Scouting is basically the lifeblood of professional baseball, yet most people treat the actual paperwork like a middle school grocery list. You see it at every level—from high school summer ball to the Cape Cod League. A guy sits behind the backstop with a radar gun, scribbles "good life on FB" or "stiff hips," and calls it a day. That isn't scouting. That’s just watching a game with a clipboard. If your baseball scouting report template doesn't force you to quantify the "eye test" into something a GM or a college coach can actually use to make a million-dollar decision, it's just clutter.
The reality of the modern game is that data is everywhere. We have Hawkeye, Trackman, and Rapsodo. But a scout's job isn't to repeat what the machine already said. If a pitcher is throwing 98 mph, the machine knows that. The scout needs to explain why the hitter looked like he was swinging underwater against that 98 mph heater. Is it the extension? Is it the deception in the hand break? That’s where the template comes in. It has to be a bridge between the raw numbers and the human element of the sport.
The 2-to-8 Scale and Why It Still Wins
Most outsiders think scouting is about saying a kid is "great" or "average." Professionals don't do that. They use the 20-80 scale. It’s the industry standard used by every MLB organization, and if your baseball scouting report template doesn't revolve around this, you’re speaking a language no one else understands.
Basically, 50 is MLB average. 80 is Hall of Fame level (think Aroldis Chapman’s fastball or Ichiro’s hit tool). 20 is... well, it’s bad.
You’ve got to grade both the "Present" and the "Future" (OFP - Overall Future Potential). It’s easy to see what a player is today. It’s incredibly hard to project what a 17-year-old shortstop from San Pedro de Macorís will look like when he’s 23 and has spent four years in a professional strength program. A good report template needs dedicated space for these two distinct grades. If you aren't separating what he is now from what he could be, you aren't scouting; you're just reporting.
What Actually Belongs in a Pitching Report
When you're looking at a pitcher, the template needs to be more than just a list of pitches. You need to break down the delivery first. Is it high-effort? Is there a "head whack" at the end? These things matter for injury projection.
- The Fastball: Don't just list the velocity range (e.g., 92-94 T95). You need to talk about the "shape." Does it have "riding" action in the top of the zone, or is it a "heavy" sinker that generates ground balls?
- Secondary Stuff: For a curveball, is it a "12-6" break or more of a "slurve"? You’re looking for the spin rate and the "bite." A "hanging" slider is just a slow fastball waiting to be hit 450 feet.
- Command vs. Control: These are not the same thing. Honestly, this is where most amateur scouts fail. Control is the ability to throw strikes. Command is the ability to hit the catcher's mitt. A guy can have 80-grade control and 40-grade command.
The physical description also matters more than you think. Scouts look for "projection." This basically means a kid is 6'4" and 180 pounds with "room to add mass." If he's already 6'4" and 240 pounds at age 18, he might be "maxed out." Your template should have a specific box for "Body Type" and "Frame."
Position Players: The Five Tools are Only the Start
The "Five Tools" (Hit, Power, Run, Field, Arm) are the foundation, but a modern baseball scouting report template needs to dig into the "makeup."
I’ve talked to guys who have spent thirty years in the dirt, and they all say the same thing: the "Hit Tool" is the hardest to project. You can have all the bat speed in the world, but if you can’t recognize a slider in the dirt, you’re never making it out of Double-A. A report needs to track "Plate Discipline." Does the hitter chase? Does he have a "long" swing or a "compact" one?
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When it comes to fielding, the arm is easy to grade. You see the throw from deep short; it’s either got "carry" or it doesn't. But "soft hands" and "footwork" are nuanced. Does the player "cheat" toward the bag? Does he have "range" to his hole side?
The "Executive Summary" is the Most Important Part
GMs are busy. They aren't reading every word of your 3-page breakdown of a kid’s leg kick. They go straight to the summary. This is where you, as the scout, put your reputation on the line.
A good summary answers three questions:
- What is his floor?
- What is his ceiling?
- What is the "role" (e.g., 4th outfielder, back-end starter, high-leverage reliever)?
If you can’t summarize a player in four sentences, you don't know the player well enough yet. You have to be decisive. "I’d put my name on this guy" or "He’s a non-prospect." There is no middle ground in the draft room.
Real-World Examples of Scouting Nuance
Look at someone like Jacob deGrom. Early in his career, he was a converted shortstop. A scout using a rigid, old-school baseball scouting report template might have missed the "athleticism" in his delivery because they were too focused on his lack of pitching history. A modern template would have highlighted the "clean arm action" and "repeatable mechanics."
Conversely, look at "Quad-A" players. These are guys who destroy Triple-A pitching but can't stick in the Bigs. Why? Often, it's a "bat speed" issue or a "recognition" issue that a lazy report didn't catch. They were graded on results, not tools. You scout the tools, not the stats.
Actionable Steps for Building Your Report
If you’re building your own baseball scouting report template today, stop using a blank notebook. You need structure, but you need flexibility.
- Standardize your grades: Stick to 20-80. Don't use 1-10 or A-F. It confuses the people you’re sending the reports to.
- Include a "Time to First" (Home-to-First): This is the objective way to grade speed. For a right-handed hitter, 4.3 seconds is average. For a lefty, it's 4.2. Anything under 4.1 is "plus" speed.
- Add a "Makeup" section: Talk to the high school coach. Is the kid a leader? Is he the first one at the park? Does he pounce on his teammates after a mistake? This stuff actually matters when the lights get bright.
- Leave room for "Comparison": Sometimes the best way to describe a player is to say, "He looks like a young Hunter Pence." It gives the reader an immediate mental image.
Start by observing three players at a local game. Fill out a full report on each. Focus on the delta between their current skill and their potential. If you do this fifty times, you’ll realize that the template isn't just a form—it's a way of training your eyes to see things the casual fan misses entirely. Focus on the twitch, the hand speed, and the mental toughness. That is where the future of the game is found.