In the age of analytics, putting the focus back on scouting

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ON THIS JANUARY afternoon in New Orleans, the temperature is hovering in the 40s. The wind is raising whitecaps on Lake Pontchartrain. Baseball practice won't officially start for a week. But Tulane's team has gathered for a voluntary workout, so Mike Ruth is there to see it. "This is a good deal," says Ruth, the Minnesota Twins' Midwest scouting supervisor. "It's cold. It's miserable. Nobody's watching. Will these guys go after it or not?"

Ruth is tracking two juniors, potential picks in June's draft. Jake Rogers threw out a higher percentage of potential base stealers last season than any other Division I catcher. Shortstop Stephen Alemais scoops up grounders with a penchant for the spectacular that he developed on the dirt diamonds of the Bronx. But does Alemais, who calls Jay Z his adviser, have the consistency to go with his fancy footwork? Can Rogers, who batted .202 as a freshman and .227 as a sophomore, hit enough to make a lineup?

The stands are nearly deserted, just a few athletic department functionaries huddled in the chill. Then a man in black, hood pulled tight, emerges. Ruth recognizes a scout who almost certainly has come to see the same players. "Here it is," he says, laughing. "The small-market Twins and the small-market Pirates. Standing in the cold. Trying to figure something out."