Someone asked me how someone could get into scouting players. I have seen the info on the MLB scout school, but don't know if it would work out for someone with zero experience. I'm sure most scouts are former players/coaches, but didn't know if someone who went to the school with no previous experience would ever be considered for a position.
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Why do you desire to scout? Do you have a computer? Math degree?
Bob
Don't know the desire other than a love and interest for the game. What little I know: college grad, working full time but would like to make a career change. Watches and attends lots of game, not a stats person but into sabermetrics.
No background as a player or coach and no connections in the baseball world.
I guess I'm wondering if the scout school is more for people who are already in the business (college recruitment coordinators, former minor league players etc... who are looking to get into pro scouting) or if they take inexperienced people and train them in what they want?
You can check at the MLB Scouting Bureau. There over 500 former pro players
desiring to a scout. Maybe you can select a pro scout and offer to be his Associate.
No $.
Bob
I'd second Bob's suggestion: find an area scout, learn from him as an unpaid associate scout. I know several guys who began as unpaid associates and are now paid area scouts. All those guys, however, played (at least briefly) as pro players.
You'll find out pretty quick if you can deal with the working conditions, paper work and details - without spending the money on scout school. After a while, you will meet the other area scouts and leverage their knowledge into your learning (each scout has unique perspective, approach, views and I've found that most will share that selflessly).
Most area scouts don't make that much money (though the mileage reimbursements can be huge) and are either doing it for the love of the job and/or as the beginning rung on the long climb up the scouting chain. The advantage of being an unpaid associate scout is you can pretty much dictate your availability and limits of your time and travel - all the while learning and watching baseball without the pressure of it being a real job.
Like everything else in baseball, the system is designed to weed out those that aren't fully committed - and beyond. Long hours, low pay, bad food, lots of writing and detail work, parents, poor weather, political fighting within the organization, and more, are the job conditions. During the season, scouts will often work seven days a week, arriving at game one for bp at 1:00 and ending the day at game three 100 miles away at 11:00. Then head home to write up players, upload film, brief the bosses (email or phone) and sleep (not necessarily in that order), before doing the same thing the next day. Hard, hard job.
