Scouting and Scoring: How We Know What We Know about Baseball

Scouting and scoring in baseball rely on experience, intuition, performance metrics, and statistics to determine value. Christopher Phillips' book explores how both scouts and scorers use numbers, bureaucracy, trust, and human labor to make sound judgments, tracing baseball's story from the nineteenth century to today.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 30 March 2021
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Scouting and scoring are two fundamentally different approaches to ascertaining value in baseball. Scouting is often perceived as relying on experience and intuition, while scoring is associated with performance metrics and statistics. However, in his book "Scouting and Scoring," Christopher Phillips challenges these simplistic divisions and demonstrates how both scouts and scorers rely on a combination of numbers, bureaucracy, trust, and human labor to make informed judgments about the value of baseball players.

Tracing the history of baseball from its nineteenth-century origins to the present day, Phillips reveals that the sport was one of the earliest fields to embrace numerical analysis. The introduction of new methods of data collection, such as official scorers and Statcast, was intended to replace the traditional scouting process. However, as Phillips shows, the reality is more complex. The invention of official scorers and Statcast has indeed enhanced the accuracy and reliability of data collection, but it has also created new challenges and complexities.

The creation of the Major League Scouting Bureau is a prime example of how human expertise and data science are intertwined in baseball. The bureau employs a team of scouts who rely on their extensive knowledge and experience to evaluate players, while also utilizing advanced statistical analysis to supplement their assessments. This combination of traditional scouting methods and cutting-edge data analysis allows teams to make more informed decisions about player acquisition and development.

Through his book, Phillips offers a fresh perspective on baseball by highlighting the inextricable connections between human expertise and data science. He demonstrates how scouts and scorers can work together to create a comprehensive evaluation of a player's potential, taking into account both physical attributes and performance metrics. Phillips also explores the ethical and philosophical implications of relying on data and technology in the evaluation of athletes, raising important questions about the role of human judgment and intuition in the sport.

In conclusion, "Scouting and Scoring" is a valuable contribution to the field of baseball analysis. By challenging the traditional divisions between scouting and scoring, Christopher Phillips provides a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the sport. Through his exploration of the history, practices, and challenges of baseball evaluation, Phillips offers insights that will be valuable to players, coaches, executives, and fans alike. Whether you are a seasoned baseball observer or a newcomer to the game, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex relationship between judgment and statistics in baseball.

Weight: 318g
Dimension: 139 x 217 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691217161