Bay Area World Series

Bay Area World Series (BAWS) was created by me, Blaine Clemmens, in 2004.  I am a former Northern California area scouting supervisor for the Atlanta Braves ('08-'09), former pitching coach/recruiting coordinator at the Division 1 level ('00-'02) and junior college level ('99-'00).  In between college coaching and professional scouting I worked as a national scouting evaluator for Perfect Game and Team One. I am presently the Northern California Director for Prep Baseball Report California.

My time at the D1 level began as the volunteer assistant coach in the fall of 2000.  After one year I was promoted to Pitching Coach/Recruiting Coordinator.  In my brief two years I was instrumental in the recruitment of the many of the prominent players who would secure the first ever NCAA playoff berth in the school's history (2006).

I left the program to begin working in the recruiting consultation business and five of my clients ended up being part of that 2006 regional team; Identifying talent and projecting talent for the D1 level is something I happen to be good at, which is how I eventually found my way into pro baseball, or rather, how pro baseball found me.  Many of the aforementioned players played pro ball and a couple reached the big leagues.

Team One hired me in the fall of 2004 after owner Jeff Spelman followed my independent work for a couple of years. After two fun years of helping to make Team One relevant again in the showcase world, I was approached by Perfect Game.  By 2005 Perfect Game had overtaken Team One as the premier showcase company in the nation and they wanted to keep it that way.  Their owner approached me about joining PG, which would give me the chance to see many of the very best high school players in the nation, in both showcase scenarios and in high level wood bat tournaments.  I loved my time with Team One but the chance to scout and evaluate the very top tier of high school players with PG each year was too much to pass up.

With the platform to evaluate the best high school players in the nation and to publish reports about those players, my reputation as a talent evaluator grew on a national level.  I also had a chance to meet many scouts, cross-checkers, some scouting directors, agents, and D1 coaches at the highest levels of the game. I now count among my friends and professional colleagues some of the very best baseball people in the game. 

With the opportunity to become a public figure in the scouting world, other opportunities came my way.  The Brewers interviewed me in the summer of 2007, for a scouting job in Southern California.  Then in the fall of 2007 the Atlanta Braves approached me about their Northern California scouting supervisor job.  Though I hated leaving PG, it was a chance to work in pro baseball and that doesn't happen a lot for people who didn't play pro ball, which I didn't.  During my first year with the Braves I had the responsibility for covering two territories, Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.  Yes, it was a big area but the travel was fun and again, I met some great people.

Toward the end of the summer of 2009 my former boss took an assistant GM job with the Nationals, meaning a new scouting director was coming to the Braves.  As happens frequently in scouting departments in MLB, he decided to hire many of his own guys, which ended my time in pro baseball.

I started BAWS back in 2004 and ran it on my own until 2008, when I brought in the owners of NorCal Baseball, which took place during my time as a scout.  When my scouting days were over I decided to leave the partnership (which I entered into specifically at the request of my former boss with Atlanta).

So in 2010, with the original BAWS transitioned into NWS, I brought back BAWS.  The last couple of years I've been fortunate to be in the role of Northern California Director for Prep Baseball Report, which has only elevated BAWS to another level that benefits the players.

The many wonderful jobs I've had, the people who've taught and mentored me, and the experience I've gained in the game since my own college playing career ended in 1994, have provided me with a unique and diverse background.  My goal is to share all of my experiences and knowledge for the benefit of hard-working players and their families. 

As for my own playing career, it was a very strong high school career and a short, injury-filled two year junior college career.  It all concluded with the final injury during winter workouts in 1994 at Aurora University in suburban Chicago. However, like my other baseball experiences, my playing days gave me the opportunity to be coached by some great baseball men.

Ah, the paths we take, we never know where they will lead us.