High School MLB questionnaire and Medical History

If your son is interested in being drafted fill out all info requested, be honest as well.
If he has had any previous injury (even minor), send reports as well with the questionaire because if your son signs a pro contract he will have to have a physical and you don't want any previous condition to prevent that from happening.

The process is somewhat like being recruited (remember all those questionaires he had to fill out from schools), they need to gather their info about players they may have interest in.

My son received the same questionnaire and he also got a call from a Major League Baseball rep from NY confirming his personal information for proper submission into the MLB database prior to the 2010 MLB Draft. In talking to the gentleman, great guy I might add, he confirmed that this is essentially data gathering and confirmation for those players who some team has filed a report on and therefore has an interest in (at some level) at this time to possibly consider drafting. When I further asked the same gentleman how this should be coupled (or not) with my son having now recently gotten 7 individual questionnaires from 7 seperate teams (which we obviously are aware of is a good thing . . .), he indicated that there is no black and white formula-based conclusion to draw other than the seemingly obvious point . . . he has apparently generated a requisite amount of interest in his play and he's on the right path to possibly be drafted this June but that will still all depend on how he does this upcoming HS season this Spring and how projectable teams feel he is come draft day. Thanks.

The intent differs depending on whom you're dealing with.

Some are very respectful of your son's privacy. Others will gather the info and then talk about it with other scouts behind the backstop at his next game. Or at someone else's game.

Unfortunately that's all just something you have to deal with, because in the end, they aren't going to spend big bucks on your son unless they have confirmation that he has no existing health/injury problems.

I do suggest you ask your family doctor to give you a full copy of his chart before you just let the teams get it. There may well be things in there that you think could be taken wrong, and in those instances, you may want the doctor to put a report in the file to clear things up. Otherwise, you pretty much have to let folks look at all that stuff, warts and all.

After a number of questionaires all very different. My wife and I concluded that they were 1.Trying to get an over view of the boys health history 2.Determine his signability.

A few clubs wanted them filled out completely, some would accept whatever you gave them, one club had a mandatory essay.

The boy did not provide an SS# to anyone

In HS, son had one issue with tricep tendinitous, we were advised to get copies of MRI report, make copies and send one with each questionaire.

The number one answer they are looking for is how much $$$$ the player would sign for. Just list this and maybe they'll consider you.

"Will play for food"

Happy Holidays!

They are looking for a number of things, but only ask you what they don't know by observing the player, which would be prior injuries and $$$ it would it take to give up college.

Any prior injury factor is very important, you may get drafted, decide to sign, but something is discovered during a physical and then your $$ you might have agreed upon is reduced.

What does it mean, if anything, when a scout requests to come to the house to meet with a player and his parents?

bake some cookies and enjoy the visit. to me it is a sign that your son's work has been noticed.

think of things you'd like to know, they will answer your all your question's. congratulations.

quote:

Originally posted by sportsmomof2:
What does it mean, if anything, when a scout requests to come to the house to meet with a player and his parents?

He wants to come discuss the draft (which is his job), and most likely get impressions of how the family feels about him being drafted out of HS.

20Dad is correct, don't worry about it, bake some cookies, take it as a learning experience. Yo might have all 30 teams visit and come draft day no name called.

quote:

bake some cookies and enjoy the visit. to me it is a sign that your son's work has been noticed.

think of things you'd like to know, they will answer your all your question's. congratulations.

Thanks! I'm trying to relax and enjoy this next phase, but I do tend to worry and over analyze. I think the whole advisor thing is more worrisome to me than the scout visits. I do feel that we need some advice - but we are really leary of getting an advisor at this point.

when we went through this i was like a kid seeing santa for the first time. i felt like i had my own encyclopedia, i asked more questions than i can remember. i requested that if they drafted him i would like the scouting reports. the team that drafted him brought them with the contract. i think they had 5 or 6 reports, very interesting to see how others think of your son.

my son wasn't a first rounder, so the money questions were easy. when they asked how much it would take to sign i said if you really want him draft him. maybe not the best approach, but it was how we felt.

as big a deal as it is, you need to enjoy it as well.

i wouldn't be afraid to call an advisor or two and ask them a few questions. you can't/don't hire them right now anyway. a good advisor will talk to you about this for free, thats how they get hired.

Exactly what kind of questions are asked on these questionaire's, or are they all different depending on the club?

I understand they are wanting to find out about any prior injuries and money concerns, but I was curious as to how personal they get on them. Are they basically just "get to know" type questions?

From my personal example:

Different Major League teams would send different forms. Some would just be a little post card with some questions, while others were full in depth reports which looked almost like the SATs where you had to bubble in the correct answer. I even had a few physcological questionaires where it seemed they were trying to find out what type of person I was (or type of teammate).

I really don't think those things matter all that much though. In the end it is going to be your coaches word, what the scouts think of you, and how you play.

For the medical side of things, not only did every teams scout ask when we sat down and talked (even after I filled out the paper work), but the MLB scouting bureu (<---check that speeling) sent a guy who tested my vision, height, weight, and again talked about medical history.

They can never get enough information when it comes to making an investment in a player. They want to know everything possible about the player before they fork over the money.

The more information they seek, the better chance they are considering a larger investment.

The new thing now is the drug testing. If you are asked to take the drug test, you are an early round candidate. That doesn't necessarily mean you will be selected in the early rounds for certain. I would say that those not asked to do the drug test are very unlikely to get drafted in the first few rounds this year. It's new, so we'll have to see how this works.

PG, why is it that they are trying this drug testing out now? Are they testing for "street" drugs, or steroid type....or both? I would have assumed they had testing for the "street" type in place already.....

I'm not sure. Only know that the top ranked players are being tested. Seems odd to test before the draft, but if it helps the cause I'm all for it.

I did find this article on it.

Major League Baseball, while trying to also eradicate drug use at the amateur level, will require the top 200 prospects, as determined by its scouting bureau, to submit to drug tests. Clubs will be notified of the players who test positive but they will remain draft-eligible.

It is good to see them taking a proactive approach. I can understand the necessity in wanting to know this kind of information about such a big investment for the ball club.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
I'm not sure. Only know that the top ranked players are being tested. Seems odd to test before the draft, but if it helps the cause I'm all for it.

I thought this was odd at first as you can draft someone, have them tested and then deal with it later, but I think that teams are tired of dealing with it. The idea of the test is the element of surprise and the willingness of the player to take the test, if he refuses, big red flag.

at first glance, i would say steroid use. but in a few instsnces players had drug issues, that can prove very difficult to deal with. especialy finding out after a big payment.

on the up side if they ask for the test, your a big deal.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:
Seems odd to test before the draft, but if it helps the cause I'm all for it.

It makes sense to me. I would want to know as much as I can about a player before the draft. Same as with medical history, I don't want to risk or maybe waste an early pick on damaged goods.

infidel,

Yes, it does make a lot of sense in that way.

It just seems like a good attorney would have a field day with something mandated towards people who really aren't applying for anything.

The only reason I get tested is because I have a lot of talent? Something doesn't seem right about that.

I'm still all for it, though, because it could have a positive affect on some young players.

20dad, did you your son got drafted?

PG,wonder how the wonder boy is going to test out?

Moderators, take note, no names specified.ha ha.

BOF Jr got his first pro RFI last night. Needless to say he was pretty excited. The forms were all online and pretty straightforward, but very detailed. This thread is a little stale but still relevant and helped me understand why they were asking what they were. There were all of the questions about whether he wanted to go to college or play in the pros. I thought it was interesting that they wanted to know where he thought he would go in the draft. He put the top 8 rounds….hey why not? I will call his Dr today and make sure he gets his file organized, and we will see. The only thing we are taking from this is that someone at two levels up noticed, so this is a good thing.

Congrats to BOF jr. that is a very happy feeling!

Stating Top 8 Rounds, may impact signability. But I am sure you know that...

And yes! Congratulations!

It's very important, IMO, to be completely honest with the MLB organizations. In the end, if you believe the top 8 rounds is where you should be, and an organization agrees, then you're on your way. There are several MLB teams that give online access, but many still send the pages to complete and mail back. It's a fun time for these kids.

My kid filled a couple questionnaires out this past summer. I couldn't believe how many questions there were, and it appeared as if they were asking the same question in two different ways on a few occasions? I don't know how a normal 17 year old is going to know which round he expects to be drafted in...or how much he expects to sign for? I had Bsbl Jr write down the rounds that PG Crosschecker had him placed. And in regards to how much? We didn't know what to write down, so we went with slot money in whatever round he is drafted? This morning he received an email from one of the scouts that has been communicating with him, wanting to know if he has an advisor? I laughed, my family is happy and relieved that my son signed his NLI last week...last thing we're thinking about is an advisor? Honestly, I don't expect my son to be drafted, but it's fun for him to receive a little attention. I have no idea how the top "blue chip" prospects are able to handle all the paperwork, financial pressure, etc...? I guess they'd probably need an advisor!?

quote:

20dad, did you your son got drafted?

yes, son in 06.

sorry for the untimely reply.

"Will play for food"
Good one, better than the one my son wanted to say " buy me a bus ticket and I am there."

bsbl247 and Momof1B,

quote:

baseball......a big business disquised as a little boys dream.

I posted that quote up at the top so that you'll see it.

I'm not sure you are seeing it at the bottom of 20dad's post.

quote:

I have no idea how the top "blue chip" prospects are able to handle all the paperwork, financial pressure, etc...? I guess they'd probably need an advisor!?

If you are receiving questionnaires and getting contacts from scouts, you probably are a 'blue chip' prospect.

There is limited information on this site about the advisors process which can be a delicate process itself.

If you are receiving MLB inquiries and being asked about 'advisors', you need to get an idea of what round you might be drafted and have an idea of how much money it would take for you to sign.

There is a correlation with round and money.

An advisor can help with that.

If you are willing to play for food, you might.

And, if you get drafted and sign, you will get a bus plane ticket along with everyone else.

And, about $1,250 per month to start.

It's a fun ride, but filled with many, many choices that have significant consequences.

quote:

It's a fun ride, but filled with many, many choices that have significant consequences

"Life is complex.
Each one of us must make his own path through life. There are no self-help manuals, no formulas, no easy answers. The right road for one is the wrong road for another...The journey of life is not paved in blacktop; it is not brightly lit, and it has no road signs. It is a rocky path through the wilderness. "
— M. Scott Peck

We are just taking it one day at a time.

FormerObserver,

My unprofessional definition of a "Blue Chip" prospect would be a player that's projected to be drafted within the first ten rounds...and is highly sought after by major top 25 D-1 schools in the country. He would also fetch scholarship offers of 75% and higher. I'd like to say that my son fits that mold, but he doesn't. That's okay, I'm still very proud of everything he's accomplished thus far, and looking forward to what he's going to do in the future. I can tell you that his best friend and HS teammate fits the mold of a blue chip prospect. He will have a handful of scouts attending each of the games, and that will be good for everyone else. With that said, my son is going to school...hopefully after three years of college he'll get the opportunity to be drafted. If he doesn't go pro, he'll have a degree from a very good school. It's a win-win situation IMO.

Jack Bernacchi is 2012 MLB Draft Prospect according to www.mlbdraftguide.com and he is grateful to be shown that hard work pays off. How much detail is needed on these reports, bruises, fall skiing, skateboarding header injury...these kids are so active and without a body scan or MRI, who knows some of these answers?

Why is there so much interest in Size...I watched the mlb's most boring year, full of giants who can't play ball or hit, record strike outs...enough emphasis on growth hormones, even if natural. Eye tests seem more appropiate given the poor hitting in professional baseball. Throw away the stop watch and get out the E eye charts....

Thanks for all your comments. Watch for Jack Bernacchi and his teammates. They are truly a scout team of dedicated good kids. Their success is magic and legendary in their community.

Mom,

Size and speed are 2 things that cannot be taught.

I found MLB to be pretty exciting last year, lots of young kids coming up and doing a great job. Why was it boring, not enough HR's for you?

I am actually a fan of small ball rather than the long ball, so it's all in how one looks at the game.

For your information, as far as the hitting goes, if it were easy everyone would be at that level, would you not agree?

You are a proud mom! Good luck to your son and I wish you many more years enjoying your son playing the great game of baseball!