Youth baseball players get a feel for the Majors at NYC Scouts Clinic

NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball held its third annual NYC Scouts Clinic on Tuesday morning, with over 50 players aged 9-15 participating in an instructional showcase at Citi Field.

A total of 15 Major League area scouts representing 13 different organizations guided players through a range of drills, helping the players hone their craft for nearly three hours.

“We need young players to have fun playing the game,” said New York Yankees area scout Matt Hyde. “By being introduced to all of these different drills and aspects of the game, it makes them better, but it’s also stuff that they should enjoy doing. And that’s why we all love the game.”

Players were divided into small groups and rotated through five different stations. Scouts shared baserunning tips, helped everyone perfect their crow hops, and offered feedback as players threw four-seam fastballs in the bullpen. The participants also took part in hitting drills and worked on fielding ground balls.

Later in the afternoon, select high school players from the local tri-state area took part in a special Subway Series showcase event.

This year’s iteration of the clinic was extra special, too. In 2024, the event was held at Maimonides Park -- home of the Brooklyn Cyclones, the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. Last year, the event relocated to facilities at St. John’s University.

This go-around, at Citi Field, players sure felt like big leaguers.

“Being able to do it at a big league ballpark, it’s about as good as it gets,” said Will Habib, an area scout for the Mets. “To get to see the looks on the kids’ faces when they walk through the gate, and for them to be on the same field as guys that they look up to, it’s pretty terrific.”

Added Hyde: “The vastness of a Major League stadium makes them see what they can aspire to.”

The clinic also provided participants with a unique platform to showcase their skills in front of scouts. That’s especially important, even at a young age, because catching a scout’s eye is one of the first steps on the long and winding road to the Majors.

An event like Tuesday’s clinic helps build relationships between the scouting community and the next generation of players, who come away with a better understanding of what scouting actually entails.

“I think that tangible evidence of the Major Leagues is something that’s really important,” Hyde said. “That makes a big difference for the kids to see that -- to see that it’s not that far. It’s important for Major League Baseball to have a face to it. … For them to see us, to see that it’s not just the Yankees or the Red Sox or the Mets, it’s the people behind it. That truly represents the Major Leagues.”

Much like every player in attendance, Hyde woke up on Tuesday with a smile on his face. For players and scouts alike, the clinic is one of their favorite events of the year.

“Any time that we get to represent our organizations in uniform and know that it can make a positive impact on kids -- not to mention being in a Major League stadium -- it never gets old,” Hyde said.