A friend of Bill Buck’s joined the scouting ranks and learned a quick lesson: There’s more to it than attending games. And the reports that take a seasoned scout 15 minutes to write, were taking him a few hours.
“He was overwhelmed,” said Buck, a scout since 1986, including the past 11 years with Detroit.
Buck, though, got into a rhythm with scouting long ago.
He arrives early to watch batting practice or bullpen sessions. He’ll gauge their athleticism and bat speed. He’ll judge their baseball tools during the game.
“It’s very hard not to performance scout, which is what you’re not supposed to do,” he said.
After games, he files computer reports, giving players an organizational grade. A high grade prompts a cross-checker to then scout the player.
On May 16th, he provided Detroit with his list of approximately 50 players he considers draftable. He’ll be happy if three get picked — and ecstatic if he has a repeat of last year when five were selected.
He needs to know a player’s signability — he shies away from those who also excel in football, because, he said, “they always choose football.” And he takes parents at their word; last year, one family said it would take a hefty bonus to sign their son. Buck, and others, took him off their list and he went undrafted.
“They told the bureau scout, ‘Wow, I guess they were serious,’” Buck said.
Buck also needs to learn how coaches judge players. One coach last year strongly recommended he watch three of his players. Buck came away unimpressed.
“I know if [that coach] sounds an alarm on a kid I have to be cautious about what I expect to see,” he said.
But, he admits, “this is a real inexact science.”
