General Info

Q: What is ABR?

A: Amateur Baseball Report (ABR) was originally created as the camps/clinics, exposure, and social media partner for USSSA. Since its inception in 2008, ABR has evolved into the social media and exposure vehicle to many amateur athletes across the country. ABR hosts numerous exposure and showcase events annually which feature many of the top prospects across the country. Through ABR's unified and comprehensive evaluation system, players are able to see where they rank on a State, Regional, and National level.

Q:  What are the benefits of ABR?

A:  ABR is a diverse organization with a multitude of benefits for players both in the 9u-13u (youth) and 14u-18u (H.S.) age levels.  One of the main features for ABR members are the Player Profile Pages.

Q: What is a Player Profile Page?

A: A Player Profile page is an interactive, multimedia, and exposure tool that can be used in numerous ways depending on the age of the participant.  Any player, regardless of whether they have attended an ABR camp or not, may sign up for FREE for a standard Player Profile Page.  Players have the ability to add personal information, but will not have an evaluation recorded to their profile.  Every player that attends an ABR event will receive a standard Player Profile Page which will include their Five-Tool Player Evaluation, as well as basic information such as City, State, Height, Weight, etc.  Players have the ability to upgrade their Profile Page to Premium Membership, which allows for additional features, denoted with a *PC.  Below is a list of benefits for the Player Profile Page:

-          Personal Information - Players will have the ability to add in personal information such as address, GPA, height/weight, etc.  This serves as another exposure route for players as college coaches can sort for individuals purely based on geographic location and/or GPA.

-          ABR Five-Tool Evaluation – Each player that attends and ABR evaluation will receive a Five-Tool Player Evaluation.  These evaluations will include comments on each individual’s arm strength, overall fielding abilities, speed, power, and overall hitting abilities.  

-          Player to Player Messaging *PC– Allows for players to message and interact with one another despite geographic location.

-          Coach to Player Messaging *PC– This feature allows for college coaches to send a message to any player within the ABR database.  This is extremely beneficial as coaches can search by player name, event attended, position, skill, statistics, GPA, etc.

-           Player Updates *PC – This feature allows for players to give updated information on game play, stats, injuries, interested colleges or any or piece of information they would like to share with their baseball peers, college coaches, and/or scouts.

-          Event Information *PC – This feature allows for players to add information that pertains to a future event(s) that they will be attending.  This includes an ABR event, game, tournament, etc.  This makes it easier for college coaches and professional scouts to know where you will be performing next.

-          Uploading Schedule *PC – A player has the ability to upload his game schedule to allow for coaches, players, and everybody else in the baseball community to see where his next game will be.

-          Adding of Statistics *PC – Players have the ability to add their current season statistics.  This can be a benefit in numerous ways including the ability to track your season’s progress.  This also is a benefit to college coaches/professional scouts as they will not only have the Five-Tool Evaluation.  

-          Adding Video or Pictures *PC - Players will have the ability to add video and pictures to their Player Profile Page.  Combined with the Player’s Five Tool Evaluation, statistics, and upcoming events, a player now has the ability to have a full player biography available to all college coaches, professional scouts, and baseball peers throughout the United States. 

-          Additional Features *PC – Some pages, articles, forums, web-polls, and discounts can only be accessed by Premium Members.  Players that are logged into their Premium Member account will automatically have access to these pages.

Q:  What is a Premium Membership Player Profile?

A:  A premium membership profile allows the player to add video, pictures, state and other things to their profile for coaches, scouts, and other players.  They can use this as a recruiting tool to colleges throughout the nation as well as a customized page to show their talents off to fellow players.

Q:  Who can search my profile?

A:  All college coaches and MLB scouts from across the nation, in addition to all premium content members

Q:   What is a “5-Tool Evaluation”?  What purpose does it serve?

A:  A 5-Tool Evaluation includes the testing of the player’s arm strength, power, overall hitting abilities, speed, and overall fielding abilities at the player’s primary position.  This Evaluation is used by College and Professional Scouts everywhere.  This serves as not only an exposure tool for the next level, but serves as a way to gauge your current abilities and see where your sset lies amongst your peers. 

Q:  How do I sign up for an event?

A:  Registration for our events can be done online.  On the home screen our upcoming events will be posted.  You can click on your event and it will take you through the sign up process.  You can also contact the ABR Headquarters where we can manually sign up and you can either send in a check or use your credit card over the phone.  ABR appreciates our customers and we try to accommodate them in any way possible.

Q:  What is your refund policy?

A:  The refund policy can be found at this link.  Questions can be directed towards Breanna Reinike at 708.675.1500 (http://amateurbaseballreport.com/RefundPolicy.aspx ) 

FAQ for High School Events

Q: What ages are these events for?

A:  These events are 14u-18u.

Q: Why should my son go to an ABR Event?

A: Beyond the affordable pricing, Five-Tool Player Evaluation, interactive Player Profile Pages, and access to college coaches and professional scouts, ABR offers an end result unmatched by any other competitor.  This end result will see the top individuals at all ABR events receiving an invite to the USSSA All-American Games and the possibility of representing your country in international competition. 

Q: What are the USSSA All-American Games?

A: The USSSA All-American Games (AAG) are an invite only event consisting of the top individuals at the 14 – 17u age levels all competing for a spot on the USSSA National Teams that will compete in international competition.  The 15u and 16u USSSA National Teams (14u and 15u at the AAG) will compete the following summer during the USSSA Gold Medal Games, while the High School Varsity National Team (18u/17u) will travel internationally the summer after the AAG’s.  The USSSA All-American Games serve as a great exposure vehicle with many of the top college programs from around the United States in attendance.

Q:  How does my son qualify for the USSSA All-American Games?

A:  Your son was seen at an approved ABR sanctioned event by an approved ABR director.  An approved ABR event includes ABR camps, clinics, scout days, and scouted tournaments.  An approved ABR director includes ABR staff members, college coaches, MLB scouts, and even former MLB players.  We ensure that everyone who goes to the USSSA All-American Games is qualified so that the competition is as stiff as possible.

Q: What are the USSSA Gold Medal Games?

A: The USSSA Gold Medal Games are an Olympic style event consisting of countries from around the world all competing for Gold, Silver, and Bronze.  The USSSA Gold Medal Games take place in Kissimmee, FL and will feature two age division highlighted by the 15u and 16u USSSA National Teams.  In years past countries such as Great Britain, the Bahamas, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, France, and Italy have all been in attendance.  USSSA covers the housing cost for players electing to stay with their team in addition to their uniforms. 

Q: What is the USSSA High School Varsity National Team Trip?

A:   The USSSA High School Varsity National Team will travel internationally the summer following their tryout at the USSSA All-American Games (this allows for a year to plan for travel).  USSSA covers the cost for the international flight, the housing, meals, uniforms, etc for all members on the team.  In years past USSSA has sent players to Japan and Prague, Czech Republic with offers to places such as Italy, Mexico, France, and New Caledonia. 

Q: What is a College Instructional and Evaluation Camp?

A: This is a two part camp with the first portion being an instructional segment led by the college coaches in attendance.  The college coaches will take the participants through the very same fundamental drill work that they use to make their own programs successful.  The second part of the event is an ABR Five-Tool Player Evaluation in which ABR will test each participants arm strength, speed, overall fielding abilities, power, and overall hitting abilities.  This evaluation will then be added to each player’s interactive player profile page.  The evaluation allows players to understand where they are at for their age group and see what they need to do to improve.  The goal of the College Instructional and Evaluation events are for every player to walk away with something they can apply directly to their game whether it be physical, mental, or both.  These events will also qualify individuals for the USSSA All-American Games.

Q: What is a powered by ABR Event?

A: Powered by ABR Events are any event that will have an ABR Scout or representative in attendance.  All High School Age Powered by ABR Events will qualify individuals for the USSSA All-American Games (AAG)

Q:  How does ABR guarantee College Coaches and MLB scouts at their events?

A:  ABR hires a certain amount of college coaches and MLB scouts at every showcase.  Every name we post on our flyers has *committed to work the event.  We begin booking the scouts far in advance to be sure that nothing will conflict.  In addition to the names we post, we do have MLB scouts and college coaches come on their own.  That is, they show up to the event without us properly knowing of their attendance.  This can be very beneficial to our players.  ABR always makes sure we have the right amount of scouts and coaches to help run the event.  That is all part of the ABR Experience.

                - ABR can not be held liable for any unforeseen circumstances in terms of the commitments of the college coaches. 

Q:  My son isn’t going to play at a DI school.  Why should he attend an ABR camp?

A:  We understand that not every player is a DI player and know the benefits of a diverse staff.  ABR tries to have a good mix of DI, DII, DIII, and Junior College programs in order to appeal to all ssets and academic qualifications.  While we do have many players that receive scholarships to DI schools, we also have many players that are looking for scholarship opportunities at the DII level, the playing time they will receive at DIII schools, and we also understand that there are some players looking for the convenience of Junior College programs.  This is why ABR hires all levels of College Programs to attend our camps. 

FAQ for Youth Events

Q:  What ages are these events for?

A:  The ages for our youth events are 9u through 13u.

Q:  Why should my son go to a Youth Instructional and Evaluation Clinic?

A:  An ABR Youth Instructional and Evaluation Clinic is a great opportunity to learn hands on instruction from top baseball minds.  Player’s will have the opportunity to learn the proper fundamentals at each position while receiving feedback on what they do right and wrong from an outside source.  The ABR Five-Tool Player Evaluations are modified in order to provide positive feedback and ways in which to improve on the basic fundamentals of the game.  Furthermore, players are shown where they rank amongst their peers.   

Q:  Do these events qualify my son for anything?

A:  Players can qualify for such events as the USSSA Tri-State All-Star Games and the USSSA Jr. All-State Games.  These events are meant to reward players that show dedication to the sport with an All-Star atmosphere.  The tournaments are designed to be fun for everyone, without losing that competitive edge.

Q:  What are the USSSA Tri-State All-Star Games?

A:  The Tri-State All-Star Games is a program started for Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin Youth players.  The event was developed as a way for players to be recognized for putting forth exceptional effort throughout the entirety of their season.  The Amateur Baseball Report wanted to reward these players with a chance to play in a state All-Star Weekend consisting of a Skills Competitions and an All-Star tournament.  More information can be found here: http://amateurbaseballreport.com/EventDetails.aspx?Id=142

Q:  What are the USSSA Jr. All-State Games?

A:  The Jr. All-State Games is an All-Star Tournament and is designed to give the top players at the 9u – 13u age levels a chance to showcase their skills in a national event.  The event features the top youth players in their state, with the chance to compete for their state!  Players are selected through a tryout process to be added to their states roster.  The Tournament is run in August with 12-16 states competing for the Championship Trophy.  The Event will have a Parade of Players, Skills Competition, Awards Ceremony, and many other features that these players deserve.  Being selected to the team is a great honor, but winning the tournament is even better!

 Further Information on the USSSA All-American Games

Q:  What ages are the All-American Games for?  How do I know which age I participate under? 

A:  The USSSA All-American Games are for players 14u-17u.  We follow USSSA’s age cutoff of May 1^st.  If you are curious as to where you fall, use this link:  Age Calculator

Q:  How do I go about registering?  Can I pay a deposit or set up a payment plan?

A:  You can register on the USSSA High School Elite Baseball Website.  Go to the All-American Games tab.  You can also register over the phone with someone from ABR headquarters.  We do take $75 deposit so that the player can have his spot saved because spots do fill up fast.  There is no official payment plan, but an ABR representative may be able to help you through the process.  ***Note: We do have a limited number of spots available and may have to stop online registration earlier than expected.

Q:   I am paying $365 for this event.  Where does my hard-earned money go?

A:  Your money goes toward paying for the fantastic facility which is the Osceola Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida, home of the MLB Astros during Spring Training.  Your money also goes towards paying for uniforms, umpires, and paying all of the coaches and scouts to come.  Finally, USSSA uses the funds from the All-American Games to send the teams to the Gold-Medal Games, and the USSSA High School Varsity Team Internationally.

Q:  My son is only 14 years old.  Will he be competing against 17 year olds?

A:  No he will not.  We have set age groups with set birth date cut offs.  Unless the player would like to participate in an older age group, he will only play people his age.

Q:   Can I check-in at another time?

A:  Check in time is set and mandatory unless agreed upon with ABR and USSSA beforehand.

Q:  Since this is an individual event, how will I get placed on a team?

A:  ABR will be in charge of placing individuals onto teams.  We oversee this process to make sure each team has enough position players and pitchers to ensure everyone will receive equal playing time.

Q:  Where would I go for flight information / hotel information?

A:  Everything will be posted on our website under the USSSA Travel Center Link.  As well as you can contact an ABR representative at our corporate offices.

Q:  How will I know whether I made the team or not?

A:  At the closing ceremonies the First Team All- Americans will be announced at each age group.  The second team will be chosen in the following days and these players will receive an email.  It will also be posted on our website.

Q: What is the difference between the USSSA First Team All-American, Second Team All-American, and National Team Members?

A: The USSSA First Team All-Americans will be the majority of the USSSA National Teams that will compete the following summer in international competition. In other words, if you are a 2012 14u USSSA First Team All-American, you are a member of the 15u USSSA National Team that will compete in the 2013 USSSA Gold Medal Games.  The USSSA Second Team All-Americans are rewarded for their outstanding performance at the USSSA All-American Games and will serve as alternates on the USSSA National Teams (some will be asked to be part of the National Team right away to fulfill certain roster needs). 

Q:  Will I receive an evaluation from the event?

A:  Coaches and scouts will be evaluating players throughout the whole event.  ABR will not post full evaluation results for all 300+ players in attendance, rather only for the players that make the USSSA All-American Teams.  If you would like a full evaluation, then you must attend an ABR Evaluation Event.

Q:  Who will be in charge of coaching my team?
A:  All 15u-17u players will be coached by a college coach, MLB scout, and/or ex-professional players.  14u Players will be coached by qualified baseball personnel.            

Q:  How many scouts will be at the event?
A: ABR and USSSA will bring in college coaches and professional scouts to coach the 15 – 17u teams.  With that being said, numerous other coaches will scout the event for players that first their given programs needs.  We do not guarantee a certain amount of scouts as this would be impossible and varies on the given day of the event. 

Q:  I made the team!  Now what?
A: Get in contact with us!  Call us and begin planning your next move.  Whether it is getting ready to travel abroad or play in the USSSA Gold Medal Games, we will help you through every step in the process.  Don’t forget to remind us when you make your college commitment!