LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers hired Bob Engel as vice president of international scouting on Thursday, another sign of the franchise’s determination to return to prominence outside North America.
Club president Stan Kasten has insisted the organization will beef up its presence internationally, where the Dodgers once dominated, but for nearly the past decade has been an area virtually ignored.
The biggest splash for new ownership was the $42 million summer signing of Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig, but the Engel hiring signals a move to reestablish grassroots scouting and player development ties throughout baseball’s emerging markets.
Engel comes to the Dodgers from Seattle, where he served for 12 years after 24 years with Toronto. He is credited with signing Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez for the Mariners, and was involved in the signing or drafting of star Toronto pitchers Roy Halladay, Chris Carpenter and Pat Hentgen.
Engel, who turned 62 Thursday, established Mariners academies in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, and in 2011 was named MLB’s East Coast Scout of the Year. He lives in Tampa, Fla.
Not announced yet, but widely reported, is that the Dodgers will hire Patrick Guerrero, who was Engel’s right-hand man in the Dominican for the Mariners. Guerrero was dismissed by Seattle shortly after Engel stepped down.
Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
