Scouts are dusting off their radar guns this morning. Major League Baseball has authorized a resumption of amateur scouting with some ongoing limitations, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports on Twitter.
Baseball’s eyes and ears are typically grinding out hours on the road this time of year. But they’ve been on ice along with the rest of the sport since mid-March.
For most fans, the real key here is that there’s baseball activity worthy of scouting at all. As McDaniel notes, the Perfect Game showcase schedule is slated to kick off this week. No doubt there’ll be hardball played around the country this summer, though some major events — among them, the Cape Cod League — have already been stricken from the calendar.
At the moment, teams won’t be permitted to assign more than a trio of scouts to any given event. Presumably, the primary concern isn’t with limiting large gatherings so much as preventing a scouting arms race.
International scouting is still not allowed, McDaniel adds on Twitter, though that could resume soon as well. Teams will now be allowed to comb through new video and data in assessing players abroad.
Despite those limitations, there’s loads of potential for teams willing to expend resources to get more and longer looks at potential targets. Much like the shakeup of the recent draft and post-draft signing period, the newly uncertain cost/reward structure of scouting in the coronavirus era will open opportunities for those clubs that best adapt.
Today the owners are meeting regarding playing out the rest of the year. Fingers crossed we actually get some baseball.
Not going to be any MLB or NBA or maybe even any sports. Too much going on now.
NASCAR says hi
NASCAR isn’t a sport
Thor, stupid comment. Maybe you and youngstank can start a stupid comment club. Douger007 can help as the cooresponding secretary.
Just because you dont understand NASCAR,or cant even change your own oil, doesnt mean you know if its a sport or not.
synchronized swimming is an Olympic sporting event….I think we can include nascar in the list of sports
Nope. NASCAR is by no means a sport. Right on thorshair.
^^…and we have another idiot….
“By no means”
Teams vs teams, somewhat level playing fields, athlete drivers in far better condition than retire21.
But lets translate his stupidity. “By no means” a sport because he doesnt understand the sport, stereotypes the fans, which makes his stupid comment borderline hypocritical.
Nice job. Next time, think before you pop off.
Is that all you do is insult other people.
“Too much going on right now” to respond to your question. Please go away and come back another day.
Looks like that is a yes, which is sad if you’re serious to be spending so much time on internet comment sections.
Driving around in circles in an empty car is a sport? Put two screaming kids in the back seat and a cranky wife next to him giving directions… now that’s a sport.
Scared to respond I see.
No. My point was visibly proven, and you are grabbing at straws, turd
No you don’t just run away after giving an insult, in which in the beginning I said nothing to you. Unless someone is commenting to you, don’t go around insulting someone.
Golf is already back, and despite the choke fest to end the tournament, it was an awesome event.
Watching golf, exciting? And I thought MY life sucked…
Who, what, where, how and why.
Col. Mustard, candlestick, the Library, asphyxiation and Labor Strife
congrats, youve won the internet for today
what scouting? angels have no scouts as of now!
The Angels furloughing of scouts should be the number one indication to their fans that the organization they love does NOT care about winning. I get this is a business first, but you have to at least try to win in order to keep your fan base. Someone will undoubtedly put together an argument about how much money they spend on MLB players, but that’s just a band-aid they slapped on to cover up what is truly an atrociously ran organization. Fans keep showing up in Anaheim because Mike Trout fills seats. Mike Trout will only fill seats for so long and eventually this scouting fiasco will lead to a barren system producing next to nothing.
Arte Moreno is operating like an owner who does not intend to be around for the long haul and doesn’t really care about the long term health of the organization he currently owns. This also means he doesn’t really care about his loyal fan base. Sad.
Thirty teams in MLB, none of which has had their scouting department since May. But only the Angels get called out. Thirty teams have cut record number of minor leaguers this year. Again only the Angels get called out. From 2012 to 2015, which is 4 drafts, the Angels only have had 2 players drafted that been able to stay in the majors. Those two are CJ Cron, who is on his fourth team in four years. Then Keynon Middleton, who has yet to pitch a full season in the majors. Also in that time, only one international signing has made it up the majors, that would Jamie Barria. Now do the Angels have the best scouting department? No far from. Injuries happen, so I don’t give them a break for that. My bigger concern is, the strength and conditioning department, is the Angels biggest weakness in its organization.
What will they scout?
Owners just have those $20k checks burning a hole in their pockets! No decent prospects (but not good enough for the 5th round) are going to take that – they’ll just take their chances on a real draft next year, stay in college with their 5th year of eligibility, or go to college if they just graduated HS.
i dunno, fair few guys listed on BA’s list are taking the 20K, which is 20K more than these guys will get in college.
I need baseball in my life
Yes! I am looking forward to getting on the road again. #Scoutseyes