Many lines had been written about old school scouts and new techniques to evaluate players and guess how great they will be in a couple of years, I’ll leave all Money ball things to one’s who knows a little about that, me, I don’t know nothing.
Can you imaging Mario Soto wearing blue instead of red? Can imagine Ramón Martinez wearing a different kind of blue? Or Pedro Guerrero not playing for the Dodgers in the 1981 World Series, well here’s a little story about how scouts missed on players here in the Dominican Republic.
Ralph Avila, scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he signed Ramón and Pedro Martinez, Juan Guzman, Pedro Astacio, Raúl Mondesí, Henry Rodriguez, José Offerman, Adrian Beltre and Wilton “the crappy brother” Guerrero, but in that list he missed on Mario Soto, Damaso Garcia, Julio Franco and yes, Vladimir Guerrero.
Avila only assume full responsibility for Julio Franco, he watched him in a try out and thought he did not have good hands and speed, two tools that the Dodgers seek at the time.
The more notables of that list are Mario Soto and Vladimir Guerrero, Soto was a strong throwing catcher at the time. “I could’ve sign him, but there was an older scout that did not like him”, he also passed on Junior Felix because he knew his true age, and the older scout did not like Damaso Garcia.
Concerning Vladimir he recalls that he arrived on the back of a “Motoconcho” (it’s a motorcycle used as taxi), Pablo Peguero, Head of the academy told him that he had to stay in the academy for a month for a full examination, Vladimir refused and went to the Expos academy and was signed there.
I think the Dodgers later change that stupid policy.
Epy Guerrero, an international scout for Toronto, he signed Cesar Cedeño, Tony Fernandez, Carlos Delgado, Geronimo Berroa and Kelvin Escobar among others players.
He also misjudge some players including Pedro Martinez, Pedro stayed for a week in the Blue Jays camp here, he let him go for the same reason the Dodgers trade him to the Expos.
He also failed with a young boy named Pedro Guerrero, at the beginning he liked him, but later he realized that Pedro Guerrero had a tendency to gain weight and because of that he did not signed him.
Ramon Peña, now with Detroit worked for the Royals, he signed several players including Juan Encarnacion, Bobby Higginson and Frank Catalonnoto, but regrets not signing Ramon Martinez in 1984, he offered a US$ 7,000.00 to Ramón and to catcher Ramón Duran, but Duran was a Dodger Fan and big influence in Ramon so he ended up signing with the Dodgers, Ramon Peña regrets that saying that maybe he could have sign Pedro too, any way the Dodgers had him and trade him.
He also regrets not signing Neifi Perez; he signed instead a young man that did not make it.
Juan Marichal, he signed Miguel Tejada, and Tony Batista among others, he was ready to Sign Raúl Mondesi, but he had to make a emergency travel and by the time hw got back Raúl was signed by the Dodgers.
Source: Listin Diario
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