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Featured alum: Trevor Haley, Class of '00
Trevor Haley ’00 didn’t make it to the big leagues for his long ball or his gold glove in the outfield. He landed a spot with the Pittsburgh Pirates for his strong work ethic, positive attitude and keen eye for talent. As a scout, Haley has found and assessed some of the Pirates’ best upcoming talent.
His road to the Major League was long, his journey tenacious and focused. With his MC degree in business administration in hand, Haley took a position as assistant coach for conference foe Franklin College while working on his master’s degree in physical education in recreation at Indiana University.
He wanted to make his resume stand out to baseball clubs because he had no direct “in,” so he earned a law degree at Marquette University in 2006. After years of working for low pay with a scouting bureau and sending out more than 500 applications, Haley landed an internship in player development with the Colorado Rockies.
In January 2008, he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates as an area scout, covering Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana. His first day on the job was one for the books and the future of Pirates baseball. He traveled to Vanderbilt University with his supervisor to scout the Commodores’ No. 1 draft prospect, slugger Pedro Alvarez.
Pittsburgh signed Alvarez as the second pick in the 2008 draft, on a negotiated $6.4 million four-year contract.
As Haley grows as a Major League Baseball professional, he credits the people and education he received at Manchester College for helping to prepare him. He recalls his classroom learning and mentors like Professor Tim Ogden ’87, who helped him develop business instincts, and baseball Coach Rick Espeset, who prompted him to a life mantra of improving every day.
“In my role as an area scout, every day is completely unique and full of decisions,” says Haley. “Each decision impacts the next. There is no set schedule. There are no directives and there is no office. You are 100 percent on your own.
“The job requires you to make a call on many different fronts a day, always with imperfect information. But at the end of the day, you have to be accountable – the expert on the baseball players in your area.
“It comes down to accountability on a daily basis. Be it accountability to teammates, a curriculum, or a career — that is a virtue I first learned at the Chet.”
By Chaz Bellman ’13
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