Keenan was a Dodger scout from 1962-98, and McReynolds, a scout from 1975-99. McReynolds, a Wisconsin native and the author of The Baseball Scouts Notebook, passed away on August 23, 2007 at the age of 85. Keenan is responsible for signing Don Sutton, Bill Russell, and Davey Lopes, among others.
McReynolds was instrumental in the signing of both Bob Welch and Steve Howe, two pitchers who were key parts of the Dodgers' World Series title in 1981. McReynolds’ strong recommendation of Kirk Gibson was a key factor in the team signing the slugger prior to his MVP season of 1988. McReynolds also played a role in the signing of Orel Hershiser.
Keenan, 68, was hired by the Dodgers as a part-time scout in 1962 by then-Scouting Director Al Campanis. He became a full-time scout in 1963, serving first as an area scout in the Midwest. Keenan spent his final 13 years in the organization as the Midwest Supervisor or National Crosschecker.
Keenan’s grandfather, Bert Wells, was also a Dodger scout from 1940-79. Keenan’s son, Mike, has been a scout for 18 years, currently serving as the Midwest Crosschecker for the Cincinnati Reds. The three family members have been scouts for a combined 94 years.
John Keenan, a Kansas native, was also inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988, and Wells in 1978. They are the only grandfather-grandson duo in the Kansas Baseball of Fame.
Keenan is also responsible for signing Rick Sutcliffe, Mickey Hatcher, and Mitch Webster, who is an amateur scout for the Dodgers in the Midwest region and will represent the organization at the banquet.
“John signed me, and has known me since I was a kid,” Webster said. “He has been a great mentor for me as a scout and as a player. All those hard times as a minor leaguer, you’re looking to stay alive, and John was always there to add encouragement. He was a tremendous asset to the Dodger organization.”
“Dale was a tremendous worker and a tremendous writer,” Webster said. “He wrote all these recruitment letters to all these kids, and they were cool. He was a guy who had a lot of passion for baseball, and he helped us win a lot of games. These guys are the backbone of the organization.”
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