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I posted this in the "draft" forum as well, but I know this forum gets much more traffic.

This question is about another player on my son's team and his chances of getting drafted.

As a junior, the kid (who is a catcher in high school) was hurt for half of the year, which also caused him to miss most of the summer (did not attend Area Code games or other notable showcases). As a senior, he has put together an outstanding season, great numbers, leading the league in HR's and SB's, getting all sorts of awards. He has been committed to a mid to low level D1 since August as an OF.

He is a good player, runs about a 6.8 60 yard dash, has a strong arm, and is by all accounts from people that would know, a draftable player out of high school. Other players in the league draw scouts to games, but none of the scouts seem to know this kid's name.

I've got two questions. Number 1: Is the adage "if you're good, they will find you" true anymore? If you don't go to showcases, will they find you? He has better stats (yes, high school stats are useless I know) than guys in the area projected in the top 100 picks and is about as athletic, but didn't put himself out there like they did.

And number 2: Is it possible for someone like that to get drafted just off word of mouth? If a scout never really talks to him, could he still get drafted? Isn't it hard for the local scouts to not notice if one guy gets league MVP over 2 or 3 guys that are going to get drafted?

I'm wondering because I know the kid well, and my son might go through similar experiences next year so any info is appreciated. Thanks.
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Welcome to hsbaseball web. Your questions will no doubt be well-answered by many folks who have been through this same scenario or have guided someone through it.
Here's what I know - They will find you "if" you are a blue chip player.
Scouts are looking for "projectability" - is this young man someone who will grow and has at least 3 of the physical tools needed to play pro ball?
In my very limited expreience, I would guess that the ability for someone to get drafted by word of mouth is slim to none.
My son has had teammates that might be drafted, and we have had scouts at our hs and jc games by the droves. The scouts need to see them and then if recommended the cross checkers come in to see them. The scouts don't just show up for a few games, they come to many many games and practices.
I may be all wrong, but this has been what I have seen over the last four years. That "projectability" and "tools" thing seems to be the key.
Good luck to this young man and to your son, may they enjoy playing this game for as long as they possibly can! It sounds like he is set up to play ball in college, and as long as it is a good fit for him academically and personally, he will hopefully have a great career there!
quote:
Originally posted by mikamom:

Here's what I know - They will find you "if" you are a blue chip player.
Scouts are looking for "projectability" - is this young man someone who will grow and has at least 3 of the physical tools needed to play pro ball?
In my very limited expreience, I would guess that the ability for someone to get drafted by word of mouth is slim to none.


There is some good information above. In the age of technology it's very rare to see someone with some great talent slip through the sights of professional scouts. Remember, scouts are assigned to different regions and get make their reputation based on finding talent in their region. Very few get through HS and on without someone having a look at them.

I'll have to agree with the above quote on the chance that someone can get drafted by word of mouth. Without going into detail too much, the scouting system is intricate and lower level scouts send recommendations up to higher level scouts, and so on. The higher the level scout who sees an athlete play, the better chance one has of getting drafted. In short, word of mouth won't cut it if it's only one or two mouths of scouts that are talking.
Every year there are many outstanding high school players who slip through the cracks. Projection is the key, but it is also the hardest thing to evaluate.

The proof is in the numbers. A very large number of top college draft prospects went undrafted out of high school. These players were either unsignable out of high school, or they were evaluated incorrectly or they were unknown for the most part. The fact is that the draft has been dominated these days by college picks. The same player that is an early pick out of college could be argued as having that potential in high school but it wasn't recognized. After all, that player is the same exact kid, only a few years older. He wasn't projected accurately or he was simply "missed" out of high school. That is fairly common!

It's kind of simple... If projection is the key element, then a first rounder out of college was also a first rounder out of high school. That is if the projection were correct while in high school. Of course, there are other things that happen to a player over a three year period, but in the end it just shows how difficult projection can be at times.

Then again, often we will see an undrafted out of HS, Juco player go fairly early in the draft after his freshman year. That's just one year after going undrafted in high school. The trick is guessing how good a player might be in 5 years. It's much easier to guess how good he might be in one year. Therefore, it could be argued that players like this were either evaluated incorrectly or they were "missed" altogether.

I agree that technology has helped the scouting community, but there are parts of the country where one scout is responsible for several states or a very large area. They need to cover both college and high school players. Sure there are birddogs, but most birddog scouts aren't familiar with what's out there from coast to coast. In the end it means one thing... There will always be players missed by the MLB scouting departments. And those scouting departments know it! There are way too many examples out there to think otherwise.

Regarding word of mouth... It can create the interest level needed if the word is coming from the right mouth.

Scouting is a guessing game of sorts. Often scouts will disagree with each other when it comes to the value of a certain player. One clubs second round pick could be considered another clubs 10th or 15th round guy. The more they know about the player, the better for everyone concerned. There are many potential Major League players playing high school baseball right now. Many of them aren't seeing a lot of scouts, if any, at their games. That's because it is impossible to identify them all.

College ball helps both players and scouts, giving both another chance. However, sometimes very talented small colleges players go unnoticed. Just can't see them all!

Players can help themselves a lot by getting out there and getting seen. One of the best ways is to play at the highest possible level. Play with and against those who are already identified. In other words go to where the scouts are rather than wait for them to pay a visit which may never come. Go to where there are lots of scouts, if possible, because they don't always share the same opinions. If you have the nessesary tools, go to tryouts, at least. Do what pretty much all the top high school draft picks do. Then, if you're good enough, they will definitely find you! But the truth is... You found them! That's the surest way to go about it.
Last edited by PGStaff
The player who gets drafted because he is on the same team as a highly sought after prospect is the exception that proves the rule. The player may not stand out but given enough looks a scout sees something he likes about the player. It happens every year.

How about the player of equal talent who isn't playing with a highly sought after prospect? They aren't likely to be seen enough to be drafted.
TR,
You are right, but there's a difference between being seen 2 or 3 times when you are playing the teams with the prospects and being seen almost every game especially later in the season when you are on the team with the prospects.

Last season I saw scouts at maybe 4 of the HS games other than the spring break tournament which had an associate scout for most of the games and the local scout for one game. During the season they were there to see the studs from other teams, a second rounder and a third rounder. One kid from the third rounder's team was drafted who might not have been noticed otherwise. Later in the season we'd see the crosscheckers and the like for those guys.
Last edited by CADad
Our son had the opportunity to play against Bryce Harper and his boys at least 5 times this season, in front of many scouts. Son did not hit the cover off the ball, Bryce did, but played well defensively. He also went to numerous high end events during HS and also played two summers with a 2010 projected high draft pick. Wouldn't one suffice his projection rating is poor by the "experts". By that I mean they don't project him to improve in X years. After all he has played in plenty of venues to be seen. When I compare abilities with the younger player he played summer ball with, I still cannot believe his talent is so far less when you compare him as non draftee, verses a high draft prospect. I mean they shouldn't be on the same field baseball wise?

I truly believe it may come down to some very good marketing by the parents and summer programs. And once a high end scout lets the word out on a player, the others join the bandwagon.

Baseball is the reward our son now receives for continuing his education.

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