By Nathan Rode and Rob Sidwell

During the spring, summer and fall, it’s no secret where scouts are. Go to a game with a prospect and chances are you’ll see at least one. But what goes on in the winter, when pitchers are shut down and things are slower in general? Florida scouting director Rob Sidwell spent the better part of two decades working for major league organizations and gives a peek inside the so-called offseason.

This time of year, after Jupiter, the first thing is you’re kind of finalizing your reports. You’re trying to get all your fall reports in and then you want to come with some type of pref list. Usually teams will have some kind of winter meeting and you’ll want to have some type of pref list, top 10 list or potential top three round list going into the spring for all the crosscheckers and scouting director to give them a glimpse of your area as they get ready to line the spring up. It kind of helps them prioritize where they need to be early on.