By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

All of the game’s movers and shakers were at the Dolphin Hotel in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. for the annual winter meetings in December of 2006.

Matt Higginson, former Oakville A’s and Gardner-Webb University Runnin’ Bulldog infielder was walking the halls too ... the same halls super agent Scott Boras, recently crowned World Series winning manager Tony La Russa of the St. Louis Cardinals, plus New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman and his manager Joe Torre.

And oh yes, there were hundreds of job seekers too, including Higginson.

He had spent six months shadowing Brewers scout Jay Lapp (London, Ont.) as Lapp showed him the ropes and the back roads. Lapp, who now works for the Toronto Blue Jays, has a scouting tree to match an NHL/college coach.

Higginson might not have had a job when he arrived in Florida, but he had a pal in his former Oakville coach Richard Griffin, there covering the meetings for the Toronto Star. Griffin, now a Blue Jays P.R. executive, gave Higginson the extra bed in his room.

Then, coach-for-life Griffin arranged for Higginson and himself to have lunch with Milwaukee Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash. Ash was suitably impressed with Higginson and said that the Brewers would sponsor Higginson at the next Major League scout school in Arizona.

After that ... it was up to Higginson.

And after that?

It was two thumbs up from the Oakland A’s.

* * *

This June, Higginson (Grimsby, Ont.) and the A’s drafted T.J. Schofield-Sam (Brampton, Ont.) in the 12th round (374th over all) on the second day of the draft. On June 27, the A’s gave the teenager $320,000 US -- basically fifth round money. It was the first time the A’s had given out a six-figure bonus to a Canadian. The infielder elected to pass on a scholarship to Chipola College.

When I walk into a ballpark, Matt Higginson is a guy I don’t like to see when I get there or come in after I arrive,” Jamie Lehman (Brampton, Ont.) told me a few years ago. Lehman used to cover Canada and upstate New York for the Toronto Blue Jays and now has been promoted to the talent-rich area of California.

“Not that I don’t like him, we’re friend, I like him and he’s a good guy,” Lehman said, “but Matt is competition teams worry about.”

And Matt Higginson is also the 2019 winner of the Jim Ridley award as the Canadian Baseball Network’s Scout of the Year honour. This is the 26th annual Scout of the Year award, renamed after the late Ridley in 2009.

* * *

Eric Kubota, Oakland scouting director, hired Higginson to cover Canada as the first full-time scout in Canada the A’s had ever had in 2007.

“(Scouting Canada) was a hole we had wanted to fill for some time,” Kubota said from Oakland this week.

He explained how another A’s scout had played at Gardiner-Webb too. So scout Michael Holmes, now scouting director of the San Francisco Giants was called and gave a favorable scouting report on possible scout Higginson.

“There was very little to the interview process,” Kubota said.

* * *

Why did the A’s go far over slot to sign Schofield-Sam?

“Most importantly Matt really loved him, Matt thought T.J. had a bright future,” said Kubota, who had other A’s scouts go in to see “T.J.” as well.

“But give Matt the credit for doing his homework, for knowing the family well and for knowing what they wanted,” said Kubota, who didn’t see Schofield-Sam until the World 18U in Korea.

And?

“T.J. was exactly what Matt had described, we like the upside of the bat,” Kubota said. “He seems like a good kid and he loves the game. We think the world of him.”

Schofield-Sam combined to hit .203 with two rookie-class Arizona League teams. He had two doubles, six RBIs and a .536 OPS in 22 games.

Now, .203 doesn’t sound real good does it, small sample size or not? But another teenager started out in the Gulf Coast League hitting .229, with three extra-base hits in 1990. He grew up to be Chipper Jones. His plaque now hangs in Cooperstown.

Initially Higginson had all of Canada to cover. Now, the A’s will send a West Coast scout to western Canada when needed. Higginson also had added to his territory upstate NY and all of the state of Pennsylvania.

Kubota said Higginson liked “that pitcher in Atlanta (Calgary’s Mike Soroka) a lot.” Soroka went 28th overall in 2015. The A’s chose University of Florida INF Richie Martin 20th overall and gave him a $1.95 million bonus.

The A’s didn’t protect Martin and he was selected in 2018 in the Rule V draft by the Baltimore Orioles. In 2019, he hit .208 with eight doubles, three triples, six homers, 23 RBIs and a .581 OPS in 120 games.

* * *

Besides Schofield-Sam, Higginson has drafted and signed the likes of

_ INF Sean Jamieson (Simcoe, Ont.) was drafted in the 17th round from Canisius College Griffins and the next year was dealt at the deadline to the Arizona Diamondbacks for SS Stephen Drew.

The Metro Atlantic Conference Player of the Year in 2011, batted .350 for Canisius with 13 doubles, two triples, 13 homers and 51 RBIs, plus a 1.100 57 games.

Jamieson was considered a prospect until 2014 when he took an awkward step and tore his cartilage in his left knee. The tear required micro fracture surgery and a nine months of rehab.

_ RHP Lou Trivino chosen and signed by Higginson in the 11th round in 2013 from Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Penn. Appearing in 130 games with the 2018-19 A’s, the reliever appeared in 130 games going 12-9 with a 3.96 ERA and four saves. He walked 62 and struck out 139 in 134 innings.

_ INF Chris Bostick selected in the 44th round in 2011 from Aquinas Institute in Rochester, NY. Bostick appeared in 35 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Miami Marlins in 2017-18. He hit .256 with three doubles and three RBIs.

_ INF Jake Lumley (Windsor, Ont.) a Windsor Selects and Canisius grad, chosen in the 33rd round in 2017. Lumley played one season in the A’s organization before moving on to independent ball.

* * *

Higginson, 37, is going into his 14th year with the A’s.

After coming through the Oakville A’s system, Higginson played four seasons for the Gardner-Webb University Runnin’ Bulldogs.

In four years he combined to hit .251 with seven doubles, three triples, three homers and 34 RBIs in 135 games. Higginson had a .640 OPS playing for the Boiling Springs, NC school. The corner infielder’s best year was as a senior when he batted .254 (43-for-169) with five doubles, a triple, two homers, 19 RBIs and a .642 OPS in 48 games.

* * *

Schofield-Sam’s name was heard early and often on Ontario sandlots. His father, Frankie Sam came to Canada from the isle of St. Vincent where he plays cricket and once here took up Tae Kwon Do from 1982-1987.

Long before playing for Joey Ellison, Mike Steed and Sean Travers with the Ontario Blue Jays and Greg Hamilton with the Canadian Junior National Team, Schofield-Sam played for the Mississauga North Tigers and Brampton Royals for North’s Lino Feijo and Brampton’s Frank Maury.

At the 2018 21U nationals in St. Thomas with Mississauga North he hit .615 (8-for-13) with four RBIs and a 1.282 OPS. And in 2016 at 15U nationals in Summerside, PEI with the Tigers, he batted .474 (9-for-19) with four doubles and three RBIs. And at the 13U Nationals he it an amazing .765 (13-for-17) with four doubles, a homer and four RBIs.

Perfect Game gave him Preseason All American Canada/Puerto Rico All Region First Team honours in 2019 and Honourable Mention the year before.

* * *

With the retirement of San Diego Padres scout Murray Zuk (Souris, Man.) the top three senior evaluators for Canada are:

Claude Pelletier (Ste-Lezare, Que.) who started scouting for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1986 and now works for the New York Mets.

Walt Burrows (Brentwood Bay, BC), who began working for the Major League Scouting Bureau in 1991 and moved over to the Minnesota Twins.

Bill Byckowski, who started evaluating in 1993 for the Toronto Blue Jays and after the great purge in 2004 joined ex-Jays scouting director Chris Buckley with the Cincinnati Reds.

• * *

Canadian Baseball Network Scout Of The Year

Re-Named Jim Ridley Award In 2009

Year Winner Hometown Club

1994 Bill Scherrer, Buffalo, NY, Florida Marlins

1995 Bill MacKenzie, Ottawa, Ont., Colorado Rockies

1996 Tim Harkness, Hampton, Ont., San Diego Padres

1997 Ed Heather, Cambridge, Ont., Toronto Blue Jays

1998 Wayne Norton, Port Moody, BC, Baltimore Orioles

1999 Walt Jefferies, Paris, Ont., Toronto Blue Jays

2000 Claude Pelletier, Ste-Lezare, Que., New York Mets

2001 Jim Kane, Brampton, Ont., Atlanta Braves

2002 Ken Lenihan, Bedford, N.S., MLB Scouting Bureau

2003 Dick (The Legend) Groch, St. Clair, Mich. Milwaukee Brewers

2004 Jim Ridley, Burlington, Ont., Minnesota Twins

2005 Walt Burrows, Brentwood Bay, BC, MLB Scouting Bureau

2006 Alex Agostino, Montreal, Que., Philadelphia Phillies

2007 Howie Norsetter, Sydney, Australia, Minnesota Twins

2008 Greg Hamilton, Ottawa, Ont., Baseball Canada

2009 Jim Ridley, Burlington, Ont., Minnesota Twins

2010 Jay Lapp, London, Ont., Milwaukee Brewers

2011 Doug Mathieson, Langley, BC, Minnesota Twins

2012 Andrew Tinnish, Burlington, Ont., Blue Jays

2013 Murray Zuk, Souris, Man., San Diego Padres

2014 Wayne Norton, Port Moody, BC, Seattle Mariners

2015 Jim Stevenson, Tulsa, Oak., Houston Astros

2016 Doug Mathieson, Langley, BC,, Arizona Diamondbacks

2017 Chris Reitsma, Calgary, Alta., Baltimore Orioles

2018 Bill Byckowski, Georgetown, Ont., Cincinnati Reds

2019 Matt Higginson, Grimsby, Ont, Oakland A’s.

What clubs are spending in Canada

(Includes six-figure bonus totals)

Rank Team Team Total

1. Pirates $6,905,000

2. Padres $5,964,445

3. Mariners $5,557,500

4. Orioles $5,291,800

5. Twins $3,724,500.

6. Braves $3,687,700

7. Brewers $3,556,700

8. Blue Jays $3,300,000

9. Indians $3,263,138

10. Reds $3,076,000.

11. Marlins $3,047,000

12. Cubs $2,205,900

13. Rockies $2,187,000

14. Rangers $1,965,000

15. Cardinals $1,875,000.

16. Diamondbacks $1,810,800

17. Yankees $1,420,000

18. Astros $1,123,800

19. Dodgers $897,500

20. Red Sox $800,000.

21. Tigers $773,700

22. Royals $475,000

23. White Sox $475,000

24. Phillies $435,000

25. A’s $320,000.

26. Mets $245,000

27. Expos $230,000

28. Rays $140,000

29. Giants $105,000

30. Nationals $100,000