As our national pastime takes center stage during this October postseason, Craig Conklin can sit back and appreciate the game that has taken him from Malibu Little League to Major League Baseball (MLB). Since 1999, Conklin has worked as an area supervisor for the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau, which falls under the umbrella of the MLB Commissioner’s office. He is responsible for providing amateur player evaluations and information to all 30 Major League teams.
“I’m thankful I have a job in this industry,” said Conklin, who lived in Malibu from 1973-77 and recently moved back in June. “I have a unique role working for the Commissioner’s office.”
Conklin scouts high school and college players in California ranging from Lompoc north to the Oregon border and all of Nevada. In addition, he scouts current minor league players and conducts advanced scouting or the World Baseball Classic and Team USA.
While Clint Eastwood’s “Trouble with the Curve” makes headlines across the country in movie theatres, Conklin’s devotion to scouting could be coined “Discovering the Diamond.” He has scouted and found current Major League players such as Bryce Harper, Doug Fister, Matt Garza, Carlos Quentin, Bud Norris, Jason Donald and Chris Carter.
Harper, the Washington Nationals star outfielder, led all National League rookies this season with 22 home runs and is a candidate for Rookie of the Year. Fister recently pitched game one of the American League Championship Series for the Detroit Tigers against the New York Yankees.
The Malibu Times caught up with Conklin as he took time out of his busy schedule to talk about his job as well as provide some very fascinating insight.
Share your passion for baseball and your memories playing for Malibu Little League.
My love for baseball is endless. When I first played catch with my grandpa, that’s when it started. My love affair with the game has never wavered. When it’s in your blood, it never goes away. I was meant to do it and I was meant to be involved with it.
My 1974 Optimist Malibu Little League team was unstoppable. I think we were undefeated. We played the Lions in the championship and some of us who are local remember that. We have that common memory. On that team we had two fighter pilots, a Special Forces soldier and a guy who still plays in a punk band. I served in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division. Malibu produces some pretty cool characters.
What are your main job responsibilities as a MLB area supervisor?
I primarily go around and watch high school and college players. In my opinion, I decide if I believe they have the ability to play professional baseball, be it now or in the future. Each player I scout has some value. We gather information such as medical notes, statistics and personal backgrounds to assist all 30 MLB teams in making an educated decision on who they are going to select. Many teams rely solely on our information.
What do you look for in a player?
There are two groups: position players and pitchers. Do they pass the eye test? Do they possess the “wow” factor? Are they athletic? You basically categorize players. I look at their mechanics and eliminate players based off of what they can or can’t do. Guys will eliminate themselves what they can’t do. We don’t draft and sign players. I build a relationship with players. When they make the big leagues, I want to be in the starting rotation of their first five phone calls. When I get that phone call, there is satisfaction there.
I believe it would be foolish to ignore statistical analysis. I think it’s equally foolish to ignore up close and personal contact with a player and having a gut feel. Statistics in high school and college don’t really matter. You look at them but they are not as important as they are in the minor leagues. I want to talk to a player and see if this guy has the ability to endure failure day after day after day, then have some success, and then go back to failure and not crumble under the pressure.
What are your thoughts on Bryce Harper?
I saw Bryce Harper play in the ninth grade. In my mind, there was no doubt he was going to play in the big leagues. Bryce is one of those kids who is a tireless worker. He’s the guy you want on your team. He’s a great kid. In one of my reports, I wrote that he was a cross between Kirk Gibson, Pete Rose, Ty Cobb and Mickey Mantle. He is the best player I have ever seen. I threw him batting practice at a workout in Compton when he was a freshman in high school. He was like a caged lion that hadn’t eaten in a week. Everything he hit was different than anybody else.