Branch Rickey - Baseball File - Scouting Reports - undated Box 54, Folder 10 James Blight -2- Our own scout, Mozzali, knows the player and supports DeSautel's estimate of the player's ability. My conversation with DeSautel and my visit with Mr. Blight, Jim's father, leads me to believe quite positively that both Gene and Mr. Blight expect a big bonus. With what I know about the Cardinal club in the signing of first year players for 1965, this boy Jim Blight might be worth a competitive bonus and retention by the Cardinal club. He is a bigger, stronger pitcher than most pitchers you will see in high schools anywhere. On a first look, he is more impressive than Briles. Mr. Blight told me that his boy had never thrown the curve ball "prior today". That was amazing to me until Gene DeSautel told me that the boy just learned the curve ball this present season under his (DeSautel's) tutelage. His curve is now and then a corking curve, - good velocity and a quick break. Jim is bound to go places in the major leagues, and is worth a competitive bonus figure if there is any way to retain him. That's the problem and that's the challenge to our policy of signing first year men. He lost his game in this championship contest, - losing to Midland 6 to 5, - horrible support. His club plays three more games. I would like to have Bing in the picture immediately. I would like him to find out directly from DeSautel what Gene's relationship is with the player and whether or not he, DeSautel, is in position to act as our agent in signing the player. A James Blight -3- liberal sum could be paid to DeSautel on condition that St. Louis gets the contract. I suggest this first step simply because I believe DeSautel may have a binding arrangement with Mr. Blight and the boy to handle all negotiations. If so, we should deal first with DeSautel. If negotiations resulted in a St. Louis option exercisable on a given date subsequent to his last high school game, then I would like to go with Bing to see the player again. Jim Blight is a fine prospective major league pitcher, ranking high with all the boys we have seen in recent times. If an arrangement could be made in this Jim Blight case similar to the one Bing has proposed in deal with Leonard Boyer whereby the boy spends this summer on a gentleman's agreement basis in the Basin League, then and in that event I would be willing to enter the substantial bonus field in our effort to get the player. This boy is not a 'hope so' player, - one of the 'might be's'. Excluding some physical disability or an act of God, this boy is sure to find a place as a regular on some major league pitching staff surely within two or three years. He can't miss. If an option can be arranged, that would give us exclusive rights. We should then be able to see the player in all three of his remaining games and I would have the change to work with him privately. Under the circumstances and in the surroundings on the occasion of my visit, I didn't think it advisable to go further in conversation with Mr. Blight or DeSautel than I did go at that time. I would like very much to have a private workout with Jim Blight James Blight -4- and I hope we can get an option on almost any terms that would enable us to go the full route on a complete investigation of the player. BRANCH RICKEY Leon "Duke" Carmel I hope my later report on Duke Carmel will read differently from this one. This is a tragic case of a fine physical specimen and a most likable person failing as a major league player. He has had 5 full years in professional baseball and he is now 25 years of age, and he has always hit left handed and has always hit from the same batting box position. His rear foot -- the left one -- the toe of his left foot is 28" from a line drawn at right angles to this plate position. He could not reach the outside of the plate with both hands on the bat and yet he has held that position for 5 full years. Last year he hit .243 at Jacksonville. He is a power hitter -- plenty of power particularly, of course, to the right field, but he hits the long ball to left also. He shows no aptitude whatever to the suggestions made by Manager Keane or Vernon Benson or anyone else. To draw a comparison, when Buchek was turned from a righthand hitter to a lefthand hitter -- on the first 12 pitches he made contact upon every pitch and contunued to get the bat and ball together almost without exception. When Duke was turned over from a lefthander to a righthander, he missed the first 11 good pitches and hit the 12th and missed the next 6 -- and I mean he missed them. He was not swinging hard. He was instructed to just simply get the bat and ball together as though he were in a pepper game. He simply could not hit the ball at all. He did better hitting left handed when told to hit with "intent" meaning pulling or pushing the ball but not at all to compare with either Gagliano or Buchek. -more- Leon "Duke" Carmel -- 2 The inside pitch below his beltline gives him serious trouble even from the Dudley machine. It could be true that he has been so disadvantaged for 5 years in playing the outside pitching that when the ball comes inside he has consistently either taken the pitch and perhaps a called strike, or has hit it on the handle and this causes him to be unable to handle the inside pitch. He frequently misses it altogether. He is married and has several children -- comes from an economically low family on the other side of the tracks in Brooklyn. Married to a very charming and lovable wife. Knows nothing except baseball and would give his soul to make good. He has the sympathy of his manager and coaches and he certainly has mine. I am simply non-plussed as to how to help this fellow. At the present time, he should be kept at the pitching machines constantly. Manager Keane tells me that we do not have at present any acceptable substitution at first base; that Duke Carmel can do the fielding job splendidly; that is, his arm is very good and his running speed very good. A left hand pinch hitter is highly desirable on a Cardinal Club and Duke's power to right field makes the right field roof as easily reached by Duke as most boys make singles. It is sorrowfully tragic to have him fail, but he certainly cannot help this club as a batsman with his present rating. I hope that in three or four weeks from now I can write a different story. Daniel Jaster -3- The boy is definitely a major league pitching prospect with a big, strong, active body, born only 17-1/2 years ago. In the olden days when we had Class C and D Clubs, he could by the end of his first season in C or D doubtless become a winning pitcher. I would not dare to send him above that classification in his first assignment. His control would not support it, - neither would his 'stuff', except his fast ball. (Not once in the seven innings did he throw a change of speed pitch). He could not now help Tulsa or Jacksonville. He would indeed be very crude and nervous in either place. If he were to be signed by the St. Louis club, it would be necessary for him to be retained on its active list in 1965 or lose him at $8,000. He does not now have the control such as Bakenhaster has and I think baseball people who know both players would generally agree that Bakenhaster is a much quicker prospect than Daniel. I met Daniel's coach. He was simply a salesman, - "better than Larry, etc. etc." I cite the Bakenhaster comparison simply to imply that the Cardinal club can find and probably will find quicker prospects as first year men than Daniel. Dowling is far ahead of Daniel in poise and control, know how, and stuff. If it were not for the draft rule on first year players, I would be willing to go into the competitive market for Daniel's contract. I do not recommend a high bonus for Daniel. It simply means a handicap to the Cardinal club in 1965 or the loss of the player at $8.000. Daniel Jaster -4- If some other club gets him, and doubtless that will happen, then such club will be the under the same handicap. It must keep him on its own so-called active list or lose him to some other club at $8,000. I would rather see the Cardinals in a position to take the player on a draft claim in 1965 than I would to see the club take the money loss itself. BRANCH RICKEY Player Weaknesses for Florida Winter League Program Johnny Lewis Work on fielding, Doesn't charge ball, plays ground balls safely first. Should work on getting better jump on ball in outfield. Uppercuts ball. His ball is low and away. Has trouble with the high pitch. Needs shorter stroke. Is too far from plate and takes too many pitches. WATKINS - Just about what I said on previous report. Good fast ball. Gives the impression of knowing how to pitch. Has two or three different deliveries. Has good deal of finish. Not a kid. If he can get $10,000 he should take it. On the other hand, he might be a good pticher in our organization. I like him but I am not willing to pay the ten thousand. WENTZEL - Outfielder An older fellow, big, strong. This fellow also gives you his very best. Not young. Sewell says he is a good man to have around, - a good team man. THOMAS - Outfielder He can DO EVERYTHING. Perfect form at the plate, and a lot of power. Should be able to hit any kind of pitching. Both Joe Brown and Rip Sewell tell me he is a good fellow on the club, - a team player, wants to win. Runs in and out from his position all the time, and his interest is just not put on. I think he really means it. I have never seen him throw the ball low enough to any base or the home plate. He is an "Andy- Over" thrower, yet his arm is strong. If he would throw the ball down, he might then be accurate with it. Sewell says he is accurate, but he has never shown accuracy to me. He is a distance thrower. Can run good enough, and he never loafs. I like his potentialities. He, too, is not daring. He assumes, for example, that the outfielder is going to get the ball, and he doesn't overrun the base as far as he should. There are a lot of things he doesn't know. He could stand a lot of correct coaching; illustrustion: When running off third base with a runner on first, - every time the pitcher threw to first, he started back to third. He should, with great daring, start for home. If a wild throw is made to first, or missed, he could easily score, but he is back on the bag. In other words, he moves exactly in the wrong direction on this play. He shifts very short distances on the different batters. This may be due first to lack of knowledge of the hitters, or, second, it can be that the opposing team, in the few games I have observed, all hit to the same spot. "Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth.", and great players whom management would like to see in Pittsburgh are to be found fault with if they are not as good as they should be. And, finally, one more possible criticism. With the score nothing to nothing, and a runner in scoring distance, he fails to take a chance. On a short fly ball that he could have caught, I am sure, if he had made a dive, he failed to do so. He, too, may not have championship adventure in his soul. I do not know about it. If this team had a couple of ace pitchers, they could make a big stir in the Southern League race, and easily go into the play-offs, and that is my fault. I want everybody to do their best to help me find these pitchers. BRANCH RICKEY Transcribed and reviewed by volunteers participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.