Description
Book SynopsisBaseball's Endangered Species is a comprehensive look at professional baseball scouting from the postwar era to the present day.
Trade Review"Three cheers for SABR member Lowenfish. Even before opening this book, just by the volume's cover I knew it would be a comprehensive and enjoyable study of scouts."—SABR Southern New England Newsletter
“Scouts are like the blues musicians of baseball, whose stories reveal the heart of the game. Lee Lowenfish has dug deeply to bring these tales back to life.”—Dusty Baker, manager of the Houston Astros
“Shining through this book is a pure love of baseball—not only in the scouts’ devotion to finding talent but in the author’s ardent research and affectionate writing. The gift that Lee Lowenfish gives to his readers is really an act of homage to the game itself.”—Kevin Kerrane, author of
Dollar Sign on the Muscle: The World of Baseball Scouting“From the Ferocious Gentleman, Branch Rickey, the greatest scout in baseball history, to the Four Corners Scout and his three oil changes every calendar year, who better than Lee Lowenfish to write about those who have always been at the heart of our game, unfailingly dedicated yet mostly unseen. Thanks to his passion for baseball and understanding of its history, Lee happily tells their stories.”—Joe Maddon, former Major League Baseball manager
“Serious fans and students of the game will appreciate this account of the history and current fortunes of the art of scouting baseball talent. Well told by a deeply knowledgeable writer in a conversational style reminiscent of the late Roger Angell.”—Jean Hastings Ardell, coauthor of
Making My Pitch: A Woman’s Baseball Odyssey“Lee Lowenfish has always been thorough and insightful in his writing, and his latest book is no exception. There may not be any scouts in the Hall of Fame—but being included in this book is an accolade for them as individuals and for their profession.”—Marty Appel, Yankees historian and author of
Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain“A most informative and entertaining book. . . . Lowenfish tells the [stories of greater- and lesser-known scouts] with equal appreciation of what they mean to the game. His ability to detail the personal side of the scouts and the players they pursue—and why they pursue them—is a pleasure to read. It is a master class by a master author.”—Lyle Spatz, coauthor of
1921: The Yankees, the Giants, and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York"This book is filed with great stories, great history, and so much more. Everyone who reads this book will learn things about the game that they never knew before."—Paul Semendinger,
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Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Prologue
Part 1. The Cardinals-Yankees Rivalry That Dominates Baseball, 1919–1964
1. Charley Barrett and the Rise of Branch Rickey’s Farm System
2. Paul Krichell and the Rise of the Yankees’ Dynasties
Part 2. Tales from Baseball Expansion Era
3. Red Murff Joins the Scouting Brotherhood with Mets and Expos
4. Art Stewart and the Rise of the Kansas City Royals Expansion Franchise
Part 3. Two Veteran Scouts Bookend Three Baseball Monogamists
5. Gary Nickels’s Half Century of Scouting Adventures
6. Paul Snyder, the Braves’ Branch Rickey
7. Gene Bennett’s Love Affair with the Cincinnati Reds
8. Billy Blitzer Finally Wins His Chicago Cubs’ Ring
9. Bill Enos’s Roundabout Journey to Massachusetts Scouting Immortality
Notes
Bibliography
Index
