kid that was drafted or gone to a DI college listed for the past 20 years. I guess we know the Midwest states exist.  So you wouldn't really need to be very lucky to find 20 guys in the rankings from any area, let alone the Midwest.

I just can't figure out why someone would say something like that when they obviously have no idea. Especially something that can be researched so easily.

Also, once again I read about someone that talked to a scout and the scout said the MLB club doesn't pay attention to the rankings.  Does anyone really believe that?  Why would scouts disregard what people with a lifetime of experience think. Sure they will make up their own mind, but it's a terrible scout that doesn't pay close attention to any and all information.  

Maybe those scouts saying they don't know anyone that pays attention to rankings don't know their boss. I assure you that every MLB scouting department follows those rankings closely.  So do most all the top college programs.

Please go to the link below and read what MLB General Managers and Highest Level Scouts say about the importance of these rankings and player information.  

http://www.perfectgame.org/Testimonials.aspx

Sent from my iPad

PG Staff.....I apologize....I didn't mean for it to be taken so literally.  I guess my point was that with regard to PG vs PBR, PBR is much more "regional"....and will have a lot more kids from their individual state that will never see a PG event.  My son has been to both...he played in the 17U WWBA in July...and was also there when he was 14.  He loved it both times.  I guess I was just trying to point out that PBR and their rankings will be much more "local" than what you'll find in your rankings...meaning if a kid in Illinois (or Ohio) is looking to play in state or a neighboring state, there's a good chance that being in the PBR rankings may help him.   The only other thing I would say is that PBR rankings are much more accessible....anyone with $10 can get access to them.  You mention that there are 100 kids from 2015 just from OH in your rankings.  My son is a 2015...and has played with 100's of kids here in OH over the years.  We have no idea where those kids are ranked because the rankings aren't available to the public as readily as some other lists.

Again, please don't take my post as any kind of hit on your organization....that's not at all what I meant....I guess I just did a bad (ok...horrible) job of trying to convey what I meant.  Please accept my apology.

Aren't the rankings really just for us parents?

 When one of our players got ranked very high, he received congratulatory emails from coaches that recruited him, and two advisers that was courting him first thing that morning. So I know people are looking and talking about what PG says about kids.

Once again please take the time to check this link.  

http://www.perfectgame.org/Testimonials.aspx

It is simply a page with a few testimonials.  We are not big on testimonials, but it does speak to the value of rankings. Most of our staff has spent many years in baseball, college and professional baseball. It's not like we are playing favorites or picking names out of a hat.

This thread was about PBR and I don't have any interest in saying anything against what they do.  They do a good job and I'm sure colleges also value PBR rankings and information.  I don't like coming on here and bragging about PG.  However I really value the truth.  In this case, I'm not sure everyone here understands the truth. I suggest someone do the research before speaking.  Whether it is Ohio or any other state, check the draft picks each year and see whether we are following a particular state or region.

We take the rankings very seriously.  What we do couldn't work if the scouting and recruiting communities didn't care.  So no, the parents aren't even considered when we do the rankings.  Parents are obviously important in our business, but the rankings are geared to help scouts and recruiters by identifying talented players.

Three years ago I was in Ft Myers, Florida for our World Showcase.  A MLB Scouting Director asked me about a player there that we had ranked in the top 200 in the Nation.  The kid was showing everyone there that he was even better than that.  The Scouting Director was asking me because the Area Supervisor where the kid was from had not even turned him in or even mentioned him.  Right while sitting next to me he called that scout and told him he better start looking for another job.  BTW, this player was actually from one of the midwestern states.  This is an example of how foolish it is for any scout to ignore the PG rankings.  For that matter I would imagine scouts and recruiters also follow what PBR publishes.  Why wouldn't they?

BTW, we didn't just start doing rankings, we have been doing them for 20 years.  If they were not accurate it would have ended a long time ago.  Instead those rankings have become the gold standard because of accuracy.

I will end by saying I apologize for not ignoring all of this.  As much as I don't like to overly promote what we do, I do care very much about the truth.  I certainly know that PBR does very good work and I respect them for that.  What they have accomplished in Illinois is very deserving of praise.  They also have made a mark in other states.  I actually believe what they do actually helps PG in the end.

www.prepbaseballreport.com   then click on Illinois you should be able to find it there  Good luck

From personal experience Any money I have ever spent with PBR was money well spent.2016 only went to invite only.Maybe anyone can get an invite.Don't think thats the subject of OP.I like most here average 5-7 " come to my event weekly"PBR when all things are considered is a good value.Great I guess thats a matter of interpitation.I would use them again if I needed..................I couldn't find and event in IL. in dec. do you mean Jan.?

My 2017 has been to 2 Illinois PBR events. They were both well run events and he enjoyed them. My main beef with PBR is the bias shown toward certain high schools or organizations when it comes to being selected for their "invite only" events. Last summer when I saw the roster for the 2017 Top Prospect Games, two of our local high schools had 8-10 of their players selected. Some were from a freshman team that was .500 in the spring. Another insulting fact was one player asked to play was a 2018 grad. Great for him, but I'm sorry he is not a prodigy and he definitely took a spot for another deserving 2017 player.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these schools don't have some quality players because they do. And if you are a stud you will probably find your way to that event, politics or not. I understand these are HS sophomores that haven't been seen very much up to this point and some kids are going to be left out. That is my main rip toward PBR, otherwise they have done a good job promoting baseball talent when it is truly deserved.

My 2017 went to one PBR event, just for the experience,  and I thought it was run very well.  We were pleasantly surprised when rankings came out.  Every school they stated would be there was in attendance.  Since we were/are new to the recruiting trail, I was amazed at how well scouts know their stuff.  They could watch one swing, and in unison, they could go back to conversations or start scribbling on clipboards; watch one pitch and reach for the gun; watch one throw to second and lift up the stop watch.  Maybe for the few kids that didn't seem that great in your state but got the invites, they saw just one little "special something".  I definitely don't have the knack to spot it, but those guys sure know what they're doing.  

WSF the kids were soph. last summer?Are you talking about the games that were held in westfield,In.?I do know that the guys do try and favor thier kids.Forget the name of team but its ran out of mccook.If I were them I would keep my eye open for talent also.

That particular camp was in 2010, but buckeye is correct to see what camps are coming up

We are from Ohio as well. I have nothing but glowing things to say about PBR. Son participated in 2 showcase and fall baseball programs.

First one was a regular showcase summer before junior year. Well run, scouts that said they would be there were. Did this one to get his feet wet about how a showcase was run.

2nd, was fall baseball program. I think it was thier first year of doing it. Son got first real notice there. college coaches were the "coaches" and they rotated every weekend. Well run, only issue i had is when some of team didn't show some kids were playing in places they didn't normally. The "fixed" that next yea and added players for single weekends throughout it. From what I understood, that went much better as far as keeping enough on teams.

3rd one was there big showcase in June before senior year. Stands were filled with scouts and colleges. well over 100. Everything ran like clockwork.

But, also, what they did for him was talk to college coaches that called and gave thier opinion. When his recruiting reopened in spring of senior year, They were there, watching and reporting for 3 straight games.

The reason son never participated in a PG was location. Closest one was 2 hours away and it was only one of the summer within 6-8 hours. Part of his ideal school was relatively close to home, So he wasn't that interested in going south to so he focused his being recruited efforts on the "local" schools and PBR provided an outlet for him to be seen by those schools frequently.

Both PG and PBR run very good organizations IMO. They are just different in thier focus.