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What's New - YouTube on your Profile

January 2nd, 2008

Five Tool Prospects has added the ability to add video to your profile by using YouTube. All you have to do is upload your video to YouTube, then log in to your Five Tool Prospects account. Click on the tab on the far end of the screen that says "Video," and enter the URL of your YouTube video. After your video has been approved by our staff, it will be on your profile.

Please note that the NCAA prohibits the online publication of "staged" activities (hitting in a cage, throwing a bullpen) and that anyone with NCAA eligibility remaining can only post video of regularly scheduled (regular season) contests. However, athletes who have finished their college eligibility and are looking to play professional baseball can publish video with staged activities on their profile.

Five Tool Prospects named Official Prospect Database of the Frontier League

December 21st, 2007

Traverse City, MI (December 21st, 2007) – Five Tool Prospects, a new online baseball community, was announced today as the Official Player Database of the Frontier League and International Performance Baseball.

“I’m extremely excited about the launch of our site and the upcoming partnership with these two great organizations,” said site founder Jason Wuerfel. “Not only will Five Tool Prospects help collegiate and professional teams find and evaluate talent, but most importantly, it will help players get opportunities they would not have had otherwise.”

Five Tool Prospects is designed for high school and college baseball players, as well as professional free agents. Players create a free online profile where they can upload their statistics, athletic awards, and academic awards. High school and college coaches can also create accounts that allow them to verify statistics and leave personal references for their players. All players will be entered in a searchable engine with several advanced search features, which enable teams to customize searches to fit their specific needs.

The final part of each player’s profile is a Five Tool Prospects Professional Evaluation. In addition to Five Tool Prospect’s partnership with the Frontier League and International Performance Baseball, Wuerfel will be actively seeking affiliations with other independent leagues, scouting services, and baseball academies so players from across the country can have access to a local facility where they can get a professional opinion of their talent. “The idea is to find the best talent out there,” said Wuerfel. “I do not want anyone to get overlooked. I don’t want kids to get passed up because they do not have a recommendation that holds any weight. I want there to be outlets to those players across the country where they can get professionally and honestly evaluated. That goes for high school players trying to play college ball, too.”

Wuerfel, who is also the Director of Baseball Operations and Hitting Coach for the Frontier League’s Traverse City Beach Bums, explains how Five Tool Prospects addresses difficulties facing independent leagues: “Unlike Major League Baseball, independent teams have no farm system, no inactive rosters, and most leagues only have two spots for injured reserve. So when I have a player go down with a season-ending injury, my options are limited. With Five Tool Prospects, I can search for players who fit my needs, get recommendations from their coaches without picking up the phone, and get professional evaluations of their talent with one click of the mouse.”

International Performance Baseball, or IPB, runs several showcase events every year for players trying to break into professional baseball. Some of IPB’s most successful events include the Florida Fall League, Baseball Combine, and World Free Agent Spring Training. The length of IPB events range from three days to three weeks and participants get a shot to play against players currently under contract with affiliated teams. As the Official Prospect Database of IPB, every player who attends an IPB event will get a Five Tool Prospects Professional Evaluation as part of their entry fee.

“IPB is the worldwide leader in helping players get a shot at professional baseball,” said Wuerfel. “With Independent baseball facing record growth in the next few years, and many more roster spots created by expansion franchises, we are going to depend on IPB to help discover and evaluate players who can play at the next level. Additionally, their events are only staffed by managers or coaches who have the ability to sign a player to a professional contract, which is unparalleled exposure for players. These are not one day tryouts -- these events provide three weeks of instruction and games in front of people who can greatly impact your baseball career. Over 40% of the players who have attended the World Free Agent Spring Training have signed professional contracts - the goal of Five Tool Prospects is to help the other 60% get signed, too.”

Furthermore, through Five Tool Prospect’s newly formed partnership as the Official Player Database of the Frontier League, players who attend an open tryout for any Frontier League team will get the opportunity to have a Five Tool Prospects Professional Evaluation of their talent posted on their profile for the one-time fee of $50. All evaluations will be made by members of the team’s coaching staff.

“We’ve had players literally throw their gloves in their cars and travel across the Midwest to attend four, five or six different tryouts,” said Wuerfel. “But now with Five Tool Prospects, players can save themselves a lot of money, get a professional evaluation of their talent, and make that evaluation accessible to professional scouts everywhere, any time, for free.”

About the Frontier League - www.frontierleague.com

The Frontier League of Professional Baseball is a twelve team league that has been in existence since 1993. The Frontier League plays a 96-game schedule from May to September. Member teams include the Traverse City Beach Bums, Kalamazoo Kings, Chillicothe Paints, Washington Wild Things, Florence Freedom, Evansville Otters, Gateway Grizzlies, River City Rascals, Southern Illinois Miners, Windy City Thunderbolts, Rockford Riverhawks, and Midwest Sliders. The Frontier League drew over 1.3 million fans in 2007.

About International Performance Baseball (IPB) - www.performancebaseball.net

International Performance Baseball develops athletes for youth, high school, college and professional baseball. IPB’s events combine professional coaching, scouting, showcase games, individual analysis and conditioning programs, all designed to take your game to the next level. Honest and open evaluations let players know where they stand! Designed to let player's know what youth, high school, college or professional level would best fit their skills. Year round assistance and guidance is provided after a full event scouting report is documented.

International Performance Baseball (Specified Events) is the closest a player will ever come to professional baseball without being under contract! World Free Agent Spring Training©, Baseball Combine, and Florida Fall League offer games against Major League organizations. Over 40% of the players who have attended the World Free Agent Spring Training have signed professional contracts. IPB also offers youth programs and individual evaluations.

About Five Tool Prospects - www.fivetoolprospects.com

Five Tool Prospects was founded by Jason Wuerfel, current Vice President, Director of Baseball Operations, and Hitting Coach for the Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League. Due to Independent baseball’s continuing success and the prospect of additional expansion on the horizon, the need for talented players is ever-increasing. Wuerfel recognized that need and created Five Tool Prospects to enable independent teams to find talented players they might not have otherwise discovered, thereby benefiting both the teams and the discovered players.

FTP announces partnership with IPB

December 9th, 2007

Five Tool Prospects is pleased to announce a new partnership with International Performance Baseball (IPB).

IPB specializes in professional baseball combines and showcases and will be including a Five Tool Prospects Professional Evaluation in the entry fee for specified events. Among IPB's most popular events are the World Free Agent Spring Training©, Baseball Combine, and Florida Fall League, which offer games against Major League organizations. IPB also offers youth programs and individual evaluations. You can find out more about IPB by clicking on the AFFILIATES tab on the top of the screen or by visiting their website at www.performancebaseball.net.

"IPB is top notch organization," said FTP President Jason Wuerfel. "Their events give players an opportunity to showcase their skills over the course of three days to three weeks. Where most tryouts make kids run a 60-yard dash and kick them out the door if they can't run a 7.0 flat, IPB integrates professional instruction in a showcase setting over an extended period of time, making sure that everyone gets a fair shot. Their staff is comprised of independent league managers and coaches and they play games against affiliated organizations. If you're a player trying to break into professional baseball, an IPB event is the only place to go."

IPB's experienced staff starts with CEO Matt Stark. A first round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1983, Stark spent three years as the hitting coach for the Florida Marlins AAA affiliate Albuquerque Isotopes and is now the International Scouting Supervisor for the Seattle Mariners. Event staff includes Brad Hall, pitching coach for the Southern Illinois Miners of the Frontier league; Jeff Isom, manager for the Milwaukee Brewers low A affiliate West Virginia Power; George Tsamis, manager of the St. Paul Saints of the American Association; Les Lancaster, manager of the Souix Falls Canaries of the American Association; Kash Beauchamp, manager of the Wichita Wing Nuts of the American Association; Eduardo Dennis, field manager of the Rio Grande White Wings in the United League; James Frisbie, manager of the Bradenton Juice of the South Coast League; and Chris Carminucci, manager of the Atlantic City Surf of the CanAm League.

"There is no other event where you can get this kind of exposure," said Wuerfel, and Wuerfel should know - he attended IPB's very first event, the World Free Agent Spring Training in 2003.

"I was a college catcher playing at the University of Michigan playing behind three guys who were, and still are, top notch prospects," said Wuerfel. "Not many scouts want to give you a look when you get less than 50 at-bats per year. So when I heard about IPB and the World Free Agent Spring Training, I was excited to prove that I had what it took to play professionally."

After WFAST Wuerfel signed with the Elmira Pioneers of the CanAm League and had professional stints with the Mid-Missouri Mavericks and Ohio Valley Redcoats of the Frontier League before retiring in 2005.

"My career was shorter than I would have liked," joked Wuerfel, "but I wouldn't have a career to talk about if wasn't for IPB and the World Free Agent Spring Training. I traveled the country going to tryouts and begging anyone who would listen for a shot to play, and I got that shot because of IPB and WFAST."

Since the first IPB event that Wuerfel attended in 2003, IPB has gone on to establish several more showcase events including the Baseball Combine, Florida Fall League, Florida Winter League, and most recently, four Mini-Showcase events.

"Players are going to get professional instruction, professional connections, and professional exposure," said Wuerfel. "And now that IPB and Five Tool Prospects have partnered together, players who attend these events will get a professional evaluation put on their player profile for any coach or scout to see, and it isn't coming from just any instructor, it is coming from IPB, and that really means something."

After players receive a professional evaluation, they will also be eligible to get ranked in our 'TOP PROSPECTS' section.

There are a limited number of spots open in IPB's events, so make sure to give them a call at (562) 902-9416 and send an e-mail to info@performancebaseball.net.

Five Tool Prospects - About Us

November 14th, 2007

Five Tool Prospects was founded by Jason Wuerfel, the current Director of Baseball Operations for the Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League, as an effort to help players advance their playing careers and help colleges and professional organizations improve their product on the field. (Picture: Wuerfel Park, home of the Traverse City Beach Bums)

"In independent baseball, our rosters are anywhere from twenty-two to twenty-four players and we have no farm system or inactive roster, so when a player gets hurt, we have a tough time finding replacements," said Wuerfel. "I wanted a website where I can find out everything I needed to know about a player without endless internet searches or playing phone tag with coaches. Five Tool Prospects will solve all of these issues."

Five Tool Prospects offers free online profiles for players and free team pages for coaches. Coaches can also leave personal references for all of the players on their team and verify that their statistics are legit.

"When you're looking at a player you have to look at three things," said Wuerfel. "First you have to project their statistical data from whatever level they are playing into your league. Next, you have to hear what their coach has to say about them - what is their makeup? Are they a hard worker? Are they focused on baseball? Finally, you depend on someone who is a professional scout - someone who evaluates talent for a living - to give you a good sense about how a player's level of talent stacks up to the rest of the players in your league."

The final part of a each player's profile is the Five Tool Prospects Professional Evaluation. This spring, Five Tool Prospects will be working with professional organizations and businesses who specialize in national camps and showcases to give aspiring players a professional evaluation.

Soon players will be able to log on to the Five Tool Prospects website, locate the nearest FTP Certified Event, and purchase a professional evaluation. The evaluation will be posted directly to the prospect's player profile and can be accessed by college coaches and professional scouts across the country.

"Five Tool Prospects is about finding the absolute best talent there is available," said Wuerfel. "We don't want anyone to slip through the cracks. It benefits college baseball, it benefits professional baseball, but most of all, it benefits players that might be overlooked otherwise."

Contact support@fivetoolprospects.com for questions and comments.

Welcome to Five Tool Prospects!

October 21st, 2007

Five Tool Prospects is a new website designed to help promote your baseball career whether you're a high school athlete who wants to play in college, a college athlete who wants to play professionally, or a professional free agent looking for a job in independent or affiliated ball.

If you're a player, it all starts by creating a FREE ONLINE PROFILE. This profile will allow you to give college coaches and professional scouts the opportunity to review your career highlights including any pitching, fielding, or batting statistics, as well as athletic and academic rewards. Your free profile also includes UNLIMITED UPDATES FOR FREE so you can keep coaches and scouts up to date on your statistics.

Next, use our online form to contact your high school, college, or former professional coach and let him know how he can help further your career by leaving a COACH EVALUATION on your profile. This means college coaches and professional scouts won't have any more long days on the phone playing phone tag looking for a coach's evaluation. Furthermore, let your coach know that he can use our site to create a FREE TEAM PAGE with a team schedule so scouts can know when and where to see their recruits play. The team page also features a clickable roster in order to help scouts get up to date on how your season is progressing.

Finally, you can visit one of our certified Five Tool Prospects Evaluation Sites, Events, or Showcases to get a PROFESSIONAL FIVE TOOL PROSPECTS EVALUATION. Five Tool Prospects is currently seeking out qualified training centers, tryouts, showcases, and individuals in your area capable for providing you with a widely respected professional opinion on your talent that can be posted to your profile. Five Tool Prospects scouting network is designed to save you money and get you signed. Before you would have to travel to several tryouts or showcases to get noticed, but now, through Five Tool Prospects certified facilities, events, showcases and tryouts, when you attend one event, you attend them all. For a small one time fee of $50, a Five Tool Prospects evaluator will gauge your ability to play the game and post the results on your personal profile.

Click here for upcoming events where you can be evaluated by Five Tool Prospects.

Click here if you are interested in finding out more about becoming a Five Tool Prospects Certified Evaluator or hosting a Five Tool Prospects Certified Event.