By Jeff Markle
Assistant State Director 

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The Colorado Fall Prospect Games will be held October 1st and 2nd at Highlands Ranch High School.  Participants from the classes of 2020-2017 will participate in a pro-style workout and games for the PBR Colorado Staff.  Over the next few weeks we will introduce you to several of the participants, continuing our look is C/1B Wilson Chatham, Boulder High School (2018).

PBR:  Describe yourself as a baseball player to those who have never seen you play:
Chatham:  My coaches have mostly used 2 words to describe me as a player--grit and clutch. I don’t think I’m flashy in my style of play, but I’m there when my team needs me, whether it’s driving in runs with the stick or keeping every ball in front when I’m behind the dish with runners on base so my pitcher can feel confident throwing every pitch. For me, playing well in the clutch is the best experience in baseball.

PBR:  What would be your dream school to play baseball at?  If you have already committed to play at the next level, why did you choose that particular school?
Chatham:  I don’t have a dream school yet, but playing college baseball at a lot of schools would be a dream for me. So I haven’t made a commitment yet.

PBR:  What are your best assets on and off the field at this point in your high school career?   
Chatham:  I love to play on a winning team which is the most fun. That starts with always striving to improve as a player with a great work ethic and working hard in practice to set a good example for my teammates to help all of us improve and gain their confidence. I also work hard to not fear failure which helps me perform at a higher level in leverage situations both offensively and defensively. I also work hard to learn quickly from mistakes, both the ones I make and the mistakes I see other players make.

Off the field, my best assets are taking care of my academic business and keeping my GPA over 4.0 and my family who help me stay grounded and centered.

PBR:  What is the best baseball advice you have received and try to follow to this point in your career?
Chatham:  I like to practice “kai-zen” which is Japanese that supposedly translates to “continuous improvement”. That was a big part of my youth club team’s ethos. If you commit to continuing to improve your work ethic as a player, you have to always submit to challenging situations in practice. Figuring out how to face challenges over and over again in practice makes it easier to face and beat challenges in games. Overcoming challenges in games is the most fun I have on the baseball field and usually helps my team win.

PBR: What does your off-season routine look like to prepare for the upcoming season?
Chatham:  The off-season for me is mostly focused on improving and building up my athleticism.  I’m devoting a lot of time to strength training with free weights and improving my foot speed and explosiveness. So I’m lifting every morning before school and a couple of evenings before dinner. And I’m running sprints a couple of days per week too. I also work on baseball specific skills--receiving, blocking, throwing, hitting, etc.--almost every day at fall baseball practice or on my own with my dad. In the winter, I’ll ramp up the baseball specific work and ramp down the weight training. My dad and I will set up a hitting tunnel in his parking garage where he works to work on hitting at night after all his co-workers go home.  

PBR:  What are your superstitions or routines that go on during a season?
Chatham:  My favorite coach (Colt Sedbrook) preached that superstitions are for the weak minded and that luck is sought by those who have not earned the opportunity for success through hard work. I do however have some basic routines (like warm ups, on deck, etc.) to help me stay consistent.

PBR:  What are your goals for:

This Season: Help my high school team win the Front Range League championship and then win playoff games after that. Help my summer team win tournaments.  

Two Years:  Help my college team win a conference championship and then win playoff games after that.

Four Years: Help my college team win a conference championship and then win playoff games after that.