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Live Chat With Former MLB Pitcher and International Scout Ryan Sadowski
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Ryan Sadowski
10:35
AAAA players like Raley and Rucinski go to Asia and simply get better.  The clock gets short when it comes to player options and roster limitations.  Many of the foreigners playing in Asia having improved and would make an opening day MLB roster in 2023.
Right Field Rob
10:36
How long until we see a successful transplant from another sport?  Thinking cricket, but maybe others too…
Ryan Sadowski
10:37
You cannot teach athleticism.  It has happened and will happen again.  Tom Brady was drafted. Bo Jackson played two sports. Chris Weinke couldnt get it done in the minors and won a Heisman.  It happens all the time.
Giants' fan
10:37
Hi Ryan, thanks for chatting with us today! Just so you know, you were talked about a lot in 2009 on a Giants' fan board on ESPN's website. Not all fans were happy the Giants decided not to keep you in the rotation that year.
Ryan Sadowski
10:39
Madison Bumgarner & Buster Posey were on the way. They were way better than Ryan Sadowski.   Bobby Evans, Brian Sabean, Dick Tidrow and the former Giants cast did some outstanding work.  If I think they made a mistake it was not giving me a chance in 2008.  My best opportunity was not with the Giants in 2010 and I'm thankful how it all turned out.
Barry
10:39
Is BIGS thinking of branching out to scout high school kids as a resource to college level and indy ball programs?
Ryan Sadowski
10:40
BIGS will do some Indy ball work, but we are focused on players who are ready to help high level teams win in the next 12 months.  Those players dont exist in high school and the ones that exist in college are getting drafted in the top 10 picks.
Pape
10:40
The nfl plays games in Europe every year. Is there a chance mlb will start playing games in Asia?
Ryan Sadowski
10:42
There have been some games in Japan.  MLB had a deal where an exhibition fell through in Korea this fall.  Players backed out and MLB's understanding of the KBO and its fans seemed to be lacking.  I think it would be great for the game to be played all over the world. There are fanbases everywhere that would embrace it.  It takes people on both sides will to compromise and understand the needs of the fanbases and players.
Jeremya1um
10:42
Hey Ryan. I’m a big Netherlands baseball fan. Did you work closely with Sidney DeJong, Rick Vanden Hurk, and coaches like Robert Eenhoorn and Bert Blyleven when you did the scouting report for them?  Can you help them win the WBC this year?
Ryan Sadowski
10:42
Bam Bam Muellens was may main point of contact. One of the best men in the game.
Garrett
10:42
Hey Ryan! Do you think the KBO or NPB is more of a talent pipeline to the majors?
Ryan Sadowski
10:43
Japan is a bigger country with a bigger league and more youth players in the game.  In a numbers game, they will always have more players for the MLB.
MLB to KBO/NPB
10:43
Do you ever get calls from MLB players that no longer find their place with an MLB Market and decide to head to Asia to play?  What type of advice do they ask for, if any?
Ryan Sadowski
10:44
All the time.  Many are misguided.  If you cant get a contract with a MLB team,  you arent likely going to find a job in Asia.  The level of play is too good.  I tell guys who are on the fence to go and prove MLB teams wrong (Like Brooks Raley)
Rick
10:45
Hi Ryan, thank you for your insights!  When you evaluate intangibles such as leadership, do those evaluations vary by position?  For example, you might look for different leadership qualities in a catcher vs. a center fielder.
Ryan Sadowski
10:47
Hey Rick. Catchers usually do not transition well to Asia because of the language barrier.  When evaluating a guy, you try to figure out how he handles himself as much as he handles other people.  If a person can't figure out a way to find a meal after the clubhouse manager went missing in the states,  he's going to struggle in Asia.
Eric
10:47
Is there any stats you put more weight in than others when looking at a players numbers, War, dWar etc?
Ryan Sadowski
10:49
These type of statistics are all interpreted by computer algorhithms and spit out projections.  My job is finding the glitches and identifying why those programs are flawed.
Guest
10:49
what is the best path to make it into international scouting. I am a math so other front office jobs make sense for my skills but I want to travel and think I could recognize patterns that lead to performance.
Ryan Sadowski
10:50
Learn the league and figure out what you do differently and better than others.  Once you provide value, teams will want what you provide.  It's about winning (for about 18 of the 30 teams)
Kyle
10:51
Hi Ryan, thanks for doing this chat!  In your personal experience what was the most difficult pitch for you to master, and which pitch or pitches are generally the hardest to master?
Ryan Sadowski
10:51
Knuckleball.  It's like painting with your tongue. Never seen an artist have success with it.
Josh
10:51
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?
Ryan Sadowski
10:52
There is going to be somebody better than you.  It doesn't mean you cant beat them on that given day.
Nate
10:52
Favorite player growing up?
Ryan Sadowski
10:52
Nolan Ryan
Owen
10:52
What’s your best advice to someone who wants to work in professional baseball?
Ryan Sadowski
10:54
Try it straight out of college when you dont need to make money and have family responsibilities.  If you get in late,  you will have too many things pulling you in different directions to have success.
Alex
10:54
As an international scout, do you find being fluent in other languages to greatly help in the scouting process? Do you happen to be fluent in multiple languages?
Ryan Sadowski
10:55
I can speak conversational Korea. It surely helps in Korea.  The game is a language in its own and everybody speaks the same language.
Stanley Spadowski
10:55
How often do you encounter a player that has unique abilities, but may have issues off the field, causing you to shy away?
Ryan Sadowski
10:55
Awesome name!  It happens all the time.  One of the worst interviews I ever had ended up in and out of Asia in 3 months with a club.
Pat H
10:55
Hello sir, did you ever have something wacky written into a contract? Like a year’s supply of blue M&Ms.
Ryan Sadowski
10:56
I needed a new mattress in my apartment in Korea.  I should have asked for it to be filled with a years supply of blue M&M's.
Quarters
10:56
Favorite Minor League and Major League city?
Ryan Sadowski
10:57
For all the NBA all-star fans bagging on Salt Lake City.  I like it there.  SF at Oracle is the spot to see a big league game.
Curious
10:57
What was the dating life like in Asia for international ball players?
Ryan Sadowski
10:58
I was married when I got to Asia.  I have seen a few players date in Asia.  Some with Ex-Pats some with natives. Didn't seem that different from a distance.
Not Rob Wilfong
10:59
What are the qualities that make a manager a good manager?  Fans only see in-game decision-making, but there must be more to it than that.
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