Dollar Sign on the Muscle: The World of Baseball Scouting

the men who can make--or break--careers, the men who, more than any others, were responsible for getting Mike Schmidt, Al Kaline, Darryl Strawberry, Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, and Brooks Robinson--to name just a few--into their major league positions. Here is all the inside information--trade secrets, player development, original scouting reports; the history and economics of this pivotal side of baseball, and how the scouting system is changing--from the baseball scouts themselves. This edition includes an all-new chapter updating the original with thoughts on the state of scouting in 2013. "The story of a quest is one of the most basic and essential narratives in human existence. Kevin Kerrane strains the Homeric through the voices of American baseball scouts, those journeymen who search the sandlots for raw athletic potential. was essential reading when it first arrived nearly three decades ago. And now, as big money has arrived to magnify the entire dynamic, Kerrane has returned to update his classic. "They use 'inside baseball' as a term to suggest esoteric knowledge. That's ridiculous. The inside is where anything worth knowing actually begins to matter." -- "An entertaining, in-depth look at a fascinating part of baseball invisible to most. I loved this book." -- "Dollar Sign on the Muscle is the scouting bible for the baseball executive as well as the baseball enthusiast." -- "Updating a classic is always risky, but given the dramatic changes in baseball since 's original publication, the time had certainly come for a modernized examination of the game... and who better to give it to us than Kevin Kerrane and Baseball Prospectus." -- "The last word on a profession even baseball fans may find they knew little about." -- "One of baseball literature's most noble and enjoyable works." -- "A must read for anyone who wants the inside stories on baseball scouts and the happenings on their daily quest for the next MLB all-star." --