Scout

Hitting -- The guy's a spray hitter. He can hit the ball to all fields, which makes him tough to defense. He plays a lot of small ball - bunts, hit-and-run. He does a lot of the little things to help a team. You could make a comparison to Bill Ripken. Weaknesses -- He's not a big tools guy. He's not a runner. He doesn't steal a lot of bases. He doesn't hit for power. Future -- He's a guy who, every year, they'll try to replace him and he's just always going to keep his job. He's a good player.

They're always looking.The historic home-and-home series between the Orioles and the team of all-stars from Cuba may have been a one-time event -- perhaps even a geopolitical sideshow -- but it had to be one of the most heavily scouted exhibition series in history.Nearly every major-league franchise was represented in the stands at Havana's Latin American Stadium when the Orioles visited Cuba five weeks ago, and there were plenty of guys with clipboards in the field boxes behind home plate at Camden Yards last night.

BaseballAstros: Named Jackie Moore manager, Burt Hooton pitching coach and Mark Bailey coach for Nolan Ryan-owned Double-A Round Rock.Brewers: Designated P Carl Dale for assignment.Cardinals: Designated OF Darren Bragg for assignment.Cubs: Traded P Brian Stephenson to Dodgers to complete earlier trade. Named Mark Wilbert strength and conditioning coordinator and Bruce Hammel minor-league strength and conditioning coordinator.Dodgers: Named former Orioles scout Don Welke senior scouting adviser, Ron Rizzi pro scout, and Joel Ronda and Phil Sowards part-time scouts.

He was considered too small and too slow to get much notice from the pro scouts when he came out of Nevada-Las Vegas in 1991.He lasted until the 12th round of the NFL draft -- there are now only seven rounds -- before the Washington Redskins took a flier on him as the 45th receiver selected.He spent his first year on injured reserve with a knee injury and then went to Cleveland, where he was cut three times in 10 weeks in 1992.That is not the usual ticket to stardom in the NFL.Unless you're Keenan McCardell.

Expos: The team honored Bob Oldis before the game for his 28 years of service to the franchise. Oldis, who will retire at the end of the season,, was the team's original bullpen coach but made his mark as scout. He was the organization's scout of the year in 1976.Indians: Kenny Lofton is the first Cleveland left-handed hitter to get 200 hits since Dale Mitchell had 203 in 1949. Carlos Baerga, a switch-hitter traded to the Mets, had 200 in 1993 and 205 in 1992. . . . Kevin Seitzer's grand slam was the ninth by the Indians this season, a club record.

Last December, Orioles officials sat down and figured out the geographic distribution of all the players on 40-man rosters around major-league baseball, and the results were somewhat surprising.The state of California produces the most players, 20 percent. Florida ranked second, 10 percent. Third place: The Dominican Republic, with 9 percent.These results are affecting the way the Orioles are scouting for prospects. They are shifting more manpower into international scouting. Leo Labossiere, the scout for New England and New York City, has left the organization, and Jim Howard, who scouts New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, will assume Labossiere's former territory.

Ron Nay remembers the days when he scouted Ozzie Newsome at Alabama, before Newsome went on to become the Cleveland Browns' career leader in receptions and the NFL's all-time leading pass-catching tight end with 662 receptions over 13 seasons.Nay hopes to be reunited with Newsome, the director of pro personnel for Baltimore's NFL team.A 25-year veteran NFL scout who was out of pro football last year, Nay, 55, has expressed interest in a front office job with Baltimore. Newsome said if he makes any changes in his staff, it will not happen until after the NFL draft on April 20-21.

Life is good for Phil Albert. He is trimmer than a man of 50 should look. He talks with the optimism of a teen-ager. He is enjoying his return to the classroom, where he teaches five physical education classes a week at Towson State.On top of that, Albert is excited about his reunion with an old friend -- football.More than two years have passed since Albert stepped down after 20 seasons as coach at Towson State, where he guided the Tigers to 117 victories, four national playoff appearances and an unbeaten season, not to mention a progression from Division III to I-AA status.

Saying it was "my dream and my dad's," Severna Park's John Milisitz reached an agreement yesterday to play baseball with the Milwaukee Brewers. He signed as a free agent and embarks on a pro career Friday.Milisitz, whose father died of cancer during Milisitz's high school freshman year in Florida, moved to Severna Park three years ago and soon became the premier catcher in the metro area. It was a position he hadn't played until moving here. Well aware that pro catching prospects are few and far between, the 6-foot, 190-pound Milisitz dedicated himself as a sophomore to becoming the best.

Congratulations to Daniel Puryear, Centennial High School sophomore, who became an Eagle Scout on Dec. 29.You may recall that to become an Eagle the Scout must plan, organize and supervise a large project, but he must direct the project, not perform it himself. For his project, Daniel organized and supervised the construction of three trails in Patapsco State Park, Hollofield Area, in Catonsville.Members of Troop 361, consulting with ranger Beverly Collins, helped Daniel to clear and mulch 550 feet of trails to provide outer campsites access to the restrooms.

It's draft day and a strapping kid named Flacco sits at home, waiting for a phone call that could send him to the pros. The game, however, is baseball and the prospect is Mike Flacco, the brother of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. A power-hitting third baseman, Mike Flacco hopes to be scooped up in the three-day major league draft that ends Thursday after 50 rounds. And, yes, the Orioles are interested. "We scouted him and will place him on the board where we think he should go," Orioles scout Dean Albany said.

Observations, opinions and musings from this week in Major League Baseball. Mike Piazza, one of the greatest underdog stories in baseball history, announced his retirement last week after 16 seasons in the major leagues. The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in the 62nd round in 1988, partially as a favor to then-Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda, who was a close family friend. Now, Piazza is being referred to as a "future Hall of Famer." Piazza is a 12-time All-Star who amassed 2,127 hits, 427 home runs, 1,335 RBIs and a career average of .308.

Hitting -- The guy's a spray hitter. He can hit the ball to all fields, which makes him tough to defense. He plays a lot of small ball - bunts, hit-and-run. He does a lot of the little things to help a team. You could make a comparison to Bill Ripken. Weaknesses -- He's not a big tools guy. He's not a runner. He doesn't steal a lot of bases. He doesn't hit for power. Future -- He's a guy who, every year, they'll try to replace him and he's just always going to keep his job. He's a good player.

Hitting -- He's a guy that's somewhat generic. He is fairly easy to pitch to, but when he gets two strikes, he spreads out and gets the bat on [the] ball and gets a lot of bloop hits. You have to give him credit there. Weaknesses -- He doesn't like the breaking ball. He wants the fastball. He really doesn't have a position. He is like what a lot of clubs have. He's a six-inning guy and then you put the defense in. Future -- I would say [his ceiling] is pretty low. He's having a good run right now, but I think clubs will eventually figure him out. But he's had some success.

Pitches / / His fastball tops at 97 mph and he usually throws it at about 93, 94. His No. 2 pitch is a slider. He's got a version of a splitter, a slider and a [changeup] he mixes in. His fastball explodes and hitters don't hit it. It's not a movement where it tails or cuts; it's a movement all over the place. Weaknesses / / He is either on or he isn't. Clubs hope you can catch him when he isn't throwing strikes. When he doesn't throw strikes you can work the count and get him out of there.

Batting: What impresses me is his selectivity at the plate. He knows the strike zone. He is patient. He is willing to take a walk. He has good power, will go the other way and use the other field. And don't make a mistake or he'll hit it out of that ballpark. Other abilities: He runs well, steals bases. He has a good, accurate arm. There's nothing he can't do; he just needs playing experience. The five-tool kid that was drafted No. 1 [overall by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999] is starting to emerge.

A scout's take On Matt Garza, Twins' 22-year-old right-hander Pitches -- He has four pitches and is capable of throwing them all for strikes. He'll throw up to 95 [mph]. I would say the fastball is definitely a plus pitch with the exception of [its lack of movement]. His slider is average, his curveball is average and his changeup is solid-average. But he's got four big league pitches at a very young age. Weaknesses -- In college [at Fresno State in 2005], he had a little bit of a command problem.

A scout's take On Adam Loewen, Orioles' 22-year-old left-handed pitcher Pitches -- I like his cutting fastball. His curveball is a plus, and coming from that arm angle it's real impressive. He maybe hit 95 [mph] with his fastball, but he consistently hits 92-93. That's plenty good enough if he is commanding it. Weaknesses -- I'd like to see him improve his changeup. I didn't really see a good changeup. It's something he didn't throw much. He still needs to work on his command. Control is always an issue with him. But [in his win Tuesday]

A scout's take On Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins' 25-year-old 1st baseman Offense -- He's driving in runs now. He's much more aggressive at the plate. Before, he was always tentative with two strikes; he'd crawl into a shell and become a defensive hitter. He's willing to hit with two strikes now, and he's taking good swings. He's always had power to all fields, and now he is using it. Defense -- The more he hits, the better he looks defensively. He is just one of those types. He is OK. His defense doesn't help them, and it doesn't hurt them.

On Lastings Milledge, New York Mets' 21-year-old outfielder Ability -- He's a five-tool guy. He can legitimately hit and hit for power. He can run and throw and play D. He's an exciting guy, a lot of energy. I don't think he'll hit 40 [home runs], but he is a 20-25 guy. And he's a threat to steal 25 bases, and that's nothing to sneeze at. Attitude -- A guy I trust who knows him well said he's a really good kid, he just gets a little bit lazy practicing, working on his hitting. He is a game player, and when the bell rings, he is there.