EXCLUSIVE: Oakland A’s Scout John Mesagno on Evaluating Players, Scout Lifestyle

Just two years ago, outfielder John Mesagno celebrated a Division III National Championship with his alma mater, Eastern Connecticut State University. ECSU defeated the Salisbury University Sea Gulls for their 5th Division III college baseball title in school history and capped off a fabulous career for Mesagno, who led the team with 60 hits, 16 doubles, 12 home runs, 47 RBI, and 114 total bases in 2021. ECSU finished the 2022 season 49-3, including 15-1 in Little East Conference play.

Following his college baseball career, Mesagno joined the Yale University baseball staff in the fall of 2022, assisting his former ECSU head coach Brian Hamm. During the 2023 season, he helped the outfielders improve their defense and worked with position players on baserunning, among many other tasks.

Mesagno’s position with the Yale Bulldogs led him to an internship with the Oakland A’s, evaluating players in the Cape Cod Baseball League, and eventually a full-time position with the A’s as an area scout this past November. The 25-year-old from Tappan, New York, is the A’s Upper-Mid West area scout, covering Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Eastern Missouri.

“I enjoy a few things about being an area scout, ” Mesagno told World Baseball Network. “The first is being a part of a professional team, which has always been a goal of mine. I have always enjoyed player evaluations and identifying players who I think can help my organization win. Being trusted to find and give your opinion on players that the Athletics will potentially select in the MLB Draft is a big responsibility and something I take pride in. Traveling and seeing parts of the country I normally wouldn’t see has also been a fun perk.”

Mesagno’s experience as an assistant coach at Yale has paid dividends for his current position with the A’s. The coaching staff taught him the ins and outs of running a college baseball program.

“I did a number of things ranging from on-field coaching to assisting in recruiting to administrative/operations duties,” Mesagno said about his time with Yale. “Recruiting and scouting require some of the same skills in terms of player evaluations and getting to know the player and his family. I was able to learn about the operations side of coaching, which has helped me with scheduling, time management, and staying organized as a scout. I was fortunate to learn from a great coaching staff at Yale.”

Of course, the main task of scouting in professional baseball is identifying which players possess the right tools and are a good fit for the organization. One player’s skill set may not align with the organization’s wants and needs. However, talent is the first step in the right direction.

“I think the biggest thing to consider when evaluating a player is the talent,” Mesagno said. “Talent is the first and most important thing I am looking for. To be considered professional, the player must do something better than most other players.”

Although talent is a significant factor in evaluating players, Mesagno examines multiple other aspects of a player’s capabilities.

“After talent, the next biggest thing is make-up,” said Mesagno. “How a player competes, what kind of teammate he is. It is important that the player is a hard worker and dedicated. I want someone who is constantly working on his game to get better. Whenever I see a certain player, I want to leave thinking he was better than the last time I saw him.”

It is up to Mesagno to help find a portion of the next generation of A’s players on his schedule. Ultimately, he manages his designated states in the Upper-Mid West area.

“I think people may not realize that I am solely responsible for my designated area/region,” Mesgano said. “It is up to me to find the pro prospects. I am responsible for making my own schedule and seeing everyone that I need to see.”

The A’s have called the Oakland Coliseum home since 1968 but will play at Sutter Health Park, the home field of the San Francisco Giants Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, from 2025-27 while they wait for their new ballpark in Las Vegas, Nevada, to be built. The agreement for the A’s to play in Sacramento could extend to 2028 if the new stadium in Las Vegas is not ready to open.

“I feel fortunate to be a part of the last season in Oakland with the Athletics organization,” Mesagno said. “The A’s have a storied history in Oakland, and it will be cool to look back in 20 years knowing my first year in scouting was a part of the Oakland A’s.”

Since relocating the team from Kansas City to Oakland in 1968, the A’s won four World Series titles in 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1989. They are the only team to accomplish a three-peat besides the New York Yankees, who have done it three times, most recently from 1998-2000.

Mesagno hopes to play an integral part in finding the next wave of young talent to take the field for the nine-time World Series champions as the A’s transition from Oakland to Sacramento to Las Vegas.

______

WBN MLB: /news/category/mlb

Photo Credit: John Mesagno holds championship trophy. (Courtesy of John Mesagno)