Would you do that in Yankee stadium?

This post can be found HERE.

Don't leave scouts guessing about your arm strength

This post is now HERE.

Most players ...

This post is now HERE.

Good or bad?

This post is now HERE.

Swing and Miss stuff

This post is now HERE.

Separating yourself vs Standing out

We all have words we live by.  I've turned a few into posts. "Show up, Suit up, Shut up, and Play hard" is one of them.  Another one for me is ... 

It is better to separate yourself from the crowd then to stand out from one.

A clown stands out in a crowd.  Your eyes are automatically drawn to a clown.  They get tons of attention.  However, does anyone respect a clown?  Nope.  They're a clown.  Nobody takes them seriously.  Although they may be entertaining to look at for a while, people grow tired of their act rather quickly.  

Manny being Manny.

The same concept holds true in baseball.  Over the years, there have been quite a few players that have drawn a lot of attention to themselves.  Manny Ramirez,  John Rocker, Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, and now Brian Wilson.  Through their attitude, actions, and/or appearance, they have done things to stand out from the major league crowd.  Unfortunately, all have (or will have) trouble sustaining respect.  Sports fans and especially those in the media have a high tolerance for players who stand out.  That is, as long as their performance stays at a high level.  As soon as their performance drops, an avalanche of criticism falls down on them.  Take Manny Ramirez as an example.  When he was in his prime and hitting a ton, the Red Sox, their fans, and the media looked the other way on many of his "issues."  The sports media saw him as entertaining and loved to report all the "Mannyisms" of Manny-being-Manny.   When his performance started to drop, he all of a sudden was correctly reported as a "cancer" that nobody wanted.  Brian Wilson is setting himself up for the same fate.  Their "acts" become tiring very quickly.  Crash Davis spoke of this in Bull Durham when he said ...

If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press'll think you're colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you are a slob. 

Of course, you'll be "colorful" until you stop winning 20 in the show.

Giants closer/clown Brian Wilson

Separating yourself from the crowd is something very different.  It's what makes players like Derek Jeter, Chase Utley, Tori Hunter, Adrian Gonzalez, CC Sabathia, and David Wright well liked even when their performance slips or when they make mistakes.  People give these players the benefit of the doubt when times get tough because they play the game the right way.  They let their day-to-day and year-to-year performances do the talking for them.  They all understand that sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all.


Every player gets to choose which type of player they become - someone who stands out or someone who separates themselves from others.  If they choose to stand out, they will get lots of attention but in the long run, I don't think they will like the type of attention they get.

How do coaches judge potential?

I received a great question from a reader related to a post a few days ago called Tryouts: Current ability vs Potential.  The question was “How does a coach assess potential in a one-week tryout?”   If you were to ask a professional scout that question, he probably would say something that on the surface would sound very arrogant.  He probably would say “One week?  I can tell in 10 minutes whether the kid has potential.”  Although that may sound arrogant, in most cases it happens to be true.  The point is, it’s their job to judge and rate players’ current abilities and potential and do it quickly. 

An analogy of this in the entertainment world would be the show American Idol.  The judges on the show size up and evaluate a singer’s ability and potential based on 30 seconds worth of singing.  Based on their experience, they see and hear things the average fan does not.  They can do it so quickly and accurately because it’s their job to.

That being said, when evaluating potential, coaches and scouts first are going to look at skills and attributes that cannot be taught.  Body type, running speed, arm strength, bat speed, hand-eye coordination, and power at the plate.  Although good training and instruction can improve on all of these slightly, a player is most likely going to be limited in the amount of improvement they can make.  Instruction itself will never turn a 75 mph thrower into a 95 mph thrower no matter what an advertisement may say.  Genetics tends to take care of that.

Here's an example.  Say two kids both throw 78mph.  Player A has good, sound mechanics and is always around the plate.  He is  5’9” and comes from a family in which nobody is above 5’9”.  Player B is also 5’9” with horrible mechanics and very little accuracy.  He comes from a family of people above 6’0”.  My guess is that Player A has had a better career up to this point.  A coach may end up keeping both players but most scouts would say that Player B has more potential.  Why?  First, you can’t teach a kid to be 6’0” and the family background gives every indication that Player B will continue to grow.  Second, if Player A is throwing 78mph with sound mechanics he most likely will not get much better.  He probably has reached his ceiling of velocity because his good mechanics are currently getting the most out of his arm and body.  Player B on the other hand has a “better upside” because when you combine a future (probable) 6’0”+ frame with better mechanics that can be taught, chances are good his velocity, control, and overall success will improve fairly quickly.  The same principle applies to hitting and every other position on the field as well.  A coach and scout will determine if the player has a strong enough foundation of physical skills in which to build upon.  It's very much like the building of a house.  If you want to build a large house with many stories you have to first see if the foundation is strong enough to support the weight and eventual stress of the elements.  You can't build a 4 story house on a foundation that will only support one story.  To play at the high school, college, or professional level, a player must show that they have the foundation to support that level of competition.  Of course, a foundation is underground and cannot be seen by the average person.  Unfortunately, some kids and their parents dream of a huge house/career but fail to see that their foundation isn't strong enough.

All players want the big, beautiful "house" (career).
Scouts and coaches need to see the foundation first.

Of course, sometimes this all blows up in a coach or scout’s face when Player A  continues to grow and throw harder and Player B goes nowhere even with better mechanics.  Making projections about how a kid will develop and grow are all judgment calls.  It all comes down to whether the school, parent, player, and/or organization trust the judgment of the person making the call. 

During a one-day or week long tryout, coaches and scouts will try to put the players in situations or drills where they can gauge their natural skills quickly.  60 yard dash, a few swings, a few long throws, etc.  Usually an intersquad game is set up eventually so that the evaluators can see some of the finer points, technique, character, and make-up of the players.  Overall aggression, command of pitches, situational hitting, handling adversity, hustle, and enthusiasm are some of the things to be seen once the games begins.

It takes some pre-planning and some consistency on the part of the coaching staff to make sure all the evaluators are looking for the same thing.  If that's done, a whole lot can be seen by a coach or scout in a short period of time.


Hopefully, this answered the question.  If not, let's continue the discussion!

Professional baseball scouting - an interview

In many of my previous posts I mention scouts or scouting with regards to what they look for or how they think.  I thought it would be appropriate to hear things straight from the mouth of a real professional baseball scout.
    

Rex DeLaNuez is currently a full-time scout for the Cincinnati Reds organization.   Prior to the Reds, he spent two years as a scout for the San Francisco Giants. His territory includes a number of sections in and around the Los Angeles, California area.   He is now in his 21^st year in professional baseball, 10 as a player reaching the AAA level and 11 as a professional scout.  He agreed to answer some questions about the life of a scout, what he looks for, and how he evaluates players.  The transcript is below:

Coach McCreary: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us at Baseball By The Yard.  First off, when you evaluate players, what are you looking at and what kind of evaluation system do you use?

Rex: Scouts look for and evaluate, on a scale of 2 to 8, the five tools of players: fielding, running, hitting, power, and arm strength. I actually look for a sixth as well which is a player’s “make-up.” 

(this previous post explains what he means by "make up")

Coach: What do the numbers 2 - 8 mean to you?

Rex: The rating is different depending on whether the player is a position player or a pitcher.

   This is what the numbers mean when we rank a position player:

      2 = Non-player; poor; possible minor league batter under .220

      3 = Well Below average; possible MLB back up;  .220-.240

      4 = Below average; possible quality utility guy or 4^th outfielder on a team; .241-.260

      5 = Average; possible regular MLB player with enough defense and offense to play  
            everyday;  .260-.280, 13-19 HR’s; running time - home to 1st around 4.3 sec. 
            (righthander) & 4.2 sec. (lefthander)

      6 = Above average; possible quality regular; .280-.299

      7 = Well above average; possible MLB All-Star w/consistency

      8 = Outstanding; best in the game; .320+                                          

  These are the numbers for a pitcher:

      2 = 84mph or below

      3 = 85 – 86 mph

      4 = 87 – 88 mph

      5 = 89 – 91 mph

      6 = 92 – 93 mph

      7 = 94 – 95 mph

      8 = 96+

Coach: During the peak playing months, what would a typical day of a scout look like?

Rex: We are either on the road driving long hours to see a game, watching two or maybe three games a day, on a plane to see a game, on the phone, in a hotel waiting for a game, or on the computer writing reports.

Coach: Pro players try to move up the minor league ladder (Rookie, A, AA, AAA) and

eventually to the major leagues.  What are the levels a scout may move through?

Rex: Scouts usually start off as a part-time scout for a local area.  Next would be a full-time scout in a larger area, then a cross-checker who may cover all of the East or West coast for example, then comes national cross-checker, and finally assistant scouting director or scouting director for an entire organization.

Coach: Are there any positions you would like to hold in the future?

Rex: I just would love to keep moving up as far as I can go in the game.

Coach: Does your professional playing experience help you in scouting?

Rex: I think so. Playing ten years in the minor leagues, reaching as high as AAA, participating in Instructional League, the Arizona Fall League, playing internationally, and playing with and against players that have played in the big leagues, helps me draw comparisons to talent as well as "makeup" when evaluating players. However, there are many scouts that have never played professional baseball and are excellent scouts/evaluators.

Coach: What do you like best about scouting?

Rex: The best thing is probably making a kid's life-dream come true by signing him to his first pro contract and then seeing him make it all the way through to the Major Leagues.

Coach: What is the worst thing about scouting?

Rex: Job security. Most scouts usually have year to year contracts. Sometimes there is turnover in the organization and you may find yourself out of a job pretty quickly.

Coach: What words of advice do you have for young players hoping to one day make it into the professional levels?

Rex: Don't ever give up on your dreams. Don't let ANYONE tell you you can't play at the next level. Keep working hard to improve on your deficiencies in the game. Always hustle and play hard because you never know who's watching.

Coach:  Thanks again Rex and best of luck this coming baseball season.

Baseball By The Yard would like to do future interviews for the blog with people in and around the game.  If there is a person or position you'd be interested in hearing from, send your suggestions to baseballbytheyard@gmail.com.

What is meant by a player's "make up?"

 Ask any scout and they will tell you that a player’s “make-up” is extremely important.  So what is it and why do they care about it so much? How a scout answers the following questions will go a long way in determining a player’s “make-up.”

1.    How does he handle adversity like striking out, making an error, or an umpire’s bad call?

2.    How accepting is he of instruction and criticism?

3.    How well does he interact with his teammates?

4.    How is he in school?  Frequently late or absent? Any detentions/suspensions? Underachiever? Overachiever?

5.    Does he play like he loves the game and can’t get enough? Is baseball a passion or just a hobby?

6.    Does he hustle all the time or just when he plays well?

7.    What kind of family does he come from?

8.    Who are his “circle of friends” and what are they like?

9.    Is he respectful of how the game should be played?

10. Is he generally timid? Aggressive? Arrogant? Confident?

11.  How is his work ethic?  How well does he practice? 

     I could go on but you get the idea.  One might ask “How would a scout know all these things?”  The answer is simple. It is his job to know these things.  If organizations are going to spend large sums of money in signing bonuses and future contracts, they need to know just what and who they are getting.  Money given to a player who gets homesick and quits or who has a drug/alcohol problem or flips out on a future coach/umpire and needs to be released is money down the drain.  In the end, professional baseball is a business.  They don’t leave much to chance.     

So…if you are a player, what would a scout think of your “make-up?”

First impressions

Last weekend my wife and I took our two kids to a popular department store’s portrait studio to get some photographs done.  Our appointment was at 11:00am but we arrived at 10:50am.  The first words out of the studio’s photographer was “we’re not open yet.”  Not…”Good morning, thanks for showing up early!” or “Good morning, make yourself comfortable while I get things opened up.” Our photographer soon arrived and was great.  The first photographer began to work in another studio with a couple and a child.  Their conversation went like this:

   Customer: We’d like 12 headshots of our daughter.

   Photographer: We can’t do that.

   Customer: You’re a photographer right?

   Photographer: Yes, but we don’t do that here.

   Customer:  But we did that very thing here last year.

   Photographer: We don’t do that here.

The customer and his family walked out shaking their head in anger and amazement.  The photographer then came into our studio and complained to our photographer about how unreasonable her customer was.

Let’s recap.  A customer CHOSE to make an APPOINTMENT at THEIR studio, brought MONEY, WANTED to spend it, and was turned away.  I think it’s safe to assume that the customer will not be back.

So why would I relate this story to you in a baseball blog?  Because much of the scouting in baseball works on the same “first impression” principle.  A scout has to travel over a large territory and cannot stay in one area too long.  You have a short time to make a first impression and if you do not make a good one, you probably will never see that scout again.  

If the associate described above had overwhelmed the customer with service well beyond what was expected, the customer would have spent their money, left happy, and returned in the future - and here’s the key -  even if the photographer was not the most talented!

Here’s the lesson.  Regardless of how much or how little talent you have, you can control your enthusiasm for the game, your hustle, your respect for the game, and so forth.  College coaches and pro scouts evaluate these areas just as they do talent.  If your talent is lacking but you excel in these other areas, a coach or scout just might take a chance on you and come back.  And that’s more than most players will get. 

And by the way...that department store announced that profits would be down quite a bit more than expected this last quarter.  Coincidence?

So the question to players is:  What impression are you making?