I was going to post this note of congratulations to Amanda Hopkins in the Northwest Forum. Changed my mind and decided to post it here because I think the story has legs. After all, Amanda is believed to be the first female pro baseball scout in 60 years.
Yesterday, the Mariners officially announced they had hired Amanda Hopkins as their newest Area Scout. Amanda is a neighborhood gal I've known forever. She has trained with my son through the Rips Baseball club for years. Her dad Ron is a baseball lifer and has been a Cross Checker and Scouting Director with the A's, Pirates, and others. As neighborhood peeps, these guys have been around our former facility for years.
Amanda played fast pitch at Central Washington University, but she has always had eyes for baseball. She attended MLB scout school and received extremely high ratings. She's been interning with the M's and helping them in a variety of areas, but the Scouting director said she was too talented to move out of the baseball side of the operation.
I had a gut feeling about Amanda a long time ago. Now I know to trust my gut. I am so proud of her, and wish her the best of luck in her new gig. Look for her around the diamond in the four-corners states this spring!