The Biggest Lie In The Baseball Showcase?
In the above baseball showcase video, I answer the following question from one of our readers…
PBR Baseball Showcase: Tyler Davis (one of my local hitters). Photo courtesy: PrepBaseballReport.com
“What are your thoughts on scouting services like PBR, Perfect Game, etc. who base their player rankings almost exclusively on numbers – EV, batted ball distance…”
If you’ve thought this, then you’re not alone. I’ve heard some of the same concerns from other coaches and parents.
Let me ask you this…would you take a hitter who can’t hit in a game, but can light up Pocket Radar
with a 100-mph ball exit speed …OR, would you take a hitter who can hit in games, but can only reach 80-mph ball exit speeds?
I know, not a tough choice.
Unfortunately no grading system is perfect. And as many of you know, I love data and numbers. But numbers don’t have brains. Humans do. Look, ultimately players MUST perform in games. Analyzing things like game stats, division played in, strength of schedule, accolades collected, etc. are very relevant to a balanced scouting service.
The purpose of baseball showcase evaluations should be to forecast the probability of that player performing well in games. Period. Is that possible? To create evaluations that can truly test a hitter, reflecting how they will do in a game?
Some of the things we cover:
- Are Ball Exit Speeds and Launch Angles enough?
- How can you test a hitter’s barrel control when it comes to restoring balance to ground-balls, line drives, and fly-balls?*
- What value would knowing whether a hitter can adapt from pull to oppo? Can you test that?
- What’s the ultimate timing test you could throw at a hitter that would give you a glimpse into their adaptability?
- And finally, can you effectively evaluate a hitter’s approach against mixed pitches?
*CLICK HERE for a post Perry Husband shared his ‘Launch Angle’ test chart. This is a great start to getting more accurate performance information about hitters.
Is this all doable for a baseball showcase like PBR to do? Maybe. It will take more time than what they’re doing now. But how much value will it add to their showcases? How much credibility would their programs gain from the extra time spent? How much more trust would they get from parents and coaches?
I dunno, you tell me…
