Minor League Scouting Reports

quote:

Definitely not sugar coated

....and there probably shouldn't be. Thanks for posting. Very interesting to us junkies.

How did this former Big East RHP get signed?

quote:

Old soft tossing righty with little control. Med. frame filled out. Tucks hip @ top of deliv. and then hurries out towards landing. Stabs arm down in the back. No deception in delivery. FB near poor. Sits @ 82-3. Generates surprising movement out of a generic H3/4 slot. FB has sink and fade. Strictly a 2 seam guy. SL is hanging slurve that he struggles to locate with. Mixes well and can throw strikes at lower levels but lacks stuff to make same pitches as he moves up ladder which will result in him pitching away from bats and thus lofty walk totals you will see as he gets to AA. Hard to see him getting back to AA @ age and with lack of success he is having right now.

Dad04 - I saw that one and smiled as well.

Its gotta give hope to all the soft-tossing low-80's righties out there.

Nice post Pioneer Dad

quote:

Its gotta give hope to all the soft-tossing low-80's righties out there

Hope that cat's got a sheepskin in his back pocket.

Kind of interesting being able to critique reports.

There is a 1st round outfielder who was in this High A league. His report and grades are terrible. The comments are brutal, unfair, and really quite ignorant!

To me, these are not the type of reports that belong where the General Public can see them.

This same kid in his second year out of high school hit over .300 with 28 homeruns and 116 RBI, also had 38 doubles, scored 91 runs, 6 triples and stole 14 bases... in the same league this report came from.

In the California League Play Offs, this same player went 13 for 15 with 3 homeruns and 9 RBI in three games. He ended the year (team lost) hitting for the cycle and driving in 4 runs.
Here's a link Lubanski

quote:

This same kid in his second year out of high school hit over .300 with 28 homeruns and 116 RBI, also had 38 doubles, scored 91 runs, 6 triples and stole 14 bases... in the same league this report came from.

It's a great effort by a 20 year old college kid. Maybe he doesn't let tools or statistics get in the way of his subjective opinions yet.

http://www.calleaguers.com/ScoutinTraining.html

Your right PG.

You gotta be careful when looking at reports and make sure they are published based on Official MLB approved sites/affiliates because so many unofficial evaluators out there have self-serving motives and intent.

That report from that sight on Chris Lubanski is close to "bearing false witness" as a report can get-lol.

The territory scouts who do professional coverage in that league will have the most accurate team/player evaluations and are required to have "something" on every player that passes through the gates of that league which can sometimes be overwhelming from my previous experiences assisting the full-timers I helped out.

Shep

Very interesting to read thru and while everyone understands at this level you're playing for keeps some of the comments seemed unusually harsh. Easy to say not a prospect or he's an organizational guy only without some of the nastiness.
Have to wonder what the signing scout of some of these kids think about these reports - some fairly high picks got some unbeleivably rough reviews.
Surprised at how many of the low velo guys had AAA or mlb potential and also by some of the kids drafted from some real good schools being ripped pretty early in their careers. Doubt anybody intended this for public consumption.

pioneer...Very interesting.

Any other leagues that provide such scouting information to us?

denisr400,

Don't worry, the ones who count in the front office know the intentions of the organization from their own scouts' reports and probably really don't care about a lot of the unofficial babble found everywhere out there which is garbage, most the time.

That is why scouts, coaches, front office personnel, parents, friends, etc. should encourage players to keep their faces out of the newspapers and away from the internet because it will become overwhelming and distract young or old prospect-IMHO

Inquiring Minds Want To Know-LOL,
Shep

Interestingly the guy who runs the site is a college student who will graduate in 2007 with a Political Science Degree

What is his background to publish such rankings and critiques, be they good or bad ?

It is pretty darn evident that the site listed in Dad04 post that it is "not official". It looks more like a practice site set up by a student in webpage 101-no pun intended. Is kinda interesting though.

Shep

I admire the kid for all the work he did. Chris did struggle a lot early last year in this league.

But one only has to look at him in the video to realize he has a Big League body. How do you describe his body... a bizarre body, big flat shoulders, big hips, low rear end, small sticky legs, etc.

Makes me wander if he was looking at the right player.

quote:

Originally posted by Shepster:

Don't worry, the ones who count in the front office know the intentions of the organization from their own scouts' reports and probably really don't care about a lot of the unofficial babble found everywhere out there which is garbage, most the time.

That is why scouts, coaches, front office personnel, parents, friends, etc. should encourage players to keep their faces out of the newspapers and away from the internet because it will become overwhelming and distract young or old prospect-IMHO

Inquiring Minds Want To Know-LOL,
Shep

That is about as good as someone could say it IMO.

Any fool with a couple of bucks and a computer - can post garbage.

That dude should concentrate on getting his degree (probably a journalism degree LOL) - and leave the scouting reports to the people who do it for a living.

PG

I think you will agree that those who have not seen the Lubanski kid play will be in for a treat when they see him in the bigs come 07 or 08

The boy can flat out rake and runs like an antelope

Had the pleasure to see him in again in Jupiter while he was there with his younger brother-- had the chance to chat with him for a bit-- he has not changed one iota from the humble player he was in HS

Great kid and super family

I am proud to say I know he and his family

quote:

That is why scouts, coaches, front office personnel, parents, friends, etc. should encourage players to keep their faces out of the newspapers and away from the internet because it will become overwhelming and distract young or old prospect-IMHO

LOL Shep Maybe they should all stay away.
Scouting reports are not for the faint of heart. You need to strap yourself in and brace both feet.... then take a deep breath and consider that YOU are where you are, worth being written about, and learn to accept the good and the bad and work diligently on the bad.

quote:

What is his background to publish such rankings and critiques, be they good or bad ?

U.S. Constitution, 1st Amendment.

dad04

That is a priviledge not background and experience !!!!!--

What backgorund gives him the ability to evaluate as he does--is there depth of knowledge pertaining to baseball and judging talent?

bbscout

You have a background in the game

That is exactly the point I am making

I already thought about that> 1st Ammendment/Constitution being the first line -of -defense that would come out of Dad04 and sure enough there it is-LOL

Hey Chill! Missed you guys. Should see the sharks teeth I have accumulated while I've been gone. They look like what I imagine some posters might look in sheep's clothing-LOL

And you are right in your post. Take the good with the bad and learn to live with it and improve the bad. Is that what you meant?

Shep

bbscout--

You would know better than I , my friend

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Lubanski clock in at 6.7 60 time. Thats a 55 in this scouts opinion? Crazy stuff. Could be an agenda or could be that these guys won't be around long.

quote:

Originally posted by bbscout:
TR, His background is about the same as a few of the GM's in baseball right now.

bbscout, appears to be about the same age too.

The thread reminded me of one of my favorite baseball movies



Steve Nebraska: Al, you're like a dad to me.
Al Percolo: But I'm not your dad. I'm just a guy taking 15 percent.
Steve Nebraska: I thought it was 10.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tommy Lacy: God said people make mistakes.
Al Percolo: God never said people make mistakes; where did you hear that ****? He said honor thy mother, and thy father, and thy Yankee contract!

The beauty of the first amendment is that it applies to everyone.

So for every fool that is posing as a scout and spewing out nonsense - there is someone on the other side that can call him - well - a fool, spewing out nonsense.

LOL

Only in America!

TR,

Driving a car is a priviledge.

The First Amendment is a right.

And you are on the money - there is no substitute for background and experience.

Hmmm....Wondered what this site was all about....

Went to it and have copied his basics from the site:

Understanding the Scouting Reports


My scouting reports are meant to be as close to a Major League teams scouting
reports both in terms of appearance and content. Most org. have their scouts file
very brief reports on all of the players they see, only elaborating on a player that
they like. A scout will generally cover a team for a week or so in order to get a
chance to see the entire rotation as well as the bullpen as well as get a handle on
the position players. Organizations vary in their scouting scale, most use the
standard 20-80 scale while some use a standard school grades, grading the
players A-F. Some teams will use two digit grades throughout their reports (45,
55 ect) while some will use single digits when ranking a players individual tools (4,
5 ect) and only use a double digit for their Overal Future Potential grade, more on
OFP later.
______________________________________________________________

The Scouting Scale: I use the standard 20-80 scouting system to grade players.
Something important to remember though is that these are all based on the abilities
of Major Leaguers. While a player may have a good arm for the level he is at he
may only recieve a grade of 50 (there is nothing wrong with an avg. grade). The
rankings are as follows.

80 Outstanding
70 Well Above Average
60 Above Average
50 Major League Average
40 Below Average
30 Well Below Average
20 Poor

I will often refer to a player as having a "big league arm" that can also be read as
having a 50 arm. A "plus arm" refers to a arm that has recieved a grade of 60.
"Plus Plus" would be a 70. 80 grades are reserved for the likes of Vladimir
Guerrero and Jose Guillen. If I refer to a tool as being "fringe" or "soft" that could
be seen as half way between two rankings (45, 55, ect.
______________________________________________________________

In my player rankings section of my reports a player recieves a grade for both his
present and future ability in each category. Some examples....

Hitting: While it is often helpful to look at minor league stats to get an idea of
how good of a hitter a player is, stats don't judge batspeed, strength ect. So this
chart is used as a guide only. More than anything it is for my future ranking
section. What kind of avg and power do I see this player hitting for at the big
league level providing he is able to get there. Naturally the offensive expectations
are different at each position so for example a player who has avg big league
offensive tools for a catcher but may not be able to stay there defensively, will
have a hard time hitting enough at a corner IF position. His bat "plays" behind the
plate but is no where near avg at the offensive orriented corner positions.

Hitting Ability Power (HR)
.300+ 80 35+ 80
.285-.299 70 27-34 70
.270-.284 60 20-26 60
.255-269 50 15-19 50
.240-254 40 10-14 40
.220-239 30 5-9 30
.219- 20 4- 20

Running Speed: Speed is typically evaluated with times down the 1B line. A
time is only as good as the effort the players gives so times aqcuired on a bunt
base hit or a player trying to leg out an IF hit tend to be the most accurate.

Right Side Left Side
4.0- 80 3.9- 80
4.1 70 4.0 70
4.2 60 4.1 60
4.3 50 4.2 50
4.4 40 4.3 40
4.5 30 4.4 30
4.6+ 20 4.5+ 20

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pitching: The quality of a pitch is determined by a few things, command, sink,
movement but velocity also plays a very important part.

Fastball
96+ 80
94-95 70
92-93 60
89-91 50
86-88 40
83-85 30
82- 20

Average Curveball Velocity is 75-77.

Average Slider Velocity 82-84
______________________________________________________________

In the miscelaneous section of the reports you will see some sections that may
look unfamiliar.

Hitting: I describe the hitters offensive approach. Straight, Pull, Opposite Field
ect.

Next Year: What level I think the player is capable of playing at next year.

Interest: You can look at it as a mini OFP. At a quick glance you can get a
general idea of what kind of player you are looking at. Here is a rough outline.
Notice the absence of an 8 ranking, while a player may recieve an 8ï¿¿ for one of
his tools you won't ever see me turn in a prospect as an 8.

7 Star
6 Above Avg Big Leaguer
5 Avg Big Leaguer
4 Utility Player
3 Organizational Player
2 No Prospect

Tops: The top level I see the player reaching, A, AA, AAA, or ML.

Overall Evaluation: This is the same as an OFP for amatuer players. This is
what brings the entire report together, while it is determined by averaging a
players tools out, If I have a strong feeling either way on a player I can adjust it up
and down a few places if needed.






70-80

60-69

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

38-39

20-37
Best players in baseball yr in and yr out. All Stars every yr. Elite Closers
and top #1 starters. (Barry Bonds, Arod, Mark Prior)
Lots of All Stars here. #2 starters on playoff teams.
Quality #2 and #3 starters. Everyday pos. players on 1st division teams.
Some closers and legit setup men.
Average big leaguers. #4 and #5 starters
Backups, fringe everyday players. Some number 5 starters. Middle
relievers and pinch hitters.
25th man, situational relievers, guys who move up and down between AAA
and the big leagues.
Organizational players who have value at the minor league level but no
future in the big leagues.
Not a Prospect (NP)

beenthere,

Is this from the same site that tried to bash Chris Lubanski?

If so, it looks like he may be in copyright infringement trouble-MLBSB LOL

shep....The same site that talks about the California League

What does "sloping shoulders" mean? Good or bad?