Ok Rob, lets get right to it... Why is speed so important in baseball?
Rob: From a coaching and scouting point of view, speed is the one indicator of a ball players athleticism. We not only want good ball players but good athletes. We can teach how to hit, throw, and field etc., but most coaches don't have the time or knowledge to develop a ball players speed. Its out of my realm of expertise to teach a guy to run a 6.4 sixty yard dash. |
Ok if speed is that important when scouting an athlete how much does it weigh into an athletes evaluation?
Rob: Pro and collegiate scouts usually grade players on 5 tools; running and throwing speed, hitting, hitting for power and fielding. If you don't hit for power then you better be able to run. I've been to a Cincinnati Reds camp where if you didn't run under 7.0 sec for 60 yards, you were cut. It was the first thing they did. Two-thirds of the guys never got to pick up a bat or glove. |
