ARTICLE ON THE WORLD SERIES THE AUSTRALIAN TEAM AND SCOUTING FROM AN AGENT'S PERSPECTIVE.

It's Tuesday evening here in Canada and I've just

returned to the hotel having watched Korea defeat the

USA's star studded team. Earlier in the day I

watched the Aussies take care of Taiwan behind the

excellent pitching of Simon Beresford and Anthony

Collis in relief. This leaves Australia as the only

undefeated team at the end of the first round in this

world tournament - the first time this has happened in

Australia's long involvement in International

Baseball. Late last year we created another

historical breakthrough when Australia won gold at the

Intercontinental Cup.

Furthermore more and more players are signing pro

contracts and each year recently we have seen an

Aussie or two make their debuts in the Major Leagues.

Last year it was Trent Durrington and Jeff Williams

and this year it was Cameron Cairncross's turn to put

on the Major League uniform.

So what is happening here. Surely its more than a

coincidence or luck that we are experiencing such

success.

Well of course its not coincidence and I was always

taught that luck is when preparation meets

opportunity. Rather it is the result of much

planning by the ABF's high performance department

under the leadership of Mr Don Knapp. None of this

has occurred by accident. All these players are

products of the State based Sport Institutes and this

success will certainly help to maintain these programs

in the financial rationalisation that will occur after

the Olympics.

Will this success mean an increase in the number of

scouts attending the U18 National Titles in Sydney

next January. Probably, as I expect that there will be

2 or 3 more players signed from this team as well as

the 3 who have already signed. However, not all

Major League clubs are interested in scouting in

Australia and those that do sign free agents from

Australia already have their scouts here who are

constantly sending back reports to their scouting

directors. Even here in Edmonton not all the clubs

are represented, but a number of players have been

signed. One of the Italians has been picked up and at

least one Taiwanese player has been offered over US$1

million to sign. He will sign after this tournament.

The US team has a number of players who will be

drafted and one will possibly be selected in the first

round.

No doubt reports will be sent back from Edmonton to

the Australian based scouts with instructions to watch

a few individual players. Should some of these

players show the improvement hoped for it is likely

that there will be an increasing number of Supervisory

scouts or cross checkers in Sydney next January all

looking for the so-called 5 tool player [run, field,

throw. hit and hit with power] who they can project as

being a major league player. They are less

interested in how the player performs as a teenager

than how they think he will perform in his early to

late 20's. So whilst success here in Edmonton does

not mean that all players will receive offers it does

mean that it is easier for scouting directors to

justify the expense of employing Australian based

scouts and sending out cross checkers to look our boys

over. And that may well mean that more young

Australians will get the chance to try their hand at

professional baseball.