The entire Prospects Live Scouting Division staff has been working hard to develop what we’ve simply labeled: The Prospect Database. Constantly evolving, the database will serve as the hub for prospect rankings and scouting reports for every MLB org. Our evaluation team has spent countless hours filling these boards with highly in-depth scouting reports from live looks and film study.
The Prospect Database launches with our 2021 rankings. We will have all teams released before spring training begins. Details such as tool grades, OFP, risk, ETA, full scouting reports and video are located on our team boards; some tucked neatly under icons. While not all prospects have video, we’re excited for the 2021 season to leverage our scouting network to help remedy that as much as possible.
As an added convenience there’s both desktop and mobile viewing features that you can toggle at the top. Boards can also be sorted by position to show system depth, along with almost every column from age to separate tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the big changes to your offseason lists compared to years past?
We’re hoping the answer becomes really obvious when you open any Team Board. It’s extremely in depth. In the past we had narrative based blurbs that summarized a prospect but sometimes some writers highlighted some things while others didn’t and that was natural because everyone has different styles.
This time we’ve standardized it and pivoted to scouting reports for each player. So every batter will have tool grades and description on his Hit, Power, Run, Arm and Field. Every pitcher will have tool grades and description on each individual pitch as well as blurbs on Command & Control and Mechanics. Each report is tied together with an Overall summary of a player along with his OFP, Role and Risk.
We hope Prospects Live becomes your go to whenever you need a complete, thorough picture of a prospect.
How often do you plan on updating these boards?
Micro updates will occur regularly throughout the season as our evaluators obtain live looks and new information is acquired. New reports, video and notes will be added as profiles evolve or regress. Annual off-season and mid-season rankings will be larger macro updates. We intend for these boards to be living pages.
Are these fantasy rankings?
No. We encourage you to use these boards to uncover new prospects and learn new information, but they are not ranked with fantasy in mind. Stop by our recently updated Dynasty 500 if you’re looking for more fantasy content.
How come some teams have more prospects listed than others?
Some orgs are simply richer in prospects than others. Limiting boards to a specific number of prospects also takes away the ability to showcase potential pop-up prospects.
Wait, I see OFP and Role; aren’t they the same?
In short, one describes a prospect’s potential value, the other their actual predicted role on the field.
OFP, or Overall Future Potential, is the processing of a prospect’s evaluation into a single rounded number to convey their overall potential worth.
While Role is simply what role they likely fill on a big league roster.
Wow, you guys barely rank anyone above 50 OFP, why is that?
50 OFP and tool grades of 50 are solid major league average and not to be scoffed at. The common disconnect amongst fans and evaluators is that 50 is somehow insufficient. For reference, an OFP of 50 means you’re essentially one of the top ~150 prospects in all of baseball. With that in mind it’s common to predominantly see 40 OFP and 35 OFP prospects on boards; especially in weaker systems.
What are the qualifications to be a prospect on these org boards?
To be eligible for the database and rankings, a player must have rookie eligibility and prospect status. To qualify for prospect status, a player must not have exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues, or accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club.
What are the primers for these org boards?
Tool grades are based on the 20-80 scout scale. The hitting scale is located below. OFPs and Roles chart can also be crosschecked with that specific chart below.
