Editorials

Open Letter To Logan White, Who Left A Lasting Impression

Logan White

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Before I talk about Logan White, I have to explain what happened in 2003. It was December, just before Christmas, and I was sitting in my room. The Los Angeles Dodgers had lost out on a Wild Card spot in September, but my favorite player, Eric Gagne, had just won the Cy Young Award. I was a casual fan, going to games each year, but never fully invested in the team. That would change.

I had what some might call a “come-to-Jesus” moment, suddenly struck by an overwhelming desire to fully immerse myself in the Dodgers and baseball. It came completely out of the blue (pun intended) and with no warning, so I sat at my desk and began furiously scouring the internet for information about the game. I read everything I could and would eventually land on the Scout.com Dodgers’ message board.

There, I stumbled upon a thread about the Minor Leagues and clicked on it, with no idea what would be inside. I began reading and didn’t stop until I’d reached the end of the 150-page thread, finishing it in what seemed like a few minutes.

That was when I fell in love with the minor leagues and prospects. My quest wasn’t over, as I continued searching for stats and scouting reports and anything else I could get. And that’s when I discovered Logan White.

White was hired by Dan Evans to be the Dodgers’ Scouting Director in 2001 and conducted his first draft for the organization the following year. That draft produced nine Major Leaguers, six of whom were signed.

Russell Martin, James Loney, Jon Broxton, James McDonald (a draft-and-follow, which is now extinct), Eric Stults and Delwyn Young all made the Majors, with the first three establishing careers worth upwards of 50 bWAR. The following year, White drafted Chad Billingsley, Matt Kemp and A.J. Ellis.

I began following the draft in 2004 and was fascinated by the process. Clubs sprawled across the country and would send scouts to all corners of the map in an attempt to find the next big thing.

The life was hard, being away from your loved ones for sometimes more than three weeks straight. And yet, every year, without fail, scouts from all 30 teams would continue their search for the next Babe Ruth or Satchel Paige.

Due to my following draft prospects since the previous draft ended, 2006 was a special year. The Dodgers had taken Luke Hochevar with their top pick in 2005 but failed to sign him. They could have drafted him again, but it looked as though the Royals would take him number one.

Next Page: Meeting White

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Staff Writer

Staff Writer features content written by our site editors along with our staff of contributing writers. Thank you for your readership.

One Comment

  1. Hi Jared–you do a great job! Saw you reference to “Scout.com”–tried to go there, seems it is gone. I’m also a Dodger and Dodger farm fanatic, and would like to ask you for the best sites to follow the team and get inside information and opinions on young players–any players for that matter–including international. Thanks! Emerson/Lake

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