THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION

| 2,075 MLB PLAYERS | 14,476 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS

2,075 MLB PLAYERS | 14,476 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS

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General | General | 9/1/2022

The Lead Off: September

Clint Hurdle

Photo: Perfect Game

Hello September and goodbye August!
Wow 🤩
That summer went by fast.

Perfect Game was on top of its game when it came to the 2022 Dick’s Sporting Goods All-American Classic held in Phoenix 🌵at beautiful Chase Field. New title sponsor, new venue and a new opportunity to watch over 60 of the best HS ball players play the Classic in front of a solid turnout of fans and well over 100 MLB scouts ⚾️! Through a scout’s eyes 👀 indeed. More on that later.

Our Founder Jerry Ford has always said, “Our name is Perfect Game, however we’re not perfect.” Not so fast Boss…I attended every event the entire time and I was grateful and thankful to be a small part of all the different efforts. Charitable clinic- coaches clinic- charter school visit- parent symposium- the banquet (a crown 💎 jewel event) and the Classic. All of it was PERFECT. The Diamondbacks 🐍were the perfect hosts!

PG Cares started the party on Wednesday night hosting a kids clinic for over 500 young players on the field. Multiple drills, multiple stations and 500 smiles 😜! Thanks to all the volunteers who showed up and helped, along with Jennifer Ford and her band of PG helpers and former MLB ⚾️ players. We had a free coaches clinic and on-field practice presentation on Thursday night.

We all headed for a school visit on Friday (an incredible heartwarming visit). Saturday we had a parents symposium attended by over 75 parents with an All Star 🤩 panel sharing information and answering hot topic questions on next steps for their sons. The Banquet was amazing! Daron Sutton hosted and Dani Wexelman MC’d and the players and their stories were the stars. 🤩 Daron does an incredible job with all the content and narrative shared.

The game! The West outlasted the East 5-2. Nuff said. Reggie Sanders managed the West team and I had the pleasure of managing the East. I got out managed again!😜👊

Looking forward to hearing from all involved on their feedback and perspective of the Classic Week!

I opened with the thought of “Through a Scout’s Eyes” for a reason. I personally said hello 👋🏻 to at least 25 MLB scouts and all the scouts from the three teams I either managed or coached for…Rockies, Rangers, and Pirates. These men all have their own set of eyes and although they all see the same players here…they see them with different lenses.

Not only are they evaluating professional skills, they are trying to peel back the layers on personal development as well.

Pat Gillick, the Hall Of Fame GM said it best: "We scout the 'player' - We acquire the 'person.'"

Here is a share from a good friend of mine, Brian Dodd. I believe his share will help all players understand they are being scouted as more than just a player. Coaches may learn something from this share as well.

2 Things Leaders Should Immediately Do When They Experience Failure

Chicago White Sox scout Kevin Burrell is a friend of mine and someone all leaders should follow. I was with him recently when he told the story of scouting a Big League prospect at a Power 5 school. The player struck out at a critical point in the game. As he returned to the dugout, Kevin watched him walk past all the players to the Gatorade cooler.

At this point, I was expecting to hear a cautionary tale about the player kicking over the bucket or even smashing it with a bat. But that is not what happened.

The player got two cups of Gatorade, one for himself and the other one he gave to the team’s pitcher. Upon seeing this, Kevin smiled and said, “He gets it.”

When this player experienced failure he did not sulk or have a bad attitude. He did not have an outburst of anger. Rather, he served a teammate.

This player’s attitude is something all leaders can learn from. When a leader experiences failure, first they should evaluate what happened and see what they can learn from it. Secondly, they should serve someone else.

Serving others takes the focus off of yourself and places it on someone else. It shows you see the big picture and realize it is not all about you.

Successful leaders ask two great questions, “So what? Now what?” This player struck out at a critical moment in the game. So what? It happens. Now ask, “Now what?” The answer was to serve someone else.

So the next time you experience failure, stop and see what you can learn from the experience. Then serve someone else. These are the type of leaders who “get it.”

A wonderful reminder that scouts are watching more than your play on the field.

Are you coachable?
Are you a good teammate?
Do you make others better?
Are you unselfish?
Are you high maintenance?
Do you play with emotion or do you play emotionally?

These traits all matter.

Goodbye Summer.👋🏻
Hello Fall!👏

Make a difference today
Love Clint
Clinthurdle.com

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