THE SCOUTING CLASSROOM Stories Behind the Report BUILDING A ROSTER STARTS WITH UNDERSTANDING THE TOOLS Positional Profiles, Primary and Secondary Tools, and the Value of Athleticism. THE POSITIONAL PROFILE In professional scouting, evaluating a position player isn’t simply identifying his five tools and assigning grades. Every position has a profile, and each tool carries a different level of importance depending on where that player projects defensively. We separate the five tools into three primary and two secondary tools. The primary tools carry the greatest weight in determining positional value, while the secondary tools complete the profile and can separate a good player from an exceptional one. For the four corner positions, RF, LF, 3B and 1B, the primary tools are identical: Hit (H), Power (P) and Field (F). The secondary tools are Throw (T) and Run (R), except LF, where Run precedes Throw. Moving toward the middle of the diamond, the profiles become increasingly athletic. Fielding, running and throwing take on greater importance at SS, CF and C. At 2B, the hit tool becomes the primary separator. THE WEIGHTED GRADING SYSTEM Each tool is weighted according to its importance within the positional profile. 1st tool: 10 2nd tool: 8 3rd tool: 6 4th tool: 4 5th tool: 2 These weights establish positional priorities. The same five tool grades can create different player values depending on the position and how those tools translate. THREE SHORTSTOPS AND THREE CENTER FIELDERS Imagine constructing a defense with three shortstops across the infield and three center fielders across the outfield, excluding catcher and first base. That’s a dream alignment for any organization. Take Brice Turang. He possesses the defensive ability of a high-caliber shortstop, but his hit tool and overall profile make him an outstanding fit at second base. You can maintain a premium defender at shortstop while gaining another at second. Now imagine corner outfielders who can defend like center fielders. You’ve increased your range, athleticism and defensive versatility without sacrificing offensive production. THE BREWERS’ BLUEPRINT Milwaukee is an excellent example. The Brewers have assembled a roster with roughly four center-field-capable players and four shortstop-capable players, allowing them to move athletic defenders into corner positions and platoon roles. Their ability to run adds another dimension. Suddenly, secondary tools within one positional profile become strengths that other organizations would welcome as primary tools. • The more tools in the toolbox, the better • But that doesn’t mean we enter the draft specifically targeting shortstops and center fielders. • We draft the best available player on the board, develop that talent and use trades or free agency to construct the roster • Milwaukee’s highly regarded farm system has provided both homegrown talent and valuable trade assets. That combination of scouting, development and roster construction has helped sustain the organization’s success. THE NEXT LESSON: WHAT DOES A 50 REALLY MEAN? Before understanding positional profiles, you must understand the baseline of professional scouting: 50 on the 20–80 scale. Average isn’t a negative. It’s a positive when evaluating Major League tools. If you don’t know what a 50 looks like and how it plays, you cannot accurately determine what’s above or below average. That’s our next Scouting Classroom lesson. You don’t build a championship roster by collecting positions. You build it by collecting tools, athleticism and players who fit together. That’s Scouting 101 #BehindTheRadarGun 🔎

STOP PITCHING KIDS ON BACK-TO-BACK DAYS. Coaches think they're saving their best pitchers by throwing them just 1–2 innings Saturday, then bringing them back Sunday. Our data shows why that's a problem. After just 1–29 pitches, youth players ages 8–14 showed: 28.4% lost more than 10% of their acceleration strength. 8.2% lost more than 20%. Here's why that matters. Research from ASMI found that pitchers who regularly threw with arm fatigue had 36× the odds of being in the group that required shoulder or elbow surgery. Yet pitch-count rules can still allow these players to pitch the next day. PITCH-COUNT ELIGIBLE DOES NOT MEAN RECOVERED. There's a better way. Let your pitchers work deeper into Saturday's pool games within appropriate pitch limits. Then bring fresh pitchers on Sunday for your championship run. Need more arms? Add pitchers to your roster or bring pitcher-only players. Stop trying to save arms by spreading short outings across two days. Protect their arms. Change the strategy. @USABaseball @ASMI

Masterclass by Pat Murphy “I want to be able to beat you 5 different ways!” This is the future of player development Positional Versatility Hitting Versatility Pitching Versatility Can you make a play 5 different ways? Can you hit a Baseball 5 different ways?

End of regular season highlights! 6-2 Team Record 33 Touchbacks(long of 69) 1 onside recovery 42/42 on PAT 3 FG(42, 36, 32) @HageeKicking @BCHSTrojansFB @Ntraub47 @CoachNiekamp @coachklynch @nickfiacable24 @CoachPorrecaPU @Coach_BJarman @CoachTFletcher @HKA_Tanalski

Pat Murphy says becoming a father completely changed the way he coached, and now every player he views and coaches as somebody else’s son “It’s got to be real, man. You can’t just say it. You’ve got to live it. When it’s about your kid, when you’re raising kids by yourself, you’re clueless, man. You don’t know what you’re doing. I don’t know what I’m doing. I didn’t have that kind of, my parents were way older than me, so I don’t know how to parent. I don’t know what I’m doing, but it’s really important to me.” “And I started thinking about it like, every kid I coach is somebody’s Kai Joseph. You know what I mean? Every kid I coach, they have parents who love their kid the way I love my kid.” “Wow, I’ve got to be a little mindful how I treat these guys. I’ve got to be a little mindful about, like, it’s my job.” “This profession isn’t about the wins and losses. This profession is about, how do I impact this person?

Watch: Indian Creek's Mason Woodke make the grab for the touchdown indystar.com/videos/sports/h…

One of my favorite things about baseball is how much a player can change in the offseason The 78 mph sophomore can become the 86 mph junior… The 150-pound kid can show up 20 pounds stronger… The kid nobody was recruiting can suddenly have 10 schools calling… I’ve watched it happen over and over again Your development isn’t linear, and where you’re at today doesn’t determine where you’ll be a year from now A lot can change in 6 months when you stay consistent on the little things & stack the days

Yesterday the new coachbeede.com opened. If you have not walked through it yet, start with the question your family is carrying right now, whether it is eligibility, the money, the evaluation or the decision, and follow it from there. Every answer on the site is the same truth I give away here, organized so you do not have to scroll for it.

The 2027 recruiting class is getting screwed right now.. Between the transfer portal, roster limitations, and the uncertainty surrounding the new 5-for-5 eligibility rule, college coaches don't even know which players they'll have returning next year But here's something I wish more families understood... If your ultimate goal is to play baseball for a long time and potentially get drafted, STOP obsessing over the division Find a coaching staff that's going to pour into you. A staff that has an actual plan to develop you physically, mechanically, and mentally over the next 3-4 years I'd rather see a kid go D2 or D3 and become an absolute STUD than go D1 just to say he's D1 Stop choosing colleges based on the logo on the jersey. Choose the coaching staff that's going to turn you into the player you want to become!