Early this season, three more players he signed made their major league debuts. Lamb joined the BA podcast in May to discuss his longevity, signing his latest big leaguers Luke Raley, Jordan Sheffield and Zach Pop and his work with the organization. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: You’ve had quite the track record of signing future big leaguers. What’s your secret?
A: (Laughs). I guess the secret is working for a good organization. I mean, I’ve been lucky enough with (scouting directors) Ed Creech, Logan White, Tim Hallgren and now Billy Gasparino, and then all the people underneath them. And then you know the player development guys that once they get (drafted players) and the work that they’ve done with them. I’ve enjoyed working with the Dodgers. We’ve just got a bunch of good people who are all working for the same goal.
Q: Raley was a seventh-round pick in 2016 out of Division II Lake Erie College. What did you see in him there?
A: It’s a cool story. We had seen Raley at an Ohio small school showcase in the fall, but he was going to have to have knee surgery. So the way he showed at that showcase wasn’t a true measure. I don’t think he ran. You didn’t see really the raw power because of his legs, that kind of thing.
(Later in the year) Vanderbilt’s playing, I get them Friday and Saturday, and Lake Erie is in Nashville. So I thought, ‘I’ll shoot over there.’ We go over and (Raley is) getting in the cage and I’m like, ‘This is a little different than I remember’ . . .
Then he gets in the game and he went oppo jack the first at-bat (and) grounded out where he ran average. I’m like, ‘Whoa, wait a minute, this is different than we saw before.’ I went and saw him again. It was the same thing and I was like, “I’m good.” I mean, it’s body, it’s athlete, strength, it’s a go...
Q: You’ve had quite the track record of signing future big leaguers. What’s your secret?
A: (Laughs). I guess the secret is working for a good organization. I mean, I’ve been lucky enough with (scouting directors) Ed Creech, Logan White, Tim Hallgren and now Billy Gasparino, and then all the people underneath them. And then you know the player development guys that once they get (drafted players) and the work that they’ve done with them. I’ve enjoyed working with the Dodgers. We’ve just got a bunch of good people who are all working for the same goal.
Q: Raley was a seventh-round pick in 2016 out of Division II Lake Erie College. What did you see in him there?
A: It’s a cool story. We had seen Raley at an Ohio small school showcase in the fall, but he was going to have to have knee surgery. So the way he showed at that showcase wasn’t a true measure. I don’t think he ran. You didn’t see really the raw power because of his legs, that kind of thing.
(Later in the year) Vanderbilt’s playing, I get them Friday and Saturday, and Lake Erie is in Nashville. So I thought, ‘I’ll shoot over there.’ We go over and (Raley is) getting in the cage and I’m like, ‘This is a little different than I remember’ . . .
Then he gets in the game and he went oppo jack the first at-bat (and) grounded out where he ran average. I’m like, ‘Whoa, wait a minute, this is different than we saw before.’ I went and saw him again. It was the same thing and I was like, “I’m good.” I mean, it’s body, it’s athlete, strength, it’s a go...
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Baseball America (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2021