What Do Baseball Scouts Look For?

Baseball scouts look for five things when evaluating a potential player's chances of making it in professional baseball. The ability of a player to hit, hitting with power, the strength of the player's arm, speed and fielding ability are all taken into consideration when scouts recommend a particular player. The emphasis is almost always on the ability to hit first among position players, except for certain positions where fielding ability is given more importance. In a pitcher, scouts are looking to grade the quality of the pitches and make projections on a pitcher's ability to compete based on factors, such as work ethic and aggressiveness.

When scouting a position player baseball scouts will first look to see if the player has the ability to hit the baseball. The player's swing, bat speed, arm extension, and whether the swing is level are all gauged by a scout. The entire swing will be analyzed by the scouts. If the player consistently makes solid contact, then the scouts will take notice. Power hitting is also important. However, scouts take into consideration that a player that can hit can learn to hit for power. On the other hand, a player with power that doesn't make contact will have a much harder time at the pro level. Of the five "tools" that scouts look for in a player, power is usually the last one to develop.

Every position except for catcher, shortstop and centerfield has hitting emphasized over fielding. But those positions are the ones that scouts know need to be filled by players that can catch the ball. Scouts look at as player's fielding ability in regards to if he has good hands, footwork, and possesses a feel for the game. Arm strength comes into play when looking at a player's defense, with the strongest arms belonging to catchers, shortstops, third baseman, and right fielders. Fielders may be designated as having good fielding ability with a poor arm or being able to throw hard but not able to catch the ball as well. Scouts can grade these tools and project what position a player may end up playing in the pros.

Speed is the one thing that scouts look for in a baseball player that has both an offensive and defensive component to it. A fast runner can be a threat on the base paths and help teams to score runs once he is taught how to steal bases correctly. On defense, speed can allow a fielder to catch up to fly balls and increase the range of the fielder. However, speed alone does not make a fielder have great range, since knowing where to play each batter is a huge factor in that respect.

A pitcher is looked at differently by scouts. First and foremost scouts will look to see what kind of fastball a pitcher has since of all the pitches this is the one that takes the most natural ability to be able to throw. A pitcher with above average fastballs can be taught to throw other pitches, making him even more valuable to a team. Then the scouts will grade the quality of the other pitches in a pitcher's arsenal and decide if the pitcher has the ability to learn how to throw other pitches. Such things as the movement of the pitches through the strike zone, the stamina of the pitcher, the work ethic of the player, and the ability to throw strikes are all looked at by scouts.

Most scouts use a grading system to evaluate a player's prospects of making it as a professional. The scouts use a scale that scores the player anywhere from 20 through 80 for each of the tools. A score of 50 points is the major league level average. A player will be deemed a prospect if he has been graded at above average in at least two of the five categories. Above average in all five categories means the player is a "five tool prospect" and will be highly sought after. A pitcher will have his velocity graded on his fastball and is evaluated as to how many pitches he can throw above average and well above average.