"Compliments and criticism are all ultimately based on some form of projection," - Billy Corgan
Are we to assume Corgan or the Smashing Pumpkins have any interest in baseball, analytics or scouting in general? One would venture to say the odds are slim. Still, it's easy to apply Corgan's quote to how we interpret amateur baseball players.
Interestingly enough, Corgan was speaking on his journey as an artistic musician when he provided that quote to the L.A. Times in 2010. That's baseball. That's scouting. Players change in immense ways during their baseball careers. They're rarely the same, ever-evolving, but usually in negative ways once they reach the big leagues. According to Driveline, bat speed peaks are seen from ages 21 to 24. According to FanGraphs, fastball velocity begins detereorating from the time a pitcher turns 21 years old. As scouts, it's our job to see through the noise and project …