good dolphin wrote:
bigfan wrote:
Probably why the Expos cut him.
just that Expos thing shows what a pud he is.
Dan Vestial got a letter from the Rockies for tryouts too. Who is Dan vestial? he played CF for dePauls club team. batted about .220, 0 HR's and had a few stolen bases. Good drinking buddy thought. Yes, he says he was Rockies prospect, but he gets the joke.
We've already detailed this. The Royals and Expos were famous for having gang bang tryouts in my era for anyone who wanted to show. They would publicize it fairly widely. My friends used to go every year for fun. If you were a positional player you got an opportunity to run a 40 or something like that. If it wasn't a blazing time, you were told to go home, which included 99% of the players who showed. They had something similar for pitchers, like you got to throw a couple of fastballs.
I think other teams did it regionally as well. They made a movie about some Texas high school coach in his 30s whose arm recovered from a bad high school injury who made through one of these and eventually made the Rangers.
Basically they were looking to see if anyone with unique skills fell through their scouting cracks. It wasn't really a tryout but it was a tryout.
Some teams still have them.
Tigers announce tryout camp in Lakeland
DETROIT - The Detroit Tigers today announced a tryout camp to be held at the TigerTown Minor League Complex in Lakeland, FL on Monday, March 9, 2015.
Registration for the camp begins at 8:00 a.m., with the tryout beginning at 9:00 a.m. The tryout camp is for players age 18-23, or those players with previous professional baseball experience with a Major League organization. No pre-registration or participation fee is necessary to attend the camp. Those interested in trying out must provide their own glove and workout equipment. Wood bats, helmets and baseballs will be provided by the Tigers.