All posts by IndyBallIsland

31. Baseball fan. I prefer indy ball and the minors over the majors. If it's summer, you can find me at a ballpark. The Washington Wild Things and the Pittsburgh Pirates are my "hometown" teams, but I'm always up for taking a baseball road trip! Follow me on Twitter: @kmthomp29
Independent Ball

Pioneer Baseball League Tryout Camps

3 Comments

PIONEER BASEBALL LEAGUE ANNOUNCES SPRING TRYOUTS

PBL Partners with Yakkertech, BaseballCloud, and Prospect Wire for Preseason Tryouts in Florida and Arizona

Windsor, CO – February 1, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Pioneer Baseball League presented by TicketSmarter, a professional minor league an official MLB Partner League, announced today that it will hold tryouts on both the East and West Coasts for 2023 roster spots on each of its 10 teams.

Additional information and registration for the Tryout Camps, including an Early Bird Special, can be found here: PBL Preseason Tryout Camps.

The PBL also announced that its Tryout Camps will be operated in partnership with BaseballCloud and Yakkertech, industry leaders in advanced analytics, player data, and scouting, and their baseball camp operations partner, Prospect Wire. Under the umbrella of DS
Sports Ventures (“DSSV”), these partnerships will add state of the art technology and operational expertise to ensure each prospect has ample opportunity to showcase their skills.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this incredible partnership with BaseballCloud, Yakkertech and Prospect Wire,” said PBL President Mike Shapiro. “This is an extraordinary opportunity to enhance the value of our player development program to include advanced analytics with a
state-of-the-industry skills showcase for talented players looking to play professional baseball.”

The PBL Tryout Camps will feature two four-day pro-style camps.

The East Coast camp will operate from March 30, 2023, through April 2, 2023, at the Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Florida, mid-way between Orlando and Tampa.

The West Coast camp will take place from April 17, 2023, through April 20, 2023, at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, AZ, spring training home to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

Managers, coaches, and scouts from all ten Pioneer League clubs will be on site at each camp.

The comprehensive pro-style four-day camps are open to all eligible prospective professional players with no more than three years of professional experience. During the tryout camps, prospects will undergo pro-style workouts during which scouts will evaluate athletic ability as well as batting, pitching and fielding skills. These evaluations will include extended infield/outfield sessions, two days of bullpens for pitchers, batting practice sessions, and multiple live scrimmages.

“DSSV is excited to offer a tryout series that utilizes data and analytics from top to bottom, through the integration of our Yakkertech ball-flight data capturing systems, BaseballCloud software, and Diamond Connect showcase app”, Kevin Davidson, CEO of DSSV noted. “Not
only will coaches and clubs gain valuable insights on attendees, but attendees will also leave with detailed reports to aid in their own player development.”

“Prospect Wire is thrilled to embark on this innovative venture as we enter the professional baseball arena” said Rob Sitz, CEO of the Events Division at DS SportsVentures. “The Pioneer League is a highly reputable league in the United States, and we are eager to elevate its Tryout
Camps by infusing them with data and analytics. This will undoubtedly establish a new benchmark in the industry.”

The PBL Player Draft will immediately follow each camp, with the PBL clubs committed to each sign at least one player from each camp to a 2023 Spring Training contract. Additionally, all prospects in attendance will leave with a professional prospect profile on Diamond Connect
that includes their career stats and their performance in the professional drills and advanced analytics during the showcase.

Over the past two years over 300 prospects have attended PBL tryout camps, with 47 players drafted by PBL clubs. Several players attending PBL tryout camps have gone on to be signed by Major League Clubs.

For more information and registration, go to: PBL Preseason Tryout Camps

About the Pioneer Baseball League presented by TicketSmarter:
Since 1939, the Pioneer Baseball League has operated in the Mountain West region as an MLB affiliate league. Beginning in 2021, the PBL became an MLB Professional Partner League with clubs in Montana
(Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, and Kalispell), Idaho (Boise and Idaho Falls), Utah (Ogden), and Colorado (Grand Junction, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs).

For more information go to www.pioneerleague.com.

About DS SportsVentures – BaseballCloud, Yakkertech, and Prospect Wire: BaseballCloud offers a revolutionary suite of tools to empower baseball and softball players at all levels to optimize performance. The company’s flagship product, Yakkertech, is a real-time camera system that captures and analyzes ball-flight data with unparalleled precision. Alongside Yakkertech, Prospect Wire events integrate the company’s technologies to provide players with valuable insights for improvement.
BaseballCloud is a leader in shaping the future of the sport with cutting-edge technologies and a focus on player development.

About TicketSmarter:
TicketSmarter is the official ticket resale partner of Rose Bowl Stadium and the title sponsor of the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl with ESPN Events – for more information, follow @Birmingham_Bowl
on Twitter. Additionally, TicketSmarter is the official ticket resale partner of more than 40 minor league baseball clubs, 35 collegiate conferences including the Pac-12 Conference and Big Ten Conference, and
300-plus universities nationwide. Stay updated with TicketSmarter at https://TicketSmarter.com

For more information, please contact Jackson Shapiro at jshapiro@pioneerleague.com

Advertisement
Independent Ball

Frontier League Tryout Camp and Draft

4 Comments

Today marks 100 days until Opening Day for the Frontier League.

The annual Frontier League Tryout Camp and Draft has been announced for the season.

The Frontier League of Professional Baseball has announced that their 30th annual Tryout Camp and Draft will be held on Monday, April 24 and Tuesday, April 25 at GCS Credit Union Ballpark in Sauget, Illinois, home of the Gateway Grizzlies. 

All 16 Frontier League teams will be represented at the workouts, and scouts from multiple Major League Baseball teams also attend each season.  Representatives from other independent leagues participate as well.  Advance registration is available at frontierleaguetryouts.eventbrite.com. 

The workouts officially begin at 9:00 AM on April 24 and will feature running, fielding and throwing drills for infielders, outfielders, and catchers, and batting practice for position players while pitchers will throw 15-20 pitch bullpens.  Following the first day, the field managers will post a list of players invited back for inter-squad games on April 25.  At the conclusion of the games, action will break for 30 minutes as clubs and prepare for the draft.   

All players attending the Tryout Camp and Draft will receive analytic data of their performance, including pitch speed and spin rates for pitchers and launch angles and exit velocities for hitters. 

An average of 35 players have been drafted and signed to spring training contracts over the past twelve seasons.  Several draftees have gone on to be signed by Major League Baseball organizations, with five having ascended to the Major Leagues (Chris Jakubauskas, Seattle; Josh Smoker, New York Mets; Chris Smith, Toronto; Robert Stock, San Diego; and Nick Duron, Philadelphia). 

“Our Tryout Camp and Draft allows teams to complete their spring training rosters, with camps opening later that week,” commented deputy commissioner Steve Tahsler.  “Dozens of players each season receive professional contracts out of the event, and we have had many All-Star and championship players get their start at the workouts, along with the many players who have signed with MLB clubs. 

GCS Credit Union Ballpark is located at exit 15 off I-255 in Illinois, 30 minutes from St. Louis Lambert International Airport. 

IMPORTANT: As per the manufacturer’s warranty for the artificial playing surface at GCS Credit Union Ballpark, all players trying out must wear turf shoes or molded cleats. No metal cleats will be allowed. This policy is the same that is in effect for all events at GCS Credit Union Ballpark. Players attempting to enter GCS Credit Union Ballpark with metal cleats will be immediately disqualified from the workouts.  In addition, there is a strict no seed policy at the stadium. Participants are not permitted to bring seeds into the facility.