A Knack for Noticing: Epy Guerrero

Photo by Michael Hanson

A sad day for Dominican baseball and for the Blue Jays, as legendary scout Epy Guerrero has died. Guerrero was the chief Latin American scout for the Blue Jays and was one of the reasons that the Blue Jays had such a strong relationship to Latin American baseball in the 80s and 90s. Among his many accomplishments, he signed Tony Fernandez and Carlos Delgado, and encouraged the Jays upper management to draft George Bell.

From a 1989 People Magazine profile of Guerrero, a description of him scouting Tony Fernandez:

"The youngster, nicknamed Cabeza because his head was so large when he was a child, lived behind the fence with his 10 brothers and sisters in a tin-roofed house that was sometimes struck by home runs. Cabeza was known by all the scouts who came to San Pedro. He was the shoeless, shirtless tyke who would take as many ground balls as you had the patience to hit him—using, as a glove, a milk carton fashioned with string. The kid was so good he would have been a pro prospect, but he had bad knees and couldn't run. Only Epy Guerrero dared say to him, "Your father is blessed, because when you grow up, I will sign you."

"He had a knack for noticing the special player who maybe didn't have the polish, the people who maybe were a little crude," said Pat Gillick, Guerrero's boss with the Houston Astros, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. "He also had a tremendous work ethic. He was very competitive. He didn't want to be beaten on a player."

I think about the beauty in the Latin style of play, how much energy, how much joy and the tremendous skill brought to the current team by guys like Reyes, Bautista and Encarnación. And about the guys from the past like Delgado, Fernandez and Bell. And there are guys like that all over the league, who come from places that love baseball. It's in their guts.

I am tremendously grateful to guys like Epy Guerrero for opening up the doors and insisting that these guys have a place in Major League Baseball. The diversity of the game is what makes it so beautiful.