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We have all heard the term "5 tool player" ... but I have also been hearing about the concept of "intrinsic factors" with regard to draft eligible players. I am curious as to what other people believe are some of the "intrinsic factors" that make an eligible player more appealing to a club. Thought this would be an interesting (and hopefully less controversial) topic for this forum.

Some of the ones that come to mind for me are:

>Work ethic (displayed by academic and athletic improvement)
>Character (e.g., not a trouble maker, a team player, etc.)
>Leadership abilities (as witnessed with the team)

What are some others?

(Would especially be interested in hearing from any scouts and advisors/agents who post here.)

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Go Highlanders ! ! ! !
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Hi H-Mom, There are other factors that go into a scouting report on a player. Habits, dedication, agility, aptitude, physical maturity, emotional maturity, aggressiveness, instincts and coachability all recieve a grade along with the regular grades. If a scout could look inside a player's head and heart, scouts would be correct much more often.
bbscout ...

quote:
Habits, dedication, agility, aptitude, physical maturity, emotional maturity, aggressiveness, instincts and coachability ...


I love those kind of attributes ... and a lot of them show up on the field and on the mound.

baseballmom and voodoochile ...

Great link. Thanks for pointing out the multiple parts to the link, vdc ... I have pulled them allup and printed them, as well as the 3 articles on what scouts look for in pitchers.

For our son ... we realize that all we can do is pray for a healthy season ... the chips will fall where they may and we will have to just sit by and see what happens.

Thanks for the input, everybody.

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Go Highlanders ! ! ! !
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I just spent some time reading the various articles by Delbarbra and when I came across the one on "what scouts look for in hitters" I just shook my head. He lists 8 things that he considers negatives and is only right on one of them. He is right on #1, wrong on #2 and #3. He is half right on #4, wrong on #5 and #6. He contradicts himself on #7 and is wrong on #8. If you are the parent of a hitter, don't pay any attention to what he says here about hitting faults.
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Dear bbscout---

I take umbrage of your comments reagrding my piece on faults scouts do not like to see in hitters, which appears on the website www.attheyard.com. I understand that as the moderator you are entitled to give your opinion of right vs. wrong when discussing questions, but keep in mind yours is also just an opinion and not an absolute with regard to the eight faults listed in the article. The line "Don't pay attention to what he says here about hitting faults" comes off as an absolute.


The basis of the list is from actual scouting manuals produced by major league clubs and are the compilation of many scouts opinions and views, that have been formulated throughout years of experience.

Invariably, each scouting meeting that I have attended over the last 15 years; the scouting staff has debated and discussed the finer points of hitting (as well as pitching, etc.) These were the eight faults that have came to the forefront in those meetings and the combined scouting knowledge of those involved.

Thus, I would like those who read the postings and the article to understand that the faults are given to you from myself, but were derived by many professional scouts. Know that I do stand by the article, but am always open to learn more about the game of baseball.

Good luck in your scouting pursuits Mr. bbscout if you truly like the hitters with the hand hitches, the long strides, the head pulling, the upper cutting, the sweeping of the bat and those who wrap the bat. It is my understanding that most other scouts are staying away from the hitters who have these faults.

As I noted in the article "We can take a walk through the Hall of Fame and see the many different hitting techniques; but in a in a general sense, these are the some of the primary faults which scouts do not like to see."

Hitting is a diffult task---many say it is the most difficult in all of sports. Likewise it is also difficult to scout.

Best wishes to all and keep swinging.
BDB
Mr D, As a moderator, I have the same privlege's that you do. I can voice my opinion as can you.

As for the 8 faults that you wrote about, here are my answers:

1. I agree about fear.

2.The hand hitch that Ruth, Williams, Foxx, F.Robinson, Mays, Aaron, Strawberry, Davis , K. Mitchell and Bonds use is hardly a fault. If your hands are at shoulder height when the front foot comes down, you are in position to hit.

3. Long stride---Ruth, Musial, Mantle,Mays, Aaron, Brett and S. Green all have long strides.

4. Head pull---I agree that it is a bad habit, but where I don't agree is that it is difficult to correct.

5. Upper Cutting------95% of the players in the Hall of Fame had an upswing. All the great hitters with some pop swing into the path of the ball which is an upswing. You say stay on top of the ball-----please explain what this means.

6. Sweeping the bat-----actually, hitters who start the swing with their hands will be more apt to sweep the bat. If you start with the hip rotation, you won't have to deal with this problem as much.

7. Dead bat----I agree, but you have already said that a hand hitch is bad, and now you say that a hitter needs to trigger his swing.

8. wrapping the bat-----90% of the top hitters in MLB will have the sweet spot of the barrel centered with their spine when their front foot comes down. This is a wrap.

My experience comes from filming major league hitters since 1979 and studying their swings. I am not interested in what other scouts think, I am interested in what really happens in the swing, and the best way to find out is to study it in slow motion and frame by frame. I have been doing that for a long time and will continue to do it in the future.
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bbscout,
1. agree w/ you
2. agree w/ you
3. agree, however a long stride sometimes results in other problems and can be a warning sign.
4. If an older player is still pulling his head it may be pretty deeply ingrained.
5. Believe it or not, I agree within the parameters you've defined. However, an excessive uppercut (i.e. Adam Kennedy, who succeeds despite it) can be a problem.
6., 7., & 8. agree w/ you.

I've only read your 8 points and haven't read the article so I'm not commenting directly on the article. (edited out typos)

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