Does anyone know how a scout measures bat speed. I read an article on a player where they state "His bat speed rates a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale". Do they use radar or something?
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Scouts don't generally measure bat speed quantitatively. The 70 you refer to is a subjective 'grade' assigned by a scout based on what he sees and how what he sees compares to the average major league player. A 70 would denote an above average major league bat speed.
I asked the same question in an earlier thread and never got a reasonable response. An associate scout measured my son's batspeed at 86 mph and told him that was up there with a good D1 player. A BA top 100 teammate was measured at 90 mph. Did not know where this scout got his info from or if it is accurate. Any thoughts.
It's possible that only a sabermatrician would know the true answer to this question...
There are no devices to measure bat speed at a college or high school game in BP or during the game. I have never seen a scouting report where bat speed is measured and given a grade either.If a scout says a player has such and such bat speed in a game, he is just guessing. There are devices that measure bat speed, but they are not used in games.
There are devices that measure bat speed. It is used under controlled situations. A friend of mine used to use one at clinics.
At one of these clinics he found a kid who measured the best bat speed he had seen. He asked the kid how he did that because he was fairly small. The kid told him. "I bought one of those bat meters when they first come out and figured out how to register the fastest readings". In other words, he found the swing that registered best, not necessarily the best swing to hit with. This player hit 1 HR in his high school career.
When someone has extremely good bat speed it sticks out like a sore thumb. We saw a high school player Jim Negrich at our predraft a couple years ago. He was fairly unknown at the time. He had the very best bat speed of anyone there. In BP he kept popping everything up, but the swing was extra special with "great" bat speed". He ended up going to Pitt (I think) and he should get drafted very early this June. The word is he's one of the best hitters in next years draft.
At one of these clinics he found a kid who measured the best bat speed he had seen. He asked the kid how he did that because he was fairly small. The kid told him. "I bought one of those bat meters when they first come out and figured out how to register the fastest readings". In other words, he found the swing that registered best, not necessarily the best swing to hit with. This player hit 1 HR in his high school career.
When someone has extremely good bat speed it sticks out like a sore thumb. We saw a high school player Jim Negrich at our predraft a couple years ago. He was fairly unknown at the time. He had the very best bat speed of anyone there. In BP he kept popping everything up, but the swing was extra special with "great" bat speed". He ended up going to Pitt (I think) and he should get drafted very early this June. The word is he's one of the best hitters in next years draft.