History
High School baseball “Club” teams began to form in various parts of the country many years ago behind the premise of exposing high level players to college coaches for recruiting purposes. With this idea in mind, the Prospects were formed in 1998 becoming the first high school Baseball Club in the St. Louis region. The vision of the Prospects was to place the top players in Missouri on the same team and showcase them around the country to top college programs.
The first Prospects team, established in the fall of 1998, produced college commits to Alabama, Univ of Missouri, Notre Dame, Missouri State, Wichita State, Saint Louis Univ, Indiana State, Kansas, and Southeast Missouri State. 16 Division 1 commits were produced from the first Prospects high school graduating Class of 2000. Max Scherzer (graduating class of 2003) would be the 11th overall pick in the 2006 MLB draft. The club would continue to produce 12-15 D1 sign per year through the first 10 years and grow a credible reputation with college coaches throughout the country.
The Prospects, now the Under Armour (UA) St. Louis Prospects, have continued to grow and provide expanding opportunities for it’s club members. Under club owner Andy Benes (14 year MLB pitcher, 1988 overall #1 draft pick, Olympic gold medalist and NL All-Star), along with his skilled and experience staff, the club has grown and furthered opportunities for players to develop their skills and expose them to as many college programs as possible no matter the level (Junior College, NAIA, DIII, DII, DI). This growth and expansion has led to the addition of a youth program (7U-14U) and high level training for its members covering all facets of the game.
The Prospects have formed and continue to have partnerships with other top organizations throughout the country (Premier Baseball, Midwest Premier) in order to play the highest level of competition. The Prospects also play in exclusive invite events such as Prep Baseball Report (PBR) National Program Invite, Midwest Prospect League (MPL), American Baseball Championships (ABC) Invite, Supers Invite, Top Prospect Games, and Premier National Championships. These relationships provide the highest level of competition and the most exposure for club members.
Today, The UA St. Louis Prospects tout over 425 college commits, more than 100 MLB draft picks, 12 first-round MLB picks, and 14 current/former MLB players. The club continues to be one of the most highly respected and reputable organizations in the Midwest.