On Saturday October 19^th, Prep Baseball Report was at Scotland County HS to run a PBR Scout Day for the TriState Arsenal South organization out of North Carolina.  The day included a full pro-style workout for position players and controlled bullpens for the pitchers on hand.  With close to thirty players on hand, PBR scouts were able to gather a lot of information.

The position players ran a laser timed 60, worked through several offensive stations, including multiple rounds of live BP, and a defensive workout at their primary position.  PBR Scouts collected information in each evaluation that will lead to a full player evaluation on each player in attendance, along with video that will be added to each player profile page.  The pitchers threw controlled bullpens with PBR scouts evaluating stuff, delivery, arm action, and command. 

We continue our look at the Arsenal players with an in-depth look at the statistical leaders from the scout day.  CLICK HERE for the full roster and statistics from the Scout Days.

 

Tri-State Arsenal Scout Day: Statistical Leaders

 

THE 60 YARD DASH

The 60 has been used for a long period of time to gauge speed in baseball players.  A bit antiquated, it does allow scouts to compare players from different time periods and has become a standard testing distance for pro-style workouts.  During the PBR Scout Day with the Arsenal players ran on a laser timed course.  The surface at the event was a paved track surface.   Four times came in under 7.20.  The median time for the laser timed 60 checked in at 7.46.

 

EXIT VELOCITY

During the offensive portion of the day, players worked through an exit velocity testing station.  At this station, players attacked a ball with a radar gun reading the exit velocity of the ball off the barrel.  Players had the chance to swing their own bat, plus bats provided by Mizuno.  The numbers below are only from the exit velocity station.  The top exit velocity checked in at 94 mph and 8 players registered a speed of 88 mph or higher in the testing.  The median exit velocity from the PBR Scout Day was 83 mph.

 

POSITIONAL VELOCITY – INFIELDERS

Infielders were able to workout at Shortstop in the pro-style portion of the Arsenal Scout Day.  Players were hit a variety of ground balls, moving to secure the ball before transitioning the ball into a throw across the diamond.  Scouts are evaluating multiple areas during this session.  Arm strength, carry, accuracy, and ease of actions can all be marked.  PBR scouts add a radar gun to give a number to the arm strength.  While the radar reading does not tell the entire story, it does give evaluators a feel for pure arm strength.  Twelve infielders worked out from either shortstop or 1B.  The top radar reading across the diamond registered at 83 mph, with a median reading of 76 mph.

 

POSITIONAL VELOCITY – OUTFIELDERS

Similar to the infielders, there are several data points that evaluators are looking for as outfielders took batted balls from right field, making throws to home plate.  PBR scouts, again, took radar readings on each throw, giving scouts a chance to gauge arm strength with a solid number.  Twelve outfielders worked out from right field.  The top positional throw marked at 88 mph.  The median outfield throw for the group was at 80 mph.

 

CATCHER POP TIMES & POSITIONAL VELOCITY

In the pro-style workout, catchers workout from behind home plate, making multiple throws to 2B, simulating a stolen base attempt.  Scouts again are looking for a quick, clean transition to the release as well as carry and accuracy on the throw.  For catchers, evaluators will put a stopwatch on the “pop time” or the time the ball hits their glove to the time the ball hits the MIF’s glove at 2B.  Coaches can also time the transition from when the ball hits the catchers glove to when he is able to release his throw.  PBR scouts add the radar gun to put a number on the arm strength out of the crouched position.  The top pop time in the workout was a 2.01, with a median time from the group of 6 catchers of 2.18.  The top positional velocity checked in at 78 mph out of the hand, while the median for the group clocked in at 74 mph.

 

MAX FASTBALL

Pitchers threw controlled bullpens on the game mound at Scotland County HS for PBR and scouts in attendance.   While scouts are evaluating stuff, mechanics, efficiency, and command, velocity can be a key component in an evaluation.  PBR used the new Stalker Pro SII radar gun to collect velocity and spin rates on each arm.  Ten arms threw at the event with the top fastball registering at 84 mph.  The median top fastball came in at 77 mph.