This is for the people that really know how scouting works. I know it's impossible for a high school athlete in an urban are to go unnoticed by scouts, but I'm wondering about the diamonds in the rough.

I grew up for the most part in rural Arkansas, and back in my playing days, there were some truly incredible athletes that lived in small towns, but just didn't get the proper coaching that left them very disadvantaged once they had to face the next level of pitching. Just in my small town, I can think of two guy that physically were off the charts, but they never had anybody who really knew a lot about baseball teaching them, even in High school. The baseball coach was almost always the lowest on the totem pole assistant football coach.

One kid in particular, any scout worth his salt would've taken a flyer in a late round just on his speed, power and arm alone. The guy did wind up being a top track sprinter in college, but unless you're one of the 4 or 5 fastests guys in the world, you're a bum in professional track, but I'm positive with the proper training when he was young, he'd have been a starting shortstop or centerfielder in the bigs.

Anyway my question is, do a lot of these kids still fall through the cracks?

What do you mean by "urban"......

If you mean a kid from Highland Park...that's a lot different than a kid from A Maceo Smith or Roosevelt.

@Tex P~
With todays media, there are ways to get the attention of scouts, etc.
Most coaches, with any eye for talent, will send a DVD, eMial etc of his
player to colleges, scouting pools or a close team. The player or girlfriend
etc, will put himself out there too. Cell Phones are getting much better pixels,
with video play, down loaded. No delicate tapes, in home movies much anymore.

Scouts are like traveling salesmen. They drop in for coffee and talk about
the weather to many. Word gets around, usually. Dads, uncle & cousins
play a big part also.

Then there are the try out caravans, that hit areas, looking for that rough
gem stone. Baseball has pick-up like the 30's, 40's & 50's, with farm teams.
Just about and town or city with population, has a team in the area. Not many
get missed, due to the media efforts of many.

Hey, the coaches are looking for a personal "Up Level" too.
Finding a foot in the door works both ways, for player & coach alike.
The computer is a wonderful thing...

Tex P,
I thought this was a great subject for the forum and wish more folks would respond - especially with their own experiences.

I'd have thought with the proliferation of t-ball, rec-ball, select-ball and, of course, school-ball that there would hardly be any cracks to slip through.

I'm not sure about baseball, but my Dad has coached Div 1 college football for his whole life and has been the head of recruiting on many coaching staffs and those kids who "fall though the cracks" I can believe it, because every Dad, Uncle, Mom thinks their kid is exceptional and we can't go through a Sunday Morning Church service without someone asking my dad to look at his press clippings or check out his game. 99% of the time those kids are horrible.

So I could see kids in baseball "falling through the cracks" they should have a "Pro-day" syle measurable consistent method of doing some rough scouting. Something like

1.Distance you can throw
2. Time from contact to first base
3. Average BP home run distance

just to give you a very crude method of measuring raw talent, I'm sure if Bryce Harper took this test he'd be off the charts.

Joby~ there ARE measurable pre-scouted stats that are used,
as your Father would surely attest. It's boardroom stuff, beyond.
Each individual scout has his own barometers. It makes the
difference between a good scout and an average one. They
don't talk about their quotient levels or their secrets, etc. but a
good Scotch is a start of a great conversation of inroads. LOL!

What do they use as measurable talents or skills? I know football, (40 time, shuttle, cone, vertical, bench) but next to nothing about scouting baseball.