Pro-Day coming to Orange Beach

Published 10:22 pm Thursday, December 18, 2008

Baseball prospects throughout the state will have a platform to display their talents Dec. 27-28 during the Pro-Day Holiday Showcase in Orange Beach.

“It’s good for a player as a freshman or sophomore to get their name out early,” said Pro-Day president and director Jeff Gross. “We try to get them the opportunity to be seen and advance to the next level.”

The event is open to all high school baseball players in the 2009-2012 classes. The showcase costs $250 and includes participation, a game jersey and hat, lunch, instruction, and hitting and pitching talks.

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Participants will receive instruction from the Pro-Day staff, college coaches and professional scouts.

“All our guys have been involved as scout or player coach in pro baseball,” said Gross. “This showcase will have 10 college coaches and professional scouts. It’ll be a 6–to-1 ratio of players to coaches.”

Six current and recent major league players have participated in Pro-Day. These include Torii Hunter, Dmitri Young, T.J. Mathews, Rigo Beltran, Billy Sadler and Doug Creek.

Players will go through a professional workout on the first day. They will be evaluated in the 60-yard dash, outfield and infield play, arm strength, accuracy, hands and footwork.

Following the workout, they will split into teams and play a game to finish the day. The camp concludes with another series of games the next day.

Players will receive a projection key that forecasts their potential, and each participant can send their scouting report to three schools.

“We try to help the players to get to the next level,” said Gross. “We feel like if a guy can make his grades and wants to attend college, there’s a place for him to play somewhere.”

Registration concludes on Monday. Players interested in participating can register online at www.prodaybaseball.com.