From: ez027993@chip.ucdavis.edu (Gary The Owners Are Lying Bastards Huckabay)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Scouting [was Re: Cordero]
Date: 23 Dec 92 22:20:43 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Oakland A's Bad Pitcher Club (Heaverlo Division)

(The "The little publicized tenth reindeer" Econoclast) writes:

>	Can you tell I'm trying to avoid marking exams?

Exam Procrastination in professors and students is constant.  As dread
increases, so does USENET time logged.

>	Every time a major-league scout comes through here to look at
>the players on the AA London Tigers and their opponents, I ask him
>(there are no hers in baseball scouting, at least none have come
>through here) the Roger Maynard Question:

"Are those real, or latex?"

Actually, I guess you mean...

>"What statistics do you like to look at when scouting a player?"

Booorrring!  I like my question better.

>	The typical response is, "I don't really place too much faith
>in the stats for a player. I think the only way to judge him is to
>watch him and see what he can do."

At the AA level, players have already been scouted to high hell.  Look
at their numbers in the low minors, and look for doubles, youth, and walks.
AND range factor.

>	My jaundiced reinterpretation: "I know stats are valuable, but
>if my bosses ever find out how valuable stats are, I'll be out of a
>job, so I have to try to talk up stats that aren't very useful for
>assessment purposes, and I have to talk up the value of watching a
>player play a few games."

Sounds reasonable.  I occasionally think that people are going to realize
how easy it is to be educational computing consultant, and realize that
anyone with half a brain could do my job.  Of course, that'd be fine with
me.  I could do full time audio consulting and contract work until Hell
froze over, or the Red Sox won a series, whichever came first.

Randolph Siverson's axiom: "Decision makers will do whatever is necessary
to keep their jobs."  Has a lot of nifty implications.

>	So, Huck, if the Marlins called you tomorrow to offer you
>a scouting position, how much would you travel? 

As little as I could get away with.
Actually, I'd probably jump at the chance.  Put in a good word for
me with Wayne, and I'll take you to DQ when me and Kent go on another binge.

>What
>stats would you want to see, and what would you look for in person
>that might not show up in the stats?

For position players under 17 years of age:
Walks, doubles power, walks, range factor, walks, outfield assists,
number of games played and missed, and walks.

In terms of observation rather than statistics:

The biggie:

Can someone throw a chest-high fastball by them?  If so, minus about 4
points on a scale of 1-10.  There is never any reason to swing at a high
fastball.  If someone does so, it shows poor plate discipline and slow
bat speed.  Jose Canseco has a faster bat than Barry Bonds.  But Bonds
may appear to have the quicker bat because he doesn't swing at pitches
he can't hit - specifically, high fastballs out of the strike zone.

Does a hitter keep his weight back long enough?  Is his hip transition 
smooth and level (i.e., is the center of his body moving vertically?)

If someone has perfect form, and still can't hit, write them off.  If someone
has perfect form but never walks, sign him and trade him to an organization
that thinks he's wonderful.

On defense: Does the guy have quick feet?  In the outfield, can he flat out
FLY?  Most importantly, is his ego so big that he'll TRY to get better?  I've
worked camps with kids that have potential, but won't make it because they
will listen only to Daddy, who tells the kid to swing at every fastball
he sees, and 'make a good crossover step.'  Yeesh.  In the infield, does the
fielder favor one foot or the other?  Is his lateral movement based on 
'hopping', or does he have crossover moves?  

Most important thing in playing baseball:  It's all in the hips.  You catch
the ball with your hips.  You hit the ball with your hips.  You run with your
hips.  Your hips must be steady, and you must commit them through the moves
on any play.

What I'd be looking for is someone who walks a good deal, and isn't hitting
well due to mechanical problems.  THAT can be fixed.  Poor judgment and,
pardon the term, stupidity, can't be.  Most of the time, anyway.

Just now heard on the radio that a third team has entered the Mark McGwire
sweepstakes - Montreal!  Is this for real?  Apparently, there's a $31MM/
5 year deal in the works.   Hmmmm.  Cordero, Stairs, Mcgwire, Walker,
De Shields, Spehr, Grissom, Alou....  That team could score a few runs.

But I digress.



-- 
*    Gary Huckabay     * "Hi, Joel, it's Kathy."  "Hi, Kath."  "I think you 
*  "Official keeper    *  better come over.  Gary's not well.  He's chewing 
*  of the r.s.b. ammo  *  on the carpet, his eyes are red, and he's sobbing 
*   and weapons hoard."*  uncontrollably." "The A's signed Storm.  He'll live."