You throw the ball, hit the ball, catch the ball; and Jimmy Lester watches

Friday was another balmy day in Bradenton, Fla., where the Pittsburgh Pirates hold spring training as the stars of today got in their work. Meanwhile, it was rather nippy some 12 hours north in Chapel Hill, N.C., where Jimmy Lester huddled with his peers and competitors, watching North Carolina and Virginia while looking for the next Andrew McCutchen or Jordy Mercer.

Another day at the ballpark led to another night in a hotel, which will be followed by another day at the ballpark followed by another night in a hotel.

But you’ll never hear Lester complain. Aside from frequently being away from his family in Columbus, Lester wouldn’t have it any other way. He recently marked his 25th anniversary as a major league scout, the last 15 with the Pirates.

Scouting was the farthest thing from his mind 33 years ago when Lester signed that first pro contract after a tryout camp with the Montreal Expos following his career at CVCC and Columbus College.

Oh, Lester knew the odds of making it to the big leagues as a player were stacked against him, even as he produced in the minor leagues. The Expos traded him to the San Diego Padres, and Lester made the South Atlantic League All-Star team in 1986, his first full season of pro ball. The next year he won the California League batting title, which led to a promotion to the Double-A Texas League. But by then he was 25, which at that time was considered old for a prospect.

So that’s why he embraced the chance to become a player-coach in 1989. But when Joan Kroc sold the Padres in 1990, new ownership began cleaning house, starting with the farm system. One of his baseball friends offered him a chance to become a scout. Colorado had just been awarded an expansion franchise.

“I knew I wanted to stay in the game,” Lester said.

As rich as this community’s baseball history is, the list of players who made it to the big leagues is short. Frank Thomas is a Hall of Famer. Tim Hudson had an outstanding career. Edwin Jackson is near the end of an up-and-down career but one that earned him a lot of money. Colby Rasmus continues to grind year to year as a solid starter. Cory Rasmus has fought through injuries but is still hanging on.

There have been a few others – Reggie Abercrombie, Steven Register, Garey Ingram, Scott Jordan, Tony Pierce – who made it briefly.

Lester has enjoyed one of the most sustained baseball careers of anyone from the Columbus area, albeit in the background. Scouting and player development are critical to a team’s success, especially when a team such as the Pirates is not flush with money to build through free agency. Lester takes pride in knowing he has played a role in the Pirates’ resurgence.

“I’ve enjoyed it,” he said. “It’s baseball. I didn’t think this was going to be my career path.”

Scouts look at players differently than managers and coaches do. I asked Jimmy Lester the scout to go back in time and evaluate Jimmy Lester, the skinny shortstop from Columbus College.

“I see a guy that really enjoys playing the game. I was surrounded by good teammates. The thing I could do was hit, and I loved to hit. I wish I had worked a little harder on my defense, because that probably caught up with me in pro ball.”

Scouting has changed. There are more showcase camps. International scouting has become more prevalent. Players are more developed. Many organizations are less patient, so they’re looking for players who can make it to the big leagues quicker.

“It used to be all about the tools,” Lester said. “Now it’s all about the makeup and what makes these kids tick.”

Makeup and character endeared McCutchen to the Pirates when they selected him 11th overall in 2005 despite some scouts’ concerns about his size.

Sometimes opinions about a player within an organization are unanimous. One player Lester felt strongly about when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers was Edwin Jackson, who at Shaw had played in the shadows of Register and Nick Long. At least partly upon Lester’s recommendation, the Dodgers selected Jackson in the sixth round in 2001. Two years later, Jackson made his major league debut on his 20th birthday.

Lester went to a sports bar in Columbus to watch the game and felt a bit of satisfaction as Jackson beat Randy Johnson.

Lester will spend much of the next 2½ months on the road watching players. As a cross-checker, his job is to look at prospects already on the Pirates’ radar. He will turn 54 soon after the June draft, then he’ll start watching players for 2018.

“Still got a few more years left,” he said. “I still enjoy it. As long as the Pittsburgh Pirates will keep me, I’m going to continue to work. I still enjoy it.”

This story was originally published March 11, 2017 at 5:15 PM with the headline "You throw the ball, hit the ball, catch the ball; and Jimmy Lester watches."