...stronger on the field or in the newsroom, or both. The bottom line of trades is to improve the club on the field. There are some trades, though, that may do more to please the media and the fans, like moving a Randy Johnson back to Arizona or a Boomer Wells… somewhere.
You will find a short list of suitable major league players or those “minor leaguers to be named later,” that the GM can call upon when making deals big and small.
Pro scouts can be seen behind home plate at Spring Training, major league, minor league Arizona Fall League, winter league and even some independent games. You scout the players that could be picked up in a trade, waived, acquired through the Rule 5 draft, purchased from an indy ballclub or signed via free agency.
MLB has many rules regarding the movement of players. Opportunities pop up. In a world where the media is convinced that big name, big dollar trades are the gateway to World Series championships, the scouting the professional players becomes even more important.
As a pro scout you see a team for five or six consecutive days. Sometimes you report on one team; other times you can double-up and report on two clubs.
For each pro player, you write up a report where you grade out their tools and give a short description of their abilities and your forecast of their future. The biggest difference between pro and amateur scouting is that there have been many more eyes on these players, from coaches to other scouts to the news media. Many have long and well-documented histories.
With that comes certain “common wisdoms” about particular players. Sometimes your take upholds the status quo of those opinions. Once in a while, though, you see something different. Maybe it is something that their current organization missed about them, or something about your own organization that might be a good fit, or might even change the direction of a player’s career in a way that will help your club improve, or stay on top.
Whatever remarks you make, your final reports need to be submitted to the major league offices prior to the trading deadline of July 31. Supplemental reports may also come at a later date. Reports from the Fall and Winter Leagues have a timetable of their own.
A typical daily routine in “pro” mode might put you on the road for two weeks, where you try to cover three teams, and then return home for a few days before heading out to follow other clubs.
On the road, a typical day might begin with breakfast and checking the Marlin’s minor league club box scores, then typing up reports on the prior evening’s pitchers. You might have some free time during the mid-day to workout, relax or take in nine holes of golf, then grab an early dinner at three o’clock, and head off to the ballpark for batting practice, followed by the game.
You return to the hotel and usually unwind after a day of watching baseball. Some scouts will head to their computer and write up reports on each pitcher the day after he threw. You tend to write up the positional players after three or four days of observation.
THE DREAM
Some people looking at my schedule, and what we do, and where we get to do it, might say: ‘That’s the life for me!’
Scouting is not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination. Weekends usually mean double-headers instead of grill-outs. Our only “off-days” are Easter and Christmas.
We have to admit, though, that watching baseball as a profession is a wonderful way to make a living.
While scouts don’t have a union, there are a few professional organizations, foremost of which is the non-profit Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation (PBSF). They help scouts in need due to job loss, illness, retirement, or other financial set-backs with financial assistance, to seek new employment. They help keep the dream from being a nightmare in a scout's old age, or if they fall on hard times.
Ultimately, we’re in the wish fulfillment business. Whether it is helping the GM and the owners of a club fulfill their dream of taking a World Series, or making little boys dreams of playing professional baseball come true, it is what we scouts do.
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Brad DelBarba is an amateur and pro scout. Johnny DiPrado is an international scout. To help the work of the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation (PBSF) click here.
