Jake

[𝐉𝐞𝐟𝐟 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐳𝐞𝐧 @utahscout1219]

The Scouting Classroom #13

THE ROAD SCOUT LIFE

The scouting life sounds glamorous until you actually live it. Long drives. Cheap meals. Late nights. Hotel rooms. Rain delays. Schedule changes. Reports at midnight. Phone calls from the road. Living out of a suitcase while trying to be right on players as life keeps moving at home.

People see the radar gun. They see the draft room, the signed players, and eventually the big leagues. They see the fun part.

What they don’t see is the lifestyle.

Because scouting isn’t just a job. It isn’t really even a career. It becomes your life.

The day I was let go by Milwaukee in 2020 after 20 years in professional baseball, I looked back at the numbers: 2,561 hotel nights!

Think about that.

That’s seven full years of your life spent away from your wife and kids.

Thousands of mornings waking up in hotel rooms. Hundreds of airport gates. Rental cars. Fast food meals. Lonely drives. Cities eventually started running together.

You live with your suitcase half packed because another trip is always a day or two away. You’re never fully home. Not really.

And the road can be lonely.

Very lonely.

There are long stretches by yourself. Thoughts creep in. You think about family. You think about what you’re missing.

You think about birthdays.

Not every birthday happened on the actual birthday. Sometimes birthdays and family events happened days later because Dad was chasing a player somewhere in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Southern Idaho, El Paso, Texas, Las Vegas, or trying to squeeze in one more look before draft meetings.

That was my territory — the largest square-mile area in baseball. Hundreds of miles between watering holes.

People don’t realize that behind every scouting report is sacrifice. Behind every signed player are thousands of miles, countless looks, endless notes, phone calls, and conviction. Over my career I signed 7 future Major Leaguers.

People see the names later.
They don’t see the process.

A scout also becomes an air traffic controller. You line up schedules, call and text cross-checkers, work around weather, coordinate higher-ups, and make sure the right eyes get on the right player at the right time.

But here’s the other side.

Scouting created memories.

When my kids were young and not yet in school, I brought my family on as many trips as possible. Weekend trips. Summer trips. Road trips all over America while covering baseball.

Partly because I wanted them to experience life.

Mostly because I didn’t want to be alone.

One day one of my daughters posted something on Instagram that stopped me in my tracks:

"The cool thing about having your dad be a MLB baseball scout, is you always have the best seat in the house. I must be in the front row!"

That one got me.

Because sometimes you wonder if they understood the miles, the missed time, and the sacrifices.

Turns out they saw more than I realized.

Scouting isn’t for the faint of heart. The game asks for pieces of your life most people never see. And if you stay in it long enough, your family serves right alongside you.

That’s the real scouting life.

#BehindTheRadarGun

[NCAA Baseball @NCAABaseball]

🐺 AQ CLINCHED 🐺

(4) @NIU_Baseball defeats (3) Toledo, 5-1, to win the @MACSports tournament title and punch its ticket for the #RoadToOmaha.

#NCAABaseball

[NIU Baseball @NIU_Baseball]

2026 MAC Tournament Champion has a nice ring to it 🏆

The Huskies defeated Toledo 5-1 in the championship game

[NIU Baseball @NIU_Baseball]

The moment history was made

[MACtion @MACSports]

CHAMPIONSHIP. BOUND. 🐾

@NIU_Baseball | #MACtion

[NIU Athletics @NIUAthletics]

.@NIU_Baseball will play for a 🏆 tomorrow!

[MACtion @MACSports]

🗣️ HUSKIE NATION LET’S GO ‼️

@NIU_Baseball | #MACtion

[MACtion @MACSports]

HEADED TO THE 'SHIP! 🐺

NIU stays hot to secure a spot in tomorrow's title game 🏆

@NIU_Baseball | #MACtion

[11Point7 College Baseball @11point7]

Northern Illinois with a grand slam. Huskies on their way to the MACtion title game in drivers seat 🔥🔥

Huskies swept Miami and took 2/3 vs Kent this season. Chips might just be falling in place.

[NIU Baseball @NIU_Baseball]

Your Huskies will play for a MAC Title tomorrow!!!!

D. Cihocki (W, 6-2): 7.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
C. Robertson: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
C. Smith: 2-5, Grand Slam, 5 RBI
W. Wawro: 3-3, 2 BB, 4 R

Next Up: Kent State/Toledo Tomorrow (May 23), 5 PM CT

[NIU Baseball @NIU_Baseball]

WE’RE GOING TO THE TITLE GAME!!!!

[Vinnie Pasquantino @VPasquantino]

Such a special group. Millions of people watched us from Italy over the past few days. That’s always been and always will be the goal, to the keep growing the game. Thank you everyone for all the support. Forza Italia! 🤌🇮🇹❤️

[World Baseball Classic @WBCBaseball]

HUGE WIN FOR TEAM ITALY 🇮🇹

A perfect 4-0 in Pool B earns a spot in the #WorldBaseballClassic quarterfinals!

[Alex Lontayo @alontayo]

Humbled by this to say the least. 14 years as a @cubs and have seen a lot of great scouts and even better men receive this honor. Stan epitomized what it meant to be a Cub and a great scout, so being honored as Scout of the Year with his name on the award means everything to me. Miss you my friend! Go Cubs! #cubs #mlb

[Chicago Cubs @Cubs]

Class dismissed.

[Marquee Sports Network @WatchMarquee]

It’s bigger than baseball ❤️

Matthew Boyd reflects on what it means to start Game 1 for the Cubs.

[Andy Martínez @amartinez_11]

Buddy Bailey left a lasting impact on many of the current Cubs:

“Honestly, he put people in a good place. For those reasons, many guys who passed through there are here now.”

https://t.co/GNGnJX7Unw