D-backs Bryk, Mccullough named 2013 Baseball Scouts of the Year

PHOENIX - The Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) Special Assistant to the General Manager & Major League Scout Bill Bryk and Southeast Scouting Supervisor Howard McCullough have been named 2013 Midwest and East Coast Baseball Scouts of the Year, respectively, the first D-backs to receive the award.
 
The award, which is voted upon by their peers and has been presented annually for 30 years, recognizes the accomplishments of scouts that have devoted at least a quarter of a century to the profession. All recipients of the award are honored in the newly opened "Diamond Mines" scouting exhibit inside the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The exhibit acknowledges the history and careers of all levels of the scouting profession..
 
"Bill Bryk's career spans over 40 plus years and he has a tremendous amount of respect for the game, the people in it and the relationships he has made over time," said D-backs Director, Scouting Ray Montgomery. "I can tell you when talking to him about this award a few weeks ago, he mentioned how thankful he was to be recognized by his peers in the industry and how that meant more to him than anything personally."
 
Bryk, 62, completed his third season with the D-backs and 34th year in a scouting and player development role, having also spent time with the Padres (1979-82, 2000-09) and Pirates (1983-99) organizations. He is credited with signing Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, D-backs radio broadcaster Tom Candiotti and former Major Leaguers Tom Prince, Paul Wagner, Rob Mackowiak, Keith Shepherd, Mark Thurmond and Lou Collier, and Brian Shouse. He was honored as a Midwest Scouts Association Hall of Fame inductee in 2009 and was given the George Genovese Lifetime Achievement Award in Scouting in 2010. In his current role, Bryk scouts Major League players in the American League and is an advisor to General Manager Kevin Towers on player trades, acquisitions and roster moves.
 
"Like many others that make a great 'coach,' and this is our nickname for Howard, he has the ability to teach rather than to tell and his influence is reflected in the many layers of successful people and organizations in the game," said Montgomery. "It sounds cliché, but I can tell you this man has always put the greater good of this organization ahead of any of his personal goals and his humble nature is so authentic it motivates all of those around him to be better."
 
McCullough, 59, has been with the D-backs 18 seasons after joining the expansion franchise in 1996. He has 27 years of scouting experience at the professional level, starting with the Boston Red Sox from 1986-95. He is credited with signing Major Leaguers Mark Reynolds, Chad Tracy, Reggie Harris, Walt McKeel, Jamie D-Antona, Steven Jackson and Tommy Layne. In 2010, McCullough was honored with the D-backs' inaugural Roland Hemond Award, given to the scout who exemplifies the qualities of strong character, dedication and an unfailing work ethic in search for championship-level talent. McCullough has also been named D-backs Scout of the Year in 2005, was inducted in the Mid-Atlantic Association Scouts Hall of Fame in 2007 and inducted into the Topps Baseball Company Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame in 2009. He recently completed his fifth season as Scouting Supervisor, overseeing area scouts in the southeast region and providing assistance in preparation for the First-Year Player Draft.