Ed Scott (baseball scout)
Encyclopedia
Edward Scott, Sr. was an American
baseball
scout. Before he became the first African-American scout in the history of the Boston Red Sox
of Major League Baseball
, Scott was a talent-spotter for the Negro Leagues, and he signed Henry Aaron
, the Baseball Hall of Famer and future home run
king, to Aaron's first professional contract for the Indianapolis Clowns
.
Scott was born in Dade City, Florida
, but moved to Mobile, Alabama
, as a young man, where he played baseball for a local, semi-professional African-American team, the Mobile Black Shippers. He worked in a paper company and barnstormed the area with his baseball team. When his playing days ended, he started scouting. The baseball color line
had been broken in minor league baseball
in , and in MLB the following year, by Jackie Robinson
. But the 16 Major League teams were slow to integrate and the Negro Leagues were still operating when Scott's scouting career began.
According to Ed Scott, Jr., his father discovered the teenaged Aaron playing in a Mobile softball
game. "If that boy can hit a softball that far, how far can he hit a baseball?" his son quoted Ed Sr. as saying. He was able to sign Aaron for the Indianapolis Clowns, and by , the 18-year-old player was offered a contract by the Boston Braves
. Aaron would go on to play 23 big-league seasons, and shatter (in ) Babe Ruth
's all-time record with 755 home runs over his career. (Aaron currently stands second, all time, to Barry Bonds
.)
Scott spent four decades with the Red Sox as a scout, beginning in the early 1960s. Among the players he signed for Boston were George Scott (no relation), Oil Can Boyd
and Amos Otis
, who was drafted out of the Boston system as a minor-league prospect by the New York Mets
. Ed Scott was still listed as a scouting consultant by the Red Sox in . His son Alex also was a Boston area scout based in Mobile during the 1990s.
Also an accomplished golfer
, Scott was inducted into the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame
in 2003. He died in Mobile at age 92 on January 11, 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
scout. Before he became the first African-American scout in the history of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, Scott was a talent-spotter for the Negro Leagues, and he signed Henry Aaron
Henry Aaron
Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron , nicknamed "Hammer," "Hammerin' Hank," and "Bad Henry," is a retired American baseball player whose Major League Baseball career spanned the years 1954 through 1976. Aaron is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time...
, the Baseball Hall of Famer and future home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
king, to Aaron's first professional contract for the Indianapolis Clowns
Indianapolis Clowns
The Indianapolis Clowns were a professional baseball team in the Negro American League.- Founding :They began operation in Cincinnati in , and operated between Cincinnati and Indianapolis in 1944 and 1945 before officially moving in...
.
Scott was born in Dade City, Florida
Dade City, Florida
Dade City is a city in Pasco County, Florida. The population was 6,188 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pasco County. Dade City is a suburb of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S...
, but moved to Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, as a young man, where he played baseball for a local, semi-professional African-American team, the Mobile Black Shippers. He worked in a paper company and barnstormed the area with his baseball team. When his playing days ended, he started scouting. The baseball color line
Baseball color line
The color line in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Organized Baseball, or the major leagues and affiliated minor leagues, until Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization for the 1946 season...
had been broken in minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
in , and in MLB the following year, by Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
. But the 16 Major League teams were slow to integrate and the Negro Leagues were still operating when Scott's scouting career began.
According to Ed Scott, Jr., his father discovered the teenaged Aaron playing in a Mobile softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
game. "If that boy can hit a softball that far, how far can he hit a baseball?" his son quoted Ed Sr. as saying. He was able to sign Aaron for the Indianapolis Clowns, and by , the 18-year-old player was offered a contract by the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. Aaron would go on to play 23 big-league seasons, and shatter (in ) Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
's all-time record with 755 home runs over his career. (Aaron currently stands second, all time, to Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
.)
Scott spent four decades with the Red Sox as a scout, beginning in the early 1960s. Among the players he signed for Boston were George Scott (no relation), Oil Can Boyd
Oil Can Boyd
Dennis Ray "Oil Can" Boyd is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Boyd played for the Boston Red Sox , Montreal Expos , and Texas Rangers .He batted and threw right-handed....
and Amos Otis
Amos Otis
Amos Joseph Otis is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets , Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates . He batted and threw right-handed....
, who was drafted out of the Boston system as a minor-league prospect by the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. Ed Scott was still listed as a scouting consultant by the Red Sox in . His son Alex also was a Boston area scout based in Mobile during the 1990s.
Also an accomplished golfer
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, Scott was inducted into the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame
Mobile Sports Hall of Fame
The Mobile Sports Hall of Fame honors sports figures who have made a significant impact in the Mobile Area. The organization is a section 501 non-profit and is operated by a volunteer Board of Directors...
in 2003. He died in Mobile at age 92 on January 11, 2010.