coat's methods same after 25 years |
I Erik Unger
Staff Reporter
After 25 years as a major league
baseball scout, Charles Leftin's idea
of a great baseball player hasn't
changed.
Leftin, a scout with the Cincin
nati Reds, said his team still runs
prospective players through the
standard tests, running, throwing,
fielding and hitting, but he said
those players that interest him must
have more.
He said during tryouts, the Reds
first have the athletes run a 60
yard sprint, with a barometer time
under seven seconds. The play
ers' arms are then tested by hav
ing them throw from 260 feet to
second and third base.
"You can tell by how it lands if
they grip it properly, if the ball
hits and skips oft the turf," Leftin
said.
He said the athletes are graded
here as well, with a barometer of
50 points for a good arm.
out there are intangible aspects
of the players game that Leftin
said he finds equally important.
"I watch them in the augout to
see if they are paying attention to
what is going on or if they are
talking about what they are going
to do that night," he said.
Leftin said a quick glance at the
player's uniform can also indicate
to him if the player wants to play
or not. He said physical appear
ance is important.
"I eliminate guys with long hair
or a beard," he said. "They ha ve to
look like an athlete to be in our
or zation."
Reds have a club policy of
no facial hair on any players, Leftin
said. He said he likes tne rule.
"You must have discipline to
be a good club," he said.
He said a strong arm and good
speed are the most important aspect
of a ballplayer, but he said be will
take a chance on a ballplayer who
might not test well in all catego
ries.
"I willjustdrafta pure athlete,"
Leftin said. "I would rather have
just a good all-around athlete that
we can use anywhere."
Leftin knows good athletes. He
followed Reds' All-Star shortstop
Barry Larkin through high school
and summer league baseball.
"He's proven to be one of the
better ballplayers in the major
leagues," he said.
He also followed the career of
infielder Paul Benzinger since high
school as well as scouting out
fielder Paul O'Neil and p.tcher Tom
Browning.
Leftin said scouting is most ful
filling when his prospects succeed.
"The best part is when I see a
kid come all the way up through
the minor leagues and make the
majors," he said.
He has seen many through his
25 years of scou ting, 17 years with
the Cincinnati Reds and his first
eight with the Houston Astros. He
is in charge of the Cincinnati and
northern Kentucky areas for the
Reds.
Leftin said the highlight of his
25 years in baseball is not all the
great friends he has made, although
ne receives over 100 Christmas
cards from players a year, or sit
ting in the box seats wifn Bill White,
president of the National League,
or having Pete Rose, the ex-man
ager of the Reds ask him for ad
vice. He said his highlight was
earning a World Series ring after
last season.
He said even though he was on
staff when the Reds won back-to
back championships in 1975-76,
he was only a recommending scout
and didn't receive a ring. That
made last season sweeter for him,
he said.
"The World Series makes the
job fun," he said. "It was the great
est thing; the ring was a big plus."
However, once the excitement
of last year died down, Leftin re
turned to high school and college
diamonds all over the area to look
for the next Reds' superstar.
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Continued from Page 9
cap and a Royal's jersey.
High school student Jeremy
Johnson, the youngest manager in
the league, Dcgins the draft. He
chooses Jose Canseco, a personal
favorite and a groan comes up
from the other managers.
Already by the second round of
the draft, manager Larry Haines
has lost his first fwo draft choices
to other managers.
"You're watching the winning
team come alive over here," Jeff
Augustyn boasts during the early
rounds.
As the draft progresses and
preferred players are chosen by
other teams, each manager takes
longer to analyze the stats and
announce their choices.
Someone suggests that Bo
Jackson hasn't been chosen yet and
the three managers whispering
around the card table, Tim Sell,
Larry Schuett and Cunningham
are jokingly accused of conspiring
against tne other managers.
Allen Freye of Beatrice picks
Bobby Bonilla of the Pirates, per
haps influenced by Bonilla's inter
view no v playing on the big screen
television.
The draft continues around the
room and Jim Cunningham bends
over and confers with his son John,
who will act as assistant manager
this year, before choosing their
players.
In the last hour and a half, the
managers have completed nine
rounds of their draft. Only 21 more
rounds until each manager hashis
own fantasy team. I
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