Baseball · Level 6: Advanced · Sub-level 6.3
Scouting and Video
10 tests · 100 facts · updated 28 October 2026 · markdown
Scouting is the work of judging players, from teenage amateurs to rival big-leaguers, and turning those judgements into draft picks, signings and game plans. Scouts grade tools on the 20-80 scale: 50 is an average big-league tool, 60 is 'plus', 70 'plus-plus' and 80 the top of the scale, rarely given, with each ten points one clear step above or below average.
Position players are graded on five tools: hitting, power, speed, arm and fielding. Five-tool players such as Trout are rare and highly valued, and pitchers are graded on each pitch plus command and delivery. A stopwatch times runners from home to first and a catcher's pop time to second, and radar guns read pitch speed, though cameras and radar now track every pitch automatically. The draft began in June 1965 and has shrunk from 40 rounds to 20; international amateurs can sign at sixteen, and Japanese clubs can post players so MLB teams can sign them. Advance scouts write reports on upcoming rivals, and video coordinators clip every pitch, though using video to steal signs in real time is banned. Scouts also judge make-up, meaning drive, attitude and coachability, and projection, a guess at what a young player will become.
The facts below cover the scale, the tools, the draft, international scouting, advance scouting, the video room and how scouting departments are organised.
Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.
Test 1The 20-80 scaleTake a test
Fifty is an average big-league tool.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Eighty is the top of the scale, rarely given.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Sixty is 'plus', seventy 'plus-plus'.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Each ten points marks a clear step above or below average.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Forty is one step below average.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
A young player's tools may improve before he reaches the majors.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Elite velocity sits near 100 mph today.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Higher grades are better; 50 is average.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
About 45, 50, 60 and 70.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Seventy is two steps above average.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Test 2The five toolsTake a test
The tools are hitting, power, speed, arm and fielding.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Five-tool players are rare and highly valued.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
The hit tool is the ability to make solid, frequent contact.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Power is wasted if the bat rarely meets the ball.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Scouts time runners from home to first.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Trout combined power, speed, average, arm and defence.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Scouts grade each pitch, plus command and delivery.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
At-bat, run, then defence.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
More strong tools, more complete player.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
A stopwatch measures running times.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Test 3Stopwatch and radar gunTake a test
Elite runners get close to 4.0 or under.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
The left-handed batter's box is nearer first base.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Pop time measures a catcher's throw to second.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Scouts record each pitch's speed.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
A slow delivery makes him easy to steal on.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Keeping speed late shows stamina.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Cameras and radar track every pitch automatically.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Lower times are faster.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Contact to the bag.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Radar guns read pitch velocity.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Test 4The draftTake a test
The draft began in June 1965.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
The Kansas City Athletics took him in 1965.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
The draft shrank from 40 rounds to 20.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
A draft lottery decides the first picks among non-playoff teams.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
High-school players can be drafted after graduating.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
A team holds a player's rights if he signs.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Prospects work out and are measured at the combine.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
1965, 2021, 2023.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Pick, sign, report, develop.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
The top pick puts on his new club's cap on draft night.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Test 5International scoutingTake a test
International amateurs can sign at sixteen.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Dominicans make up the largest group of foreign players.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Academies house, train and teach young prospects.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Each club has a capped pool for international bonuses.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Japanese clubs can post players so MLB teams can sign them.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Angels in 2018.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Big events gather many top players in one place.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Programme, signing, academy, then the US.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Sixteen-year-olds sign first; posted players are established pros.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
MLB clubs run academies for young international signings.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Test 6Advance scoutingTake a test
He watches upcoming rivals and writes reports.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Reports guide how to pitch each hitter and where to stand.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Clubs now study video and tracking data from the office.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Pitchers use zone charts to attack hitters.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Hitters learn what he throws in each count.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Hitters' and pitchers' meetings happen before the first game.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Rivals change approach, so the reports change too.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Video, data, plan, meeting.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Zones guide every pitch; base-running only matters on base.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Teams review opponents before a series.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Test 7The video roomTake a test
Video coordinators clip every pitch for players and coaches.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Clips show what the pitcher threw and how they swung.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Using video to steal signs in real time is banned.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Video shows small changes that hurt command.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Players review clips on tablets between innings or games.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
High-speed video shows details invisible to the eye.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Clear video helps the manager decide whether to challenge.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Watch, learn, adjust.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Preparation first, game-day review next, in-game checks last.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
The video room lets players review at-bats during games.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Test 8Make-up and characterTake a test
Make-up covers drive, attitude and coachability.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Hard-working players often get more from their talent.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Interviews and background checks show character.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Coachable players take advice and adjust.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Doubts about character can lower his draft stock.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Grit is the ability to keep going through setbacks.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Tests add to scouts' impressions of character.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Personal contact shows most; stats show least.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Watch, ask, meet, report.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
How a player reacts to failure shows character.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Test 9ProjectionTake a test
Scouts guess what a young player will become.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
A tall, lean teenager may add strength and speed.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Young players with room to grow can improve more.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
He is likely to reach the majors but not to become a star.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
He could become a star but may not develop.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Growth, training and injuries change velocity a lot.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Doing well against older players suggests more growth.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
More growth left, higher ceiling.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Polish gives a safer path; youth adds risk.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Long, lean teenagers often add velocity.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Test 10Scouting departmentsTake a test
Area scouts cover the amateur players in their territory.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Cross-checkers compare prospects across regions.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
The director runs the draft board.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Pro scouts evaluate players in other organisations for trades.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Eyes and data together give a fuller picture.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Clubs rank players before the draft.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
A comparison helps others picture the prospect.
Source: General baseball reference · recall
Area scouts find, cross-checkers confirm, the director decides.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Report, recheck, rank, draft.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Clubs rank prospects on a draft board.
Source: General baseball reference · applied
Questions people ask
- What is the 20-80 scouting scale?
- It grades a player's tools, with 50 an average big-league tool and 80 the top, rarely given. Each ten points is a clear step: 60 is 'plus', 70 'plus-plus' and 40 one step below average.
- What are the five tools in baseball?
- Hitting, power, speed, arm and fielding. Players strong in all five are rare and highly valued, because power is wasted if the bat rarely meets the ball.
- What is pop time for a catcher?
- Pop time measures a catcher's throw to second base, timed with a stopwatch. Lower times are faster.
- When did the MLB draft start?
- The draft began in June 1965, and it has since shrunk from 40 rounds to 20. A lottery now decides the first picks among non-playoff teams.
- At what age can international players sign with MLB clubs?
- International amateurs can sign at sixteen, and each club has a capped pool for their bonuses. Dominicans make up the largest group of foreign players, and MLB clubs run academies that house, train and teach young signings.
- What does make-up mean in scouting?
- Make-up covers a player's drive, attitude and coachability. Scouts judge it through interviews, background checks and how a player reacts to failure, and doubts about it can lower his draft stock.
- What does an area scout do?
- An area scout covers the amateur players in his territory. Cross-checkers compare prospects across regions, and the scouting director runs the draft board.
Sources
General baseball references, WBSC and league material, coaching manuals; original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Numbered rules belong to the Rules category.
- General baseball reference100