Here’s a transcript of a brief conversation I had with a scout about the Atlantic League. It provides a little insight into how they view the players we watch at Clipper Magazine Stadium.
What’s your opinion of the players you‘ve seen in this league this season?
There’s some talent here. There’s nothing that’s going to wow. But all of these guys can do at least one thing well. … Some of the guys didn’t get a shot for one reason or another. Now their time has past.
Do you have any advice for players in this league who are hoping to get another shot?
I don’t want to pigeon-hole anybody, but the odds are against you. To say it’s a waste is beyond me. I would never say that. If you keep playing, you never know what can happen.
It seems to me there are a lot of guys in this league who could help big-league organizations. Do you see it that way?
It’s a question of what you’re looking for. Are you looking for a guy who can come out and have success at the Double-A or Triple-A level? Or are you looking for a guy you can put on the big-league team? There are guys here who can definitely have success in Double-A or Triple-A.
How much do you value the stats a player puts up in this league?
We’re not going to sign a guy just because he has 20 home runs. We know most of the names. If a guy is 25 or 26 and we like his tools, we’ll give him a look. At the same time, we’re not going to sign him if he’s not putting up numbers.
So why was he here?
This furthers my opinion that indy league guys dont get much of a shot when they do get signed by an affiliated organization. Affiliated teams want to further the careers of the players that they signed and drafted and spent money on. If they need a guy to “plug in a hole” at one of their teams..they sign them briefly…but when it comes time to resign them they are the first ones released. The odds truly ARE against them. There are exceptions to that but by and large..its pretty stacked against these guys. It really is unfortunate about this and reading this scouts view is very disheartening. As maize says..then why was he here?
Hope the guy isn’t a Tiger scout. 2003 wasn’t that long ago…. We couldn’t become that elitist, arrogant, and snobbish in just one year.
that’s always what I kinda thought, but had secretly hoped it wasn’t that way in reality.
I have to agree with maize&blue. If the pickens are so slim,why bother? I guess he has to look everywhere,but,geez,at least give them a small glimmer of hope.