Baseball Scouts in MLB

[Jadow]

WTH can they see from the stands that they couldn't see from watching the game in HD?

Also, is there a better job in the world than baseball scout?

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

they don't just go for the games. they watch BP, practice, workouts, etc.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

do you really think you can learn all you need to by watching something on tv?

 

[KLin]

Yet another ignorant thread.

 

[11thHour]

they typically just watch the box scores.

 

[Jadow]

do you really think you can learn all you need to by watching something on tv?

yeah pretty much, after watching TV, I am confident I could:

Solve a murder
Go crab fishing in the Bering Sea
Sell a million dollar house with no problems
Cook a gourmet meal for the toughest of judges
Pick a winning stock 100% of the time

 

[Sho'Nuff]

WTH can they see from the stands that they couldn't see from watching the game in HD?

Also, is there a better job in the world than baseball scout?

My wife's cousin scouts for college basketball, and I hear it is pretty misreable. Lots of time on the road going to places in the middle of nowhere. I imagine with baseball it is much of the same, except that instead of gyms you would visit a lot of places with cornfields and/or mud huts.

 

[cubby1223]

WTH can they see from the stands that they couldn't see from watching the game in HD?

A lot.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

do you really think you can learn all you need to by watching something on tv?

No, you also need ATOT

 

[waterjug]

yeah pretty much, after watching TV, I am confident I could:

Solve a murder
Go crab fishing in the Bering Sea
Sell a million dollar house with no problems
Cook a gourmet meal for the toughest of judges
Pick a winning stock 100% of the time

you mean you can't crab fish? :$ I'm embarrassed FOR you

 

[NeoV]

remember too that there are various types of scouts for MLB teams.

The "best" scouting jobs get to scout major league games -almost exclusively. These 'advance' scouts will watch other teams their teams are going to play, or make special trips to check out potential trade candidates - particularly at this time of the year.

This is a pretty good gig - well paying, lots of travel -lots of watching MLB games.

That said - the 'lower' scouting jobs are much more hectic and don't pay as well. They watch minor league games (which some of the upper level scouts will do as well - again centering on trade potential), but these guys have crappier hotels to stay in, often take buses from site to site..you get the idea.

At the lowest level are scouts that watch amateur games - HS and college games in preparation for the MLB draft held each year.



As far as the "in person" vs "TV" question - I could see TV-only working to scout pitchers to a degree, and position players batting - but you really do see a lot more in person, it's not even close.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

I was All-State my Senior year at a high school here in Georgia and I just wanted to let the OP know that baseball does not translate well on TV. You really do not get a sense of the actual speed of the game on TV at all. When I watch on TV it looks like those guys are throwing 75-80mph, but when I played against kids who played in the majors in the Cobb County American Legion league, and traveling teams, I got to see that a 95mph fastball looks like a golf ball shot out of a gun. It's crazy.