More than a dozen professional and college scouts came out to Rex Weech Field in Key West last Saturday in pursuit of local baseball prospects. Scouts whose territories include Florida, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic started their grueling months-long search for the next generation of talent right here in the Keys. They came from programs including the Mets, Dodgers, Mariners, Blue Jays and Athletics and all were busy jotting down notes on players as young as 13-year-old Jack Niles and 14-year-old Roman Garcia.
Niles and Garcia were getting an early feel for what it was like to face the top prospects from the Class of 2023. These included Marlin Takovich, an outfielder and right-handed pitcher with a 90-mph-plus fastball whose dream is to play for University of Miami, and right fielder and left-handed pitcher Jack Haggard, who is known for his big bat and hustle and is looking forward to furthering his baseball career at the next level, regardless of the team.
Last year, right-handed pitcher Michael Alfonso caught the eye of a scout from the Texas Rangers. This year, a score of hopeful players from Key Largo to Key West attended the event and showed what they had to offer in the 60-yard dash, infield/outfield drills, hitting and pitching.
With so many online ranking systems, stat trackers and video sources, one might think that a scout’s job is not as important as it once was. But as several scouts explained, they are all looking for that “diamond in the rough,” and each team has a different set of elements it is looking for in an athlete, many of which cannot be fully examined via the internet. One scout with the Mets association explained that stat trackers and ranking engines were much like shopping online. You cannot always fully appreciate all the nuances a player has to offer unless you see him in person.
The scouts will move on to College of Central Florida next week in Ocala while the local players head into fall ball, travel teams and workouts to get ready for Feb. 20, the opening day for FHSAA regular season gameplay this year.
TRACY MCDONALD/Keys Weekly
