Why We Love It
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$40,050Potential Avg. Salary
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5.9%Job Growth Rate
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Growing DemandJob Outlook
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Deal MakingCareer Attribute
Baseball scouts discover, evaluate, and recruit promising new players for college, minor league, and major league baseball teams. They identify promising players, evaluate the skills and fit of players for their teams, meet with promising players, and arrange for incentives to entice recruits to join teams.
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What is a Baseball Scout?
The following job responsibilities are common for individuals in baseball scout roles:
- Stay on top of high school and college baseball news from teams all over the country to identify promising new players
- Evaluate the skills of promising baseball players by watching them play games live or reviewing recordings of previous games
- Meet with baseball players and their families to discuss the merits of their program and boast the benefits to a player’s career and/or education
- Review prospective players’ talents with team coaches to evaluate fit with the existing team
- Develop incentives to entice recruits to join baseball programs
A Day in the Life
When thinking about the elements of an exceptional baseball team, you probably think about the players and the coach, but you might not think about the baseball scout. Baseball scouts are behind-the-scenes, less in the public eye than other positions, but are crucial to the success of a baseball team. Baseball scouts discover and recruit new players for college, minor league, and major league teams. They watch teams from around the country to identify promising players, and work to recruit those players to join the teams they scout for.
Baseball scouts read a lot of baseball news, watch a lot of baseball games, and write a lot of reports on their findings. They may pay attention to baseball games from dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of teams from around the country to identify promising baseball players. When they’ve identified a player of interest, they spend a lot of time evaluating the abilities, maturity, and fit of the player for their teams. They watch live and recorded games, meet with the player and his family, and work with the team’s coach to evaluate the player’s ability to drive a team to a successful season.
Once the scout has determined that a recruit is a good decision, he/she prepares incentive packages to entice the recruit to join the scout’s program. At the college level, incentive packages are highly governed by the NCAA, but scouts may arrange for scholarships or other educational benefits. At the minor or major league level, scouts have much more flexibility in the incentive packages they’re able to offer. The scout determines what the player wants, and then works with team/school leaders to arrange for a recruitment package that will entice the player to choose their program over others.
Typical Work Schedule
Most baseball scout roles are full-time positions that require irregular work schedules—such as nights and weekends—and frequent travel. Scouts may work overtime regularly during busy recruitment seasons, but may be able to work reduced schedules during slow recruitment cycles.
Typical Employers
Football scouts are commonly hired to work for colleges, universities, minor league baseball teams, and major league baseball teams.
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How To Become a Baseball Scout
In the past, the best way to become a baseball scout was to play baseball professionally, move into coaching after completing your career as a player, and move into scouting after coaching. And while this is still a viable means of becoming a baseball scout for college, minor league, and major league teams, it’s highly possible to become a baseball scout even with no experience playing baseball. Many scouts start their careers by earning a degree in sports management.
Most employers prefer that scouts have at least an associate’s degree in sports management. This education is ideal because it goes beyond simple knowledge of the game and its rules and into finance, business, accounting, management, and law coursework. This coursework is crucial because scouting is more than just identifying promising players. It requires reviewing and analyzing statistics, recognizing red-flag behavior patterns, and determining if players will work well with the existing team.
After graduating with a sports management degree, aspiring baseball scouts should look for entry-level or internship positions with college athletics departments or major/minor league baseball teams. These positions can put you into contact with decision-makers and influencers in the sport. By discussing your aspirations with these influencers and proving your dedication and talents, you may be able to work your way up into high-visibility scouting roles over time.
Baseball Scout Salary Data
We’ve provided you the following to learn more about this career. The salary and growth data on this page comes from recently published Bureau of Labor Statistics data while the recommendations and editorial content are based on our research.
National Anual Salary
Low Range
$20,140Average
$40,050High Range
$70,050National Hourly Wage
Low Range
---Average
---High Range
---How do Baseball Scout salaries stack up to other jobs across the country? Based on the latest jobs data nationwide, Baseball Scout's can make an average annual salary of $40,050, or --- per hour. This makes it an Above Average Salary. On the lower end, they can make $20,140 or --- per hour, perhaps when just starting out or based on the state you live in.
Salary Rankings And Facts
#530 Nationally for All Careers
Programs and Degrees
Here are the most common degrees for becoming a Baseball Scout. a is usually recommended and specifically a degree or coursework that prepares you for the particular field, see below.
Highest Education Among Baseball Scouts
- 2.2% Doctorate
- 14.2% Masters
- 42.7% Bachelors
- 7.9% Associates
- 21.5% College
- 9.8% High School
- 1.7% Less than High School
Job Growth Projections and Forecast
2014 Total Jobs
250,6002024 Est. Jobs
265,400Job Growth Rate
5.9%Est. New Jobs
14,800How does Baseball Scout job growth stack up to other jobs across the country? By 2024, there will be a change of 14,800 jobs for a total of 265,400 people employed in the career nationwide. This is a 5.9% change in growth over the next ten years, giving the career a growth rate nationwide of Below Average.
Growth Rankings And Facts
#379 Nationally for All Careers
What Companies Employ The Most Baseball Scouts
| Industry | Current Jobs | New Jobs Needed | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other schools and instruction; private | 44,400 | 7,700 | 8% |
| Elementary and secondary schools; local | 43,900 | -2,000 | -2% |
| Colleges, universities, and professional schools; private | 31,000 | 2,400 | 2% |
