Goosegg posted:"Curious how much actual feedback you get from scouts, or is it just like college recruitment."
The answer to this: it depends. (Ha)
What the scouts do in the stands isn't a secret; they cluster in groups behind the plate and occasionally move (mostly in small herds) down the lines - all the while doing "scout things."
The key to mining their info is being friendly and timing.
Scouts are at the games to work, so first and foremost they must be given space and time to do that. The overwhelming amount of work (at the game) is done during the innings; between innings is social time with scouts swapping stories/lies/exaggerations with their neighbors.
So, how to get info?
First, remember that the first key scout who evaluates your son is the area scout (ignore most Associate scouts as they are mere placeholders and most lack the experience of the Area scout). The area scout (AS) has a defined area and only scouts within this area; as such, unless an opposing school is in his area, the AS only does home games. (The AS is the one who writes reports and sends video back to his club. He is the one who can judge your son's mechanics.)
Second, over time a parent who attends a fair amount of home games soon learns the names of the scouts and their organizations. (Don't know the name? Before the game, go down and introduce yourself and ask your questions.) [Its a somewhat cloistered job and scouts are naturally gregarious and will carry a conversation when they're not working.]
Now, leverage that "relationship" to your advantage.
How? Say your son is the SP. Before the game, say hello to your new scout friend, and in passing mention that your son is the SP. Between innings, when the scout is not working, ask how your son is doing. Typically the scout will tell you his various velos; then you can ask how his delivery looks. Most scouts will tell you the good and the bad. It's really that simple - but you need to have built that initial relationship. (Home visits offer the same opportunity; but for college kids, most scouts meet with them [maybe to pass out the questionnaire] without parents present.)
Over time, as your relationship with the AS lengthens, you can take more liberty. For example, if there's a seat next to or directly behind the scout, sit there; most scouts cant help themselves and will soon be including you in what they are seeing.
(Remember, scouts aren't scouting EVERY player, they concentrate on the draft eligible and loosely pay attention to the rest. Most games - of the 70ish players in uniform - only a relative handful are being scouted.]
PS. Some AS are better than others so take the feedback with that in mind. You'll need to judge who knows what.
(Over the 15 years I actively attended college games [70+ per year], I was able to pump lots of info out of lots of scouts, cross-checkers, reporters, and the like. Now it's five years later and my interest in the workings of the system has waned but when I go to games, I'm still friends with a bunch of the guys. People love to talk about baseball!)
This is one of the better (and most accurate) posts I have ever read on this site.