Pro scout questionnaires

Texbbfan,
If the questionnaires are perceived by your son to be too much too soon then I would suggest he convey his feelings to the clubs scouting him and I’m sure they will back off. BUT, if he wants to keep his options open as you suggest, then he should comply with their request. It is in my opinion that the phrase, “Keeping his options open” does not impress MLB scouts. They are looking for a player that has an immediate strong desire to play professionally. Whenever a MLB club anticipates offering a signing bonus and a job to a young player they want to know as many things about their potential “new hire” as possible. If your son is fortunate to play professionally you will soon learn the management/employee relationship is a little different in professional baseball than say a “normal” job. For instance, the management can fine their employees at will and demand overtime without paying a shift premium. The normal work month during the summer is probably 29 days per month. Workplace harassment is fairly commonplace not only by your fellow employees but those “other employees” you happen to be sharing the field with every night. Professional baseball is tough .... but rewarding!
Fungo

Filling out all of those forms can be overwhelming, but Fungo is right ...they are job applications. If your son is interested in playing professional baseball, he must apply in order to keep his options open.

Here are some things we did to make the process a little more managable.
1. We set aside one day a week to do them...usually Sunday afternoons at the kitchen table.
2. I usually filled out the medical information, since I knew the dates, Dr. names, etc. better.
3. We told our sons to be honest in their answers. If they weren't sure how to answer they usually put ? or "Don't know" in the blank. If the question seemed too personal or made them uncomfortable, they left it blank. Even though they filled out the information and answered the questions independently, I think they found it helpful to have one parent around for ideas when needed. Looking back, it was a special time we shared each week and I missed it when it was over.

Finally, even though it can be time consuming, questionnaires are a valuable process for the player, scout, and club. One of our oldest son's friends was disappointed when he wasn't drafted out of high school. Several years later I asked a scout why the kid was never considered. He said it was because he didn't returned a single questionnaire to anyone during his senior year...said he would have been drafted if he had.

Fungo
We went to an invitational showcase on August 2nd and the scouts did a great job of trying to introduce us to the process. One of the important things we took from that dinner was to be honest with the scouts. However, we (more properly stated as “the parents”) are just very private people and did not anticipate some of the questions asked in the questionnaires (some of the questions concerning our family our son wouldn't know one way or the other.) As far as keeping options open (again from a parent’s perspective), it maybe that our son has a great spring and it makes more sense for him to consider going pro rather than to college or it maybe visa versa. We just want to make sure that we keep the communication lines open and honest. Our son spoke to each and every college coach who called him and gave each one the same time and consideration. We are sure that he will do the same with the scouts as he loves the process.

Thanks TxMom
I like the Sunday afternoon idea. We plan to have him return the forms but as you said, not all the questions seem relevant at this time and some he just doesn't understand. I especially liked the one "are you married and how many children!" Also the one about his parents' health, I wanted him to write that his father snores too much and his mother is always cranky, but he refused.

Texbbfan ...

quote:

I wanted him to write that his father snores too much and his mother is always cranky, but he refused.

Pretty good ... perhaps that would at least identify which clubs and their FO personnel have a sense of humor.

Interesting discussion.

The organizations pay millions for guys to hit .270....

and they can't figure out a way to standardize a single questionnaire for the 30+ major league clubs.

Mind-boggling!!!!!

quote:

Workplace harassment is fairly commonplace not only by your fellow employees but those “other employees” you happen to be sharing the field with every night.

There could be a little harrassment from the retail customers that show up at the workplace as well.

quote:

Originally posted by BeenthereIL:

Mind-boggling!!!!!

No it is not. As established in earlier posts, this is a job interview process.

Two law firms specialize in criminal defense cases. You have a job interview with both firms. Are these standardized interviews? Do you expect that the interview will be conducted exactly the same way at competing firms, and that they will ask you exactly the same questions?

I don’t think that a criminal defense firm is going to ask you (nor are they allowed to ask I think in Texas) about your specific health and/or your parents' health. Hard to compare the two. It would be helpful to have a standard set of basic questions, ie. school grades, honors academic and scholastic, college plans, and baseball injuries and/or surgeries. Follow up questions could be handled on an individual basis.

I'm thinking the reason that scouts ask about the health of the player and his parents is they would want to know about any problems that may occur down the road. I would want to know about any heart problems that the player may have or if there is a history of heart related problems in the family's past.

Diabetes can be a factor as well. And while a lot of these players can deal with the health problems, owners and coaches would want to know what they may have to deal with in the future.

My Advice is to fill out everything trutfully, the only thing i would caution you against is saying any specific money amounts or round expectations for the draft. If it looks like your getting a lot of interest i would also suggest finding a good advisor. They will be able to help you through the whole process, i know i would have been lost without them. But for now, answer all the health questions truthfully, because if they think your healthy, draft you, then find out you were disclosing something, they wont give you near the money you should get. Oh, and also dont let any teams know their your favorite team, they'll try to get you cheaper.

Is speaks very well of you that you are taking the time & effort to help those coming behind. Thanks.

you're kidding of course

I cant ask a job applicant if

if he's married
if she's pregnant (even if she's having contractions)
if they have a family

let alone their health history, the families health history, or that of their parents

Texbbfan -
Yep, some of the questions are extremely personal on pro questionnaires. Some wanted to know my weight! I don't know why the MLB job applications are not subject to the same privacy rules other employers faced. But a players physical health, past and future, is a major concern for MLB draft picks. It may not be right, but it's the way it is today. So, if your son really wants to apply for the job, he will provide them with the information they are requesting.

Bee
No I am not. They even want to know the last time you went to a dentist, who it is and why!

txbbfan, you have been flossing, right??

Texbbfan -
The dentist question is just one of the many health questions asked to assess the player's overall health practices. It's not a deal breaker, but answer them truthfully. I'm not aware of anyone contacting our dentist for verification ... nor did they weigh me when they came to the house to see if I had answered that question correctly either!

beenthere make sense

if MLB clubs consider the questionaire info to access the respondant's suitability for employment (it is a business, after all)

then under federal employment laws, even age & weight may be illegal questions

and, pretty sure ya can not ask about US citizenship either

quote:

Originally posted by Bee>:
beenthere make sense

if MLB clubs consider the questionaire info to access the respondant's suitability for employment (it is a business, after all)

then under federal employment laws, even age & weight may be illegal questions

and, pretty sure ya can not ask about US citizenship either

Last time I checked, a business could ask about US Citizenship. I don't think anybody wants to hire an illegal resident.

I also can see the age question. There is a law against hiring someone under the age of 12.

I would answer the questions. Show them some cooperation.

Well there is only one problem with thinking this is illegal....if you were applying for the job, YES they could NOT ask you that information. BUT you ARENT applying for the job, the player is a piece of property to be bought and sold, the team is seeking to BUY you not HIRE you, and there is no way for you to formally APPLY, you just play ball. So TECHNICALLY you ARENT applying so those laws wouldnt apply. Correct me if im wrong, im not a lawyer, but that seems to be a loophole. later

quote:

Originally posted by AHSpitcher17:
Well there is only one problem with thinking this is illegal....if you were applying for the job, YES they could NOT ask you that information. BUT you ARENT applying for the job, the player is a piece of property to be bought and sold, the team is seeking to BUY you not HIRE you, and there is no way for you to formally APPLY, you just play ball. So TECHNICALLY you ARENT applying so those laws wouldnt apply. Correct me if im wrong, im not a lawyer, but that seems to be a loophole. later

Good point AHS. Teams are technically "buying" the player not hiring.

texasbb...Agree 100%.

A simple standardization process.

Not sure where the criminal defense lawyer idea came from re the other post.

quote:

Originally posted by Texbbfan:
...He is receiving questionnaires from pro scouts and the local scout bureau, but some of the questions seem too personal, ie. siblings’ health, etc. Not that this is an issue with our family as there are no health issues; it just seems to be too much too soon. Is it okay to just fill out the basic info on the player and wait until the spring to see how the player does and how he might be rated for the draft before disclosing the entire family pedigree?

Are you serious?

Were you as uncomfortable from answering whether or not your son wear's eyeglasses/contacts?

Texbbfan

If this bothers you, don't ever apply for a position as a police officer. They actually check your background and health history. What nerve!

Bear
Bear
Not sure I understand your post. Are you familiar with the federal hipaa laws. Some people (and apparently the government) believe that one's healthcare and health is personal. If the inquiries I have seen had just been limited to baseball injuries or limitations to play, I would have no problem. But if a player's big brother has acne, then the big brother should be the one to tell others, not his little brother the baseball player.

wvmtner, apples/oranges

background & health checks happen AFTER you are accepted on the HIRE LIST, conditional on passing whatever screening is in process

tas - you can ask if applicant can legally work in USA, you can ask if legal working age



Title I of ADA (Americans w/Disability Act) lists these additional prohibited questions:

Have you ever been hospitalized? If so, for what condition?
Have you ever been treated by a psychiatrist or psychologist? If so, for what condition?
Is there any health-related reason that you may not be able to perform the job for which you are applying?
How many days were you absent from work because of illness last year?
Are you taking any prescribed drugs?
Have you ever been treated for drug addiction or alcoholism?

so you're stuck between a rock & a hard place

Options for answering an illegal question

You are free to answer the question. If you choose to do so, realize that you are giving information that is not job-related. You could harm your candidacy by giving the "wrong" answer. You can refuse to answer the question. By selecting this option, you'll be within your rights, but you're also running the risk of coming off as uncooperative or confrontational - hardly the words an employer would use to describe the "ideal" candidate.

good luck

wvmtnr - the bulb just "lit" on your screen name, that's a long transplant

Bee

The checks happen after but the questions are asked before you're put on a hire list. Yes, it has been a loooong transplant . I married a So Cal girl . I got to raise my boys in baseball heaven but I sure miss WV . If they were Football players or Wrestlers, we'd have moved a long time ago.

I'd like to hear BBScouts opinion on this post.

player information card


http://www.angelfire.com/vt/prospectwatch/index30.html

bbscout,

Anxiously awaiting your story. I know there is a method to their madness, but my son said they asked some of the stupidest questions. Probably to see if you were actually awake or not.

bbscout,

My son filled out many questionaires and took many types of tests. he said that some of the intelligence tests and some of the "memory" tests were the same. He said some scouts were amazed at how well he did on those tests. They didn't know some of the memory test he took 3 or 4 times!

BB Scout;

And you saved the SF Giants many $$$$.

When we travel to Japan, Australia, Korea and China, we obtain knowledge of a player than is "priceless" and is rarely appreciated by the ML Teams.

The new proposals for the amateur draft and reduction of the complex teams will be very interesting, but predictable.

Many opportunities will surface for the creative individual. "To be young again".

Bob Williams
Founder of the Area Code Games
and friend of BB Scout

Perhaps the lawyers or a scout can clarify this but I believe Congress came to the conclusion a long time ago that MLB was not a "business" and thereby exempt from many of the laws that govern businesses. The main focus concerned the anti-trust laws - but had other far reaching effects.

I'll give you an example from my personal experience about these questionaires that scouts send to prospects.

Yeah, alot of them are kind of personal. But in regards to families history's, including medical information, the idea is to accurately gain a feel for the players background.

When my nephew was drafted in 2002, they asked all kind of questions to both him and his parents. Some scouts even did impromptu type of psychological tests with him, to try and guage how he would react in certain situations that might arise in pro baseball. My nephew at the time was a skinny kid(6'3", 165-170 lbs.) who hadn't developed yet physically, yet still displayed great athletic talent. The scouts wanted to know family background information to see if others in our family had played professional baseball, and also to see the sizes of other guys in our family. At one of his games, a scout said to me, "You think he will end up your size?" I'm 6'3", and weigh 210 lbs. I understood why they wanted to know these things. With the cost of a draft pick on hand, and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars in signing bonuses, these scouts jobs are to seperate the prospects from the suspects.

The more info they know about a player and his history, the better they can do their job in giving a thumbs "up" or "down" on whether a player should be drafted for their organization.

http://www.HackettBaseball.com

Whenever the questionnaire asks if we want to play professional baseball next year? and it says yes or no and why? If we have signed an NLI, how should we answer this? I would not want to say no because I would not want them to stop scouting me because pro ball could be an option so should I just say yes or what do you suggest?

How much time do the scouts go over the questionaires? Do they glance most of it or really mull over the answers? Is it a big problem to just not answer a few questions?