chavopepe2 wrote:

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Actually TGG, as much as I appreciate the sarcasm sometimes, I agree with what he is saying. Obviously scouts don't scout performance. Despite this, the scouting reports that make it through to the public are almost ALWAYS in line with performance trends. I think the Lars Anderson reports are a great example. We didn't hear anything about his "slow bat" when he was crushing AA as a 20 year old. Did his skills change since then? I tend to doubt it. Though clearly scouts are trained to look at skill set over performance there is very little doubt in my mind that they are influenced heavily by the way a player performs when they view them. I don't think this should surprise anyone.

Emphasis mine. So, one bogus reports floats out and people (not you) are quoting it as if it were the consensus. But, who is really concerned here? One anonymous scout who doesn't put their name on their opinion? Read through this thread and find all the snippets from Goldstein, Badler, and KLaw's chats and you'll see none of them are concerned and I guarantee you they've talked to a lot more scouts than some anonymous tip from an unknown scout that was talking out of his ass while him and Goldstein were shooting the shit. With that said, and I really don't have to repeat myself but I will because people really can't get this through their heads, scouts do not EVER take performance into consideration. They're being paid to scout bat speed, hand-eye coordination, swing mechanics, etc., and I'm sorry if it's somehow surprising to you that when Lars struggles (or any hitter for that matter), he probably isn't displaying great bat speed or has some cutting down to do on his swing. Does that mean he's never going to recover? No, he's 21 for chrissake. He's going to face a little adversity. He's probably pressing a ton right now and is going through his first full season at the biggest jump in the minor leagues (A+ to AA). People need to just chill out.

Alright, well go talk to a scout, any scout, and I guarantee it's been drilled into them to never scout performance. I can say for an absolute fact that this is definitely true for Red Sox scouts. I can say for an absolute fact that this is what they teach at MLB's Scouting Bureau. So, believe me or your gut opinion on whether or not you want to buy it. It's whatever.