Dodgers continue reshaping scouting corps

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Dodgers, who have moved aggressively this year toward video scouting of opponents, have not renewed the contracts of veteran advance scouts Willie Fraser and Gary Pellant, according to a baseball source.

The Dodgers did not confirm the personnel moves. The pair will be paid through October and can seek employment elsewhere immediately.

They are the latest in an ongoing revamping of baseball operations by the executive team of president Andrew Friedman, which included the departures of more than two dozen scouts and Minor League staff, as well as the bolstering and reorganizing of other departments, such as analytics.

The transition of scouting places a heavy emphasis on the work of video advance scout Danny Lehmann, a former Minor League catcher who compiles reports of opponents from season-long video and tailors them to the strengths and weaknesses of Dodgers personnel.

Traditional advance scouting places a scout with an upcoming opponent for a series or two to get a current snapshot, with the advance scout sending reports to the Major League manager and scouting staff to be shared with the players.

With the upcoming postseason, however, the Dodgers are deploying the same strategy they've used in the past, placing a pair of advance scouts with each potential opponent for the last two weeks of the season.

Among those currently scouting potential postseason opponents are vice president of scouting David Finley, amateur scouting director Billy Gasparino and director of player personnel Galen Carr.