I've been getting interested in some scouting stuff, so I've been reading a lot of scouting reports, mostly on prospects. Unfortunately I don't understand a lot of the language, so I'm wondering if someone can help me out with some of terms. Let's start with these ones:

* "good hands/power/arm/etc." Does good = average? above average? future above avg.?

* "advanced approach at the plate" I realize that this is relative to the level the player is at. But what would advanced plate discipline of a AA player be compared to that of an avg. MLBer? I'm guessing that an advanced plate discipline equals avg. MLB plate discipline or a little below avg.

* "X tool needs a lot of work" equals way below avg.? like 30 (on 20-80 scale)?

* "solid" average? plus? projectable plus? projected avg.?

* "average arm at SS/2B/RF/etc." What exactly is an avg. arm for SS? Is it above avg.? What about 2B--below avg.? Anyone know what the avg. arm grades are for each position?

* "sharp bite" or "late bite" I find Roy Halladay's knuckle-curve has sharp late bite, so does this mean that someone who has a "sharp bite" to his slider throws a slider as good as Roy Halladay's curve?

* "nasty pitch" How nasty exactly? Only above avg. 60? Or well above avg. 70? Or superb 80?

It's ironic that these reports give details of player's abilities, yet they are still too vague for me to understand.

It all means what you want it to mean.

Good could mean avg. Advanced approach means better than most other amatuers.

Needs alot of work...is just that.

Projectable is where he may end up grade wise on the 20-80 scale.

avg arm for a SS is someone who can throw the ball with limited effort to 1st on a line while making a routine (avg) play. avg arm grade for each position and for any tool is based on major league avg and not college or HS avg. which would be a 50.

It can be late bit and have little sharpness to it and no not as good as Halladays. But a good one.

nasty could be 50-60-70-80. eye of the beholder.

Keep in mind your only getting a little snippet of a report on the player.

Players P F
Hitting Ability
Hitting App/Type
Power Frequency
Raw Power/Type
Running Ability
Base Stealer
Arm Strength
Fielding Ability
Hands
Feet
Range

Running Times: Left: Right: 60-Yard:

Body Control: Aggressiveness: Instincts:
Athleticism: Aptitude: Competitiveness:

Summary:




Entry Level: ETA:
How Well Do You Know the Player: Explain:
How Do You Feel You Saw the Player: Explain:
Signability: Signability Comments:

Above is the things that would be in the body of a scouting report.

You also would do yourself well to go to the book store and order the book

"Dollar Sign on the Muscle"

By Kevin Kerrane

Scouts reference is to MLB standards.
They are opinions that have to be brief due to limited space on a report. They are trying to convey some of the good points they see in a player.

Teluog,

Here's a good place to start to build the knowledge you are seeking.

http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/pro_scouting.htm

This book is very good for a young serious high school baseball player.

52-Week Baseball Training by A. Eugene Coleman

(There is some really good basic information about scouting and grading in this book)

After you read about the subject from these two, several other sources, and watch a lot of baseall, you will start recognize some common threads and realize the sujectivity of it all.

But, I've been observing almost 14 years now.

And, like every interesting subject, what you will learn is that there will always be a lot more to learn.


It's a really neat way to waste a lot of time and money.

I already read the scouting stuff here on HSBBW and other sites. But some things aren't mentioned or made clear. I might get those books mentioned. Does anyone know of any books or magazines that have good in=depth gradings and reports on players? BA's Prospect Handbook maybe?

Some more terms:

* "hammer CB" referring to the 12-6 or the sharpness of the break?

* "opposite field/pull/gap power" Is this home run power? Does someone with opposite field have more power than a gap or pull power guy?

* "out pitch" Is this the pitcher's go-to pitch on 2 strikes? Or his best pitch? Or the pitch that gets hitters out the most ,whether ground out, pop out, or strike out?

* "Major League pitch" Can't tell if this means the pitch is already ML avg. or potential avg. or what.

Lats time I say this!!

GO GET THE BOOK

DOLLAR SIGN ON THE MUSCLE

Its the best book ever written about SCOUTING!

PERIOD

..erm..I already have a long enough book list. Might be a while before I can squeeze that one in.

If you cant squeeze in the best scouting book ever written then I'm done.

Jessie it will answer every question you could possibly have about scouting. How could you not get it. Heck order it off Amazon.com.