Congratulations, HiAspire!
Ross Gload didn't appear in your comments on this topic until your 8th -- count it, 8th! -- post.
HF, the point isn't that scouting is irrelevant in prospect rankings. I think the more interesting point is this: the so-called experts are really doing exactly the same kind of stats analysis as your ProspectBot is doing. These are guys who stare at minor league stat lines all day every day, and even if they haven't created a formula such as the ProspectBot, that's exactly what they're doing in their minds.
There's an old cartoon that goes something like this:
A kingfisher is perched on a branch overlooking a lake. He sees a tasty fish swim by a few inches under the surface of the water. He is ready to pounce. The thought bubble coming from the bird's head shows a diagram and an equation accounting for the refraction. (O.K., the visual is better.)
Sickels, I imagine, has developed an equation much like the ProspectBot, and he fiddles with his results a little bit before producing his list (e.g., knocking down a Greg Reynolds a few notches based on arm trouble). The others, I think, are like the kingfisher -- doing the complex math in their heads without really being aware of the mental gymnastics they are performing.
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