Less than three years after hanging up his baseball cleats following an 11-year professional career, Nate Field sat in the stands at a Double-A game in New Britain, Conn., and took notes.
Field, 38, had retired from baseball in 2009 and took a job as a scout for the Boston Red Sox watching minor leaguers roll in and out of the New England area and filing reports, many of which would never be looked at.
“We see so many players over the course of the year, there are times you go a whole year and all the guys you see, nothing ever happens,” Field said.
For three games in August 2012, Field watched Altoona (a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate) play against New Britain (Minnesota Twins), getting a close look at Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia and Gerrit Cole, among others. He filed reports to the Red Sox’s front office, like he always does, in case they’re looking at a trade with the Pirates or Twins and need a trained eye to tell the story behind the statistics.
At this point in the season, a 24-year-old infielder named Brock Holt was hitting .317 and leading off for Altoona. He wasn’t on any prospect rankings or must-watch sheets, but Field filed a glowing report anyway, rattling off his attributes: Baseball player, great instincts, great effort, loves the game, advanced approach at the minor-league level.
“You don’t see the home runs,” he said, “but there’s something that draws you to him, makes you watch a little bit closer.”
Field submitted his reports and didn’t hear much about them for a few months.