Archives
From The Gut - Vol. 1
"New Season Brings New Lessons"
by Ken Guthrie
Today's forecast calls for rain...
Doesn't mother nature realize that spring is here? I'll trade mud puddles and wind chapped skin for a dusty infield and a farmers tan any day.
Baseball brings some long lasting traditions that come with with a new spring. Players put a fresh coat oil on that trusty mitt, break in a new pair of spikes, and sleep with their favorite bat. Parents gather their players schedules, purchase additional gear, and add important phone numbers for the upcoming season. This year is no different from the past and the excitement exceeds any season up to this point.
But don't get too excited. A new baseball season can bring changes. Families can find themselves on a different team. Players may find a new coach filling out a lineup card. When sitting in the dugout a player may not recognize the guy warming up in the bullpen. Who is that guy swinging on deck? Coaches meet new players, players meet new teammates, and baseball families meet new baseball families.
Same game but a little different right?
Embrace it. Change is good. Especially for the young aspiring big leaguer who just knows his name will be on the back of a Texas Rangers jersey some day. The dream is there with every young player. From coach pitch all the way up to Connie Mack levels. But the road is long and there are many twists and turns along the way. The lessons each player learn today, help that player achieve his dreams of tomorrow.
Here is an example...
Coach - "Johnny, your hitting 6th and playing leftfield today."
Johnny - "But coach, I've never played outfield. I played third base for my team last year."
Coach - "I know Johnny, but help us out today. We need you in leftfield with our hard throwing right hander on the mound and all their left handed bats in the line up."
With a knot in his stomach, Johnny grabs his glove and heads out to a position he's never played before. Johnny's parents watch from the stands as he trots out from the dugout wondering what might be. After all, Johnny played third base last year.
Now fast forward 20 years. "Johnny" is now "Mr. Johnny" and the "coach" is now a "boss"...
Boss - "Johnny, I need you to fly out on the 6th and be in Springfield for that meeting."
Mr. Johnny - "But boss, last year I was on the Base Case and was able to work from the office."
Boss - "I know Johnny, but our staff and team really need you in Springfield this year. We have a new customer with different deadlines."
Can you see the comparisons?
Baseball is so much like the game of life. How a player responds today will ultimately determine his success in the future. The same can be said in the corporate world. Who knows, Johnny may be the first leftfielder drafted by the Texas Rangers out of the University of Texas. And to think, he used to play third base.
For coaches, parents, and players...major league dreams have never been more evident. This new season brings promise and lends another step in the right direction. Although none of us know what destiny has in store for each player, certainly the sky is the limit with hard work and dedication.
But in the unfortunate situation that the big league dream is replaced with reality, the lessons our players learn today will prepare them for tomorrow. Embrace it, accept it, and take the challenge.
Baseball and the upcoming season lends the ability to learn those life lessons for situations that are inevitable in the future. Whether that be on the baseball field or in a corporate office.
So here's to another season. From the crack of the bat on the first pitch, to the last out of the championship game...what happen's in the middle innings is what's really important.
Just checked the weather for tomorrow...
Clear Sunny Skies
regards,
Gut
From The Gut Vol. 2
"Hey, What Are You Looking At?"
by Ken Guthrie
We all know what they look like. They walk in with a bag full of information, tools for their trade, wearing a logo on their hat or shirt, and a thick string hangs out of their pocket. Whoever they are can be seen talking to coaches before the game, standing in odd places, and they must have season tickets because they usually sit right behind home plate. But sometimes they don't stay for the whole game. Who would come to a baseball game only to watch a few innings?
By the time you point them out, it's too late. They have already seen you.
Scouts get there early to evaluate a player long before his first at bat or his first pitch on the mound.
What is a scout?
There are generally two types of baseball scouts. 1. A professional scout working for a major league baseball club or 2. A college coach looking for potential players to add to their university or college programs.
So what do they look for?
Let's break this up into two groups as shown above. First, let's talk about professional scouts first. Pro scouts are looking for tools first and foremost. For a position player...arm strength, running speed, hitting ability, the ability to hit with power, and fielding ability. For a pitcher...body type, arm action, velocity, and secondary pitches are evaluated. Also being evaluated are things such as athletic ability and character make up. Remember this, most are evaluating what a player will be versus what a player is presently. Also remember, season statistics (batting average, homerun totals, rbi's, earned run average, wins/losses) warrant little attention from professional scouts while evaluating players.
For college scouts, much the same attributes are being looked at in a player, yet on a smaller scale. A college scout is looking for a player who can help their school win next season versus a professional scout looking for a player who might help a major league team win years from now. College scouts evaluate players for immediate need as well. If they have a highly regarded freshman first baseman in their program with several underclassman as back ups, chances are they will not spend much time scouting for that position. College coaches will identify talent in the areas/positions they need and then gather necessary information (academics, character make up, coach ability) they need to consider a player for their college program.
There is much more to add to what has already been mentioned but the important thing to discuss is what a player can do to maximize their ability to stand out for a scout.
Let it be known, every move a player makes is being evaluated. From the time a player walks into the ballpark until the time that player leaves the field, a good scout is watching and evaluating. Scouts look for "make up" or "character". Scouts will evaluate a player long before they even see a players tools. Does the player present himself well? Does he wear his uniform correctly? If he has a full beard, that player may have reached his potential physically. Does he respect the game? Does he respect his coaches? How does he move around on the field in warm ups? Does he hustle? Does he look attentive? All of these things are being watched intensively to help a scout evaluate a player.
One of the most important things a scout can watch is "infield" or "in and out" before the game starts. A scout can see arm strength, defensive skills, hand actions, foot speed, and quickness from players during this time. This is important for players to take seriously. For example, maybe the player a scout came to watch never has to make a defensive play during a game because the game itself did not present the situation. How can a scout evaluate his defensive skills? Easy...they already did. They watched "infield" before the game and gained plenty of information to evaluate that players tools. It's unfortunate that some of today's players do not take infield seriously. It's also unfortunate that some coaches do not deem infield important prior to their teams game. Needless to say, what happens prior to the first pitch is often overlooked by a player when in actuality it sometimes can be the most important part of their evaluation.
Now it's game time. Every player would love to get three hits and pop one over the fence for a scout. But scouts watch everything remember? When a player hits a ground ball to the shortstop what was his "time" running to first base? Remember those strings handing out of the pockets? Those are attached to stop watches getting accurate running times to measure speed. How many of us have seen the player that jogs in disgust because he didn't get a hit? Well he just missed an opportunity to show hustle and maybe that speed he possesses that scouts are looking for. A hit is better than an out right? Not always for a scout. A line drive that is caught by the left fielder shows a scout more than a seeing eye ground ball pass the pitcher for a hit. A pitcher that shows good strike zone command with a good fastball and off speed pitch is more important than what the statistics say for a scout. So you see, what a press release prints does not take place of what a scout actually witnessed. There is so much more for a scout to see than a box score. An average player can be given a higher evaluation if he takes the little things seriously. Often this leads to opportunities that tools alone would not lend.
Unfortunately, the reality is there are few players that possess the tools to be considered for the professional ranks in comparison to the number of players playing at the high school or college level. The percentages get better when discussing the opportunity for high school players to continue their baseball career at the college level. There are more universities, small colleges, junior colleges, and community colleges adding baseball programs to their athletic programs. The opportunity is there for players today. But what they do during the game is not the only thing scouts pay attention to.
So players, the next time you walk on the field with your shirt untucked with your glove on your head remember who is watching. Parents, buy your kid a razor even though he is 6'2" and nicknamed Grizzly Adams. You might trick a scout into thinking he may be 6'4" in a few years.
Go by the golden rule...DO NOT GIVE A SCOUT ANYTHING TO QUESTION. You may be a great player and a model citizen, but if don't carry yourself well on and off the field...what you do on the field may never get noticed. There have been many of scouts who have given favorable evaluations to players without ever seeing them go 2 for 3 or throwing a shutout. Also remember, maybe a player isn't interested in playing for the team a scout represents. Well scouts talk. Remember that first baseman that a college coach didn't need? Well he just called another coach in a different conference to let them know of the player so his competition didn't get better.
In closing, what a player does when nobody is watching will ultimately portray a player and his ability accurately. That's when the baseball God's are watching. They outrank a scout.
Hats on straight regards,
Gut
_____
