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For all players, a scout will define three main characteristics of the player, his physical description, his abilities, and his weaknesses. Scouts grade each player on their current abilities and they also place future grades on the players. The process of placing future grades on players is known as projection. What makes scouting such a unique and difficult job is that a scout's ability to project a player's future is more valuable than his ability to evaluate a player's current abilities.
Evaluating the abilities of position players:
There are five abilities, also known as tools, to evaluate (& some specifics within each). This list is a good place to start for a novice scout, but there is more to it.:
A. Fielding Ability - range, footwork, hands, anticipation/1st step, set-up
B. Throwing Ability - arm strength, accuracy, quickness of release, trajectory
C. Hitting Ability - bat speed, trigger, timing, balance, barrel contact, swing plane
D. Power potential - bat speed, strength, swing path, aggressiveness, raw distance
C. Running Ability - raw speed, instincts, burst, agility, quickness, home to first
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In addition to being able to evaluate each of the five tools, you must be able to equate the relevance and importance of each tool for each position on the field.
The order of importance of abilities for each position varies for each organization:
A. Catcher - fielding (receiving), throwing, power, hitting, running
B. 1st Base/3rd Base - hitting, power, fielding, throwing, running
C. 2nd Base - fielding, hitting, running, throwing, power
D. Shortstop - fielding, throwing, running, hitting, power
E. Left field - hitting, power, running, fielding, throwing
F. Right field - hitting, power, throwing, running, fielding
F. Centerfield -fielding, running, hitting, throwing, power
Evaluating the abilities of pitchers:
There is a standard list of things to evaluate for pitchers, including but not limited to:
A. Body (current and future projection)
B. Arm Slot
C. Arm Action
D. Mechanics
E. Aggressiveness
F Poise/Presence
G. Feel for the baseball
H. Velocity (starting with the fastball)
I. Shape and spin of breaking pitches
J. Velocity differential between different pitches
K. Movement
L. Command
M. Depth of each pitch or angle at which each pitch enters the strike zone
In many cases, the physical description of a player will go a long way toward the scout's future projection of the player. Some players have outstanding current abilities, yet if the scout doesn't feel strongly about a player's future projectability, the scout may not consider that player a prospect. Each organization has its own philosophy of the relevance of certain physical characteristics.
There are many other subjective evaluations, observations, thoughts, and factors that each scout uses, based on the amount of experience and training that scout has. This list is a good start toward you understanding how scouts go about their business and over the years, your experience becomes your biggest asset.
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