Atlanta Braves longtime scout announces retirement

(UPI) -- After nearly 40 years in the game, baseball talent scout Dick Balderson has announced his retirement.

Balderson has spent the past 16 years with the Atlanta Braves, where he served first as a scout, director of player development, and, for the past 11 years, the special assistant to the general manager.

His career on the field never got further than Double-A ball, where he pitched in the Kansas City organization. He took a job as the farm director for the Royals in 1976, replacing John Schuerholz, who had been promoted to director of player procurement and would later go on to become the general manager of the Braves.

Balderson left Kansas City after the Royals won the 1985 World Series, moving to Seattle for three seasons, where he drafted future star Ken Griffey Jr., and then three seasons as the head of scouting in the Cubs organization.

From 1992 to 1997, Balderson helped launch the Colorado Rockies, before Schuerholz brought him to Atlanta.

"Dick and I have known each other for a long time," Schuerholz, now president of the Braves organization, said. "When I asked him to join our staff in Kansas City, it was a reflection of my respect for his knowledge of the game, his leadership skills and his judgment. I have high regard for Dick as a person and as a baseball executive, and we all wish him nothing but the best in his retirement."

Braves General Manager Frank Wren has hired Jeff Schugel from the Angels, to replace Balderson as special assistant and Major League Scout in Atlanta. Before Los Angeles, Schugel scouted for the Twins, Rockies and Dodgers.