The Bum's MLB 2017 Spring Training News-Exhibition Picks-Trades-Gossips Etc. !!

[StarDust Bum]

Spring Training Record:

M/L Picks 155-141-19 52.36% +460

O/U Picks 43-42-0 50.59% -1600

Yesterday's Results:

03/27/2017 14-6-0 70.00% +4325


TUESDAY, MARCH 28

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TB at MIN 01:05 PM

MIN -105

BAL at ATL 01:05 PM

BAL -116

STL at NYM 01:10 PM

NYM -156

TEX at COL 03:10 PM

TEX +105

CLE at MIL 04:05 PM

CLE -135

SF at CHC 04:05 PM

CHC -185

CHW at KC 04:05 PM

KC -135

OAK at LAA 04:10 PM

LAA -125

ARI at SEA 04:10 PM

ARI +115

BOS at PIT 06:05 PM

BOS -111

TOR at PHI 06:35 PM

TOR -116

DET at NYY 06:35 PM

NYY -182

[StarDust Bum]

Date W-L-T % Units Record ( LAST TWO DAYS )

03/29/2017 0-0-0 0.00% +0

03/28/2017 8-3-1 72.73% +1590

03/27/2017 14-6-0 70.00% +4325


WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TEX at KC 03:05 PM

KC -141

LAA at MIL 03:05 PM

MIL -135

O 9.5

SD at CHW 03:05 PM

SD +110

U 9.5

CLE at CIN 03:05 PM

CLE -147

O 9.5

OAK at CHC 04:05 PM

OAK +145

LAD at SEA 04:10 PM

LAD -156

U 9.5

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, MARCH 30

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WAS at BOS 01:05 PM

BOS -135

MIN at TB 01:05 PM

TB -147

NYY at PHI 01:05 PM

NYY -132

O 8.5

DET at BAL 01:05 PM

BAL -132

O 8.5

COL at SD 03:10 PM

SD +100

O 9.5

CHC at HOU 08:10 PM

HOU -111

CLE at ARI 09:40 PM

CLE -111

LAD at LAA 10:07 PM

LAA -111

OAK at SF 10:15 PM

OAK +140

[StarDust Bum]

2017 Season Predictions
March 30, 2017

The 2017 baseball season is here with plenty of new expectations and hope for all 30 teams. Our consensus of handicappers provides their annual predictions on their best season win total bets as well as American League and National League champions, along with World Series winners.

Following Cleveland’s run to the World Series last season, many experts at VegasInsider.com believe the Indians will make a return to the Fall Classic. In the National League, the Cubs aren’t the favorite to repeat as champions this season according to our stable of handicappers, as the Dodgers and Nationals are expected to play for the pennant.

From the win totals perspective, there are plenty of varying opinions from our handicappers on which teams will overachieve and which ones will fall short of their victory total.

Expert Jimmy Boyd believes St. Louis will eclipse their win total of 84 ½ and return to the postseason, “Last year was a down year for the Cardinals and they still won 86 games. I'm not sure why the books are expecting a worse finish in 2017. I love the addition of Dexter Fowler to fill the void at the top of the order. I also think St Louis' rotation is underrated. I look for a big bounce back year from Adam Wainwright and a boost from Lance Lynn, who missed all of last season. Sure the Cardinals are in the same division as the Cubs, but they also find themselves in the same division as two of the worst teams in all of baseball in the Brewers and Reds. Let's also not overlook the fact that the Cardinals have won at least 85 games in each of the last 9 seasons. I believe they are a lot closer to a 90-win team than people think.”

Looking further down in the NL Central, handicapper Joe Nelson isn’t high on the Pirates improving from a 78-83 campaign in 2016. “Pittsburgh fell from 98 wins in 2015 to just 78 wins last season it is hard to envision the Pirates making a big leap back to contention this season as the window of opportunity may be closing for this group. Andrew McCutchen may never re-gain his past MVP form, Gregory Polanco could start the season on DL and Jung Ho Kang’s career appears to be in complete limbo with his visa revoked as the lineup lacks the upside of past seasons. The bullpen will also have some big question marks without Mark Melancon for the ninth inning, with the All Star closer almost completely responsible for Pittsburgh’s decent relief pitching numbers last season.”

Over in the American League, the Rangers are poised for a return to the World Series for the first time since 2011. Bruce Marshall is keen on Texas keeping up its winning ways in 2017, “ Don't see the Rangers dropping 10 win from last year’s 95-67 mark that was good enough to run away with the AL West. There was some outflow in free agency (Ian Desmond, Mitch Moreland, Carlos Beltran) from the everyday lineup, but Mike Napoli returns for another tour of duty at 1B and DH, and Texas now gets a full season from last year’s trade additions CF Carlos Gomez and C Jonathan Lucroy. There are a few questions in the rotation beyond Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish, though ex-Padre and Marlin Andrew Cashner has flashed some real upside in the past. Texas appears again the team to beat in the West.

Past Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington as the teams to beat in the National League, San Francisco continues to ride under the radar. Our friends at ASA sees tremendous value in the Giants to win it all at 15/1. “San Francisco has won at least 84 games every year but one since 2009. They’ve been in the playoffs in four of the last six seasons. We expect them to get there again in 2017 as they return nearly every key cog from last year’s 87-75 Wild Card team. They were 4th in the N.L. in run differential last season topped by only the Cubs, Nationals, and Dodgers."

ASA points out that San Francisco should clean up within the NL West, "The Giants sit in a fairly weak division with the bottom 3 (Colorado, Arizona, and San Diego) finishing with 75, 68, and 66 wins and all 3 are projected to finish below .500 again this year. It’s the Giants and Dodgers battling it out for the NL West with the second place team very likely to push into the playoffs as a Wild Card.”

2017 MLB SEASON PREDICTIONS

Handicapper Best Over Best Under AL Champion NL Champion WS Champion

Alex Smart Atlanta Braves Miami Marlins Boston Red Sox Los Angeles Dodgers Boston Red Sox

Andy Iskoe Detroit Tigers Baltimore Orioles Cleveland Indians San Francisco Giants Cleveland Indians

Antony Dinero Texas Rangers Minnesota Twins Texas Rangers Chicago Cubs Chicago Cubs

ASA Milwaukee Brewers Kansas City Royals Cleveland Indians San Francisco Giants San Francisco Giants

Bill Marzano Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians Chicago Cubs Chicago Cubs

Bruce Marshall Texas Rangers Arizona Diamondbacks Cleveland Indians San Francisco Giants Cleveland Indians

Dave Cokin Los Angeles Angels Miami Marlins Cleveland Indians Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Dodgers

Doc's Sports Milwaukee Brewers Washington Nationals Cleveland Indians Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Dodgers

Don Anthony Los Angeles Angels Cincinnati Reds Texas Rangers San Francisco Giants San Francisco Giants

Gary Bart Texas Rangers San Diego Padres Cleveland Indians Washington Nationals Washington Nationals

Jim Feist Los Angeles Angels San Diego Padres Cleveland Indians Chicago Cubs Cleveland Indians

Jimmy Boyd St. Louis Cardinals Cincinnati Reds Boston Red Sox Los Angeles Dodgers Boston Red Sox

Joe Nelson Chicago White Sox Pittsburgh Pirates Houston Astros New York Mets New York Mets

John Fisher Texas Rangers Cleveland Indians Boston Red Sox Washington Nationals Boston Red Sox

Kevin Rogers Baltimore Orioles Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Washington Nationals Texas Rangers

Kyle Hunter Houston Astros San Diego Padres Cleveland Indians Los Angeles Dodgers Cleveland Indians

Marc Lawrence Oakland Athletics Cleveland Indians Boston Red Sox Washington Nationals Boston Red Sox

Mark Franco Baltimore Orioles Milwaukee Brewers Boston Red Sox Chicago Cubs Chicago Cubs

Micah Roberts Kansas City Royals Cincinnati Reds New York Yankees Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Dodgers

Neil the Greek Arizona Diamondbacks Houston Astros Texas Rangers Washington Nationals Texas Rangers

Scott Rickenbach Baltimore Orioles Chicago Cubs Boston Red Sox San Francisco Giants San Francisco Giants

Stephen Nover Atlanta Braves Texas Rangers Boston Red Sox Washington Nationals Boston Red Sox

Vince Akins Tampa Bay Rays New York Mets Cleveland Indians San Francisco Giants Cleveland Indians

Zack Cimini Arizona Diamondbacks Chicago Cubs Cleveland Indians St. Louis Cardinals Cleveland Indians

[StarDust Bum]

AL Future Best Bets
March 30, 2017

Opening Day of the 2017 Major League Baseball season takes place this weekend and now that the lines have had at least a month to settle down, get dissected, and thoroughly investigated, it's time to break down some of the better wagers offered.

While many pundits out there envision a repeat of the 2016 World Series with the Chicago Cubs getting the better of the Cleveland Indians again, win total wagers don't concern themselves with who will go all the way and those looking to back the Cubs in this style of prop bet will have to pay a steep price to go over.

The Cubs have one of the highest season win totals ever released at 96.5, but this piece will focus on the American League teams and which teams are poised to improve/regress in 2017. So let's get right to the best bets:

AL Best Bet #1: L.A Angels Over 79.5 (-125)

The Angels had quite the down year as a team in 2016 as they only won 74 games. One could only imagine how bad their record would have been had they not had the AL MVP winner in Mike Trout on the field most days, but this organization has been hit hard by numerous significant injuries the past few years. Everyone enters 2017 healthy and some key depth additions like Cameron Maybin, Ben Revere, Dustin Ackley and Martin Maldonado should help provide a bit more consistent offense for this club.

The starting rotations is still a bit of an unknown commodity for the Angels this year, but they'll get #1 Garrett Richards back to lead the rotation and Matt Shoemaker will be back on the hill after having his 2016 campaign cut short by being hit in the head with a line drive. Tyler Skaggs has another year of MLB experience under his belt and hopes to build upon that, and Ricky Nolasco is a workhorse out there if he can pitch with consistency over the long haul.

As long as the key pieces on the Angels roster can stay healthy for the majority of the year, this is a team that should end up being in the conversation for an AL West title. They'd need to be well over the .500 mark to do so and with this total being below that point, there is a huge margin of error involved with this play. There is no question that Mike Trout will win a few games by himself for this club and with some simply average help from his teammates, an 80+ win season should be achieved.

AL Best Bet #2: Texas Rangers Under 85 (-115)

This play is a bit in correlation with the one above as the added wins the Angels are looking for are going to have to come from somewhere – especially within division play – and it looks like the team that's a prime candidate to regress would be the Texas Rangers.

Texas played well above their heads last year in terms of advanced stats as they finished the year with a 95-67 SU record despite only having a +8 run differential. They were extremely lucky in close games all year long and luck like that is bound to regress sooner than later. They were the only team in the majors with a plus-run differential below 10 and for comparison sake, the Angels finished with a -10 run differential and were 14 games below .500.

Add in the fact that their starting rotation isn't nearly what it has been in recent years as there are multiple question marks behind Darvish and Hamels, and even those two aren't exactly known to stay healthy for an entire season. The Rangers' run of being a playoff team comes to an end in 2017 as they'll struggle to even reach the .500 mark.

[StarDust Bum]

Treinen gets Nats' closer job; Pelfrey cut
March 30, 2017

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Blake Treinen will begin the season as Washington's closer, even though he has only one big league save.

After the Nationals lost Mark Melancon to the San Francisco Giants in free agency, Treinen won the job over Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover.

''Blake has that turbo sinker,'' manager Dusty Baker said Thursday. ''He may give up a hit or a walk, but he's always one pitch away from getting two outs with one pitch.''

PELFREY CUT

Detroit released right-hander Mike Pelfrey, who is guaranteed $8 million in the second season of a $16 million, two-year deal.

Pelfrey went 4-10 with a 5.07 ERA last season with the Tigers. He was 2-3 with a 7.94 ERA in three spring training starts and five relief appearances.

The 33-year-old Pelfrey is 65-91 with a 4.57 ERA in a career that started in 2002 with the New York Mets and included a three-season stint in Minnesota. He won 38 games from 2008 through 2010 with the Mets and has not won more than seven games in a season since that stretch.

IN PINSTRIPES

Aaron Judge won the Yankees' right field job, a decision that left Aaron Hicks as New York's fourth outfielder, and Luis Severino has earned the fourth spot in the starting rotation.

''That was a very tough call,'' manager Joe Girardi said. ''It was a very good competition. In the end, we thought Judge won the competition.''

Judge, 6-foot-7 and 282 pounds, has a .344 spring training average. He hit .179 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 27 games following his August call-up to the Yankees last season. He also struck out 42 times in 84 at-bats.

''He had more consistent at-bats,'' Girardi said. ''There were less strikeouts. There was better contact, consistent contact. He got better and better as spring training went along.''

Severino, 23, went just 3-8 with a 5.83 ERA in 11 starts and 11 relief appearances last year. He gave up one run in five innings Thursday against Philadelphia.

ON THE DL

Milwaukee said it will place starter Matt Garza on the 10-day disabled list to the start the season because of a strained right groin.

The team also announced that Chase Anderson will open the season in the rotation. Anderson joins an all right-handed starting five of Junior Guerra, Zach Davies, Wily Peralta and Jimmy Nelson.

Garza went 1-1 with an 8.59 ERA in six spring training starts. Anderson was 0-1 with a 3.77 ERA in five games, including three starts.

Anderson will start for the Brewers in an exhibition game at Miller Park on Friday against the Chicago White Sox.

DOWNWARD BOUND

ByungHo Park was among Minnesota's final roster cuts despite a strong spring training performance. The Twins decided to start with 13 pitchers.

With Kennys Vargas (left foot) injured and likely to be sent down or placed on the disabled list, backup outfielder Robbie Grossman is slated for now as the primary designated hitter.

Catcher John Ryan Murphy was optioned to Triple-A Rochester, and utility infielder Ehire Adrianza (right oblique strain) and left-handed reliever Ryan O'Rourke (left forearm strain) were placed on the 10-day disabled list. The Twins chose rookie left-hander Adalberto Mejia as the fifth starter over right-hander Tyler Duffey.

''Not that Duffey didn't pitch well, but we were more intrigued by what he can do to help us in the bullpen,'' manager Paul Molitor said. ''I'd be surprised if you didn't see Duffey start a game for us at some point.''

ZACK IS BACK

Zack Wheeler has earned a spot in the New York Mets' rotation after missing two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Robert Gsellman will begin the season as the team's No. 5 starter in place of the injured Steven Matz.

Manager Terry Collins also said center fielder Juan Lagares will go on the disabled list because of an oblique strain and outfielder Michael Conforto will be with the Mets on opening day.

Collins chose to use Wheeler in a role he is familiar with rather than send him to the bullpen. Gsellman is scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen in the first couple of games before starting for the Mets on April 9.

CATCHING UP

St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said he hopes to have a new contract for star catcher Yadier Molina before opening day but said a deal was ''not done'' as of Thursday night.

Molina homered in St. Louis' 9-3 victory over its top minor league affiliate, the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, while reports surfaced that he's nearing a new agreement. Fox Sports reported during the game that Molina and the Cardinals are finalizing a three-year deal worth between $55 million and $65 million.

''We're optimistic. We're hopeful,'' Mozeliak said. ''But it's not complete yet.''

The 34-year-old Molina has said he wants a contract finalized before the season opens Sunday night. He said ''nothing's done'' after the game but expressed optimism.

''It's my main goal to stay here,'' Molina said.

Molina's five-year deal signed in 2012 is nearing an end. He is under contract for $14 million in 2017, with a $15 million mutual option and $2 million buyout for 2018.

ODD MAN OUT

San Francisco Giants general manager Bobby Evans informed 38-year-old infielder Jimmy Rollins he won't make the team out of spring training and is waiting to hear back from him or his representatives about what options might be next. The 2007 NL MVP, who hoped to play at home in his native Bay Area for the first time after 17 major league seasons, was batting .119 (5 for 42) with eight strikeouts in 17 Cactus League games.

AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUES:

YANKEES 14, PHILLIES 1

Gary Sanchez hit his fifth home run and Ronald Torreyes, who earned the shortstop job while Didi Gregorius recuperates from an injured throwing shoulder, went 2 for 2 with a homer and four RBIs.

Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff recorded just two outs and was charged with six runs and four hits.

TIGERS 7, ORIOLES 3

Omar Infante, Tyler Collins and James McCann homered off Orioles starter Dylan Bundy, who gave up five runs and six hits in six innings. Tigers starter Matt Boyd allowed two hits in four scoreless innings.

Chris Davis and Chris Dickerson connected for Baltimore.

RED SOX 8, NATIONALS 1

Nationals starter Joe Ross allowed four runs, eight hits and two walks in three innings, while Boston's Kyle Kendrick gave up one run and six hits in four innings.

Boston star Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 2 with two RBIs, and touted prospect Andrew Benintendi added a pair of hits and drove in a run.

TWINS 6, RAYS 6, 9 INNINGS

Joe Mauer hit a two-run homer, and Minnesota's Hector Santiago gave up one run and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Rays starter Jake Odorizzi allowed two runs and three hits in 3 1/3 innings. Steven Souza Jr. and recently acquired Peter Bourjos had two hits apiece.

METS 5, TRIPLE-A LAS VEGAS 4

Jay Bruce homered off Jacob deGrom, pitching for the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, while Neil Walker and Curtis Granderson both drove in runs for the Mets. DeGrom gave up one run and two hits over three innings.

New York closer Jeurys Familia, who will miss the first 15 games while serving a domestic violence suspension, threw a perfect inning for Las Vegas.

ROCKIES 10, PADRES 5

DJ LeMahieu had three hits and two RBIs for Colorado, which had 17 hits. Charlie Blackmon drove in three runs.

Hector Sanchez had two RBIs for San Diego, and Alberth Martinez homered. Clayton Richard allowed three runs and six hits in 1 2/3 innings.

The game was briefly delayed in the ninth inning by a swarm of bees in the infield.

ASTROS 8, CUBS 6

Addison Russell homered and drove in three runs, an encouraging sign for Chicago. The All-Star shortstop had been sidelined by back soreness.

Josh Reddick hit a two-run homer for the Astros, and Jose Altuve belted a solo shot for his first homer of the spring. Right-hander Lance McCullers, who will start Houston's second game of the season Tuesday against Seattle, allowed five hits and five runs over four innings in his longest start this spring.

DIAMONDBACKS 6, INDIANS 3

Taijuan Walker ended his excellent spring training on a high note, pitching five scoreless innings to help Arizona beat Cleveland.

Walker struck out four and allowed four hits in the penultimate exhibition game for both teams.

The right-hander, acquired from Seattle in an offseason trade, finished the spring with a 3.29 ERA, 32 strikeouts and two walks over 27 1/3 innings. He is scheduled to face the San Francisco Giants next Wednesday in Arizona's third game.

ANGELS 3, DODGERS 2

Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced that Ricky Nolasco will be the team's opening day starter after his team edged the Dodgers in the Freeway Series opener.

The Angels lack a defined ace, but Nolasco has already made three opening day starts in his 11-year career.

Austin Barnes homered in the ninth for the Dodgers, and pitchers Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling and Luis Avilan combined to hold the Angels hitless through six innings.

GIANTS 3, ATHLETICS 0

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Oakland youngster Sean Manaea pitched four perfect innings during a scoreless duel with Johnny Cueto in the preseason Bay Bridge Series opener.

The 25-year-old Manaea threw 31 of 43 pitches for strikes and was thrilled with his spring finale.

Cueto, an 18-game winner in his first season with the Giants a year ago, allowed six hits in five scoreless innings. New closer Mark Melancon finished with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced his platoon plans in left field to start the season: Chris Marrero against lefty starters, and Jarrett Parker facing right-handers.

[StarDust Bum]

Date W-L-T % Units Record

03/30/2017 7-4-1 63.64% +1285

03/29/2017 4-3-3 57.14% +275

03/28/2017 8-3-1 72.73% +1590

03/27/2017 14-6-0 70.00% +4325

FRIDAY, MARCH 31

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TB at PHI 01:05 PM

PHI -116

O 8.5

CHC at HOU 02:10 PM

CHC -132

U 9.5

BOS at WAS 04:05 PM

BOS -125

U 8.5

DET at MIA 07:05 PM

DET +110

PIT at TOR 07:07 PM

TOR -135

U 8.5

NYY at ATL 07:35 PM

NYY -152

U 8.5

KC at TEX 08:05 PM

TEX -135

U 9.5

CHW at MIL 08:10 PM

CHW +125

CLE at ARI 09:40 PM

CLE -111

COL at SEA 09:40 PM

COL +120

LAD at LAA 10:07 PM

LAA +100

O 9.5

OAK at SF 10:15 PM

OAK +130

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PIT at TOR 01:07 PM

TOR -147

O 8.5

BOS at WAS 02:00 PM

WAS -105

U 8.5

KC at TEX 02:05 PM

KC +115

O 9.5

CHW at MIL 02:10 PM

CHW +120

U 9.5

SF at OAK 03:05 PM

SF +105

U 9.5

SEA at COL

SEA +105

O 9.5

LAA at LAD 09:10 PM

LAA +125

[StarDust Bum]

Baseball's next Moneyball concept: Turning internet writers into prospect scouts
Teams have altered who they hire as scouts, tapping writers with backgrounds in advanced metrics

That Victor Wang was a hardcore baseball fan as a 16-year-old sounds like standard teenage fare. Except, unlike the normal teen, he was profiled in the New York Times due to his predilection for baseball -- specifically, his skills for examining and writing about the sport with an analytical bent. Wang peaked as a writer later on, producing his seminal works (studies concerning draft pick and prospect valuations) before he had finished his freshman year at Northwestern University. Both articles are widely referenced to this day, almost a decade since their publication in the Hardball Times.

The interim period has seen Wang graduate from Northwestern. However, it has not seen him author many new articles (his most recent byline at THT came in June 2009). His disappearance from the public eye can be traced to his acceptance into baseball. Wang was named the Cleveland Indians’ director of professional scouting in December, nearly four years after he was tapped as the assistant director, and some seven-plus years after he accepted his first internship with the organization.

“I basically sent emails cold to all teams asking them if they had any summer internship opportunities,” Wang told CBS Sports. “I had done some work prior to applying to teams with the Hardball Times and included a packet of my work with my résumé and cover letter. I was able to end up landing a summer internship with them and have been with them ever since.”

The Indians’ hiring of Wang made sense, given they’ve long been one of baseball’s most innovative teams. It was the Indians who patented long-term extensions for young players. It was the Indians who swam at the deep end of the data pool with the Oakland Athletics during the Moneyball era. It was the Indians whose creative bullpen usage last October led them to the pennant. Those unorthodox strategies all stem from the same root, the same truth -- the poor small-market Indians must act as a disruptor, as a tradition-eschewer, in order to compete with richer teams.

By stepping off line, the Indians have enjoyed plenty of on-field successes -- and, believe it or not, perhaps even more as the industry’s gatekeepers. Cleveland has produced general managers at a rate reminiscent of the old Expos. The key? Corporate shadiness. But, if the Indians have another key, it’s their willingness to challenge convention -- be it in the dugout or in the boardroom.

Put another way, Cleveland has a front office full of former writers: Assistant general manager Matt Forman is so fresh from the press box that his personal journalism website remains up -- complete with links to his archives at Baseball America and Lacrosse Magazine Online (really); Sky Andrecheck, the senior director of baseball research and development, starred at the now-defunct Baseball Analysts; then there’s Keith Woolner, a Baseball Prospectus vet with a befitting title: principal data scientist of baseball analytics.

In assembling what would be baseball’s most impressive masthead, the Indians have stepped into uncharted territory. Most teams employ a former writer or two on the research side -- baseball operations wonks who create databases, sift through numbers and run studies. The Indians have outpaced the league by doing the unthinkable: Entrusting ex-writers to run the scouting department. While Wang oversees the pro side -- think scouting minor leaguers -- the Indians’ amateur coordinator is Clint Longenecker, yet another former Baseball America staffer. The Indians appointed both without fear of rejection.

“Victor and Clint -- along with others across our baseball departments -- are incredibly passionate about the game, they’re relentlessly curious, and they have a deep desire to help those around them,” Forman said to CBS Sports. “They’ve helped lead our scouting departments by understanding and learning the challenges of the jobs and supporting our staffs, earning the respect of everyone across the organization.”

Examine the scouting staffs under Wang and Longenecker, and something becomes evident: So far as teams like the Indians are concerned, the prospect writer has become a prospect.

The new school

Let’s be clear about something: The Indians’ writers-turned-scouts are not the first to trade their digital recorders for radar guns. Throughout baseball history, scouting jobs (and most all front-office jobs) have been largely filled by ex-players. Yet exceptions have always existed. Bill Veeck’s father, William Veeck Sr., was a sportswriter before he was named president of the Chicago Cubs. The Toronto Blue Jays’ Kimball Crossley is a published children’s book author who majored in broadcast journalism and shared classes with S.L. Price (the Sports Illustrated guy) and James Surowiecki (the Wisdom of the Crowds guy).

Let’s be clear about something else: The Indians’ writers-turned-scouts are also not the first from their publications to make the leap. In the early 2000s, Baseball America graduated a trio (Alan Matthews, Josh Boyd and Chris Kline) to the majors; Baseball Prospectus saw Kevin Goldstein leave to take the Houston Astros’ pro scouting director job more than four and a half years ago. FanGraphs lost Kiley McDaniel to the Braves in October 2015; and so on.
What separates the Indians’ writers-turned-scouts -- and this new breed of prospect writer in general -- is this: They’re the first class who have entered baseball writing intent on becoming scouts.

“WHEN YOU START PUTTING PEOPLE IN POWER WHO DIDN’T HAVE THAT OLD-SCHOOL UPBRINGING, IN TERMS OF BASEBALL AND THE GAME, IT’S GOING TO BRING DIFFERENT HIRING PRACTICES.”
Craig Goldstein

Consider the stories of two Indians scouts, Steffan Segui and Ethan Purser.
Segui began defying convention when he was a high-school junior. One day, while taking in a Florida Gators game, he found inspiration in reliever Darren O’Day’s mechanics. “I remember watching him, and I thought, ‘Maybe I should try that,’” Segui said. He did -- and found throwing submarine agreeable. “It was kind of natural to me, for whatever reason.”

Segui’s new delivery landed him at Division II Mars Hill University. An injury would end his career, but he would earn a degree in business sports management at the University of North Florida, then follow O’Day’s cleat prints in another way by completing his masters at the University of Florida. All the while, Segui fed his baseball appetite with internships at various levels of organized ball -- at one stop, he even moonlighted on the media relations staff to make extra money. After a stint as a minor-league video coordinator ended in November 2013, he decided to try another path.

Purser’s introduction to scouting was different from Segui’s, but ended in the same place anyway. His playing career was derailed in high school due to injury and his passion for music -- he quit ball for a time to strum guitar in various bands. He wound up working in the sports information department at Berry College, where he majored in economics. Later, he wrote for Perfect Game, a scouting website that focuses on prep players, as well as for Capitol Avenue Club and Talking Chop, Atlanta Braves fansites for which he covered prospects. Although Purser was younger than many of the players he evaluated, he impressed more experienced baseball folk with his maturity.
“Ethan scouted like an old guy,” said longtime prospect writer Mike Newman, whose baseball relationship with Purser dates back to the latter’s teenage days. “He never got too excited about players. He was always very even about players. He actually graded to the more conservative guy. When he really took a chance on a guy, it was because he truly had a great feeling.”

Segui and Purser will each scout for the Indians this season, albeit in different ways. Segui is set to cover central Florida on the amateur level, meaning he’ll focus on potential draft picks. Purser will place eyes on various minor-league teams located in the southeast; his reports will help inform deadline and free-agent acquisitions. Both have Baseball Prospectus to thank for launching their careers -- particularly Jason Parks, once BP’s lead prospect writer.
“I had always wanted to get into scouting. I just didn’t know how,” Segui said. “I saw Parks had tweeted out, ‘Hey, looking for guys to write about prospects,’ and I had seen hundreds that year while doing my player development stuff and the fall league. I figured I was kind of free, and that this would be a good opportunity to get some scouting experience, just get my name out there.”

Neither lasted long at BP after joining. Segui latched on with the Indians as a video/associate scout by the time the ensuing season arrived. Purser, on the other hand, joined the Rays as an associate scout before 2015. This will be his first year with the Indians.

As for Parks? The Indians have a connection with him, too: just last October, they lost the World Series to his employer.

The game-changer

Though Parks (now with the Chicago Cubs as a special assistant to the GM/president) declined comment for this story, his supposed effect on prospect writing leaves him sounding like an outsized legend -- some kind of Johnny Applescout.

A conceptual art student in college, Parks took an interest in the Texas Rangers’ farm system while working at a New York-based advertising firm called Agent 16. Parks didn’t own a car, but three or four times a week he would take buses to various minor-league games. At the appropriate times of the year, he would use his sick days and vacation time to fly to Arizona, where he would catch spring and instructional league action on the back fields. He took to writing on Baseball Time in Arlington, and became a go-to resource for other prospect writers hoping to get the goods on Texas’ loaded system. Eventually, he made his way to Baseball Prospectus, where he co-hosted the Up and In podcast with Kevin Goldstein. Once Goldstein left for the Astros, Parks became BP’s lead prospect writer -- and that’s when things got interesting.

BP overhauled its prospect coverage under Parks’ watch. In contrast to Goldstein, who had served mostly as a conduit, channeling information from his extensive network to the public, Parks placed an emphasis on first-hand accounts -- an emphasis on being an evaluator (one source noted Parks would often say he felt he was more of a scout than a writer). He assembled what came to be known as “the prospect team,” a group of writers stationed across the land, strategically located to cover as many leagues and levels as possible, who could provide the eyewitness accounts he couldn’t. Essentially, Parks wanted his bunch to act as the scouting wing of a team, one that would publish its reports using industry-like reports and lingo.

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BP uses both the team and report structures to this day, signaling they deemed Parks’ experiment a success. Others have, too. Most everyone interviewed for this article agreed that first-hand reports have gained in popularity in prospect writing over the past several years.

“I think you do have a lot more people who are going to games and telling you what they saw,” Kevin Goldstein said, “and some of them are really good at it -- some of them know what they’re looking at … not all of them do, but a good number of them do.”

“Parks’ approach struck a chord with the readership because he really emphasized in-person views and the value that that provides,” said Craig Goldstein (no relation to Kevin), BP’s minor-league editor. “I think that was a shift. Even if you go back to Kevin Goldstein -- and this was all just strictly at BP -- but it’s kind of representative of the industry at large.”

“Whereas five, 10 years ago you had people covering prospects as a beat, now you have people going in and trying to show they can evaluate,” Purser said.

Given how many members of the prospect team have been plucked by organizations since its inception, it seems that executives approve of Parks’ vision right alongside readers and fellow writers. In addition to Segui and Purser, folks familiar with prospect writing might know about the hirings of Tucker Blair and Ronit Shah (Astros), Jason Cole and Tim Steggall (Rays), Zach Mortimer and Mauricio Rubio (St. Louis Cardinals), Josh Herzenberg (Los Angeles Dodgers), Al Skorupa (Oakland Athletics) and Brendan Gawlowski (Milwaukee Brewers). The churn hasn’t stopped just because Parks is gone, either -- Craig Goldstein said that this most recent offseason saw six members of the prospect team hired as scouts or interns.

People are becoming writers with the intent to become scouts, are acting as scouts while they’re writing and are later becoming scouts. But why are teams going along with it, again?