One of the toughest things to do in any sport is properly evaluate talent and the potential for that talent to develop. The June 9 Quick Kicks Podcast focuses on the scouting process, looking at the ways scouts can identify issues within their own methods of evaluation, and improve the accuracy of their analysis. Host Mark Schofield is joined by Sean Cottrell of Inside the Pylon as the two dig into some of the strengths and weaknesses of the scouting process, and what can be done to improve it. Topics this show include:
- Sean’s own path to learning more about scouting and how that path helped to inform his ideas on the process (1:14)
- The genesis of Sean’s recent piece on the responsibilities of scouts as well as the importance of understanding the limitations of the scouting process based on the resources available (4:52)
- The skill of making decisions without knowledge of all of the information on a subject, and how to work to fill in gaps where they exist (8:51)
- Understanding biases and how they creep into the scouting process, and how to identify and eliminate those to gain a more accurate view on a prospect (11:54)
- The importance of looking outside your own base of knowledge to continue to grow as a scout as you look to incorporate new ideas (13:50)
- The gravity of publicly displaying scouting reports, and the importance behind the accuracy and acknowledgement of the limitations of those reports due to the effects they can have on players’ careers (16:30)
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Music Credits
Filligar, “Guilty Good Intentions“
Ronald Jenkees, “Disorganized Fun“