Baseball Prospectus Scouting Scale

Recently I have been reading both Baseball Prospectus books (Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game is Wrong and Extra Innings) and I came across the scouting chapter and I thought, I wonder what are some examples of players who fit these grades?  Well, some are quite obvious but it's pretty neat to see who's "average." What I find even more interesting is how some of these "average" players make mega bucks, such as Michael Cuddyer.  Grades can change as I'm sure these grades will not be the same next year for some or many of these players.  I couldn't find any speeds to first base but I can tell you one thing, Reds prospect Billy Hamilton is a definite 80 on the runnings scale according to Keith Law who saw him in the AFL recently.  

One last note, many showcases for high school and college players feature a 60-yard dash.  The Major League average 60 is 6.9 seconds, just incase you are wondering.

Fastball Velocity Velocity	Grade
97+ mph	80: Elite (Aroldis Chapman)
94-96 mph	70: Well above average (Stephen Strasburg)
92-94 mph	60: Above average (CC Sabathia)
89-91 mph	50: Average (Wade Miley)
87-89 mph	40: Below average (Jered Weaver)
85-87 mph	30: Well below average (Randy Choate)
82-84 mph	20: Poor (Jamie Moyer)

Hit-Tool and Major League Expectations

Grade	Batting AVG at MLB Level
80: Elite	.320-plus; perennial batting title contender (Joe Mauer)
70: Well above average	.300-.320 (Derek Jeter)
60: Above average	.285-.300 (Adrian Gonzalez)
50: Average	.270-.285 (Michael Cuddyer)
40: Below average	.250-.270 (Jay Bruce)
30: Well below average	.225-.250 (Mark Reynolds)
20: Poor	Up to .225 (Brendan Ryan)

 

Batting Grades and Home Run Expectations

Grade	Home Runs at MLB Level
80: Elite	39-plus (Jose Batista)
70: Well above average	32-38 (David Ortiz)
60: Above average	25-32 (David Wright)
50: Average	17-25 (Robinson Cano)
40: Below average	11-17 (Rafael Furcal)
30: Well below average	5-11 (Starlin Castro)
20: Poor	Up to 5 (Juan Pierre)

 

Speed and Grade Correlation

Speed (Left/Right)	Grade
3.9 (L)/ 4.0 (R)	80: Elite
4.0 (L)/ 4.1(R)	70: Well above average
4.1 (L)/ 4.2(R)	60: Above Average
4.2 (L)/ 4.3(R)	50: Average
4.3 (L)/ 4.4 (R)	40: Below Average
4.4 (L)/ 4.5 (R)	30: Well Below Average
4.5 (L)/ 4.6 (R)	20: Poor