Scout Says: Gennett Is Undervalued, Vitters Is Not
By MiLB.com
I checked in with a pro scout who has worked with four different Major League organizations and evaluated players from Class A on up to the the bigs. Here is what he said:
Blog: Tell us about one undervalued prospect you scouted in 2011.
Scout: Scooter Gennett. He’s a baseball player with high energy, hitting ability but is underrated due to size. (Gennett, a second baseman in the Brewers’ system, is listed at 5-foot-9, 164 pounds).
Blog: And how about one prospect that is overvalued in your mind?
Scout: Josh Vitters. He looks good in pregame but he has high strikeout numbers, less positive energy at game time and seems to play with a burden on his shoulders. (Vitters, a third baseman in the Cubs’ system, was the third overall pick in 2007.)
Blog: We live in a world where scouting terminology is used more and more in the public sphere. What are some of your most-used terms when discussing players with fellow talent-evaluators?
Scout: “Trending up” or “trending down” or playing at “peak performance.” Plus, “Do you want the player on our team or the other guys team?”
Blog: With recent flicks Moneyball and Trouble With The Curve baseball fans (at least the movie-going ones) might think we know a thing or two about the job of a scout. What might be flawed about our perceptions?
Scout: The perception is that most of our work is done at the games — easy life. But people don’t realize the amount of research that goes into writing a report — the length of time it takes to write a report and we have to write a report on every player on the team. Couple that with travel issues with flights, hotels and dealing with stress that is going on with family at home.
Blog: Alright, a couple of lighter questions before we let you go. What is the highest number you’ve ever seen on your radar gun?
Scout: 102 mph, and it belonged to the Reds’ Aroldis Chapman.
Blog: And who hit the longest home run you have ever seen?
Scout: The Reds’ Joey Votto when he was at Triple-A Louisville [in 2007]. That ball may have landed in the Ohio River.
