Roy Halladay’s scouting report as a 21-year-old prospect

In honor of Roy Halladay’s no-hitter Conor Glassey of Baseball America went back through the magazine’s archives and found the scouting report published when Halladay was the Blue Jays’ top prospect in 1998.

The whole thing is definitely worth reading, but here are a few of the highlights ...

- Halladay became so close with the Blue Jays scout who signed him in 1995 that he bought the scout “a satellite television system” with part of his signing bonus.

- “Hallday has a prototype pitcher’s body. He’s tall, lanky and flexible--and has plenty of stamina.”

- “Halladay just needs a little refinement to be a legitimate big league, front-of-the-rotation pitcher.”

As far as dozen-year-old scouting reports written about then-21-year-old pitchers who go on to become Cy Young winners and throw playoff no-hitters, it’s pretty much right on the money.

Also interesting: Glassey notes that 53 different players on playoff rosters were once Baseball America‘s top-ranked prospect in their respective organization while in the minors.