Claudell Washington--1975
Scout Tales.....
Claudell Washington
There has never been a shortage of
feel good stories in baseball and
Claudell Washington’s tale of his
journey to the big leagues is another
one from the vault.
A Little Leaguer during his youth,
Washington’s interests moved to
track and basketball in his early prep
days, rather than baseball at
Berkeley High School (CA). Even
then, the splendid athlete migrated
away from high school athletics all
together, as he noted to writer Ron
Bergman (The Sporting News,
8/9/75):
“I never liked the idea of playing
sports in high school. When school
was over, I just wanted to get away
from there.”
However, Washington came to the
attention of Berkeley policeman Jim
Guinn, who doubled as a part-time
scout for the Oakland A’s. A
graduate of Berkeley High, Guinn
would stay in touch with the athletic
department to find kids who strayed
away from the game.
“Claudell’s name was the first that
came up,” Guinn told The Sporting
News in 1975. “I sent him a form, he
filled it out and returned it.
“I don’t think Claudell ever would
have played baseball again, No one
ever showed him any interest. He’s a
loner. Someone had to encourage
him.
“I made a phone call and got him on
the Berkeley Connie Mach team. I
watched him for a month and worked
out with him every day. During that
month, he batted about .600 and hit
seven or eight home run. If there had
been any other scouts around, I
would have signed him right away.
But there weren’t (any scouts). I had
no competition for him.”
The 1972 June free agent draft came
and went without Washington’s name
being called. Working as a janitor,
Washington turned down the A’s
initial overture, before signing for
$3,000.
His ascent to the big leagues was
meteoric, as the 17-year-old hit .279
with two long balls for Coos Bay-
North Bend in the Northwest League
during his pro debut. Washington
would rank among the Midwest
League leaders the following season,
hitting .322-13-81 for Burlington in
1973. After blistering the Southern
League to begin 1974 to the clip of .
361-11-55; the loner who spurned
baseball in high school found himself
patrolling the Oakland pasture by
early June. He would hit .571 in
seven World Series at-bats, as the A’
s downed the Dodgers in the ’74 Fall
Classic.
The next season the 20-year-old
found himself standing alongside
baseball’s elite, as Washington was
named to the first of two All-Star
squads. The lanky athlete who
caught the eye of a diligent scout
retired in 1991 after a 17-year major
league career. Washington
showcased both speed and power in
the bigs with 164 homers and 312
stolen bases to compliment his .278
career batting average--- thanks in
part to Jim Guinn.
Claudell Washington
There has never been a shortage of
feel good stories in baseball and
Claudell Washington’s tale of his
journey to the big leagues is another
one from the vault.
A Little Leaguer during his youth,
Washington’s interests moved to
track and basketball in his early prep
days, rather than baseball at
Berkeley High School (CA). Even
then, the splendid athlete migrated
away from high school athletics all
together, as he noted to writer Ron
Bergman (The Sporting News,
8/9/75):
“I never liked the idea of playing
sports in high school. When school
was over, I just wanted to get away
from there.”
However, Washington came to the
attention of Berkeley policeman Jim
Guinn, who doubled as a part-time
scout for the Oakland A’s. A
graduate of Berkeley High, Guinn
would stay in touch with the athletic
department to find kids who strayed
away from the game.
“Claudell’s name was the first that
came up,” Guinn told The Sporting
News in 1975. “I sent him a form, he
filled it out and returned it.
“I don’t think Claudell ever would
have played baseball again, No one
ever showed him any interest. He’s a
loner. Someone had to encourage
him.
“I made a phone call and got him on
the Berkeley Connie Mach team. I
watched him for a month and worked
out with him every day. During that
month, he batted about .600 and hit
seven or eight home run. If there had
been any other scouts around, I
would have signed him right away.
But there weren’t (any scouts). I had
no competition for him.”
The 1972 June free agent draft came
and went without Washington’s name
being called. Working as a janitor,
Washington turned down the A’s
initial overture, before signing for
$3,000.
His ascent to the big leagues was
meteoric, as the 17-year-old hit .279
with two long balls for Coos Bay-
North Bend in the Northwest League
during his pro debut. Washington
would rank among the Midwest
League leaders the following season,
hitting .322-13-81 for Burlington in
1973. After blistering the Southern
League to begin 1974 to the clip of .
361-11-55; the loner who spurned
baseball in high school found himself
patrolling the Oakland pasture by
early June. He would hit .571 in
seven World Series at-bats, as the A’
s downed the Dodgers in the ’74 Fall
Classic.
The next season the 20-year-old
found himself standing alongside
baseball’s elite, as Washington was
named to the first of two All-Star
squads. The lanky athlete who
caught the eye of a diligent scout
retired in 1991 after a 17-year major
league career. Washington
showcased both speed and power in
the bigs with 164 homers and 312
stolen bases to compliment his .278
career batting average--- thanks in
part to Jim Guinn.
