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Guys with `guns' looking for `HTP'

A Major League scout measures the speed of a pitcher's delivery as he and his colleagues look for talent at the US vs Panama game in Tienmu Stadium yesterday. PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES

Plenty of guns have escaped the metal detectors at stadiums across Taiwan this week.

Radar guns. And aiming them are the flock of scouts that have descended upon the Baseball World Cup to observe and rate some of the best young baseball talent in the world.

The Yankees, Dodgers, Braves, Rockies, Mets, Red Sox, Marlins and Mariners are represented, as well as scouts from the Japanese and South Korean leagues.

Not only are the scouts following players from their own organizations on the different national teams, they are also trying to discover any unsigned gems left out there.

"If there's one out there and you get him, it's worth it," said Jamey Storvick, Pacific Rim scout for the Seattle Mariners. "Our job is also to evaluate kids who are already affiliated. The Expos and the Twins may lose their franchises. So you have to follow any kids affiliated with those organizations [in case] Major League baseball decides to divvy those players up."

What type of unsigned player is going to attract their interest?

"[Cuban pitcher Maels Rodriguez] throws almost 100mph and he's 21-years-old. You'd have to be nuts as a scout not to be drooling over a guy like that."

Jamey Storvick, Pacific Rim scout for the Seattle Mariners

"We are looking for guys that can field, that can hit with some power, that can run, that can throw," said Storvick, who is one of the few Major League scouts based in Taiwan. "Of course, you are looking for guys that are younger so they can develop in your farm system. You're looking for guys that can play in the Major Leagues at some point."

What type of readings are the scouts looking for on the radar guns and stopwatches?

"A Major League fastball is 90mph [145kph] on average," Storvick said. "The average time to first base for a right handed hitter is 4.3 seconds, 4.2 seconds for a left handed hitter."

The scouts are also timing how fast the catcher can throw out a base runner at second base, with the average time from when the ball hits the catchers mitt until the throw hits the mitt of a second baseman or shortstop being 1.95 seconds.

"For pitchers, you're looking for a kid who has some size, some flexibility, with a smooth delivery, and arm speed and whether his mechanics are good," he said.

The final factor is evaluating a young player is whether he is coachable, a difficult factor to determine when access to the players is virtually impossible during the tournament.

Do any players from the Taiwan team have the skills to make it?

Storvick predicted that a few pitchers on the Taiwan team could get signed, such as Chang Chih-chia (張誌家), an amateur player who has already won three games in the tournament.

"He's got some ability, a good split finger fastball," Storvick said. "He's tough to hit and he has a lot of deception. His pitching form is different than from what guys in the [US] normally see. That might be something that gets him to the next level."

Who else is worth watching in the tournament?

Storvick mentions Japanese rightfielder Yoshinobu Takahashi, who also plays for the Yomiuri Giants.

"In the lingo that we have, he's a `HTP' -- he knows how to play. He's got the type of skills you're looking for in a player," the scout said. "He can run, he can hit, he's got power, and he's got defensive abilities, which means not only playing his position but also throwing with accuracy."

Then there are the Cubans, some of whom could literally walk into a Major League line-up if they were willing to make the leap. In addition to pitcher Jose Contreras, Storvick says that pitcher Maels Rodriguez is an obvious candidate for the big leagues.

"He throws almost 100mph and he's 21-years-old," Storvick said. "You'd have to be nuts as a scout not to be drooling over a guy like that. Is he going to go to the States to play baseball? Who knows?"
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