Post By: Scott Abramson
Jim Stevenson, a world champion scout for the Houston Astros, shares his secrets, successes, and experiences with Rick Dempsey and Kelly K on this podcast episode of The Prospect Blueprint.
Everything is looked at from social media to actual baseball ability
Rick Dempsey: “What do you look for performance-wise and how deep do you go into social media to get the type of players you get?”
Jim Stevenson: “Everyone is under a microscope. We get so much information from on the field, off the field, in the stadium, measurements, and analytics.”
You don't have to be Division 1
Kelly K: “JUCO seems to be a huge beneficiary of the portal, especially due to covid, are the next few years especially strong for JUCO signings in your opinion?”
Jim Stevenson: “Kids need to play, they need to be on the field, getting innings and ABs. It's a great opportunity and you can always go back and do D1 at a different time.”
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You don't have to be the top prospect
Rick Dempsey: “Are you given a list of the talent you are looking for or do you just try to sign the best players available at the time?”
Jim Stevenson: “We look for guys with baseball IQ, guys who move well, guys who can hit, tight bat-to-ball skills, and the ability to use the field.”
Kelly K: “Those that we bring on the show often have a lot of following on Twitter. You follow everybody. Is this part of your research and how you take a look at what is going on?”
Jim Stevenson: “I'll be honest with ya, we did find a couple of kids that we signed off of Twitter, who shot me videos and we had scouts go see the guys.”
Character is just as important
Kelly K: “What advice do you have for players when they are aware of a scout in the crowd? What should they keep in mind to get the scout's attention outside of obviously making some good plays and getting a couple of base knocks?”
Jim Stevenson: “Guys need to pay attention to detail and be engaged in the game. Is the effort there? You can fool someone with makeup, you can't fool them with your character.”
Jim Stevenson, a world-class scout has this advice and more in his conversation with Rick Dempsy and Kelly K on this Podcast episode of The Prospect Blueprint.
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* Originally published on May 10, 2023, by Prospect Blueprint
