Faces Around Volcanoes Stadium: Scott Hatteberg

Volcanoes Stadium serves as a launching pad for future Major Leaguers to begin their journey in professional baseball. While the focus may be on the field, several notable faces will be watching the next generation of big leaguers from the stands, as well. In this edition of Faces Around Volcanoes Stadium, we caught up with former Major Leaguer and central figure of Moneyball, Scott Hatteberg. 

A 14-year baseball veteran, Hatteberg played for the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds but is most remembered for his time with the Oakland Athletics. Hatteberg spent four seasons with Oakland, hitting .269 with a .355 on-base percentage, 49 home runs and 263 RBIs. Perhaps the greatest moment of his career came in a game against the Kansas City Royals on September 4, 2002. Hatteberg hit a pinch-hit, go-ahead home run in the eleventh inning with a 19-game winning streak on the line to win the game for Oakland. The 20-consecutive victories remain an American League record and were a central focus of the book and film of the same name, Moneyball. Today, Hatteberg works as a scout for, fittingly, the Athletics. 

"I was 39 when I retired - I played a long time," Hatteberg said. "I just wasn't ready to go play golf for the rest of my life. I wanted to still be involved and I knew the front office of the A's really well, so they offered me a job to do a little coaching and a little scouting. It was just a chance to do a lot but still be home, so that's what I'm doing." 

Hatteberg, who now lives in Seattle, is in his fourth year working as a scout. His primary focus is to learn as much as he can about area professional teams and their players.  

"I do a lot of different stuff. I do preparation for the draft a lot more than this, but this time of year I'll go home - I live in Seattle - and grab a couple of pro teams to cover before the trade deadline," Hatteberg said. 

Traveling to Salem-Keizer is no chore for Hatteberg, who was born in Salem and grew up playing Little League in the area. 

"My parents live in Silverton, so I always volunteer to cover these guys," Hatteberg said. "I'll bring the family down, we'll hang out with my parents and it's kind of a reunion. It's a good time." 

Even after a 14-year playing career and multiple trips to the postseason, Hatteberg can relate to ballplayers in the Northwest League, many of which are just starting their professional careers. 

"I remember doing it and I'm glad that I didn't realize how many steps there were to get to the big leagues," Hatteberg said. "But it's a huge learning process. I'm seeing both ends because I'm drafting these kids and I'm seeing them progress into the pro levels. [Baseball is] a weird sport where you draft them and maybe five years later they become impact guys, where in other sports they walk right in and impact the team. So it's neat to see that whole maturation." 

Check back all season to see what other familiar faces stop by Volcanoes Stadium.