How Do Measurables Measure Up?

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

In my nearly eight years of scouting, I have heard the most questions about my evaluation of…well, as it turns out…my own ability to use a stopwatch. Weird, because I think I’m pretty good at it. I even changed my grip years ago, so I could use my pointer finger (instead of my thumb) for more accurate starting and stopping. Shouldn’t I get some credit for that?

Maybe it’s because anybody can go out and buy a stopwatch, or a radar gun for that matter (and now they even have stopwatches that supposedly can give you pitch velocity somehow), and go to the ballpark and start timing everything. At just about every event I have ever scouted, I can look up in the stands and see dads timing the 60-yard dash or catchers throwing to second base. I don’t have a problem with that at all, but I guess I just don’t fully understand the fascination with those numbers.

Question: We all know that a sub seven second 60-yard dash is desirable, but what is a desirable home to first time? (Answer at bottom)
Maybe it’s because running times, like release times and radar velocities, allow for the amount of improvement made to be actually measured. Simply run it, time it, work on it, run it and time it again, do a little math (or use a calculator, sometimes subtracting those seconds can be tough…) and see if you got better.

Today’s Double Play
Players with the most impressive combination of measurables (run times, release times & radar velocities) at the 2008 Under Armour Pre-season All America Tournament.

1. Matt Ramsey – C/RHP, R/R, 5-11/180, Farragut HS (Knoxville, TN), 2008 graduate
Ran 6.73 in the 60-yard dash, best pop time was 1.77, hit 96 mph on the radar gun

2. Josh Elander – C, R/R, 6-0/190, Round Rock HS (Round Rock, TX), 2009 graduate
Ran 6.78 in the 60-yard dash, best pop time was 1.87, hit 91 mph on the radar gun

Maybe it’s because people perceive the 60-yard dash and catcher release times to have more value than they really do. Both are just measurements that, along with other factors, play a role in getting to an eventual tool grade. In the case of the 60, it still has to be determined what kind of reactions a player has – not to mention his ability to get out of the box, change directions, and what kind of feel for the game he has – before a run grade can be given. As for catcher release times and throwing ability behind the plate in general, neither really matters until it is determined that the player has a chance to catch and work with pitchers – more games will be won that way than by throwing out would be base stealers.

In any case, my hope is for people to realize that a baseball player is made up of a lot of components. With the exception of hitting skills or power potential , rarely will just one or two components make or break a player – especially in a short look setting, like a workout. I would urge people to try and understand more about what tools and abilities are important for players at different positions, and to try and focus improvements on those areas that will make the biggest difference for them.

For example, running ability is at the bottom of the tool importance list for a first baseman. While there is nothing wrong with trying to improve speed, any advances for players at this position will do little to nothing for their overall value as a prospect. In this case, hitting ability and power potential are at the top of the tool importance list – allowing gains here to directly impact overall value as a prospect.

If in doubt, just think of tool importance like this: bats on the corners (1B, 3B, LF, RF), gloves up the middle (C, SS, 2B, CF). Opinions will certainly vary on this, but the highest I could get running ability at any position would be in center field – where it ranks third most important for me, behind fielding ability and hitting ability.

Answer: Sub 4.3 home to first times for left handed hitters, and sub 4.4 for right handers, are in the same category with around 6.9 60-yard dash times. All of these times would fall pretty much into the “near average” category by Major League standards, or around a 45 on the 20-80 scouting scale.

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory.

Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.