In all the excitement surrounding the just-concluded Baseball’s Winter Meetings, an important annual event held in conjunction unfortunately received very little notice, just as does its celebrated profession.
During a reception in Nashville, St. Louis Cardinals professional scout Marty Keough was recognized as one of four recipients of this year’s Scout of the Year Award.
Keough was honored as the West Coast Scout of the Year, joining other winners Buzz Bowers of the Red Sox (East Coast), Don Welke of the Rangers (Midwest) and Fred Ferreira of the Orioles (International).
“Marty has been an integral part of our scouting department and organization for a long time,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told MLB.com. “The St Louis Cardinals organization is very proud that one of our own is being recognized as Scout of the Year.”
After his 11-year MLB playing career (1956-66) ended with a stint in Japan, the 77-year-old managed, then scouted for the Padres and the Dodgers. The Phoenix area resident has been with the Cardinals for over three decades. Some of his many signees include Todd Zeile, Terry Pendleton and Todd Worrell.
His son Matt was a big-league pitcher in the late 1970’s and 1980s and his grandson Shane played four years in the Oakland minor league system.
In January 2010, Keough was recognized at the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation Awards Dinner, called “In the Spirit of the Game.” He was among a group of six scouting pioneers given the “Legends of Scouting Award” at the Los Angeles event.
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