Tino Abarca
Turning journalism lessons into baseball scouting dreams
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Tino Abarca’s passion for scouting stems from playing and watching baseball his whole life.
“I thought it was super cool how scouts and reporters would come watch players,” said Abarca. “To see them give attention to athletes, especially young athletes, and myself getting into some scouting and reporting now, I think it’s cool to be on the other side of it and give those athletes that attention they want that’ll take them to the next level.”
Abarca is a senior journalism major from Tinley Park, Illinois, just southwest of Chicago. He started working for Prep Baseball Report (PBR) during May 2018 and regularly scouted during the summer.
PBR is a nationwide, year-round scouting service focused on assessing and promoting high school players looking to play at the next level. Along with scouting, they host showcases and tournaments, and produce stories on their national and state web pages.
“I like seeing where players start to where they finish. I liked coaching for that reason. I like not just developing them as baseball players but seeing how they mature,” Abarca said. “You get to see kids start at an early age until they become professionals.”
As the lead baseball reporter for Impact89FM, he takes what he has learned in reporting and in class and applies it to scouting. Many of the skills overlap.
“We’re taught as journalists to be fair but ask tough questions and really see what our subject is all about, and that’s what scouting does,” Abarca said. “We go out there and don’t just see how fast they throw or how hard they hit. We have to scout the mental side — how they approach the game, how they handle adversity, how they handle coaching, how they are on a team. Because if they’re not built for those things, it’s hard to help them.
The prep work ahead of time associated with covering games is similar with scouting too, so you know who and what to look for. Abarca will bring materials to take notes with during games and reach out to coaches who are key in crafting the scouting report.
Working in scouting has also helped his baseball reporting. He said he uses his eye for scouting as a tool when he writes to provide a more in-depth story for his readers.
Abarca loves what he does, but still deals with challenges along the way in the scouting life. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is the travel associated with finding and assessing young ballplayers.
“It’s a grind, there’s a lot of time traveling, and it can wear on you a bit,” he said. “Lots of time at games, time away from family and many nights spent in hotels. But, I love scouting and love the game.”
His favorite team is the Chicago Cubs, and his dream job – of course – is to be a professional scout for the Cubs.
He said the process to becoming a professional scout is very similar to the process of an established journalist — start small and work your way up.
“You might freelance if a scout can’t make it to a game, they’ll call you and you just have to work with it. Scouting reports are a lot like bylines in journalism. Coaches and other scouts will read that and call you as a source, building reputation and credibility,” Abarca said.
He sees USA Baseball as the next step to achieving that dream job.
“I just applied to an internship with USA Baseball. All the guys who get onto the U.S. team are top college players and are usually drafted to the pros,” Abarca said. “Everyone good filters through USA Baseball, so seeing that side would be a good stepping stone by being exposed to top-tier ballplayers.”
Abarca is excited for what the future holds. He continues to work and travel for PBR, study at MSU, and report on baseball for Impact.
“No matter where may I end up, I’ll be happy to still be connected to the game I love and the scouting scene that plays a large part in producing tomorrow’s stars,” Abarca said.
For more information on Tino Abarca or his work, visit https://abarcati.wixsite.com/site or connect with him via Twitter @Abarca04.
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