Lou Derosa (Trail, BC), left, Raymond Belanger (Weyburn, Sask.) and Lionel Ruhr (Regina, Sask.) together before heading to an Atlanta Braves workout on the Lower Mainland in British Colombia in 1993. Belanger was Canadian Scouting director for the Braves, while Derosa and Ruhr were associate scouts.

April 29, 2024

It has been said that scouts have special eyes … as in they can see the future … all the way four or five years down the road.

They also have excellent memories and outstanding photo albums.

This picture goes back to 1993.

The Atlanta Braves employed Raymond Belanger as their Canadian scouting director. Before that, the late Belanger (Weyburn, Sask.) worked for the the Cincinnati Reds and in 1988 he was elected to the Saskatchewan Hall of Fame.

Baseball Canada's Elite Coach of the Year Award, presented annually, is named in in memory of the late Lionel Ruhr (Regina, Sask.)

Lou Derosa (Trail, BC) spurred efforts to have Jason Bay Field signage added at Butler Park in East Trail. More than 36 players from Derosa’s high school program continued on at US colleges or in Canada. Two had pro careers, Jason Bay (Trail, BC) with 11 seasons in the majors and RHP Barry Parisotto (Trail, BC), who was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers and played three seasons in the minors -- two with the Dodgers and one with the Florida Marlins.