Some additional perspective:
| Team | Estimated scouting staff* |
|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | ~75–90 scouts |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | ~45–60 scouts |
*Includes professional, amateur, international, crosscheckers, special assignment, and area scouts. Exact totals vary by season and how each organization classifies scouting versus player development.
The Dodgers are widely regarded as having one of the largest scouting operations in baseball. Baseball America previously reported they employed
86 professional and amateur scouts, ranking among the largest staffs in MLB at the time.
Why the Dodgers invest so heavily
The Dodgers' philosophy under Andrew Friedman has been to spend aggressively not just on players, but on infrastructure:
- Extensive domestic amateur scouting
- Large international scouting presence (Latin America, Asia, etc.)
- Deep professional scouting network
- Significant analytics department that works alongside traditional scouts
- Heavy investment in player development
Many baseball executives consider this infrastructure one of the organization's greatest competitive advantages.
How the Diamondbacks compare
Mike Hazen's Diamondbacks also place a strong emphasis on scouting and player development, but they operate with a significantly smaller budget than the Dodgers. They have continued to add professional and amateur scouts in key areas and have built an excellent reputation for integrating scouting with analytics.
Despite having fewer scouts, Arizona has been remarkably successful at identifying undervalued talent and developing players. Over the past several years they've built a roster featuring players such as Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Brandon Pfaadt, and others through strong drafting, international scouting, and player development.
The bigger difference isn't just the number of scouts
The Dodgers likely outspend the Diamondbacks by an even larger margin in total baseball operations:
- Scouts
- Analysts
- Software engineers
- Biomechanics specialists
- Player development coaches
- Sports science staff
Many industry observers estimate the Dodgers' baseball operations department is among the two or three largest in MLB.
So while a reasonable estimate is that the Dodgers employ roughly
1.5 to 2 times as many scouts as Arizona, the overall gap in baseball operations personnel is probably even larger. That investment in evaluation and development has been a cornerstone of the Dodgers' sustained success.
Given your earlier interest in
Mike Hazen's trade history, it's worth noting that Hazen has often said Arizona's strategy isn't to outspend clubs like the Dodgers—it's to be more selective and efficient with its scouting and player development resources. That philosophy has helped the Diamondbacks remain competitive despite operating with considerably fewer resources.
