How to Find a Scout for High School Baseball Pitchers
There is no exact science for getting a high school pitcher noticed by a college or professional baseball scout. If he has exceptional talent, most likely college and professional scouts will seek him out without the pitcher, his parents or his coach having to contact scouts. Not all pitchers scouted will get a scholarship to a major university or get drafted by a Major League Baseball team. Success can still be had at a smaller college or community college, and perhaps that will lead to being drafted by a MLB team.
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Instructions
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Prepare highlight material of your best pitching performances on DVD and send the video to colleges. With each DVD, include your pitching statistics, height, weight, age, location, game schedule and why you would like to pitch for that particular college. If a college likes what it sees, it may have a scout attend at least one of your games to evaluate you.
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Fill out baseball questionnaires for colleges you are interested in playing for. Many colleges have the questionnaires available online.
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Ask your high school or American Legion coach to send letters of recommendation to college or pro scouts they have connections with. Networking is vital in getting the most exposure from college and professional scouts. Many high school and American Legion coaches will have contacts and friends within the baseball community to help you, so don't hesitate to ask for help and guidance.
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Attend as many free Major League Baseball team tryouts in your area. MLB teams have free tryouts during the summer around the country, and scouts are prevalent at these. Generally these tryouts are at colleges--both big and small--so stay up to date on any tryouts in your area.
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Play summer league baseball on a high quality team. Of course not all states have select baseball teams, so definitely play for an American Legion team and any all-star teams you get selected for. The better the team and league you play in, the more likely it is that scouts will be present.
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Contact the Major League Scouting Bureau and ask for the date and location of their 35 MLB scouting tryouts that take place each June around the U.S.
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Attend a summer baseball camp at a college in your area. Both professional and college scouts go to summer baseball camps to evaluate talent. If your financial situation allows it, attend a baseball camp during Christmas break as well. The more you pitch in a quality environment, the better your chances of being noticed by a scout.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep in mind that even if a player is drafted by a MLB team, according to statistics provided by Columbia College, as of 2006 only 10 percent to 15 percent of players drafted reach the major leagues. Even if a pitcher is never drafted, he will still have the experience of college baseball and a post-secondary education.
References
- Photo Credit man throwing baseball image by sonya etchison from Fotolia.com
