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“A Ballplayer Reveals Himself Before the Game Begins”

By Owen Kelly

My memo-

There is one thing I learned very early in professional baseball scouting: a scout can tell a lot about a player before the first pitch is ever thrown. Long before the radar gun comes out, before the stopwatch clicks, before the batting practice begins, the evaluation has already started.

A real scout watches everything.

He watches how a player walks onto the field. He watches how he carries his equipment, how he loosens up, how he talks to teammates, and how he reacts when nobody thinks anyone is watching. Baseball people understand this because the game has always been about more than statistics. It is about instincts, awareness, makeup, pride, and professionalism.

One of the great things about going to games over the years was seeing other scouts. Some you looked forward to seeing, and to be honest, some you did not. That is just the way baseball is. Every scout has his own personality, his own opinions, and his own way of evaluating players. But there were always certain baseball men I enjoyed being around because they saw the game the right way.

Whenever I would run into my good friends Al Harper and Herb Stein at a ballpark, we always had a good laugh. We talked baseball, exchanged stories, and watched the game the way old-school baseball people do — paying attention to every little detail. Many times we would sit there behind home plate or down the line watching a talented player strike out, throw his helmet, jog back to the dugout, or fail to hustle onto the field the next inning. You could hear the disappointment in the conversation immediately.

Not because the player struck out. Scouts understand failure better than anybody. Baseball is built on failure.

The disappointment comes from lazy baseball.

There is nothing worse for a scout than watching a player who has ability but does not respect the game enough to play it the right way. Especially when that player knows scouts are sitting there evaluating him. The body language tells the entire story. A player may think scouts only care about the hit, the home run, or the velocity on the scoreboard, but real scouts are watching everything in between.

We are watching how you react after failure.

We are watching if you run on and off the field.

We are watching if you pay attention between innings.

We are watching if you back up bases, hustle to position, communicate with teammates, and stay mentally engaged every pitch of the game.

A scout notices the player who drifts out to his position as if he would rather be somewhere else. He notices the infielder who fails to cover second base on a routine play. He notices the outfielder who allows runners to take extra bases because he was not paying attention. These things matter. In professional baseball, mental mistakes can get you beat just as fast as physical mistakes.

One thing I always believed is that a real ball player has a certain presence about him. You cannot always explain it, but you know it when you see it. The uniform looks right on him. His movements are natural. The game slows down around him instead of speeding him up. He belongs on the field.

Some players have tools but do not look comfortable playing the game. Everything appears forced. The body language is stiff, the reactions are late, and the instincts are missing. Other players may not have superstar tools, but they play with awareness, confidence, rhythm, and intelligence. Those players stand out to experienced scouts immediately.

Body language is one of the biggest tells in baseball.

Watch a player after an error.

Does he collapse mentally?

Does he point fingers?

Does he carry the mistake into the next inning?

Or does he regroup, stay focused, and continue competing?

That is makeup. That is the mental side of baseball that scouts talk about all the time. A player who can handle adversity has a chance. A player who loses focus every time something goes wrong will struggle as the game gets harder and the competition improves.

One thing players must understand is that scouts talk to each other. We compare notes. We discuss players. We talk about effort, hustle, instincts, attitude, and awareness. If multiple scouts are seeing the same lazy habits or poor body language, that reputation starts following the player very quickly.

And trust me, baseball people remember.

This article is not meant to attack players. It is meant to help them understand what professional baseball truly looks like through a scout’s eyes. Young players today sometimes become so focused on velocity, exit speed, social media clips, and statistics that they forget the game itself is still being evaluated.

The game still belongs to the ballplayer.

The player who respects the game.

The player who hustles.

The player who stays mentally locked in.

The player who carries himself professionally.

The player who understands that every inning matters.

One of the greatest compliments a scout can ever give a player is simple:

“He looks like a ballplayer.”

That statement means more than people realize. It means the player carries himself correctly. It means he understands the rhythm of the game. It means he belongs.

I have seen players with average physical tools make it to professional baseball because they had instincts, toughness, awareness, and baseball intelligence. I have also seen highly talented players disappear because they lacked focus, discipline, and professionalism.

At the end of the day, scouting is about putting the full picture together. The tools matter. The statistics matter. But the player himself — the way he thinks, reacts, competes, and carries himself — matters just as much.

Maybe even more.

That is why I wrote this article.

Because before the first pitch is ever thrown, the ballplayer is already telling scouts exactly who he is.

Want to Get Inside a Coaches Head - This May Help You Get Where You Want to Be

Coaches want to end the recruiting period strong

With the recruiting calendar flipping the page, whether to dead or quiet periods for some D1 sports or the evaluation and contact periods for others, we know August is one of those times for coaches that’s busy even when it feels like everyone is heading out to the beach. Here’s what coaches do to get ahead:

• Organize communications – make it easy to send the right follow-up emails to recruits based on their performance.

• Take quiet time if you have it to prepare for the start of school – how can you be proactively ready to hit the ground running once communication opens again?

• Share your evaluations while they’re fresh with your coaching teammates.

• Want another look at a potential recruit? Check out their social media – it might be a way to see updated highlights and their character.

Summer is a key recruiting period. Track emails to recruits, find more information about their academics and preferences, and share notes with yourself and others on your team.

 They look for these things in their inbox 

After camps and combines, one way to gauge interest from recruits is the follow-up they sent to you.

• Who reached out beforehand to introduce themselves and let you know they’d be at a camp or combine

• Follow-up messages: Who sent thank you notes and next steps

• A full picture: Who sent profile updates that offer a look into academic info, schedules and highlight reels.

Coaches update recruiting needs and whether they need to make a final push for 2025 or start building your 2026 class.

If you are a recent college grad or released player - go to the Pro Page - There may be something coming up!

If you are a College player looking for a Summer League go to the College League section for some opportunities

Also - everyone remember to fill out the Membership Form so I can add you to my database. 

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