Memory Lane: Luke Wrenn’s impact as Red Sox scout 1990-1999

Remembering Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Famer Luke Wrenn’s time as a Red Sox scout. In 35 years he’s continuously proven why he’s one of the best.

There’s a lot that gets said about baseball players- their achievements, their struggles, their history, and their journey. Rarely do we hear about the people responsible for hunting through schools, clubs, and leagues to bring a young player to the attention of a major league team. Luke Wrenn is one of the greatest scouts, recognized through his induction into the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame in 2015. He spent 9 years scouting for the Boston Red Sox.

Wrenn played 5 seasons in MLB with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres clubs. When his playing career ended he returned to school, where he got a Bachelors and Masters in Education. He later returned to MLB in a different role, as a scout.

Luke Wrenn has spent years compiling paperwork, doing background searches, conducting eye and psychological tests, visiting players’ homes to learn more about them. Throughout his career, he’s been able to accurately predict the future of many talented young men. Wrenn is currently in his 35th year serving as a scout with the Diamondbacks.

Throughout his career, Wrenn has spent countless hours traveling to watch players in high school, college, minor-league players, and Latin American assignments. A good scout like Wrenn must be detail oriented, always prepared, and must have a zone in attention span. They end up knowing a player inside and out.

Wrenn has exceptional people skills necessary to find out more about a player through the lenses of his coaches, training staff, and teammates. Through experience and understanding the needs of their organization, scouts learn the characteristics off-the-field that provide additional promise for a young players future. Wrenn has the gift of spotting the intangible traits that the players have (or in some cases don’t have).