Can someone summarize the different levels of scouts. I know there are area scouts and scouting supervisors but what is an associate scout?

Look no further than the famous HSBBW.
Scouting Ranks

Thanks! This is exactly what I needed. Just wanted to know who was calling and what their role is.

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Originally posted by FrankF:
Look no further than the famous HSBBW.
Scouting Ranks

The only thing that's missing from this document is...

1. Some organizations have an extra layer. They have regional cross-checkers who report up to a national cross-checker.

2. Special-purpose cross-checkers (e.g. pitching cross-checkers).

3. At the bottom of the pyramid, many HS coaches function as defacto associate scouts. Every good scout knows the HS coaches in his area and is constantly asking those coaches which of their own guys, and which of the guys that they have faced, are worth taking a look at.

Associate scouts work like this. There are like interns. They are usually high school coaches, college coaches, travel team coaches, baseball instructors or someone who sees alot of high school or college baseball games.

Some area scouts can have 50 associate scouts working for them. Some teams have no associate scouts.

An associate scout if they see a player they think is a potential prospect. They get a players info card on that player and then submit it to the area scout.
If that team later drafts and signs that player . The associate scout get a fee $100-200, and additional money if they reach Double A $500, then Triple A $750, and more if they reach the majors $1,000.

Associate scout can be valuable as far as screening players. The area scout heres so and so school got a pitcher that throws 90 plus. Associate scout goes and sees him and then tells the area scout if he needs to see him or not. This saves the area scout alot of waste time.

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An associate scout if they see a player they think is a potential prospect. They get a players info card on that player and then submit it to the area scout.
If that team later drafts and signs that player . The associate scout get a fee $100-200, and additional money if they reach Double A $500, then Triple A $750, and more if they reach the majors $1,000.

Are you sure? My son's high school coach told me the Mariners paid him $40,000 that year, as he yelled at me for complaining about high pitch counts. Maybe he meant $400?

There is no standard for associate scouts. Some get absolutely nothing. Others get a paid as mentioned above.

Most full time scouts, do not want their associates handing out info cards. They do want to know who has talent. The very best associates (IMO) are the ones that no one knows they are associates. Those guys can really dig up some good stuff and be extra helpful to an Area Supervisor. The worst are those who use it for other reasons (personal agendas) than what it's intended for.

Some work hard others don't do a thing other than hand out business cards and BS. Some clubs use lots of "bird dogs" others do not.

There is a big difference between an associate scout and a part time scout. The part time scout will often be listed on the club's staff. The associate scout will not be listed. The part time guy is part of the scouting department.

There are more associate scouts "bird dogs" than there are any other scout. We have run across "many" who claim to be working for a club and find out no one with that club knows who they are.

One time, I was setting at a game next to a guy who had claimed to be a Pittsburg Pirate Scout at several of our events. He was a real talker who would play the part to the hilt with kids and parents. Anyway, it just so happened that the Pirates Area Supervisor and a Pirate Crosschecker were at the same game. After realizing these people did not know one another I politely introduced the (associate) to his bosses. It was kind of interesting watching the "self proclaimed Pirate Bird Dog" squirm. I didn't say anything to the real Pirate scouts until later, after the "associate" had left.

Dad04, If he truly was making $40,000 he was either a fulltime scout or the highest paid associate scout in history! My guess is he was paid zero!

Not to take anything away from those who are associate scouts and do a great job, but there are a ton of these guys out there misleading people into thinking they are much more important than they really are. There are even some, who are not associated with the club they claim to be representing.

Worst of all, (and this has happened) is when an associate scout tells people he turned in a kid at a certain round. Or his club has a kid in at a certain round. Then those people are totally confused and frustrated when the draft doesn't include them.

If you have any doubts, find out who the Area Supervisor is... this information is easy to find... and contact him.

Also, it is important to understand that there are some very valuable associate scouts that help the MLB club a lot. The good ones are very important and well respected. Sometimes they go unknown. Unfortunately, there are a lot of the other types and that is why some clubs steer clear of having associate scouts.

Do Associate scouts make home visits usually? We've had one call saying he was told by his Area Scout to come watch son and that he wants to come meet with the family. We know who the Area scout is and he has come to watch son already. I think we'll contact him before setting up any meeting with the Associate just to make sure it's legit.

Any associate scout who sees a player they like, the very first thing they will do is get the players info card filled out. This is a no brainer. They cant get drafted or get credited to the associate scout without that info.


Some associate scouts use it as calling card to get business for lessons, camps or a showcase they are running.Part Time and Full time scouts do this too.

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Dad04, If he truly was making $40,000 he was either a fulltime scout or the highest paid associate scout in history! My guess is he was paid zero!

He was a fulltime teacher/coach. He was overpaid if he got a nickel. He is out of baseball today. PTL.

I would check with the area scout or the clubs scouting deptment before I would let anyone into my home. Sorry to say but in this day and age its an easy way for a person to say he is a scout and get alot of personal information on a kid and his family
Parents/players are so excited to be scouted they give out all sorts of personal information,names,
address, soc.sec. numbers, what type of jobs parents have, income level. All a person has to do its print up sone business cards and they say their a scout.

Frank, you have no idea what your talking about.