Every season they come out in droves and surround the backstops of ball fields all across the country looking for the next ballplayer to help their team win more ball games, a national title, a major league pennant, or even a college or major league World Series title.

These “bird dogs,” and the scouts and organizations they report to are evaluating your proficiency in five areas:

The five tools to baseball:

• Hitting for Power
• Hitting for Average
• Running Speed
• Defensive Abilities (Fielding Skills)
• Strong Throwing Arm

So here’s what you need to know:

How Scouts Evaluate You and What They Measure You Against
Even though a great deal has been published on this subject, much of it is usually of a subjective nature. Things like “an above average arm,” “good power,” “speed,” and “quickness” can mean quite different things even to two scouts in the same organization.

More importantly, there is not a lot of data on more objective measures of a baseball player’s physical performance to benchmark or compare against.

This lack of data led me to conduct an extensive search, both online and otherwise. I compiled information from several sources, one of which is the master himself, Gene Coleman, Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Houston Astros and his excellent book, 52 Week Baseball Conditioning.

I’ve covered both the “tangible,” more easily quantified physical skills and the “intangible,” more difficult to observe and measure attributes like attitude and work habits.
The result.

Performance Variables You Can Measure Yourself Against
These are a set of indices specific to baseball. I’m sure more data exists and as I find it I’ll update this article. Meanwhile, you can use this information to benchmark and gauge your abilities and learn what it takes to play at a higher level.

Remember, to be considered a solid college or pro prospect, you don’t have to be highly proficient in all of these areas. Although, the higher your ability is in these areas the more likely you’ll attract the attention of the scouts and the better your chances are for a brighter future.

Here are some interesting benchmark performance measures used for major league ballplayers. Obviously, youth league players would not be expected to perform at these levels. So, please use the following data strictly for information purposes only.

SIZE
Average Size of a Major League Ballplayer: 6’0″ 190 lbs., 11% Body Fat (IF – 9.4%, OF – 8.4%)
Average Size of a Major League Pitcher: 6’1″ 190 – 200 lbs., 12.3% Body Fat
Average Size of a Major League Catcher: 5’11″ 190 – 200 lbs., 11.5% Body Fat

RUNNING SPEED
60 yard dash time:
Exceptional – 6.3 to 6.5
Good – 6.5 to 6.8
Acceptable – 7 seconds or less

Home to 1B Left Handed Batters Right Handed Batters
Exceptional 4.0 seconds or less 4.1 seconds or less
Good 4.1 seconds 4.2 seconds
Average 4.2 seconds 4.3 seconds

1st to 3rd time:
Exceptional – 6.7 seconds or less
Good – 6.8 – 6.9
Average – 7.0 seconds

Home to 3rd time
Exceptional – 10.4 – 10.7
Good – 10.8 – 11.2
Average – 11.3 – 11.7

Home to home time:
Exceptional – 14.0 seconds or less
Good – 14.1 – 15.0 seconds
Average – 15.5 seconds

ARM STRENGTH / THROWING VELOCITY
Pitcher’s Throwing Velocities in Miles Per Hour (mph)

Fastball:
Exceptional – 94 – 97 mph
Good – 92 – 93 mph
Average – 88 – 91 mph

Slider 7 – 8 mph slower than fastball
Curve, Changeup: 12 – 15 mph slower than fastball

Infielder’s throw across the infield in Miles Per Hour:
Exceptional – 85 mph and up
Good – 82 – 84 mph

Outfielders:
According to Gene Coleman, one useful way of evaluating outfielder arm strength is to measure the time it takes to field a hit ball and make a throw from a distance of 270 feet from home plate. The watch is started on bat contact and ends when the ball crosses home plate. Since the average major leaguer runs from second base to home in 7 seconds or less, a strong throw will beat that time.

Catcher’s Throwing Velocity in Mile Per Hour:
Exceptional – 84 mph and up
Good – 82 – 83 mph

RELEASE TIME
Pitcher to home plate from the stretch position with a runner on base:
Excellent – > 1.2 seconds
Good – 1.2 – 1.3 seconds
Average (RH) – 1.3 seconds
Average (LH) – 1.4 seconds

Catcher throwing to second on base stealing attempt:
Excellent – >1.8 seconds
Good – 1.9 seconds or less
Average – 2.0 seconds

Catcher and Pitcher combined times vs. Base Stealers:
Time: More than 3.3 seconds Outcome: Likely stolen base
Time: Between 3.2 and 3.3 seconds Outcome: 50/50 chance of safely stealing base
Time: Less than 3.3 seconds Outcome: Likely to be thrown out

Base Stealers:
You need to be at or below 3.2 seconds between first and second on a base stealing attempt against the combined average time of a major league catcher and pitcher. In his prime, Rickey Henderson was consistently at 3.0 – 3.1.

What’s more, scouts rate players on both their present ability as well as their projected future potential. Talk about subjective.

How do you project “future potential?” Well, you can look at things like current size, age, body mechanics, the size of close family members, athletic ability of close family members and the like.

This is at best a guessing game, but it matters a fair amount in a scout’s assessment of a player. You could even rate somewhat average in your present ability in a particular area, yet be considered a good prospect due to your possible “upside” or future potential. All of which leads us to the next section…

Intangibles
These are attributes deemed highly important but for which no technique exists to objectively measure the attribute. While you can easily time a thrown baseball or running speed, there is no way to measure an important trait such as “hand speed.” It’s just one of those things you look at and can see whether or not a hitter has it.

Yes, there are devices you can set up in a lab or clinic to measure bat speed. But, these are not convenient for a scout to use at a game, so a scout will say a prospect has good or excellent hand speed without a precise definition of what that means.

The problem, of course, is that two capable, experienced evaluators may define good and excellent somewhat differently.

Observing a good young hitter with truly outstanding hand speed and noting that fact is relatively easy. The trick, of course, is rating prospects of lesser ability while accurately projecting his “upside” or future potential.

Hence, we end up with situations like Kirby Puckett, a Hall of Famer who wasn’t drafted or offered a college scholarship out of high school, and superstars like John Smoltz and Jose Canseco who were relatively low draft picks.

The most “infamous” of these stories may be that of Mike Piazza. Drafted in the 64th round by the LA Dodgers as a favor to his father, who was good friends with Tommy Lasorda (at the time the Dodgers manager) Piazza may turn out to be the best catcher in the history of the game. Many hundreds of players were selected in the draft ahead of him, most of whom never made it to the big leagues and are probably out of the game by now.

Could not ONE of these scouts have seen something in Piazza? What were the projections on Piazza’s upside? There are many stories similar to these players, and more still about high draft picks who were busts (see Clint Hurdle).

This is not meant as a knock on the scouts; it’s a tough gig.

The point? Work hard, and dream on. You just never know.

12 Specific Intangible Scouts Consider:

• Work habits
• Maturity
• Respect for the game
• Aggressiveness
• Actions and preparation in the on-deck circle
• Off-field habits
• Intelligence (grades matter!)
• Composure
• Desire
• Dedication
• Instincts
• Hustle

This obviously could be a very long list and is best summed up by the following comment by Mike Batesole, Cal State Northridge Head Baseball Coach:

“I watch everything a guy does when he’s not at the plate or fielding a ball. Facial expressions, how he treats teammates, these are the clues that tell me whether he will be willing to put in the time it takes to be successful.”
Train Hard, Train Smart!

Steve Zawrotny has been in the game of baseball for 30 years. He pitched in college on a baseball scholarship for BYU, where he got his coaching career started as a graduate assistant. From there he led various successful baseball programs at the Little League, High School, Connie Mack, and American Legion levels.

Zawrotny received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Brigham Young University. A certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), Steve was also a US Air Force Physical Fitness Instructor for six years. Steve offers personal instruction in baseball and softball near his home in Oklahoma City and operates the BaseballFit.com website.

by Harry Lloyd

For the athlete, success is dependent upon winning, and winning is dependent upon motivation…and more aptly self-motivation. The same can be said about success itself.

Success requires effort, and there are too few who are willing to pay the price of success.

Self-motivation arises from some inner cause, wish, drive, or need that requires no external reason. This is the type of motivation which is so vitally important to the champion athlete.

The athlete must always remember that the burdens of physical effort and internal motivation are his own responsibility. He alone is accountable for his actions, choices, and decisions.

More likely than not — all other factors being equal, the difference between successful and unsuccessful athletes boils down to internal motivation. This internal motivation is the ability of the individual athlete to develop strength, desire, willpower and determination to reach a chosen, worthy goal.

If he wants to achieve success, the motivation that will drive him toward that objective must come from within.

The internal motivation necessary for athletic success is based on the principle that human beings become the end products of their thoughts. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “a man becomes what he thinks about all day long.” According to William James, “human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.”

Simply put, a man becomes what his thoughts dwell upon. Therefore the basic law of athletic motivation is simply that an athlete becomes what he chooses to think about.

The establishment of specific goals is perhaps the most important personal decision an athlete can make for himself if he is to experience success. In order to become a better player, the athlete must have self-directed goals and devote all of his energies toward reaching them.

Andrew Carnegie, one of America’s first billionaires, once said “No one has been known to succeed without first applying the principle of definite purpose.”

David Schwartz, who wrote the best seller The Magic of Thinking Big, said: “Nothing happens, no forward steps are taken until a goal is established. Without goals, people just wander through life. They stumble along, never knowing where they are going.”

There are a few principles you should adhere to when establishing your goals:

For Pitchers
Forget about establishing a certain number of games to win individually.

For Hitters
Do not focus on a specific batting average for the season. This type of goal could be a failure trap or a limitation on your potential.
These types of goals do more harm than good and they can destroy attitudes.

Secondly
Whether you are a pitcher, hitter, or fielder, look upon yourself as not having weaknesses. Instead consider weaknesses as undeveloped skills. As you begin to develop the skills that you are working on, your attitude begins to say “I can” rather than “I can’t.” Remember, you only have undeveloped skills and great possibilities.

Thirdly
The best goals to establish for yourself should relate to the job at hand. These are present tense goals. For instance, “throw a good, low strike,” or “see the ball.” These are the goals within the player’s immediate control during the game.

How Can an Athlete Motivate Himself?
The following nine truths will help you to become self-motivated and successful as an athlete:

• Set definite, realistic goals. Put them in writing and work on them each and every day. Develop a desire and a willingness to work toward the completion of your goals.
• The earlier a player dedicates himself to peak performance, the more likely he is to achieve it.
• Believe in your ability. Acknowledge your talent. Confidence acknowledges your talent. Confidence always precedes success!
• Pay strict attention to self-discipline. There is a price on everything, including success. Pay the price!
• Develop a positive mental attitude. Say only positive things about others. Think only in positive terms. Winners think: I can…I will…I’ll adjust…I’ll find a way.
• Never be satisfied with your knowledge, performance or skill. Always be thinking of ways to improve.
• Learn from defeat or temporary failure. Anyone who is undefeated has never met strong enough opponents. Never become satisfied with failure. You may get beat on the scoreboard, but never get beat in the Heart!
• Never have an alibi. The best excuse is one you never make!
• Share with and help others instead of being selfish.

If you have a burning love and joy for the game, and work up to your maximum potential, there is an internal reward — the reward of doing the best possible job. Stand aside and let your potential shine through!

Harry Lloyd Harry Lloyd was the Head Baseball Coach at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta for 37 years. During his years at Westminster his teams won the Georgia State A Championship in 1967 and 1968, and his 1975 team captured the State AA title. From 1971 through 1973, Harry managed in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system, winning a pennant in 1973 in Auburn, New York, which earned him the league’s Manager of the Year award. During his playing days, Harry played collegiately at the University of North Carolina alongside legendary future coaches Jack Stallings and Roger Craig.