•  Scouting is not a science. Scouting is subjective & individual scouting opinions will vary of every pitcher.
•  Scouts always target athletes because they typically develop into better pitchers than non-athletes.
•  Pitchers require minimum standard of position-specific physical ability (Tools) to play professional baseball.  

Arm-Strength / Velocity

•  Scouts prioritize arm-strength (velocity), which allows greater margin of error.
•  Velocity component is weighed more heavily at amateur level.
   “Below-average” fastball velocity requires movement (sink / cut) & deception, which can be measured by hitter reaction to pitches.
   Left handed pitcher fastball velocity given less weight if breaking ball & change-up is effective.
   Velocity will improve with age & mechanical adjustments.  Scouts project future fastball grades based on age & mechanics.

     Grading Arm Strength:

• Scouts use 20-80 scale or 2-8 scale to grade arm strength.
• 2 or 20 is bottom of scale & 8 or 80 is top. 
  Scouts grade with "2" numbers. The first number is current grade on 2-8 scale and 2^nd number is projected future grade.
•  
•     8: Greater Than 95 mph
•     7: 94 to 95 mph
•     6: 92 to 93 mph
•     5: 89 to 91 mph
•     4: 87 to 88 mph
•     3: 85 to 86 mph
•     2: Less Than 85 mph

Quality Breaking-Pitch

•  Scouts look for tight rotation on breaking pitches, which increases break & difficulty for hitters to make solid contact.
•  Late break close to home plate.
•  Hitter reaction determines grade.
•  Curveball & Slider are most common types of breaking pitches.

     Curveball:

• Curveball has sharp, down & away, 12-24 inch break as ball approaches home plate.
• More effective from high arm angles.

     Slider: 

• Slider has tight, lateral spin similar to a bullet.
  Looks like fastball, but breaks outward 6-12 inches as it approaches home plate.

Other-Pitch

• Starting pitchers need quality "other pitch” to be effective.
• Hitter reaction to pitch determines grade.
• Change-Up (Preferred)
• Split Fingered Fastball
• Knuckle Ball
• Knuckle Curve
• Screwball

    Change-Up:

• Change-Up is most common, effective, & safest “other pitch”.
• Types of change ups include; circle change, straight change, & palm ball.
• Change-Up is an asset by making fastball seem quicker to hitter.
• Quality change up looks like fastball to hitter, but travels 10-15 mph slower, forcing hitter out in front of pitch. 

     Split Finger Fastball, Knuckle Ball, Knuckle Curve, Screwball:

• All can be used as either a breaking pitch or off speed pitch.
• All show good movement, but are much harder to control.

Delivery &  Arm-Action

•  Effectiveness, velocity, stuff, command, & durability are the result of delivery & arm action.
• Scouts evaluate delivery for synchronization, extension in front & back, balance, rhythm, & lower body involvement.
•  Pitcher must demonstrate free & easy arm action, with uninterrupted & quiet delivery.
•  Arm should move & work in conjunction with body to reduce stress at elbow & shoulder to prevent future arm injuries.
  Improves consistency of command & control.
• Allows tighter ball rotation & higher velocity, which affects breaking pitches.
• Maximum effort increases stress and injury risk for elbow & shoulder, when compared to free & easy effort.

     Delivery Problems: 

• Throwing across body.
• Landing on stiff front leg.
• Over striding.
• Landing on heel.
• Arm dragging behind body.
• Incomplete extension at follow thru.

     Changing Arm Action:

• Difficult to change arm action.
•  Arm is susceptible to injury when muscles used differently.
• Velocity can decrease.
• Angle of breaking ball can change.

Body-Type & Frame

• Projecting body type is subjective & individual scouting opinions of each body type & frame will vary.
• Remember, for every rule there will be an exception.
• Projecting body type & frame at amateur level is weighed heavily during evaluation.
• Scouts target tall pitchers (above 6’0") more aggressively than short pitchers (less than 6’0").
• Tall pitchers generate more leverage & have advantage of throwing baseball on downward plane to hitter, which makes pitches more difficult to hit.
• Short pitchers must expend more effort with delivery in order to create velocity.
• Scouts target athletes because they typically develop into better pitchers than non-athletes.
  Broad shoulders leave room to fill out as pitcher matures and develops.
  Long & lean muscles allow for free & easy movements.
  Pitchers with long arms & fluid movements can improve velocity, while most muscular, short armed pitchers typically don’t improve velocity.
  Large hands make it easier to grip & control baseball.
  Strong  lower body allows pitcher to minimize strain on throwing arm.
  Flexibility allows pitcher to separate upper & lower body to create torque.

Command & Control   

• “Control” is ability to consistently throw strikes (ball over plate).
• “Command” is ability to consistently throw ball to specific area of strike zone.
  Ability to locate fastball to both sides of plate.
  Ability to locate fastball for strike when behind in count.
  Ability to throw off-speed or breaking pitch for strike when behind in count.
•  Professional baseball pitchers lacking overpowering stuff throw 75% of total pitches for strikes, with command.
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