How to become an MLB Scout?

Do you love to play baseball? Do you want to become an MLB scout? For all the baseball lovers out there, becoming a Major League Baseball scout must be one of their goals. A baseball scout should be aggressive and passionate about the dream that they are going to pursue. Several people would like to be a part of the prestigious MLB team. Following are the steps which you can use to become an MLB scout, so read on! Let’s know How to become an MLB Scout?

The first thing that you need to do to become a baseball scout is to have an associate’s degree in sports. Playing or coaching in baseball will be helpful. According to the BLS, most scouts have had experience in playing or coaching baseball. Such experience can help assess a player’s skill level to predict their potential.

In addition, you must also have good interpersonal skills. Obtaining a college degree will expand the chances of a good salary. At least a bachelors’ degree is crucial to enter this field, according to several sources. You need to stay on top of everything baseball in your high school or college to do this. Once graduated with a sports management degree, a baseball scout should next try to look for positions in the college athletics department or internships to increase their skills. According to Zippia, an average baseball scout can make up to $18.89 per hour, which is equal to $39,287 a year. However, salaries may depend from one state to another and also on the position. We will go more into detail below.

Steps to become an MLB scout –

According to the MLBs website, there is no formal degree to become a baseball scout; the best way is to associate yourself with another baseball scout and just get your foot in the door.

The very first step is to refresh yourself with the game of baseball if necessary and look at the game with a scout’s eye. You need to have a sharp eye and you have to pay attention very meticulously because baseball is a very technical game. A baseball scout has a keen eye and that’s the reason why they are in that position. Find a good coach and get help with the strategies and mechanics of baseball.

The next step is just quite important and necessary. Play baseball. Playing baseball is important to give you a first-hand experience of what this game is like. Sometimes just watching the game isn’t enough, you need to step inside the game too. If you have experience playing the game then you can easily analyze it from a player’s perspective when watching from the other side.

You can also take a course in scouting. MLB has several scouting courses that you can take up or if not then you can easily take up other courses as well in scouting. They will help you to gain immense knowledge and experience about the game.
You can also become an associate scout and to do that you have to take up some internships. Look for an internship with a team. You can also find some baseball scouts in any local game and find out what it is like to be one. Ask a baseball scout about the job and if possible you can also ask about how they did it so that you can also follow the steps.
Go to associate scout openings and also learn about the scouts in your area by striking up a conversation with them and going to watch baseball matches. An unpaid position that reports to the scout is an associate scout. Once you become an associate scout, then you have to report regularly to the scouts about information regarding baseball players.
Another important step which an individual should consider is to evaluate the players carefully. Pay attention to advice from your supervising scouts and recognize the skills required to play professional baseball in certain players. Research about player evaluation in baseball by Internet, talking to other scouts and also read a lot of books on them. A real scout should be able to see potential in a player and not just their current skills.
The next thing is to improve your skills in reporting. Report the progression of players in a timely fashion. You should be able to know the rating system as well.
Show all your supervising scouts your skills and your potential to become a professional area scout. Being able to communicate efficiently, making timely decisions, learning to dig up information, and being aggressive, organized, and sharp could lead you to become an area scout with a paid position. Understand that it would take you a few years to reach this position but don’t lose hope and try your very best to maintain your skills efficiently throughout the years.

The Salary To Expect

According to the recently published Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the national annual salary of a baseball scout is $40,050 on an average. However, the salary of a typical MLB scout would depend on several factors, including competition, responsibility areas, and experience along with travel requirements. According to Indeed, a Major League Baseball scout can earn a significantly higher average income of $78,890 per year, after years of experience. Typically, if you work in major league organizations then you will have a higher income than if you work in a minor league or regional organization.

What does a baseball scout do?

Typically, a baseball scout has to travel a lot across the country to watch and evaluate baseball players so that they can determine what potential a player holds and whether their skills qualify them to be a good baseball player or not. They typically work for sports organizations that hire professional baseball players. Overall, a baseball scout’s main tasks are as follows :

They have to travel to various locations especially colleges, high schools, and universities, and sometimes even other countries to watch and evaluate baseball.
Apart from recruiting and counseling, they have to coordinate with players to provide additional advice on the steps players can undertake to get a position in a team.
They have to carefully observe and analyze a player’s skills.
They have to evaluate, assess, and critique players’ abilities during baseball matches.
They also have to schedule meetings with schools, universities, coaches, and players.
They also have to collect and organize information about schools, colleges, and players.

Qualifications for a scout –

According to mlb.mlb.com, the following are the various qualifications for a good scout :

A scout’s manual must be kept up to date and must be reviewed from time to time.
A scout’s administrative abilities, time management, and paperwork skills must be good enough to yield maximum efforts and results.
A scout must check their emails several times a day.
A scout must be a student of the assigned territory. A scout must know the territory thoroughly in relation to schools, colleges, leagues, and all youth activities and must be up to date with all the changes going on in the territory.
A scout must be a hard worker with knowledge and must know how to properly get the job done.
A scout must maintain contact with people throughout the territory.
A scout must be a positive thinker with confidence. A scout should also have a competitive spirit and also must be a good judge.
A scout must establish goodwill throughout the territory and support the organization for which the scout works.
A scout must be objective and must have strong convictions.
A scout must be diligent in the care of pieces of equipment such as radar guns laptops, stopwatches, etc.
Finally, a scout must have honesty, integrity, and loyalty.

Hence, it is important to understand that becoming a scout is a lot of work. If you are a good observer with analytical thinking and good communication skills along with time management abilities, and if you are interested in baseball, then this might be the right career for you. Becoming a scout also means traveling a lot. If you also want to increase your income, then understand that you will need to work sincerely and maintain your game to the next level and your chances of being hired by a good major league will increase. Also, gaining experience and building your contact list is an important step to become a professional scout.

A good scout is also dedicated to their job well and they can take the right action at the right time. They are more than coaches. If a scout is good enough, then he can also motivate and inspire players and coaches to perform well. A good scout must also be uplifting and cheerful so that people are easily convinced by them. Also, a scout must be honest and loyal to the league they are working for. They must not leak data, misuse information of players, coaches, or other scouts and they must be headstrong instead. A scout also doesn’t hold any grudges towards any particular player or coach, and they also don’t misuse their power to do anything wrong to others. A true scout must be motivated to look to the future instead and must inspire others to do the same.

Overall, if you know that you have the potential to become a professional MLB scout then do give it a try as it’s also one of the most respected careers in the USA and people will look up to you for it.

Frequently Asked Questions –

The following questions provide in-depth detail about the job of a baseball scout.

What environment does a baseball scout work in?

A baseball scout has to travel a lot to meet with baseball players and to recruit them to professional sports teams. Some scouting organizations may send scouts overseas or all over the country to do scouting jobs, whereas local organizations will have to send them to a few states or specific regions to meet and recruit players.

In addition, scouts also have to attend a lot of high schools, colleges, universities, and also regional venues. They also have to research every area in which they go and they also have to maintain recorded data of the players in those areas.

What skills will I need to be a successful MLB scout?

You need to have excellent observation skills and strong analytical skills to evaluate each player well, plus you must also learn to pay attention to each minute detail. You must also have excellent communication skills because you will have to attend meetings with players, coaches, and sports managers. Hard skills, such as writing are also needed. Knowledge and skills in baseball will be specifically beneficial to you for you to work as a baseball scout.

Is there any alternative job for a baseball scout?

Often, people from coaching and management backgrounds become baseball scouts. Baseball scouts can also explore a variety of opportunities in the sports industry. They can find successful careers in jobs like broadcasters, commentators, and sports directors.

How to advance your baseball scout career?

Well, you must learn to develop the ability to meet with, advise and mentor players. Typically you would enter your career in a voluntary and local role, where you will scout your immediate areas and build their experience.

If you are successful in your regional position, then you can easily get an offer to work in a big major league. Just make sure that you have enough experience, baseball knowledge, and the right skills.

What do scouts look at in a potential player?

Typically, a scout has to look for the five main tools – hitting for average, hitting for power, speed, arm strength, and fielding. In case a player excels in at least any one of these, then they have potential. However, other factors such as delivering good judgment and being enthusiastic about the sport are also necessary. For doing this, a scout must have excellent observation skills.