It is unusual for an agent in any sport to have had a long and successful career as a professional scout prior to breaking into player representation. However, it may actually make sense because a scout’s role is to analyze the skills and potential of amateur athletes. That same eye for talent is necessary to determine what players are worth an agent’s initial investment during the recruiting process. This is especially true in MLB because it can take many years before a player is called up to the big leagues and the majority of players never get that opportunity.
Curtis Dishman, president and CEO of Dishman Sports Group, had a successful 15-year career as a major league scout before becoming an MLBPA certified agent. He worked for the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers. In a recent interview, Dishman explained his previous experience assisting his former employers draft players that he had scouted. “When I was in Detroit we drafted Justin Verlander. When I was in Boston we drafted Jon Lester and Jonathan Papelbon.”
It is no surprise one of Dishman’s current clients is a young pitcher with star potential, Tony Cingrani (Cincinnati Reds). Dishman also represents Peter Bourjos (St. Louis Cardinals outfielder). Cingrani was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2011 amateur draft. In 2013, Cingrani’s first real major league stint he had an impressive overall 2.92 ERA and posted a 7-4 record over 18 starts.
Dishman speaks highly of Cingrani. “He’s very unique. He’s able to pitch with mainly the fastball at the major league level . . . [h]e does it in a unique way. I think he throws [a] fastball over 80% of the time and guys just have a hard time seeing it.”