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My Interview with Former Major League Scout,

George Biron

“Jim Bouton once said, ‘All those years I thought I had a good grip on the baseball, but I found out it was the other way around.’ I think I feel the same way about baseball myself.” – Scout George Biron

Last week, I posted an essay written by George Biron, who recently retired after 33 years as a major league scout. I thought our readers would enjoy hearing directly from George about his career as a scout — certainly one of the most underappreciated professions in baseball. I think we can all agree that there’s a lot more to being a scout than just sitting behind home plate wearing a floppy white hat, aiming a radar gun at the pitcher, while taking notes on a clipboard! (see the featured photo above...and no, that’s not George!).

I contacted George and he was kind enough to respond to my questions. I think you’ll find George’s comments interesting. –GL

A little information about George’s background

George Biron has had a long association with baseball, starting with a four-year baseball career at Keene State College in New Hampshire. George then served as the head varsity baseball coach at Manchester Central before becoming a major league instructor and scout for the Montreal Expos, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, and Anaheim Angels. He has been the recipient of many scouting awards and has been inducted into the Keene State Hall of Fame.

GL: It seems most scouts started out with aspirations of making the majors, and then something happened to shortcut their plans. Does this apply to you?

GB: I’m a self-professed baseball junkie. I caught the fever when I was four years old when my grandfather bought me a baseball uniform. I guess it’s been in my blood since then. I never wanted to take it off.

When you have a lot of success in little league, you feel that the natural progression is to play in the big leagues. I grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire and played baseball at Bishop Bradley High School. I played college ball at Keene State College and was a four-year starter and served as captain during my junior and senior seasons.

Playing for a small Division Three school doesn’t usually get you too many looks by scouts. However, in my senior year Stan Benjamin, an Astros scout, showed interest in me but I never received an offer. So upon graduation, I began my teaching/coaching career.

While coaching, I started instructing at baseball camps in New York and New Jersey. The owner of the camps was Lou Haneles, a former minor league player, manager, general manager, and owner. Haneles was impressed with my player evaluations, so he recommended me for a scouting position. I heard from the Expos, and they hired me as a commission scout. The first player I recommended was Bob Tewksbury.

GL: Lee Lowenfish mentioned in his book on scouting, Baseball’s Endangered Species (see my review here) that former player, manager, and scout Birdie Tebbetts (along with many others) felt strongly that scouts should have a place in the Hall of Fame. How do you feel about that?

GB: Scouts have been told over and over again that they’re the backbone of the organization.  If that’s the case, why are umpires, [plus sportswriters and executives] in the Hall of Fame and not scouts?

GL: Were there any scouts who served as mentors in your early scouting career?

GB: As I began scouting, I tapped the greatest resources available. Men like Lennie Merullo, Bill Enos, Dick Teed, Buzzy Bowers, Chick Whalen and Stan Benjamin helped to shape my development. I tried to learn as much as possible from these men who didn’t need a radar gun or a stopwatch to tell if a player was a prospect or a suspect…Players who have passion and desire to learn and achieve will always win out over the player with the same talent who doesn’t make the effort to develop his ability.

GL: Can you add a little about some of the famous players, managers, or GMs you encountered in your career?

GB: The two general managers for whom I enjoyed working were Jim Fanning of the Expos and John Hart of the Indians. Both of them listened to and believed in their scouts. My favorite player of all time has to be Mike Trout. I helped to coach the Area Code team for which he was chosen. He’s the greatest high school talent that I ever saw. He had all the tools, including one of the most important: makeup.

Besides scouting, I ran a one-week summer baseball camp in Gardner, Massachusetts for thirty years. We always tried to give the kids the sandlot atmosphere, which is a part of baseball that’s dying. The school produced one of my greatest thrills in baseball. Oliver Drake, a camper I had for eight years, pitched in the major leagues for six years.

GL: Can you tell me a little about some of your signings?

GB: My greatest find as a scout was Ricky Bottalico, an undrafted junior whom I saw pitch in a summer All-Star game. Ricky was a closer at Central Connecticut College and I later scouted him when he was playing in the Tri-County League games. He became an All-Star closer for the Phillies with an eleven-year career in the majors. Some notable drafts were Brian Wilson for the Indians. He also became an All-Star closer, but with the Giants. Matt Harvey was also a high school draft when I scouted for the Angels. He eventually became a star for the Mets.

GL: How do you feel about the way the game has changed in recent years?

GB: In my estimation, the overuse of analytics has been very detrimental to the game. Analytics has taken a lot of the creativity out of baseball. I’m referring to trying to make batters hit with a launch angle and encouraging pitchers to ramp up their velocity instead of developing their craft. This has led to starters now averaging 4.9 innings per start. Consequently, there has been an epidemic of Tommy John surgeries. I believe that players should spend more time on the field and less time in the weight room.

GL: Can you tell me about scouting awards you’ve received?

GB: I’ve been a three-time nominee for the Scout of the Year by the New York Pro Scouts Association. The honor is in the fact that the nomination had come from my scouting peers. I was also honored to receive the Gil Bassetti Memorial Award for my service and dedication to scouting. I’ve been inducted into the Keene State College Hall of Fame and I’ve received four World Series rings.

GL: Can you tell me a little about your family? Where do you live now? 

GB: I’ve been married for 49 years and reside in Townsend, Massachusetts. I’m the proud father of two wonderful daughters. Fortunately, my territory was always New England so I didn’t have to spend too much time away from home. One important thing about my territory being New England: It’s important to establish a network of “bird dog” scouts to help you identify players that could sometimes go undetected. It kind of shrinks your area and makes coverage a little easier and more productive.

GL: What are you doing in retirement?

GB: I’ve kept in close contact with several scouts and I have also attended baseball games in all but three major league stadiums. I have also become an avid reader of historical and biographical baseball books. 

GL: Anything else you’d like to add about your years in the game? Any interesting stories or anecdotes?

GB: The funniest experience I had as a scout was when I went to a game in Bangor, Maine and met Stephen King. He had the field built and he was there to see his son play first base for Bangor High School. The scouts were there to see Matt Kinney pitch. When King showed up, he came over to me and asked me if I was a scout. I said yes and he then asked me who I was there to see. I said a kid named King and without hesitation, he said then you must not be a very good scout!  

I ran into Ray Fosse two years before he passed away. We had lunch at Fenway Park before a game he was broadcasting. We both had graduated from high school in 1965, the first year of the draft. I told him that I was disappointed that he had been drafted higher than me, so he asked me in what round I was drafted and I said I wasn’t…

Thanks George!

So today, we thank George Biron for sharing his thoughts and shedding some light on his career as a 33-year major league scout.

Gary Livacari 

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