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Baltimore Orioles: Looking for talent in New Zealand

By Kristen Bentley

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 10: The hat and glove of Delmon Young #27 of the Baltimore Orioles sits in the dugout during the third inning of the Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 10, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 10: The hat and glove of Delmon Young #27 of the Baltimore Orioles sits in the dugout during the third inning of the Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 10, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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The Baltimore Orioles are known for finding talented players where other teams wouldn’t even consider.

While other MLB teams are shopping for players in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, the Baltimore Orioles turned to New Zealand.

According to an article from Baseball New Zealand, Dan Tan, the National Development Officer for the Kiwi nation, is now partnering with the Orioles. He will serve as an Associate Scout.

According to Tan, his role involves:

"“This means that I pass on information about talented ball players we have in New Zealand, for potential international free agent signings.”"

New Zealand has several competitive baseball teams

Tan has been working on developing the game of baseball in New Zealand for the past four years. He also serves as the coach of the New Zealand 18U National Team. In the article from Baseball New Zealand, Tan comments on how he urges his top players to attend college. However, he seemed happy to be able to offer the minor league systems for players who might find the cost of college to be prohibitive.

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New Zealand has a growing baseball culture, but at this point, there have only been a few players who have come to the US for the MLB system. Those are Scott Campbell, Travis Wilson, and Daniel Lamb-Hunt. These players were signed by MLB teams, but did not ever play in the Big Show. Hopefully, Tan will be able to find players who can make it out of AAA. And, get them into the Orioles system.

Watch for future Kiwi Orioles

The Orioles also have a talent scout visiting areas all over the Pacific. The Director of Pacific Baseball Operations, Mike Snyder, made contact with Tan after his recommendation from Ryan Flynn, who is the Baseball New Zealand CEO. Flynn recommended Tan for his extensive experience working with young players. Tan even played, which helps him understand the game better than most. The Orioles are excited about Tan finding players who have the physical abilities for the MLB. When Snyder visited New Zealand in 2016, he noticed that the baseball players looked like they were built for the MLB.

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Since the Orioles have given up a significant amount of their International Bonus Pool money, they need to look around elsewhere for talent. Being the first to scout in New Zealand gives the Orioles an advantage – especially over teams that are not looking anywhere in the Pacific region.

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