Positive Scouting

Decorated scout Mel Didier left his mark on the game

- Tracy Ringolsby

Mel Didier was definitely old school.

When he scouted high school and college prospects for an upcoming baseball draft, his bottom line was simple.

“Partner, you look for what a young man can do,” he said. “Anybody can find things he can’t do. When you are talking about a sport where hitting .300 is success, you know there’s a lot of failure along the way.”

Not many would argue with Didier, who passed away on Sept. 11 at his home in Phoenix. In more than 60 years in baseball, from his days as a part-time scout while he was coaching high school and college football, to his emergence as one of the most astute evaluators in baseball, Didier earned the respect of his peers.

And to think, growing up in Louisiana, he not only played baseball at Louisiana State but also football, and after initially coaching both sports at Catholic High in Baton Rouge, his alma mater, he became an assistant football coach for Charlie McClendon at LSU.