Baseball Articles.

What College Baseball Coaches Look For

by | General

What do college baseball coaches look for? Signs of maturity, both mentally and physically.
Physically

  • Excellence in 5 tools of the game
  • Condition of body
  • Strengths & weaknesses of body
  • Potential for growth
  • Is this player raw or polished?
  • Project how good this player can become
  • Is he a worker or does he look lazy?
  • How much effort does this player expend to play at the top of his game?
  • Ceiling…how much better can he get given his physical body?

Mentally

  • Alertness (being in the game)
  • Knowledge of the game
  • Ability to react correctly
  • Intuit nature – Does the game come easy?
  • Ability to focus
  • Ability to rise to the challenge
  • Does he know all that he should know about the game and what it takes to succeed?
  • How often does he react correctly to a situation?

Emotionally/Socially

  • Cordial interaction with coaches and teammates
  • Attitude towards authority figures/coaches and teammates
  • Signs of misdirected anger
  • Proper taking of responsibility
  • Does he make others around him better or worse?
  • Is he a cause or a cure for trouble and disruptions?
  • Is he a comfortable leader?

Major Questions Coaches and Scouts Will Ask Themselves

  • Has he performed well in the classroom?
  • Is he coachable and teachable?
  • Will his personality compliment or clash with the growth of the team?
  • Will he work hard both in the classroom and on the field?
  • Has he demonstrated the ability to perform under pressure?
  • What is his quality of character?

Anything you can do to answer any of these questions a college coach or pro scout might ask will distinguish you from the crowd.

It all comes down to a basic premise:
Prepare yourself…. Physically …Mentally…..Emotionally….Socially

Bobby McKinney, a scout for over 15 years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, has taken his years of life experience and compiled the most complete reference guide to the making of a college or professional player. His book “A Guide to College Baseball and Beyond” is used as a reference manual at countless camps and clinics around the country and Bobby speaks to thousands of players on college campuses throughout the year.