Scouting vs. Developing: Are You a Selector or a Teacher?

There are two kinds of coaches in baseball. One kind holds a stopwatch, takes a radar reading, checks a list, and says, “Nope. Not good enough.” The other kind grabs a bucket of balls, kneels beside a struggling player, and says, “Let’s get to work.”

In the world of player development, this is the dividing line. And it runs straight through every travel ball team, college program, and professional organization.

You’re either a selector or a developer.

At The Florida Baseball ARMory, we’ve built our entire mission around being developers. Teachers. Craftsmen. That’s why so many of the athletes who walk through our doors were told, sometimes to their face, that they weren’t good enough. That they didn’t throw hard enough. Didn’t spin it well enough. Didn’t project.

But here’s the part that no one tells you: scouting is riddled with survivorship bias.

The Illusion of Identification

Scouting, as it’s practiced in most circles today, isn’t about prediction. It’s about recognition. Scouts and coaches look at a 15- or 17-year-old and try to see the shadow of a future big leaguer. They’re looking for the signs. The indicators. The frame. The velo. The swing. The confidence.

But here’s what they rarely admit:

The players who get picked were already surviving.

They’re the ones who grew early. Whose movement patterns emerged under ideal conditions. Who happened to develop 90 mph fastballs by the time they were 16.

And so, the scouts pat themselves on the back. They found a “dude.” But what they’re really doing is discovering a finished product — not building one.

This is survivorship bias in action. Just because those who made it had a certain trait doesn’t mean that trait caused them to succeed — or that others without it couldn’t have.

As Frans Bosch wrote in the foreword to my book SAVAGE Revolution, “It is not the coach's job to identify the athlete. It is the coach's job to help create him.”

What Selectors Do

Selectors default to evaluation over instruction. They run showcase events. Rank players by exit velocity and spin rate. Post leaderboards. They say things like:

• “He’s got a big arm, but he’s not throwing strikes.”
• “He’s athletic, but he’s raw.”
• “He needs to clean up his mechanics.”

But when asked how to actually help that athlete overcome the deficiency? Crickets.

Selectors often disguise themselves as coaches. They wear logoed jackets and run teams full of talent. But make no mistake — the development isn’t happening because of them. It’s happening in spite of them.

What Developers Do

Developers don’t care where you are when you start. They care how far you’re willing to go. They evaluate, yes — but only so they can create a plan. A real plan. One that includes physical, mechanical, tactical, and emotional development.

A developer asks:

• Why does this athlete lack command?
• What physical constraints are impacting his movement?
• How can I design a training environment that invites better movement solutions?

This is what we do every day at The ARMory. Whether it’s in a SAVAGE Summer Program, a Weekend Boot Camp, a One-on-One Precision Strike Session or a Remote Training evaluation, we’re not just watching players. We’re shaping them.

And our results prove it:

• Camden Minacci: 68 mph skinny high school freshman to touching 100 mph at Wake Forest. He was drafted by the Angels and is on the precipice of his big-league debut.
• Nolan Bernard: Started as a pudgy 12 year old topping out at 56 mph. He skipped his senior year of high school, enrolled in college, has gotten significant innings, and had great suceess as a freshman at the University of South Florida. His fastball now touches 95, and he throws 4 pitches for strikes.
• Colin Chou: When he came in at 12 years old, I jokingly told him his mechanics looked like a newborn baby giraffe learning to walk. He worked relentlessly to become an elite athlete. He’s pitching in college now and sporting a fastball that tops our at 96 mph.

These weren’t hand-picked prospects. They were overlooked, underestimated, and passed over. Until they weren’t.

Because someone stopped scouting — and started teaching.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

We’re living in an age of performance data overload. Every event has Rapsodo or Track Man. Every swing is tracked. Every pitch is charted. But most of that data is used as a sorting mechanism, not a guide for intervention.

At The ARMory, we use technology differently. We connect it to anatomy. To motor learning. To constraints-led development. We don’t just collect numbers. We give them meaning — and then we build a plan.

It’s easy to say, “This kid doesn’t have it.” It’s much harder to say, “This kid doesn’t have it yet.”

A Challenge to Coaches

If you’re reading this as a coach, ask yourself: Which side of the line are you on?

Are you waiting for talent to reveal itself, or are you working to draw it out?

Are you evaluating movement, or are you helping athletes create better movement?

Because if all you do is scout, you’re not a coach. You’re a filter.

True coaching means crafting. Teaching. Designing. It means seeing not just what is — but what could be.

To the Overlooked Athlete

If you’ve ever been told you’re not good enough — welcome home.

You’re exactly who we built The ARMory for.

You don’t need another showcase. You need a training environment where your development matters more than your metrics.

You need a coach who will stop sorting you — and start shaping you.

hat’s what we do through our four flagship training programs:

• SAVAGE Summer Training: Our most immersive developmental experience. Train five days a week across all pillars — throwing, strength, mobility, arm care, Broga, and more   — for 2 to 10 weeks. This is where transformation happens.
• SAVAGE Weekend Boot Camps: Two-day intensive evaluations and training sessions. You’ll walk away with a full physical and biomechanical profile — and a personalized plan to level up.
• Precision Strike One-on-One Sessions: Personalized, high-touch training experiences with our most elite instructors — or even Randy himself. Perfect for athletes needing targeted interventions or deep, custom coaching.
• SAVAGE Satellite Remote Training: Bring the full ARMory experience to wherever you are. Remote assessments, individualized programming, daily support, and ongoing video feedback — all from your home environment.

If you’re tired of being overlooked, it’s time to stop chasing exposure — and start chasing development.

Click on one of the programs above, or call us at 866-787-4533 for a customized plan that works for you.

Let’s get to work.