Danny Murtaugh on AAABA Tournament

JOHNSTOWN -- Baseball has changed over the past several decades. Rarely does a top-notch prospect go unnoticed. But back in the 1960s, scouts were just as much a part of the AAABA tournament as the players were.

In fact, the scouts had their own seating area behind home plate. And dozens of them would pack into the ballpark every year to watch the next crop of AAABA players and major league hopefuls.

The tournament was well-known throughout baseball.

In 1967, Bill Wilson asked pirate manager Danny Murtaugh about the quality of the tournament.

Among the AAABA players who reached the majors are Al Kaline, Joe Torre, Rod Carew, Steve Garvey, Orel Hershiser, and Barry Larkin. Three others are Nelson Figueroa, Roger McDowell and manager Buck Showalter, who will be inducted into the AAABA Hall of Fame Saturday night. Locals reaching the big leagues include Pete Vuckovich, Gene Pentz, Mike Holtz and Shawn Hillegas.

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