Al LaMacchia, who passed away September 15 at the age of 89, was a less-than-stellar big league pitcher, a solid minor league pitcher—and an excellent scout. Though his career didn’t pan out on the field, it definitely did watching the field—and all the prospective players on it.
LaMacchia’s major league career was not long, nor was it terribly impressive. He played for the St. Louis Browns in 1943 and 1945 and for the Washington Senators in 1946, pitching in 16 games and posting a 6.46 ERA.
His minor league career was a bit better—over 14 seasons, he won 159 games and lost only 117, leading to a .576 winning percentage. That’s not bad—but it seems few people care much about a player’s minor league performance.
His list of signees and finds is impressive—names include Dale Murphy, George Bell, Dave Stieb, David Wells and Lloyd Moseby. He later pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to acquire little-known Andre Ethier in 2005, a move that has paid dividends for the team in blue.
LaMacchia scouted for multiple teams throughout his career, including the Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers.
