The Art of Scouting: Seven Decades Chasing Hopes and Dreams in Major League Baseball

by Art Stewart, Sam Mellinger, Foreword by George Brett

The heart and soul of Kansas City's major league baseball franchise is a 5-foot-6 and impeccably dressed man you probably haven't heard of. You don't know the Royal's history and successes until you know him. His name is Art Stewart and he helped bring Bo Jackson to the Royals on a hunch. He once signed a player after sneaking into the home and listening in on a rival's offer. He has the kind of charm that's overmatched highway patrolmen--Art has paid two speeding tickets in his life, and guesses that baseball stories have gotten him out of a dozen more. Once, his rental car running on fumes in Florida's Alligator Alley, Art told a few baseball stories and a man siphoned gas for him. He fell in love with baseball when he snuck into his attic and found his late father's baseball gloves, and his seven decades on the wild ride of major league baseball make him a living, breathing, storytelling personification of America's pastime. Art was born on Babe Ruth's 32nd birthday, and has been inside baseball through Ted Williams' triple crown, Willie Mays' catch, Hank Aaron's home runs, George Brett's chase of .400, all the way though the high-definition, instant-replay times of today. Art helped build the Yankees' dynasty of the 1950s and 1960s, before becoming an integral part of making the Royals the most successful expansion franchise in baseball history. His aggressive ways are part of why baseball's owners voted overwhelmingly to institute a draft in 1963. Art signed one 20-game winner who shook the sport with an explosive book, and another 20-game winner who shook the sport by swapping wives with a teammate. From George Brett to Frank White, Bret Saberhagen to Bo Jackson, Carlos Beltran to Eric Hosmer, the Royals' history is Art's history. Art just tells it better than anyone else.

Genres: Baseball

272 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2014

Reviews

[Jacob Gubbrud · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read, would recommend to any baseball fans!

[Aaron Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone should know that my Royals fandom was the only real filter for this book. The stories about Bo Jackson and a few others made it worth reading to me. It made me like the Yankees a little less. Mostly, it just seemed better when he was telling stories around him instead of things he was directly involved in.

[Paul Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the equivalent of listening to the countless stories of a baseball lifer. Art Stewart has over half a century of stories, from Mantle to Brett to Bo, and reading them is great fun, especially for a Royals fan.

[Travis Tilford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. If you are a Royals fan or just a baseball fan in general you will love hearing the stories about some of the players and what the scouts orginaly thought of them.

[Joseph Pacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since most of us aren't lucky enough to get to have dinner or beers with a guy like Art Stewart, this book will have to do. After 7 decades in baseball, you get the feeling that Stewart has more stories than about anyone else on the planet... and this book gives you a glimpse into that. He talks about the life of a scout, which even to serious baseball fans is probably one of the roles in baseball they're the least familiar with. He tells stories of scouting all the Royals greats and other stories of prospects he saw when they were just kids. For me, the most interesting chapter was on the Royals Academy... which remains one of the most visionary achievements of Ewibg Kauffman and the Royals, and is still used as the blueprint for most teams' operations in Latin America.

As you'd expect, this book is essentially a collection of short stories and its appeal is in its content... not its writing. It was a book I enjoyed reading and would recommend to baseball fans, and especially Royals fans.

[Dick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems that recent years have seen somewhat of a proliferation of memoirs done by those in many different professions. Baseball is no exception. This particular memoir is by a man with such varied and extensive experience covering 7 decades. This is a man, now in his 80s, who loves his work so much that he continues to this day doing the very same thing - scouting for the next talent that is surely waiting to be discovered.
Yes, the story is remarkable of a most unusual person. Also, it is told in a most engaging, literate manner. It flowed quite well and never slipped into either the sacrin or tedious. It was a fabulous story told with ease and comfort.

[Danny Knobler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've known Art Stewart for 30 years, and I've heard many of his great stories. But in this book written with Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star, Art outdoes himself. There are the best stories I've heard, and the best ones I'd never heard, including several that Art says he hasn't told before.

Sam does a great job of capturing Art's voice, and organizing 70 years' worth of memories. The result is a look inside to how baseball really works, but also just a fun read.

[Rob Neyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read just about every book about baseball scouting, because it's an endlessly fascinating subject. And I especially wanted to love this one, because it's the only memoir by a long-time Royals scout.

Well, there are some good stories in here. But not nearly as many as I'd expected, considering that Stewart's been in baseball since the late 1940s. It's a truly incredible career, but I'm afraid that for whatever reasons, he just hasn't come up with book to match.

[Ed Pienta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about the nuts and bolts of what it takes to be a scout. All baseball fans should read this to see what goes on behind the scenes and how a team is assembled. I've always felt that the best team is one that is developed through the minor league system. Art truly was the right guy to write this book.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Art of Scouting" by Art Stewart with Sam Mellinger is an insider's look into how major league teams find and assess talent. I enjoyed the stories about Royal's front office executives and the players I followed since 1969. The book is a great way to prepare for the new season.

[Steve Pellegrino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long time Royals fans will enjoy the stories about Bo Jackson, George Brett, Bret Saberhagen, Mr K and numerous others. You will also enjoy reading about life as a major league scout before the amateur draft.

[Troy Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains spelling errors. But I enjoyed Art's stories.

[Redpoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories