Confessions of an Insightful Old Scout

[The Voice of Reason]

Mr. Miles when you get back from your vacation in the Arizona sun (lowered the handicap any?) and have an off day, I have a suggested interviewee for your or Mr. Rozner.

 

The individual claims to have only two passions in life - Education and baseball (No, it's not Vance) and can offer a unique perspective on his experiences with the game of baseball from Little league through the Big Leagues. He was coach and mentor for the most successful high school baseball program in Illinois over the last 15 years (Lyons Township of LaGrange), is the moderator for a cable sports talks show and in his spare time is a scout for the Boston Red Sox. His name is Terry Sullivan and he lives in the Western Suburbs. I recently had a chance to hear him talk. Here is a few of the things he said.

 

- Says traveling team managers who believe in 80 game seasons, 10 year olds throwing curveballs, etc. have done more damage to baseball players in the U.S. than everything else combined.

 

- He scouted and signed the #1 pick of the Red Sox in 2005. A kid named Michael Bowden out of Waubonsie Valley. Said he is the best high school pitcher he ever saw and the Red Sox are expecting big things from him. Loves the kid's tenacity as he essentially grew up without a father (he's in jail) in a trailor park.

 

- Not a big Hendry fan. Says he's loyal to a fault and puts way too much faith in a small circle of old friends. Thinks Hendry overpaid for Samardzija. Called him a 5th round pick with bad mechanics.

 

- Says Matsuzaka will be more popular than Ichiro and the Red Sox will recover their purchase fee in a couple years from merchandise sold in Japan alone. Says Matsuzaka will ecome a dominant pitcher in the U.S. and that the Gyro ball is for real.

 

- Thinks the smart organizations (like the Red Sox) value both stats and scouts about 50-50. Says although no one in the Red Sox front office is over 35, they value old scouts like him and treat him well. He said he had been on John Henry's yacht several times partying with Big Poppy, Manny, etc.

 

- Says he never scouts second baseman because "I want to see the best fielder on the team - the shortstop." Refers to second baseman as "failed shortstops."

 

- Says he likes scouting in the midwest because players here have more untapped potential than Florida or California guys.

 

- Says the Latin and Asian influence on baseball will continue to grow because they are hungrier and more dedicated than US ball players.

 

- He has been to the Domincan Republic several times. Said the best 12 year olds kids are purchased from families by "agents" and put in baseball "camps." They are forced to live in shacks, not allowed to go to school and play baseball from dawn to dusk. After a few years, the best ones are then sold by the agents to one of major league teams with facilities in the Domincan Republic.

 

- Thinks a team would be foolish to rely totally on stats. "Aren't the best stock analysts the ones that start with the quantitative analysis but still go out and talk to management, interview suppliers, talk to competitors, etc.?" "You gotta kick the tires."

 

All in all, a pretty interesting guy for a crusty old scout.

Edited March 8, 2007 by The Voice of Reason

[UMFan83]

Very interesting read. Thanks for sharing! Definitely a different perspective then most people subscribe to here....I guess it doesn't seem that bad from his views.

[Guest]

Definitely a different perspective then most people subscribe to here

 

Is it? I personally don't think his philosophy is different from the "consensus" opinion here when considered in context. Looking at major league stats and players is a lot different than looking at amateur and minor league stats and players and I think most people make that distinction.

[BigSlick]

The part about Dominicans and what they do to their children is horrifying.

 

thats awful.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

He scouted and signed the #1 pick of the Red Sox in 2005. A kid named Michael Bowden out of Waubonsie Valley. Said he is the best high school pitcher he ever saw and the Red Sox are expecting big things from him. Loves the kid's tenacity as he essentially grew up without a father (he's in jail) in a trailor park.

 

Bowden's awesome (just ask UK).

[Soriano12]

Says the Latin and Asian influence on baseball will continue to grow because they are hungrier and more dedicated than US ball players.

 

Ha, you could subsitute "baseball" with "manufacturing" or "education" and the statement still holds true, for Asia that is.

[KaiserCesar]

Says the Latin and Asian influence on baseball will continue to grow because they are hungrier and more dedicated than US ball players.

 

Ha, you could subsitute "baseball" with "manufacturing" or "education" and the statement still holds true, for Asia that is.

 

or food distribution.....

[LeftCoastCubFan]

- Says Matsuzaka will be more popular than Ichiro and the Red Sox will recover their purchase fee in a couple years from merchandise sold in Japan alone. Says Matsuzaka will ecome a dominant pitcher in the U.S. and that the Gyro ball is for real.

He obviously doesn't realize that merchandise sales are split between all MLB teams

[Amazing_Grace]

- Says Matsuzaka will be more popular than Ichiro and the Red Sox will recover their purchase fee in a couple years from merchandise sold in Japan alone. Says Matsuzaka will ecome a dominant pitcher in the U.S. and that the Gyro ball is for real.

He obviously doesn't realize that merchandise sales are split between all MLB teams

 

Is that true in Japan as well as the US? Sometimes the rules for things like copyrights are different in different countries and MLB may allow teams to take advantage of that while looking the other way. Also, does the CBA bar teams from doing their own merchandising above and beyond what MLB does?

[CoolHandLuke]

- Says Matsuzaka will be more popular than Ichiro and the Red Sox will recover their purchase fee in a couple years from merchandise sold in Japan alone. Says Matsuzaka will ecome a dominant pitcher in the U.S. and that the Gyro ball is for real.

He obviously doesn't realize that merchandise sales are split between all MLB teams

 

Is that true in Japan as well as the US? Sometimes the rules for things like copyrights are different in different countries and MLB may allow teams to take advantage of that while looking the other way. Also, does the CBA bar teams from doing their own merchandising above and beyond what MLB does?

 

I know that teams can have club shops in the stadium and within a certain radius around the stadium, and they get all of the money generated that route. Not sure how overseas merchandising works.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Great post, some very interesting thoughts (that match with mine) coming fromt his guy.

 

Bowden kicks ass BTW. I think he's a little bit underrated by people like BA, which is funny because they think very very highly of him. They see him as a future workhorse #2, I think he has legit #1 potential.

[The Voice of Reason]

- Says Matsuzaka will be more popular than Ichiro and the Red Sox will recover their purchase fee in a couple years from merchandise sold in Japan alone. Says Matsuzaka will ecome a dominant pitcher in the U.S. and that the Gyro ball is for real.

He obviously doesn't realize that merchandise sales are split between all MLB teams

 

You are correct LCCF. Well done. The scout and I stand corrected. However, I still think signing Dice-K was a great move by the Red Sox. Could prove to be the second coming of Fernado Valenzuela.

 

http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view.bg?articleid=184125

 

Of course, that figure also fails to include the $51.11 million posting fee the Sox paid for pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. And while Matsuzaka will open some additional revenue streams for the Sox - the deal with Funai Electric is worth just under $1 million, for instance - Henry stressed that such benefits are relatively minimal.

 

“I’ve been clear that we don’t have a lot of that,” Henry said, referring to additional revenue that might spin from the Matsuzaka signing.

 

“A lot of that revenue will go to Major League Baseball. (The Red Sox’ gain) will be very limited, not what people expect.”

[Elrhino]

- Not a big Hendry fan. Says he's loyal to a fault and puts way too much faith in a small circle of old friends.

 

This, moreso than lack of spending, has been my beef with the Cubs organization in recent years. It was worse when MacPhail was still here. Too much group think and absolutely no one held accountable for anything.

[UK1679666180]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/features/263354.html

 

Q&A with Bowden.

 

For the record, Terry is a heck of a guy, not that old (mid to late 50s), and definitely not "crusty".

[The Voice of Reason]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/features/263354.html

 

Q&A with Bowden.

 

For the record, Terry is a heck of a guy, not that old (mid to late 50s), and definitely not "crusty".

 

For the record, I don't think it would bother Terry a bit being called crusty or old for that matter but I changed "crusty" in the title to "insightful" anyway because there is no disputing that he is that and why he would make a great interview for Mr. Miles.

 

I heard him speak as a last minute replacement with no notes or prepared statements. He stopped after 45 minutes with the crowd begging for more. Not only is he a "heck" of a guy but a fascinating one as well.