There was plenty of pointing and shooting going on, but not with real guns, behind the backstop at the Yorktown High School baseball field the night of March 29.
Baseball scouts were on hand and were active with their radar guns clocking the speed of right-hander Griffin Stieg’s fastball as he pitched for the visiting McLean High School team against the host Yorktown Patriots. There were multiple scouts on hand, but three with their gray radar guns.
Having scouts on hand always creates a bit of a buzz and the question – how fast, how fast?
Scouts always are all kind of protective, and often outright rude, about divulging that information. They share among themselves sometimes, but don’t like outsiders to butt in and ask that obvious question.
But one thing is certain in these situations. No scouts would be on hand in the first place, especially to see a righty, if that pitcher didn’t throw at least 90 mph. Word has it that the fastball of Virginia Tech-bound Stieg has been clocked as high as 94 mph. Maybe not that night, but in the past.
The season is young, but scouts have been on hand so far this spring each time Stieg has started. With his 90-plus fastball, there is a good chance Stieg could get drafted by a Major League team in June. So those scouts with their radar guns will likely be around at more McLean games when Stieg is on the mound.
We’ll see what happens.
– Dave Facinoli
dfacinoli@sungazette.net