What MLB Scouts Are Looking For
THE PHYSICAL TOOLS OF A MAJOR LEAGUE BALL PLAYER
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Arm Strength
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| What MLB Scouts Are Looking For |
This is a tool that is often overlooked by ball players today and one of the
most lacking tools at the major league level. With 10 teams playing on
artificial surfaces, making fielders play their position deeper, a strong arm is
even more necessary today than in the past. The player with a strong arm will
have less teams take a chance by running against him thus preventing runs from
scoring. Thus a team with a weak throwing outfield or catcher will have more
opportunities taken against them leading to more throwing errors and more runs
given up.
When scouts are evaluating a players arm strength it is usually during
pre-game infield-outfield practice. A scout will get to see several throws by
the outfielders to second, third, and home plate. If a player has a good arm,
chances are he will show it here, particularly on throws to home plate. Scouts
are looking for four things from outfielders: a strong overhand throw, a
straight-line trajectory, good carry, and good life on the turf when the ball
finally hits the ground.
A strong arm is also necessary for infielders particularly the shortstop and
third baseman. Scouts will pay the most attention to throws made from the
outfield grass from deep short. If a player has a strong arm, it will show here.
Look for a straight-line trajectory, strong hissing noise, and a sharp smack in
the first baseman glove.
Running Speed
Foot speed is the only common denominator of offense and defense. This is
one tool that does not go into slumps. A fast runner is of greater priority for
clubs that play on artificial turf because they are playing in a bigger park and
the ball travels faster than on grass. A fast outfielder may be able to catch up
to two more balls a game thus saving his ball club an average of one run a game.
The same player can steal bases thus putting ore pressure on the defense and
making the pitchers throw more fastballs.
A players running speed is usually timed in two ways; 60 yard dash and from
home to first. The average major league time is , from home to first for right handed
hitters and for left handed hitters. The clock start
on times from home to first on the crack of the bat to when the foot hits first
base. A fast runner at the major league level can run home to first in 4.0
seconds or below. The ability to run, will force fielders to rush their throws
and make more throwing errors. A team without speed will often have to hold
their runners at third base thus scoring less runs.
60 Yard Dash
8: 6.4 seconds -
7: 6.5-6.6 seconds
6: 6.7-6.8 seconds
5: 6.9-7.0 seconds
4: 7.1-7.2 seconds
3: 7.3-7.4 seconds
2: 7.5 seconds +
Home To First (Right Side)
8: 4.0 seconds
7: 4.1 seconds
6: 4.2 seconds
5: 4.3 seconds
4: 4.4 seconds
3: 4.5 seconds
2: 4.6 seconds
Home To First (Left Side)
8: 3.9 seconds
7: 4.0 seconds
6: 4.1 seconds
5: 4.2 seconds
4: 4.3 seconds
3: 4.4 seconds
2: 4.5 seconds
Fielding Ability
This is the one tool that has the greatest chance of improvement. While you
can not develop great foot speed or a great arm, fielding has the greatest
chances of improvement with contest practice. When judging fielding scouts are
looking for a number of traits:
(Quick Feet) the ability to move quickly laterally and forward and back.
(Range) how much ground does he cover?
(Soft Hands) the ability to catch the ball smoothly in the center the glove.
(Quick Hands) the ability to field bad hops.
Hitting Ability
This is the most difficult tool to scout because you are judging a hitter on
how they will hit do at the major league level, by watching them hit against
amateur pitching. There are a lot of amateur hitters that will look great
against amateur pitching and then fall flat on their face once they enter
professional baseball. A hitter should have these lists of skills:
(Bat Speed) the ability to swing the bat quickly
the ability to consistently hit the ball hard.
knowledge of the strike zone
the ability to turn on a major league fastball.
the ability to hit breaking pitches.
the ability to hit to all fields.
the ability to make adjustments at the plate when fooled.
Hitting Grade/Projected Batting Average
8: .330
7: .300-.329
6: .285-.289
5: .270-.284
4: .240-.269
3: .220-.239
2: .000-.219
Hitting With Power
Hitting the ball for power is one of the more desirable traits for any
hitter, unfortunately it is often the most poorly projected tool at the major
league level. In order to hit for power, a hitter needs outstanding batspeed.
Batspeed is what makes the ball travel and all outstanding hitters have it. A
hitter with major league power will regularly hit the ball over the fence in
batting practice and should be able to drive the ball over 400 feet.
A lot
of care should be taken when judging amateur hitters swinging aluminum bats. The
aluminum bat has a greater hitting surface, and because they are lighter they
can be swung with much greater bat speed, driving the ball 18% farther than with
wooden bats. A 400 foot drive with a wood bat will travel 470 feet with
aluminum. So many hitters are home run hitters swinging aluminum become warning
track hitters with a wood bat. It is very important for hitters to get used to a
wooden bat before signing into professional baseball. Most hitters find they
have a tough time getting used to not driving the ball they way they used to in
college or high school baseball.
Power Grade/Projected Home Runs
8: 45 Plus
7: 35-44
6: 26-34
5: 15-25
4: 10-14
3: 5-9
2: 0-4
What Scouts Look For In Pitchers
When scouting a pitcher the first quality a scout will look for is a strong
arm.This is a God-given talent that can only be improved to a certain degree.
One game under a radar gun will tell if the pitcher has the arm strength to be a
major league prospect.
There are two basic models of radar guns used to
clock the speed of fastballs. The Stalker Gun will pick up the speed of the
fastball after it has traveled 2 feet. A fastball will lose 8 mph from the time
it leaves the pitchers hand to the time it crosses home plate. The average major
league fastball is 90-91 mph on a Stalker Gun. Scouts will rarely if ever sign a
pitcher who does not throw at least 89 mph on the Stalker Gun.
CHECKLIST FOR GRADING PITCHERS
Fastball- The first thing a scout looks for is a fastball with good velocity
and movement. A fastball should sink, rise, slide or tail. A major league
fastball is in the 90-91 mph.
Curveball- When grading a curveball, scouts look for a fast tight rotation
on the ball. A good curveball will break both laterally and downward about two
feet. A good curve ball gives the illusion of falling off the table with its
sharp downward breaking motion as it approaches home plate.
Slider- A good slider can be a tremendous compliment to a good fastball. A
good slider will have a tight lateral spin, like a bullet. A slider will break
about 6-18 inches as it approaches home plate. It should look like a fastball
until it breaks across the plate.
ChangeUp- A good change up can be a tremendous asset to any pitcher by
making fastball seem that much quicker to the hitter. A good change-up should
look identical to the hitter only it travels 15-20 mph slower than the fastball.
It will make the hitter way out in front of the pitch.
Delivery- A pitchers delivery should be as smooth as possible. It should
look effort-less with no mechanical problems like: throwing across the body,
landing on a stiff front leg, overstriding, landing on the heel or his arm
lagging behind his body. Any mechanical problems left uncorrected can lead to
control and arm problems.
Control- The ability to throw strikes on a consistent basis is vital for any
pitcher to have success at the major league level. If the pitcher has less than
overpowering stuff his control becomes even more important to his success. A
good pitcher will be able to throw 70% of their pitches for strikes and can
throw breaking pitches for strikes when behind in the count.
Pitchers Velocity Scale (Stalker Gun)
8: 99 mph +
7: 94-98 mph
6: 92-93 mph
5: 90-91 mph
4: 86-89 mph
3: 83-85 mph
2: 82 mph -
What Scouts Look For in Catchers
A good catcher is vital to the success of a championship team. The catcher
will provide leadership on the field and work with the pitcher when setting up
the hitters and calling the game. The catcher must be durable and is responsible
for the teams defense. A catcher needs soft hands , quick feet and the ability
to block pitches in the dirt. A good catcher can catch and throw to second base
under , some catchers can break 1.75 seconds.
Catchers Release Times to Second Base
8: 1.74 seconds - below
7: 1.75-1.79 seconds
6: 1.80-1.84 seconds
5: 1.85-1.90 seconds
4: 1.91-1.99 seconds
3: 2.0-2.1 seconds
2: 2.3-above seconds
What Scouts Look For In Infielders
A good infield is worth it wait in gold to a successful team. A strong
defense will take the opposition out of more rallies and save wear and tear on
the pitching staff.
Teams are looking for these qualities in their infielders.
Arm Strength: A strong arm is especially necessary from the shortstop who
will often be making throws up to 150 feet flat-footed on the edge of the
outfield grass. The third baseman also needs a strong arm when called upon to
make throws up to 120 feet from along the foul line. Look to see if the
infielders throws are straight and do not die as they approach the first
baseman.
Range: Look for infielders with good body control. They need first-step
quickness able to field the ball to their left, right, over their head and able
to charge the ball and come up throwing. Also they need soft hands, able to move
their hands quickly and smoothly to bad hops and sharply hit line drives
What Scouts Look For In Outfielders
A good outfielder is vital to the make up for a successful team. Although
most outfielders are in the lineup for their bats, their defensive skills can
not be overlooked. Scouts are looking for these basic skills from outfielders
Arm Strength: A strong arm is vital for the defensive make up of the
outfield. A strong arm will cut down baserunners trying to score and prevent
runners from taking extra bases. When evaluating a players arm strength, it is
important to be at the game in time to see infield-outfield practice. If the
player has a strong arm, chances are he will show it here. Teams will often
decide whether to run on a team by the strength of the arms demonstrated before
the game. You should look for four things from outfielders: a strong overhand
throw, a straight-line trajectory, good carry, and good life off the turf when
the ball finally hits the grounds. A strong arm is vital for rightfield because
he will often be called on to make throws to third base and home plate up to 275
feet.
Range: A good outfielder will be able to cover a lot of ground in the
outfield. The centerfielder has the most territory to cover, so obviously
getting a good jump on the ball and having good speed is vital for a good
outfielder. The outfielder must be able to field ground and fly balls and come
up throwing. Outfielders need to be able judge how hard a ball is hit and be
able to field fly balls hit over his head. The centerfielder requires the most
speed and the rightfielder the strongest arm. A good centerfielder can run the
60 yard dash in under 6.6 seconds. Left and rightfielders should run the 60 yard
dash under 6.8 seconds.
What Scouts Look For In Hitters
This is the hardest all tools to predict whether a player will hit major
league pitching because you often do not know whether they will hit at the major
league level until they get there.
The quality the most necessary to become a major league hitter is a smooth
quick level swing. A player with a quick bat can wait on the pitches longer
therefore have a better chance of hitting the ball harder. Another important
quality to look for is a good knowledge of the strike zone. A player will not
become a good hitter by swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. The more
patient the hitter is, the more dangerous they become.
When watching a hitter play close attention to his hands when he strides. If
a player drops or raises his hands when the pitch is being delivered, he
increases his chances of not hitting the ball hard. The hands should go back,
the less unnecessary movement, the better. The harder the pitcher is throwing,
the more mechanically correct the hitter needs to be to hit. A hitter that
lunges, doesn1t keep his hands back, hitches or has a pronounced uppercut will
not hit at a consistent level.
When evaluating hitters focus on tools, not statistics. You should scout
tools not performance. Statistic are good for evaluating weaknesses. A hitter
with a high strikeout and low walk total is swinging at too many bad pitches,
unless corrected will never hit at a constant level.
A hitter should be able to turn on a good fastball on the inside part of the
pate. If he can't, he has little chance of becoming a good hitter, because
pitchers must throw inside to be successful at the major league level. A hitter
must be able to hit breaking pitches or he will not last at the major league or
minor league level. Once word gets out about a hitters can1t hit the breaking
pitches, he will see nothing else until he learns to hit it.
PLAYERS MAKEUP
The player's makeup is vital to his success in professional baseball. Often
the player with the greatest desire will develop into a better ball player than
the one with better physical tools. Most of the players when they sent to the
minor leagues, are used to being the star on their team and often have never
been in a slump or have lost a game before. This for many players is difficult
to accept. For the first time in their lives, they are knocked out in the first
inning or go 0 for 4. If a player can overcome this, they have a better chance
of reaching their goal of playing in the major leagues.
One of the most important factors in a player's makeup is whether they can
adjust to being away from home. Most high school players have never been away
from home for any length of time and many are not prepared mentally to handle
the long bus rides, bad lights, and poor playing conditions. For many college
players, the minors is a step down from playing on good fields, good lighting,
flying, and large attendance.
The college player often comes into the minor leagues more mature because he
has been away from home, but a player with a college degree may quit after two
years if he does not feel he is being promoted quick enough.It is very difficult
for players to see their teammates being promoted while they are staying put. A
player who works hard and puts up good numbers in the minor leagues will be
noticed by the organization.
PLAYER CHECKLIST (What to look for in a player)
CATCHERS: Arm strength, agility and quickness, soft hands, aggressiveness
plus leadership.
INFIELDERS: Arm Strength, speed, instincts, aggressiveness, soft hands,
hitting ability (especially from the corners).
HITTERS: Strength, batspeed, plane of swing, absence of fear,
aggressiveness, top-hand extension, and follow-though.
PITCHERS: Arm strength, velocity, movement, and a curveball with tight
rotation, free arm action and proper delivery, with complete extension on the
follow-though (basically a live, quick arm, aggressiveness, and the ability to
concentrate.
MAKEUP: Strong desire to succeed, coachability, maturity, temperament,
improvement, drive, hunger, consistency, knowledge of the game, competitiveness,
(how badly does the player want to reach the major leagues and how well he will
work at.)
PHYSICAL CHANGES: Has he reached his full height yet? Can he gain or lose
weight? Will he become faster or slower? Has he filled out yet? Does he a have
history of being hurt? How much has his skills improved from last year.
Does the player have the physical tools plus the strong make up to play in
the major leagues. Only about 10% of the players who sign a minor league
contract will.
What MLB Scouts Are Looking For
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