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SCOUTING REPORT
The Scouting Report consists
of three sections:
Section I: Player Vital
Stats
This area includes the players name, age, salary and the like. The position
shown (in capital letters) indicates the player's most common role; if
he has played at other places on the field, it will be shown under the
player's fielding stats.
Section II: Talent Assessment
This assessment consists of letter-grades in a number of categories. A
rookie's ratings will increase as he matures. You will notice a drop in
ratings with age or serious injuries. A '75' indicates average ability
in an area. However, players who contribute reliably at the major league
level will usually have a number of ratings at the '80' level or better.
A good scout can notice changes in a player before the stats bear out
those changes, so pay your scouts well. The ratings shown are different
for batters and pitchers:
Pitching Ratings
(pitchers only)
Endurance:
The endurance rating is an estimate of how many pitches a pitcher can throw before beginning to tire. The most durable starting pitchers will have ratings of 90+ while a 1-inning closer might be below 20.
Power:
A 'power' pitcher generally throws with high velocity and strikes out
a lot of batters. The Power Rating is a good indicator of the pitcher's
ability to strike out batters. An average pitcher strikes out about 5
batters per nine innings while a prototypical power pitcher will set down
one or more every inning.
Control:
The ability to deliver the ball to the plate with accuracy. A pitcher
with excellent control will walk as few as one batter per game. Good control
is also key to getting ahead in the count , and thus gaining the advantage
over all batters.
Movement:
This indicates the 'action', or lateral and vertical movement on the pitcher's
pitches. Good movement can come from excellent breaking stuff (e.g. a
curveball that 'drops off the table') or from a fastball that 'hops' or
tails away from hitters. Good movement doesn't guarantee strikeouts or
prevent walks but it does mean fewer batters will get good wood on the
ball, leading to more ground balls and popups.
Batting Ratings
(batters only)
Contact: The
ability to make good contact with a pitch, leading to a good number of
line drives and few strikeouts. Contact hitters tend to have a strong
batting average due to their ability to hit the ball cleanly.
Power: Power
is best reflected by a batter's ability to hit the ball out of the park.
But good power also shows itself in a good number of extra base hits and
sacrifice flies.
Speed: This
refers to a player's speed on the basepaths. It is best seen in his stolen
base numbers (and his likelihood to not be caught stealing). Fast players
will also get a greater number of doubles and triples and will beat out
some ground balls for hits.
Eye: This
is the skill of choosing to swing at good pitches and not swing at bad
ones. A player with an excellent batting eye will walk more often than
he strikes out.
Bunt: A
player's ability to lay down a bunt is crucial to advancing the runner
in a close game. When combined with excellent speed, this can also be
an effective tool in getting on base.
Defensive Ratings
(batters and pitchers)
Arm: The
strength and accuracy of a player's arm is essential to throwing out runners.
This trait is especially important for third baseman and shortstops (who
often throw across the infield to force the batter at first) and the catcher
(required to throw out runners stealing bases). A strong arm in the outfield
(especially right field) will lead to a good number of runners thrown
out at third and home.
Range:
This measures a players ability to get to and catch a batted ball. This
is often correlated with a player's speed. But some players with good
instincts and experience will get to more balls than their speed would
suggest. Good range is especially important 'up the middle' (at 2B, SS
and CF), where a lot ground needs to be covered.
Handling (Catchers Only): This measures a catcher's ability to call pitches, frame the strike zone and generally "handle" a pitching staff. Catchers with high ratings will tend to induce more strikeouts and lower ERAs among the pitching staffs they work with.
Fielding:
This measures the overall skill and consistency of a player's fielding.
A good rating indicates a player that should make few errors, relative
to other players at his position.
Section III: Player Statistics
The player's statistics are displayed with a line for each season (and each team within that season).
If the player has played in the ball club's AAA affiliate during this
season, stats during this time will be shown with the letters 'AAA'. These
stats are crucial for identifying whether a rookie is ready for the majors.
Statistics at levels below AAA are not shown because of the variety of
minor league affiliates that are involved. But, estimates of a new rookie's
quality will be shown in the Scout Ratings and described in the text write-up
shown below the stats.
Batting:
- G
= Games played
- AB
= At Bats
- H
= Hits
- AVG
= Batting Average
- 2B
= Doubles
- 3B
= Triples
- HR
= Home Runs
- BB
= Walks
- K
= Strikeouts
- SB
= Stolen Bases
- CS
= Caught Stealing
- Sac
= Sacrifice Hits
- Runs
= Runs Scored
- RBI
= Runs Batted In
- OBA
= On Base Average
- SLG
= Slugging Average
Fielding:
Note: All fielding stats refer only to
stats accrued at the position abbreviated on the stat line. To show fielding
statistics for positions other than the player's primary position, click
on the position abbreviations to the left of the statistics box. If an
abbreviation isn't highlighted, the player has not accumulated any stats
at that position.
Pitching:
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