Thanks for all of the great reponses. It seems to come down to: To be drafted you need projectable tools and talent. To progress once you are drafted a player needs to show alot of inner strenght and toughness to go along with his talent.

ESPN.com had a story last draft day telling some of the stranger ways some very successful players were drafted. Alot were good but the one that caught my attention was Kenny Rodgers. He was a lefthanded infielder and outfielder. A scout went to a game and he was playing RF. He airmailed to throws to 3rd base and on to home. Scout loved his arm strenght and drafted him as a pitcher around the 20th round. Projectability!!

Great story about your son Fungo. I hope he is doing well. Has he made it the majors?

I must say how much of a pleasure it is to communicate on this site. No petty banter or jealousy like a local one I visit. I'm glad I found it.

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Great story about your son Fungo. I hope he is doing well. Has he made it the majors?

He is doing well --- thanks. No MLB. While they all want to play major league baseball he is one that is also enjoying the journey --- (it just happens to be by bus).
Fungo

quote:

Originally posted by Fungo:

While they all want to play major league baseball he is one that is also enjoying the journey --- (it just happens to be by bus).
Fungo

Fungo, I love your sense of humor!

I wouldn't want to pretend I know what it takes to play major league baseball. I don't. But I've noticed a trend each level up my son has taken.

Consistency.

The old saying, "You don't have to be a great player to play MLB, just a good player every day." Now, I don't know if that's true or not but I can see the meaning it's trying to convey. 1) You need to have the physical tools, 2) You need to apply them on a daily, consistent basis. I think the ones that do are the ones with the competitive fire in their belly, the ones that don't fold under pressure, the ones that do not quit, the ones that don't rely on excuses for failure.

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Coach May posted: I was talking to a former ml player last hs season before one of my games. We were talking about players and the whole process of making it to the "show". He said this "Some guys are not sure if they belong in the show or not. The ones that make it know they belong."

My son took a few lessons after a minor injury in high school, to check mechanics. He was dragging his arm. His instructor was an experienced successful Reds Area scout/ former Reds MiBL coach/ former local HS coach. One of his high school players was Joe Oliver, a catcher for the Reds. One time he asked Joe "What was the difference sticking in the Show?" Joe said, "Knowing I belonged."

I mentioned both, consistency and calm confidence.

Although, there are some who make it with confidence that is not so calm. lol. I guess it's a matter of personal preference. Either way, there's a strut.

.

Back to the original question...

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I know there is no science to this but I am curious as to what gets a kid drafted, even in the 20th - 30th rounds.

Am going to take the question to round 30-50...

After years of watching the lower rounds, talking to scouts...I'm gonna tweak you all and add two more factors...

...Quick twitch and "The Look".

44
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To me, "The Look" is they look like they play at a different speed. They're never overwhelmed. They make it look effortless.

In reading this thread, there seem to be two completely different discussions.
The first is what gets 25th to 50th rounders drafted and what gets those same players beyond the draft.
For the first, I think the answer is truly organizational. What do they need, what skills do you have that meets their needs and how many of those "needs" do they have. If you are a pitcher, there are a lot more needs in those rounds.
Additional factors include organizations that draft college over high school and finally organizations that strictly draft for filler vs those who draft with the view that every player will be give a chance to play or prove they cannot.
Once drafted, there are very critical issues that are yet to be mentioned. Injury is the most important. There are players, I mean "players," who don't make it because of injury. When you start playing 144 games plus Spring training, injury becomes factor of life, an attrition aspect that strikes indiscriminately, but is very, very real and omni presesent.
There are also major organizational differences. A good illustration will come this week with the Rule V draft. There are some terrific player stuck in AA/AAA. Unless they get to a different organization, by the Rule V or trade, the numbers will rarely allow them to get to the next step, even though they are performing better than players in organizations with less depth, who do.
When you get to professional baseball, there are so many factors beyond the players control that impact how far they get, when you are a player in the rounds being discussed.

Excellent post infielddad!

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Originally posted by Fungo:
Excellent post infielddad!

Infielddad,
I was talking about getting drafted in any round, even the lower rounds. What you said, especially about injuries, applies to players drafted in the first or fiftieth.

One word: perserverance.

How quickly fortunes can change:

Carlos Quinten was one of the players chronicled on The Show. He was a first round pick. He finished 2006 as an every day outfielder on the D'backs. He got injured and started slowly in 2007. He was traded yesterday for an A level player.

I think back now to a comment Quinten made about being a "top prospect." He said "It's just a label. A player still has to take the field and get it done."

From azcentral.com (Arizona Republic):

The trade in some ways illustrates how much Quentin's value has changed in the past 12 months. This time last year, he was untouchable, a part of the club's rebuilding process and expected to be a central figure for years to come.

But a shoulder injury that required surgery contributed to a frustrating 2007 season in which he was optioned to the minor leagues in July and ultimately saw his long-term standing in the organization dissolve with phenom Justin Upton's emergence and Eric Byrnes' contract extension.

With the White Sox, he could get a chance to be their everyday left fielder. Quentin is hoping to be fully recovered from the shoulder surgery by Opening Day.

"It's bittersweet for him because he feels like he didn't get a chance to accomplish everything he wanted in Arizona," said Brodie Van Wagenen, Quentin's agent. "So he leaves there with a sense of unfulfillment but at the same point he's appreciative of the Diamondbacks to give him a chance to go play elsewhere."

Does not perserverance pertain to any walk of life where one wants to succeed?

Perserverance might be one of the most important thing in reaching the Major Leagues.

But regarding this topic, talent is #1 when it comes to the draft! Perserverance while a very good trait in baseball and life, by itself, will not get a player drafted.

However, it sometimes is the reason that a player has improved his skills enough to be drafted based on his "talent".

So heck... In the end... Maybe perserverance is the main ingredient!

How about talented players perservering, and LUCKily not getting blocked or hurt?

For those of you who have experience and/or the knowledge, and there seems to be many, what are the "tools or talents" that catches a scouts eye??

Would not the tools be:
1) Hit for power
2) Hit for average
3) Arm strength (throwing)
4) Fielding Ability
5) Speed

quote:

Originally posted by floridafan:
Would not the tools be:
1) Hit for power
2) Hit for average
3) Arm strength (throwing)
4) Fielding Ability
5) Speed

Not for pitchers!

I think that tools vary depending on position. I used to have a chart that gave the tools that scouts look for regarding position. I lost it when I change to W vista.