THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 20, 1996 TAG: 9608200346
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: 47 lines
Big league superstars like Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Murray and George Brett are graduates of the Babe Ruth League.
Professional and college scouts are watching the Babe Ruth World Series here this week to see if they can find another major leaguer.
Scouts, sitting below the press box at Coy Tillett Jr. Memorial Field, have their stopwatches, clipboards and radar guns as they check the talents of the 15- 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds in the nine-team tournament that ends Saturday.
Nick Boothe, the head coach at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, is watching the pitchers.
``I'm always looking at pitching. Mostly what I'm trying to do is find out their ages. I might see a kid who's 18 or I might see a kid who's 16. You have to keep track of the younger ones,'' Boothe said. ``One of those 16-year-olds may have something about him. This is a great way for us to get to see teams from nine different states.
``I'm looking for speed out of the box, arm strength, bat speed and power, and mechanics,'' Boothe said. ``A kid may strike out three times and I still might like him. A lot of guys are not watching that type of player.''
Boothe said that intensity, attitude and how a player performs in a stressful situation are also important. The scouts had plenty of stressful situations to check out, with several extra-inning thrillers and one-run triumphs.
New York Mets scout Cookie Mitchell sat behind home plate with a stopwatch and clipboard watching the Dare County-Coos Bay game. Mitchell was looking for players ready to enter the Mets farm system.
``There are several elements I'm looking for,'' he said. ``A conditioned player, batting techniques, potential, power, arm strength, fielding techniques, and how well a player can run.''
In pitchers, Mitchell said he is looking for arm strength and velocity, ball movement, control, and command. ``Can he put the ball in the proper location?'' Mitchell asked.
Mitchell, who lives in Raleigh, said this is his first trip to the Babe Ruth World Series. ``It's been a very good tournament. I some potential here. It's been very enlightening to observe it.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by DREW C. WILSON, The Virginian-Pilot
Joe Walsh, head baseball coach at Harvard University, was seated
behind home plate Monday night with other professional and college
scouts at the Babe Ruth World Series in Manteo. by CNB