By Jay Weitzel
Northeast Area Scout
Minnesota Twins (15th year)

Through the Eyes of the Scout: First Base
A breakdown of what professional scouts look for by position

 As a professional scout, there are many things that I look for in a potential position player, but the most influential are the five tools of baseball: fielding, throwing, running speed, hitting for average, and hitting for power. While each of these tools is important, the position of the potential player dictates the order of importance of these tools. Remember, this is the template used to scout players and there are always exceptions.

First Base- One of the four corner positions, there is a high expectation of offense from first base. The two biggest tools for this position are hitting for average and hitting for power. A first baseman is typically thought of as someone who will hit in the middle of your order and drive in a large number of runs. One of the reasons that first base is seen as such an important offensive position is that it is one of the less taxing defensive positions. With that being said, there is an old saying among scouts and coaches, “It is easy to play first base, but it is hard to play first base well.” There are many things that go in to playing first base that the casual observer over looks: picking low throws from the dirt and having enough range to allow the second baseman to play more up the middle are the two most important ones. A first baseman with a good glove can really improve the overall infield defense of a team. Lots of times teams will have players who are really good hitters but cannot play a position all that well, so they will stash them at first base hoping that they won’t be too much of a liability. The next tool in the profile of a first baseman is throwing arm. While this tool does not come into play very often, first baseman will occasionally have to start a double play or be a cutoff man on a relay throw, and a strong arm helps in these instances. Like a catcher, the last tool that comes into play for first baseman is running speed, and is usually not considered. However, it is a plus if a first baseman has good foot work and moves well around the bag.
+ Through the Eyes of the Scout: Catchers