Tony Lucadello
| Tony Lucadello | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 30, 1912 Thurber, Texas |
| Died | May 8, 1989 (aged 76) Fostoria, Ohio |
| Occupation | Baseball scout |
| Spouse(s) | Virginia Lucadello |
Anthony Lucadello (July 30, 1912 - May 8, 1989) was a professional baseball scout for the Chicago Cubs (1943–1957) and Philadelphia Phillies (1957–1989). During his career, he signed a total of 52 players who made it to the Major Leagues, most notably Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins and Mike Schmidt. His total number of Major League signings is considered to be unsurpassed, and some have called him perhaps the greatest scout ever.
Lucadello was born in Thurber, Texas to native Italian parents, but grew up in Chicago, Illinois, where his family moved so his father could work in the area's coal mines.
In 1936, Branch Rickey established a new Class D team – the Fostoria Redbirds – in Fostoria, Ohio as part of the St. Louis Cardinals system and the Ohio State League. Lucadello travelled to Fostoria to try out for the team and ended up spending two years as a shortstop and player-manager in the league with the Redbirds and the Tiffin Mud Hens. Never a major league prospect as a player, Lucadello eventually took a factory job with the Fostoria Screw Company, met his future wife and settled down.
In 1942, however, he returned to baseball as a part-time scout for the Chicago Cubs. He began running tryout camps, assembling teams and borrowing equipment to outfit them, and playing his finds against some of the best amateur talent in the Midwest. He was offered his first full-time scouting position by Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley after bringing two pitchers in two years to the attention of Cubs manager Charlie Grimm who were signed immediately to the Major League roster. After seeing the second pitcher, Bob Rush, throwing at a tryout at Wrigley Field, Wrigley told Grimm, "Before you sign this pitcher here, if you want him that bad, you better sign that young man right there," and pointed at Lucadello. As he left Grimm's office, Wrigley said of Lucadello, "This young man was born to be a scout".
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