Recruiting Essentials: Showcasing Pitchers
June 27, 2017
By Brandon Hall
North Carolina Director of Scouting
Last week we took an in depth look at position players and their ability to showcase their tools. As a pitching guy, spending 18 years as a college pitching coach, trust me, we are not going to leave pitchers behind in the discussion. When looking at pitchers and their ability to be seen, there are a couple of different settings they must control. The good thing for pitchers, they will be seen as the ball is in their hand.
Grading Pitchers
Most pro scouts will use a 20 - 80 scale to grade players out with a grade of 50 equating to a major league average grade. For high school players, scouts will be working to put future grades on players as well. The future grade is a projection of where the player may be.
The easiest pitch to grade will be the fastball. In 2016, the major league average fastball was just under 92 mph. For a pitcher to receive a 50 grade on their fastball, they would need to show an ability to sit around 92, not just touch it.