The attention of the Texas Rangers’ media last year was directed to a story about a right-handed prep pitcher in California with all the talent in the world but with a hot temper and some concerns about his support network back home.
The dreaded make-up issues were already dogging Hans Crouse.
The Rangers, like other teams, had their area scout do his due diligence and get to know the kid and the family. The baseball stuff was all there.
In the end, the Rangers learned that Crouse’s make-up issues were overblown, that signing him came with the same risk as any other high-school pitcher, and that he was too much of a talent to pass up in the second round (66th overall).