Questions About Scouting

Q:How do scouts find out about players? And how much input do you take from high school or college coaches?

A:Each team has area scouts who are responsible for certain portions of the country. During the fall, the scout sends correspondents to each high school and college coach to provide them feedback on players they feel may have potential to be a pro ball player. We also learn about prospects to follow by holding tryout camps, attending high school showcases, tournaments and reports from the Major League Scouting Bureau.

Q: If a player is an unknown to the scouts what is a good way to expose them to the scouts.

A: I would say attend a MLSB tryout camp. With a good showing there, your name gets sent out as follow to all 30 Major League Teams. Also hit as many team tryout camps you can attend.Play on a select travel team and attending high school showcases like Team One, Eastern Professional Showcase, Area Code Games or Perfect Game.

Q: What high school showcases do you think gives a player the most exposure to the major league scouts?

A:Eastern Professional Showcase and Area Code Games are the most attending events for scouts because we pick the players and coach the teams. Every major league team will send their cross checkers and scouting directors to both these events.

Q: What is the role of the Major League Scouting Bureau in scouting a prospect?

A: The Bureau can help in scouting prospects, but we never draft players based on a scouting report of a Bureau scout. The MLSB will like players we don't. We have signed players that the Bureau did not card.The Bureau is used strictly for leads on players and things like player information cards,pyschological tests and eye tests. Even though the Bureau supplies that information, we still require our scouts to get that information themselves too.

Q: What is the purpose of a inhouse visit by a scout before the season starts?

A: The main reason is to give a pyschological test,eye test and get some additional information on a prospect. We also want to know how signable that player is and who will be calling the shots in case we draft that player. We relize with any player we only have a 1 in 30 chance of drafting them.

Q:What affect does the player having an agent have in where the player is drafted?

A: We expect most of the top players to have an agent, but some agents have a rep for making signability very hard. When we hear some agents name we avoid these players. It doesn't do us or the player any good if we spend money scouting him and we draft him and contract negiotations drag on and on. We want our players to sign and start playing minor league ball as soon as possible. Some agents forget the players goal is to reach the major leagues, that is where the most money is anyways.

Q: What kind of things will make you stay away from a player?

A: We will stay as far as possible away from players that are listed as uncoachable or has any pyschological problems. Drug, alcohol abuse and criminal records are very big negatives to any organization.