Scout attention comes and goes?

BSBLDAD posted:

within the last two weeks my HS Senior son received a lot of attention from Area Scouting Supervisors. And it seems that the contact, although appearing potentially promising has gone quiet for the moment.

is this common?

Areas are big.  Spring training started.  Lots of kids to look at.  Who knows?

Here's my general understanding of the HS scouting process

The season is short. An area scout only scouts players in his area (subject to summer when his assignments may differ); that means unless a showcase is in his area AND he attends it, he only sees the kid at HS/Summer games, maybe bull pens or bp, and at lessons.

The idea is to identify all potential pro-prospects. A pro-prospect is defined as a player who projects at least one MLB tool. 

First, a scout creates his list by seeing him play/practice; he sees him play because the area scout's network has generated the lead. Just like some "cant miss" college juniors didnt have draftable junior years, many many more HS seniors don't have draftable years. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS IS DELIVERING THE GOODS IN FRONT OF THE SCOUT.  You can tell if a kid has pro-prospect tools by seeing an ever growing number of scouts showing up as the short HS season progresses (and the converse is true). Simply being a great HS player isn't enough; pro-prospect is the standard.

Second, a scout will take that list and research if the kid is ready to become pro. HS, travel, personal coaches, teachers all can provide valuable input.

Third, a scout will take that list and meet the home life the player is living. The goal is first to preliminary determine if the kid has obvious issues which require him to grow up in college; living alone as a HS draftee in MiLB is hard, unbelievably hard. The conversation eventually turns to the player's college plans; here the scout is assessing signability (a subject for another day).

Recognize that of the scout's list of 100s of prospects, only a small handful will be drafted. 

So, back to OP's question: if the season hasn't begun, nothing to read into losing contact - the area scout is building his list. During the season, you will know if there's real pro interest; the number of scouts at his games increases (in fact, if he's a slot candidate, higher ups will start showing up also); intense home visits requesting hard numbers may evolve (remember, if a kid is slot drafted and doesn't sign a scout's job may be on the line).

Also keep this in mind. In areas with lots of colleges the scout is really stretched thin. AND he gets a small bonus for each kid he signs and he signs more college players than HS players.

Thank you @Goosegg. Very informative. I appreciate your time.

In addition to Goosegg's excellent response, I'll give you the following quote (below) from one professional area scout who came to see son early in his high school junior year (2008).  Son was uncommitted at the time, but had a handful of serious college interest.

"If the kid is throwing 90mph and I don't see him and write him up, I'll be fired."