Mike Brito, famed Los Angeles Dodgers scout who signed Fernando Valenzuela and many others, dies aged 87
LOS ANGELES – Mike Brito, international legend Los Angeles Dodgers scouts discovered Fernando Valenzuela and Julio Urias, among many others, died on Thursday afternoon, the team announced. He was 87 years old.
Brito – a distinctive presence with his Panama hat, thick mustache, dark sunglasses, long cigar and bulky radar gun – has worked for the Dodgers for the past 44 years, helping to attract star players. has resonated for generations.
“I learned a lot from him when it comes to players and just watching the game,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “It doesn’t matter where on the map there’s a baseball game – if there’s a potential prospect, Mike will go there and keep an eye on him.”
All told, Brito has signed over 30 players who have played in the major leagues, including Urias, Yasiel Puig, Ismael Valdez, Antonio Osuna, Juan Castro, Dennys Reyes and most notably Valenzuela, who captivated the area as a Mexican. – infant pitcher who won a Cy Young Award and led the Dodgers to the championship in 1981.
“My heart is heavy today,” Valenzuela said in a statement. “Mike was a wonderful man and instrumental in my success as a baseball player on and off the field. No one loved the Dodger organization more than Mike, and we will all miss him dearly. that.”
“I have no words. You changed my life Mike Brito. You and your white hat, sir. #Legend #RIP,” Puig wrote in a tweet Thursday night.
Brito is survived by his wife, Rosario, two daughters, Diana and Minerva, and four nieces. Funeral services are pending, Dodgers said.
Born in Cuba, Brito played in the Washington Senators’ minor league system and went on to play professionally in Mexico in the 1960s. He moved to LA in 1968, sticking with the Dodgers as a squad. scout for the Mexican Federation and was hired full-time by then-general manager Al Campanis in 1978, the beginning of a six-decade run.
Brito was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005 and was named International Boy Scout of the Year at the Major League Baseball winter meetings in 2014. Baseball America Publications honored contributions his life to the sport by presenting him with the Tony Gwynn award last year .
