Simple Faith with Rusty George

Rusty George: This episode is brought to you by Serve HQ. Train your Ministry volunteers, leaders, and new members online. Fast and easy with Serve HQ..

Intro/Midroll/Outro: Welcome to Leading Simple with Rusty George. Our goal is to make following Jesus and leading others a bit more simple. Here's your host, Rusty George.

Rusty George: Hey, thanks for listening to Leading Simple. I'm your host, Rusty George. Today we get to talk sports, love talking sports, and we've had a couple of great episodes about baseball. I got to talk to Ned Yost, which was a personal highlight of mine since he was the manager of the Kansas City Royals when they won the World Series back in 2015. I got to talk to Marty Lamb, which was a fascinating conversation about talent and finding talent as he's a talent scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. And then I got talk to Kevin Burrell, and that's the conversation you're gonna hear today. Kevin is a scout for the Chicago White Sox.

And for those of you that are listening thinking, "I don't care about baseball", you're gonna like this because he talks about how to spot talent in other people, how to harness that, how to help them, how to nurture that along. I think you're really gonna get a lot out of our conversation with Kevin. And just for fun, we're gonna talk baseball playoffs with him, which are. Upon us, and we're gonna talk about who he thinks has the best shot to win the World Series. So, in the words of David Letterman, as always, no gambling, but if you do, here's some information that may help you. Just kidding, of course.

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Well, now onto my discussion with Kevin Burrell, batter up.

Kevin, thank you so much for joining the podcast. For our listeners that don't know who you are, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into being a baseball scout.

Kevin Burrell: Yeah, so I grew up in Southern California. I was born in Pomona, then moved, we moved to family, moved over to a Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, then down to Mission Viejo, and then eventually San Diego. Grew up, uh, pretty much the middle school to high school years in San Diego. And, uh, wound up playing a high school baseball down there.

I was more of a suspect prospect as a junior than I was a, a, a pro prospect. Uh, signed my letter of intent to San Diego State University at that time in 19 and, uh, 81. And, um, then the draft came out. Um, I grew over that summer from my junior year to my senior year. The draft came out in 1981. And, uh, I wound up, uh, becoming a first round draft pick with the Boston Red Sox organization in 81. And, um, transitioned into playing 10 years of professional baseball. And, uh, at the end of my, had a elbow injury in, um, uh, there in about 1990. Played, came back and played in 1991, just wasn't the same, and decided it was time to transition outta playing into scouting or. So, uh, there's a baseball, uh, magazine called Baseball America that did an article on me, uh, post playing career.

And in that article, I, you know, just tried to make a statement that I was interested in staying in the game, either coaching or scouting. And, uh, shortly after that, the Chicago White Sox, uh, scouting director at the time, Had called me and said, Were you interested in, in getting into scouting who read this article? And I said, Yes, I was. And so he said, Well, we'd like to interview, interview you for the position, uh, as the area scouting supervisor back here in Georgia. So that started this process, this journey in the fall of 1991. And I've been scouting ever since.

Rusty George: Wow. That is a, a long tenure in baseball. I know that's, uh, a lot of wear and tear, but as a scout you get to stay- it seems like you would get to stay near home, but boy, Georgia and South Carolina, that's a large area to cover and it's not necessarily all on planes. You're doing a lot of driving to small little towns to watch kids, uh, throw baseballs and, uh, so, you know, tell us a little bit about what life as a scout is like and what do you wish you, you knew when you started that, you know now?

Kevin Burrell: Mm. Well, uh, life as a scout is, uh, consists of a lot of things really. I drive a lot. I drive about 35 to 40,000 miles a year.

Rusty George: Wow.

Kevin Burrell: And, uh, so it's a lot of time on the road. Um, fortunately, you know, there's some places I can get to and get back. You know, I don't have to stay overnight. Some place I, I can commute to.

But really there's, there's, you know, I think what I, what I wish I knew now that I didn't, you know, know then at that time was just, you know, being more aggressive on players. Being willing to take more risks. You're right, as a young scout, you didn't take enough risks. Uh, not being afraid of failure, you know, uh, we're all gonna fail.

But I just, uh, as a, as a scout, you know, especially as a young scout, you're always afraid of making, uh, a risky pick or a risky recommendation. I just wish I would've taken more risk on, on guys and on on prospects, you know? Um, and really to, to leverage my platform, uh, in a way. God placed me in that role of what I do and uh, just to leverage my platform. I wish I would've known that a lot earlier in my life, to really make a difference in coaches and athletes lives, and scouts lives. It's, uh, it's, it's, I wish I would've known more of that then than I, than I, than really what I do now.

Rusty George: Yeah. I think we all wish we'd, uh, we'd taken a few more risks when we were younger and wish we'd all known that some of these things would've worked out. I wonder about you as a scout. You see a player, you take a risk on a player, your team drafts the player, puts him through the system, and then, you know, they give up a. You know, a walk off home run or they make an error that costs the game. Do you feel responsible at that level or is there some point where you say, Listen, I got you this far now you guys gotta take it from here.

Kevin Burrell: Yeah, I think it's both and um, you know, I look at it, uh, our job as a scout is to sign players, sign prospects, hand them over to player development and it's their job to try to develop that talent. Mm-hmm. , you know, when you watch 'em on tv, You know, you, you live and die with these guys. You get to know 'em, you get to know everything about 'em.

And um, you know, as I was a matter of fact, I was at a game here recently in Atlanta and you know, I was watching. From this side of the screen, of course. And you know, just a lot of those guys out there, some of those guys I knew personally, you know, and I scouted personally. And you know, you, you, you just, you, you get to know these guys and you get to know 'em on a personal level.

So you kinda live and die with them, you know, when they're in the big leagues and there's guys you sign. Um, but no, I don't, I don't look at it and go, Well, he threw a ball away or made an area. Many error. It just kind of is what it is with the game of, you know, the game is based on, based on failure. Right? So you're gonna fail a lot in this game. So Yeah. If you fail seven outta 10 times, you're a 300 hitter.

Rusty George: I was gonna say, they'll put you in the hall of fame for that.

Kevin Burrell: Yeah, exactly. . Exactly. But um, yeah, it's just something that I really, um, Uh, I, I, I just love, I love what I do, you know, I get to do what I do from a baseball standpoint. So, um, it's, it's a lot of fun.

Rusty George: Mm, Well, I know so much of what you have, uh, been doing is really to look kind of beyond the numbers. You gotta look at players and see, you know, is this, is this person gonna be a good character fit, gonna be a good, um, you know, intangibles fit? You put out a tweet not long ago where you mentioned phrases like, uh, isn't mature, not ready yet, doesn't hustle? Uh, You know, those are things you're looking for, you know, how do you see that in a young player? And I'm thinking specifically about people listening to this podcast that are trying to hire somebody, you know, what are they looking for in somebody that does the intangibles? Yeah.

Kevin Burrell: Well, you know, when I, when I try to look at players, uh, and evaluate from a makeup standpoint, not so much at ability standpoint or skill set, but I try to look at three seeds, uh, Character, uh, Chemistry and competency. Mm-hmm. . So those are three areas that I really try to look at and focus on. I have a questionnaire that it's about 25 or 30 questions that I go through, either through a Zoom meeting or an in person meeting. Um, and just really kind dive into, uh, how these guys are wired, how they're made.

And, uh, because your skillset will get you to the big leagues in a lot of ways. But the, the thing that really keeps players there is their makeup. Mm-hmm. , uh, how competitive they are, how disciplined they are, what type of drive they have, Um, do they have leadership ability. Um, there's so much of that in there.

So I look at it like for an, an approach to the game. Are they lazy? Uh, do they show energy? Do they, what type of work ethic do they have? Are they a team player or are they all about themselves? I was watching a game, um, at some point in the past and I was watching a pitcher and he walked off the mound and, um, he walked into the dugout and walked to the end of the bench.

Uh, didn't have any interaction with players at all. Uh, that can be misconstrued as being locked in and wired in or, um, you know, from a, from a different angle. So, um, I, I, I watch these guys wherever they go on the field. If I'm there to watch a player, I watch every part of it. When they walk off the field, when they go in the dugout, how they, they're going to dug out, how they stretched, how they warm up, what type of batting practice they take.

Are they into it? Do they show energy level? Uh, are they coachable? You know, I, I've had a coach tell me, uh, last year he was talking about a kid and he just said, uh, the worst kid I've ever coached, just, just not coachable. Mm. So all of that plays into that. And then I look at a player and I say, Does he, I look at three areas. Does he, does he like it? Does he love it or does he live it? And so those are three areas that I really hone in on, you know, Does this kid like the game? Does he love the game or does he live the game? I mean, is it, is it his passion? Does he, does he live for the game? And so, um, really, um, and then the one other question I ask is, I think, I always think it's an interesting ask on my questionnaire.

I'll ask the prospect, I'll say, uh, you're now the coach. You're no longer the player, so you gotta put your coach hat on. Um, would you play your nine best or your best nine? And there's silence. So, um, that player has to, has to answer that question for me and how they think and how their wired really comes out in that.

So, um, give me a few answers to that. What, what, what have people said? What's, is there a right answer or is it just feeling there? Is, there is a right answer. Okay. There is. And, um, for the listeners, uh, you know it, when I ask that question, the nine best referred to the most skilled, right, The most talented, but the, the best nine refer to those guys that play the best together. They had the best chemistry together. They might not have the greatest skillset. They might not be the most talented, but they do play the best together and they play to win.

Rusty George: Mm. Yeah. You would think with baseball, it's so much of an individual game because you got a guy on a mound, you got a guy in a batter's box, but there is a lot of chemistry involved and um, a lot. Knowing where your cutoff man's gonna be, knowing the tendencies of your catcher or your third basement or whatever, uh, what, what are some things that are just, uh, you know, it's almost like there are things veterans know that rookies don't. Is it possible for a rookie to, to learn some of those things quickly or know them coming in, intangibles there, Or is it just you gotta be in the game for nine or 10 years to pick up on some of this?

Kevin Burrell: Yeah, I, I, I definitely think you have to be, um, you know, it's a difference between a high school player oftentimes and a college player. The college player is more mature in a lot of ways than the high school player is. So, um, it's rare that you get a player that can actually, uh, be mature enough and advanced enough to really think like a veteran. That's, that's very rare. And the guys that do move very quickly through the system to the big leagues. Um, it's generally gonna take some time really to understand what it means to be a professional. You know, you get into this in professional environment. They have to learn how to be a professional, um, how to wear your uniform, how to wear your cap, , you know, just, just very basic things that they have no idea going in oftentimes. Um, you know, What does it mean to, uh, you know, I was telling somebody the other day about a pitcher that if a pitcher gets too quick outs, generally speaking, at least when I was in the game, uh, if you walked the next hitter, that was a fine.

If you went two balls on the next hitter, that was a fine. So, um, you know, you learn, you learn quickly, uh, that they take your money from you very quickly and it teaches you a lot of, uh, a lot of things about how to become a professional.

Rusty George: Let me ask you this question: for our listeners that don't understand this, if you get drafted into baseball, you don't go immediately to the major leagues. Walk us through the levels of all the minor league stops one might make before they get to the big leagues. Now, obviously somebody can take a jump, but what is the natural progression if you went through all the steps?

Kevin Burrell: Sure. So, um, I'll go over basically with our organization, we share a, a complex in Glendale, Arizona with the Los Angeles Dodgers. And so we both share that complex and, uh, our rookie league team is out there in Arizona, which is referred to as the Arizona. League or the fire league cuz it's so hot. Um, . So we, uh, that's our Rookie League team. Generally speaking. We spend, send most of our high school players there for their short season first year when they sign. From there, they would go to can Annapolis, which is a, uh, low a team as well. And it's a full season. It's a full season team. But that's in Can Annapolis, North Carolina, which is a suburb of Charlotte, so North Carolina. And then our high A team is in the Carolina League, which is in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Mm-hmm. . And then our AA is in Birmingham, Alabama. And our Triple A team is in Charlotte, North Carolina, uh, right next to the, uh, Charlotte Panther Stadium. So, uh, those are kind of the progressions of in our system. From Rookie League to triple A. Uh oh. So that's right. You don't always have to go from rookie league at every step. Sometimes you can make a jump from, you know, can Annapolis or even Winston-Salem up to triple A or to double A. Uh, just depends how advance your skills are and you know how well you, you can advance. So that's, uh, what five steps it could take you before you actually get to the big leagues. Yeah, potentially.

Rusty George: Wow. So if you sign someone to a rookie contract, and this is just for my own knowledge, I was always curious about this. How long do you have with them before you have to re-sign them? Does that last all year-

Kevin Burrell: So you have a, the, the organization has a six year, they own your rights for six years. Okay? After six years, you become, if you have not reached the major league level, you are a six year free agent. And so, which means any other team can sign you, but once they sign you to your first pro contract, they have the rights to you for six years.

Rusty George: Wow. Okay. So I've got another random question I've always wondered, and I know part of this is just, well, that's the way baseball's always done it. Baseball's very, uh, traditional. Why does the coach and the manager, why do they wear the same uniform? Because they're not gonna. You know, I always think, think about in basketball, you never saw Phil Jackson wearing a jersey like he was gonna go in, So, uh, how come they're, they're wearing a, a uniform, like they're getting ready to go in?

Kevin Burrell: Well, that's a good question. I've never really thought about that question like that. Um, I know it's, uh, it's probably a little different in football than it is in, in, uh, Yeah, definitely than basketball. But I think it's just part of just the history of the game, you know? Yeah. That everybody suits up in the same uniform and- and you wear the same uniform. I, in a way I like that because, you know, every, everybody's in uniform together. You know, there's a cohesiveness there and, um, but yeah, I, you know, I've never really thought in depth about that question.

Rusty George: Well, I'll give you something to ponder the rest of the day. Yeah. It just, it seems like a lot of work for that manager to put on the, you know, all the cleats and everything just to go out there and sit so, But I guess he could have that one trip to the mound. He don't wanna fall down, so I guess that helps.

Kevin Burrell: Yeah. Oh yeah, for sure.

Rusty George: I wanna talk about what I know you're most passionate about, and that is the discipleship process that you feel like not only are you on, but you are taking players through. And you do this a variety of ways. Some of this is how you- you, uh, manage and grow and develop your own faith, and some of this is how you manage and grow other players' faith. Walk me through just some of your, your, your thinking when it comes to, All right. I have a job that I'm not a pastor, but I'm going to be a, a disciple on the job. How do you think through that? And what are some of the checkpoints you go through?

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Kevin Burrell: Well, my faith journey journey really was, began in June 3rd, 1976 when, um, I realized, and I grew up in a Christian school all the way up to eighth grade. And then I realized for the first time growing up in a Christian school and a Christian home, had wonderful, godly parents.

But there was a disconnect. I had a lot of head knowledge. I never had a heart knowledge. And so, um, on June 3rd, 1976 is when there's 11 o'clock at night. And I called my father in and I said, Dad, I realized for the first time that if I was, um, to die tonight, that I would spend eternity away from God. And, um, I wanna make that right.

And so that began this journey, um, of a long time now, um, of trying to. Live this life of what it means to be a disciple. And so growing up in church my whole life, I understood that there was disciples in a church. However, I had no understanding what it meant to be a disciple. Hm. And so, uh, once I went through the process of being discipled and then understanding how to be as disciple, how to live out the character and the conduct of Christ and the character of Christ is fleshed out through the nine fruits of the spirit and the conduct of Christ is how he managed it, managed his time, and his calendar and his days. And you know, I, I, I realized that Jesus never, he didn't wing it when he was on this earth. He did not wing it. He was very, very disciplined. He was very focused on what he wanted to do every single day.

And so this, this, this thought process began to drive me about, How can I leverage my influence in this game of baseball professionally over the, now, the last 42 years to make an impact with my life that's gonna long outlive me? And, um, so part of this is what I'm pa- what I'm so passionate about now is trying to take coaches and scouts and pour my life into and disciple them and teach them the character and the conduct of Christ, how to be a disciple, what that looks like, what that means, and then how to multiply more disciples, how to reproduce it in other coaches, in other scouts lives. And, um, that is my driving passion. I love, I love what I do for a living, but I'd say it this way, I'm a minister in disguise as a. That's, that's what I do. I'm a minister in disguise as a scout.

So, um, you know, I, I learned this late in life. I wish I would've learned this earlier, but I learned this later in life. And now the fourth quarter of my life, I am driven and passionate about living this out every day. And, um, so we do that through in 2020.

Uh, I went to one of my friends, a fellow pastor, friend of yours, Mike Lynch. From North Star Church and I just said, Listen, Mike, there's a couple of couple of us that really wanna make an influence on coaches and scouts lives and uh, these are some thoughts that we had about starting a Zoom online group.

So we started with four. We started with four guys in 2020. Every Monday morning we met to really go through discipleship and a Bible study. And today, As of today, now we run 70 to 80 every week, every Monday morning that we're pouring into coaches and scouts on Zoom from all over the United States, from Oregon to Southern California, to New England, to Florida, and everywhere else in between.

And, um, there's power five coaches. There's middle, uh, mid major coaches, there's travel team coaches, there's high school coaches and pro scouts all over the nation. Log on there every Monday morning and just teaching them about what it means to be a disciple and how to make more disciples with their life.

And so this is a, it's a real passion of mine. It's a real, real passion of mine. So that's just one, one area. Another area that I use for me is totally separate from that is a, I have a GroupMe app that I have about another additional. Coaches and scouts that I ride a devotional two, three times a week to try to encourage them to try to build them up, to try to give them something that week for three days a week that can fire their, their engine up and, and keep them motivated.

So, um, those are just things that I, those are a couple ways, and then every, every, every, uh, off season I select and I pick out a, a handful of guys. Probably five or six guys that I take through, uh, three months of discipleship and just pour my life into 'em. Every week I did it. Usually I do it at Chick-fil-A and, uh, we meet there early in the morning.

We have a time of fellowship, we have a time of prayer, we have a time of open up God's word and really teaching them what it means to be a disciple. And, uh, they clearly understand at the end of the. What their expectation is, is to go out and reproduce more disciples. Um, so that's, that's what drives me, you know, and my whole grid through that.

Uh, I really try to go out to the crowd, the community out here, the culture. I try to take the culture to the crowd. I take them from the crowd to community. I take them from community to the core of discipleship, and then eventually try to send them out as the called and, um, to go out and make disciples.

So I believe that that's what the, that's what Jesus did. Like I said, he didn't wing it. I believe that Jesus had a very defined. And he was very strategic in the way he reached people. And, um, I think simply he just went to the culture, invited him to the crowd, moved him into community, asked him to come deeper in with the core with him, and then he sent him out to, to reproduce the whole thing again.

Mm-hmm. And so that's my passion in this, is just to really try to reach. As many baseball coaches and scouts and people. Um, not only am I local church than what I do for a living. Mm. That's really great. And I know part of that is this discipleship grid that you think through as far as kind of how you grade yourself.

Rusty George: Yeah. And I would assume this is how you, you impart this to your guys too. Can you walk us through these checkpoints?

Kevin Burrell: Yeah, I, um, I, I keep on my phone, um, Just really in my phone, it's, it's a kind of a grid that I, that I use and what that looks like. And so it's called, uh, it's a seven steps. So this is more the conduct of Christ, right?

This is the conduct of Christ that I try to teach these guys. The character is flushed out through the nine fruits of the spirit, but the conduct is, you know, these, number one is a member and, uh, am I committed? Am I a committed member? Am I committed to my local church? And, um, just the environment of a small group environment.

Am I committed to that? Um, next, next one is magnify, which is a worshiper. Am I spending worship time in private alone and in public in my lo local church? Uh, next one is ministry serving. Am I meeting the needs of people in my community, in my baseball career and in my local church? The next one is maturing, which is growing.

Am I spending time with God, growing in my fellowship, am my faith with him through reading, studying his word, fasting in prayer. Next one is manager, which is stewarding. Am I managing my time? Am I managing my calendar, my gifts, my treasures, my temple in a God honoring way? Next one is messenger, which is outreach.

Am I seeking out opportunities to share God's message of love and salvation with others? And inviting them to see, to church, um, am I encouraging others? And then the last one is multiplier, which is ministry. And am I reproducing and multiplying more disciples with the life and time I've been given here on earth?

And am I making disciples that make disciples? It's really a seven m grid of disciple. Uh, what, what really? What the, what, what it means to the conduct of Christ. And uh, I use that for me. I look at. My phone weekly and how am I doing in these areas? You know, how am I doing in my, uh, character? You know, am I showing love this week?

Am I showing patience this week? Am I showing joy? Um, do I have peace? Am I having self control? You know, what does that look like at the end of the week? So it's something just drives me. I'm probably a little anal with it, but it's something that I'm, it drives me and I'm passionate about because I have a short amount of time in this.

Um, in what I do to impact as many people as I can. And, um, I certainly don't wanna finish life, um, and have the Lord look at me and, you know, I want him to say, Well done, my good and faithful servant.

Rusty George: Mm. That's beautiful. I love that. I think that's a great reminder for all of us. I'm wondering about, you know, how you call people into this because you sit in somebody's home and you talk to them about, you know, joining the organization and those kind of things, and they tell you, uh, you know, I'm a Christian and this is a very important part of my life.

It's probably one thing if they tell you, it's another thing if their parents tell you that their son is a Christian. Um, but let's say they do, and you know, right away they're a follower of Jesus. It's important to them. It's easier to, to invite them into this process. But when somebody is not what's your, what's your mental process there? Cause I think for a lot of our listeners that work in the, uh, vocational world outside of a church and deal with a lot of, uh, unchurched people, and we all interact with unchurched people all the time, there's a tendency for us just to say, Well, uh, that's their business. I'll just be close and pray. God opens the door. Or do you have some questions at which you kind of, uh, help people kind of think about the meaning of life and start 'em down a path.

Kevin Burrell: Yeah. I'm a big believer and I, I believe this wholeheartedly that ministry is relationships. Jesus was, was all about relationships. Mm-hmm. . And so for me, uh, personally, I try to build a relationship with somebody before I, um, even asked them to take this next step, uh, of maybe joining in and saying, Hey, can I, You wanna spend some time together?

I really try to earn 90% of their trust so that I can speak 10% into their life. Hmm, that's good. And, um, I, I think over the years that's proved, uh, helpful. Mm-hmm. that, um, you earn trust, you earn respect, and they can trust you. And once you earn that, Um, that gives you the right, and it gives you the ability to at least speak 10% in their life and it opens doors that instead of just, you know, coming in full bore and trying to, you know, preach to 'em and all that.

So I just, I just, you know, I, I think through the, through the New Testament, I, I've read God was all about, Jesus was all about relationships. He was always, always about building relationships and. And, um, and, and then just, and just developing that, you know? And so we get to the point where eventually I say, Hey, would you like to love to take, spend some time with you for a few months?

Would you be open to that? And I have, I've had nobody say no. I mean, they, they've always said, Sure, I'd love to, love to, but there's an established relationship there already. That's great. Well, I love this and I've, I've taken a lot of notes. I think there's some great insight for all of us, especially, uh, pastors who are trying to figure out how to disciple men specifically, uh, but also anybody in your church.

Rusty George: Kevin, this has been fantastic. Uh, you and I do not see eye to eye when it comes to baseball because I'm a Kansas City Royals fan, and you're a Chicago White Sox employee, so I assume you're a fan. We're both still living off a World Series from years ago. Uh, but this upcoming World Series, this is going to air right as the playoffs get going. Tell me two teams that you think, boy, they've got the best shot to win it this year. And, uh, I'll, uh, I'll let you just talk as much or as little about those teams as you'd like.

Kevin Burrell: Yeah. Well, I, I, uh, certainly hope our organization from the White Sox and the American League, I certainly hope. We get a chance to get in there. I know we're battling the guardians right now. We got a big serious starting tonight with them. Um, so hopefully, Lord willing, we can be able to, to get in there in the playoffs and represent the American League, if not us. I think potentially the, the Yankees have a, have a good chance at that, uh, on the American League side, um, from the National League side, I, I really, honestly, I, I.

It's probably gonna come down between the Braves and the Dodgers. That's just my opinion. Yeah. Um, I, I think at the end of the day, the Dodgers are gonna be very tough to beat at the end of the day. So, um, that's kind of my, my, my prediction on certainly the World Series winner. But, uh, hopefully our club can get in there and at least compete and, uh, in the World Series.

Rusty George: All right. One last, uh, one last baseball question. Tell me the greatest player you ever played with and the greatest player you've ever seen. Okay. So the, the greatest player on the field of competition that I was ever around and played with was Bo Jackson. Um, Wow. He was, he was a combination of incredible speed and power and athleticism.

Kevin Burrell: Had he not got hurt, I think the sky's limit what he could have become. Um, Wow. Just an amazing, the best athlete that I ever played with on the field of competition. The best, um, the best, um, the best amateur player that I've ever scouted ever was Josh Hamilton. Um, if there was six tools, he had six, um, but he was the best positional player as an amateur that I ever scouted.

And the best high school pitcher that I ever scouted was Josh Beckett. Josh Beckett was probably the best high school amateur right-handed pitcher that I were scouted.

Rusty George: Hmm. Well that's, that's fascinating. Well, I, I would love to be in your mind watching some of these players play to see what you see. But, uh, grateful for our time together today. And let us into your mind a little bit when it comes to disciple making, which is a huge passion of ours. So all the best to your, uh, your team as long as they're not playing mine, which mine's far from the. I think we're already eliminated next year, but uh, uh, I'm so grateful for you spending time with us and I'd love to chat again some time. So thank you so much.

Kevin Burrell: Thank you, Rusty. Great to be with you.

Rusty George: Well, Kevin, thank you so much for being a part of the podcast and, uh, good luck, uh, going forward to your team. As long as they're not playing my team.

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