General managers play a vital role in the success of Major League Baseball franchises. As the top executive in a team’s baseball operations department, the GM is responsible for all personnel and player transaction decisions with the goal of assembling a competitive roster that can win games. To help with this complex job, GMs utilize analytical tools like GM cards to evaluate current and potential players on their club.
GM cards, sometimes called “scouting cards” or “scorecards,” are detailed reports that baseball operations staff compile on each player under team control or on other players being considered for acquisition via trade or free agency. These cards provide a snapshot of a player’s abilities, strengths, weaknesses, statistical history, medical background, and contract information. Multiple members of a team’s front office and scouting department will contribute input to a player’s GM card over time as more game film is reviewed and new scouting reports come in from the minors or other sources.
Factors included on a typical GM card may include: name, age, height/weight, position(s) played, throwing and batting handedness, draft/signing details if applicable, minor league stats with levels/years, major league stats with team(s), strengths and weak points by category (hitting, power, speed, fielding, arm strength, etc.), work ethic/coachability, injury history, contract details (service time accrued, salary, arbitration/free agency schedule), ERA or batting averages against for pitchers by handedness of hitter, spray charts for hitters, scouting grades on tools/actions on a 20-80 scouting scale, and subjective analysis/projections of future potential and role.
Advanced metrics like exit velocity, hard-hit rate, sprint speed, Outs Above Average, fielding independent pitching, and Wins Above Replacement are also commonly included on modern GM cards as front offices place more emphasis on analytics. Video scouting reports providing GIFs or clips of notable at-bats, pitches, or defensive plays may accompany the cards as well. The level of detail allows GMs and their staffs to have a complete picture of each player at their fingertips whenever evaluating roles, trades, or other situations.
While GM cards provide an organized compilation of facts and opinions, the interpretations of that information still come down to the subjective evaluations of the decision-makers. Two GMs may come away with different views of a player based on the same card if they place differing weights on various skills, projections of future performance, or assessment of intangible makeup traits. Context like roster needs, contractual obligations, or the player development philosophies of an organization must also be factored into personnel choices.
Nevertheless, GM cards serve as a shared base of knowledge that facilitates discussions within a front office. Being able to reference comparable cards side-by-side helps identify relative strengths, weaknesses, projections, and fit against team goals. The extensive statistical, scouting, and medical histories compiled in the cards arms GMs with credibility as they lobby ownership, managers, or other executives on proposed acquisitions or roster moves.
Constructing and continuously updating GM cards is a labor intensive undertaking that requires diligent record-keeping and synthesis of input from various departments. Multiple individuals may have oversight or updating responsibilities for different subsets of cards depending on a team’s structure. For example, professional scouts in an organization are key contributors on minor league players and their assessments from first-hand game evaluations.
Major league staff like advance scouts and analysts specializing in advanced metrics and video scouting also play a role. Director of scouting, assistant GM, and other director-level positions may be tasked with overseeing the card database and ensuring information is collated accurately based on input from varied sources. GM cards represent a living document that, at their best, capture a well-rounded look at each individual asset from multiple analytical and subjective lenses over time.
While not as glamorous as making a big trade or signing a major free agent, upkeep of comprehensive and nuanced GM cards is a foundation for making informed baseball operations decisions. No GM can claim to truly know hundreds of players without relying on detailed organizational records and consensus opinions. The thorough player profiles allow executives to efficiently plug into discussions on any club member or trade target at a moment’s notice with background to support their stances.
Especially in today’s data-driven landscape, GM cards emphasize a complete and ongoing diligence in understanding not just statistics but the multifaceted talents, medical histories, projections, and contracts of every professional baseball player that could potentially help or hurt a team’s championship chances. With salaries, contract guarantees, and pressure to win regularly intensifying industry-wide, leaving no stone unturned in player evaluation provides a competitive advantage for organizations that take GM card curation seriously as a baseline task.
A well-constructed GM card database represents an investment of significant man-hours but pays dividends by strengthening the likelihood of informed decisions from baseball operations leadership. It establishes a shared knowledge base that enables front offices to have nuanced discussions, justifying player moves through comprehensive arguments grounded in facts, projections, and scouting assessments. The role of GMs in crafting rosters means getting player evaluation absolutely right is paramount – and GM cards strive to optimize those efforts with detailed, ever-evolving profiles on all potential roster contributors.
