In today’s baseball landscape, the sport is filled with statheads and analytics-driven data wizards that will identify the next breakout star with just taking a peek at players’ stats. And there’s nothing wrong with that! The New York Yankees, for example, have lots of those in the organization, for example.
However, we shouldn’t underestimate the work of scouts, which are the ones that travel around the country and the continent looking for tomorrow’s stars. They can differentiate a mediocre player from a very good one, and they have the eye to identify talent, traits, and tools.
For the Yankees, Cesar Presbott was a key cog in the team scouting department for the last 28 years. Today, according to the New York Post, he announced his retirement after giving the organization a lot in nearly three decades.
The Yankees will surely miss him
The Post details that he had a prominent role in Dellin Betances becoming a Yankee out of Grand Street Campus High School in Brooklyn. He also said that former Yankees’ foe Manny Ramirez, who played at George Washington High School in Washington Heights, was the best amateur player he ever saw. He went on to have an amazing career with several teams.
He also made contact with dozens of other players in the New York city area, establishing bonds with their families. He also hosts a famous turkey giveaway in the Bronx at Thanksgiving.
Despite spending the last 45 years as a scout, 28 of them with the New York Yankees, he wants to remain involved with the game somehow. “That is the plan right now,’’ he said. “I want another experience in baseball, the opportunity to talk to kids. I get calls from parents, kids and coaches asking about the draft and school. I can help so many kids in different ways.’’