Vaughn is making a comeback of sorts
Mo Vaughn had a second career as a successful businessman and real estate investor after he retired from baseball in 2004.
Now the Hit Dog is making a comeback of sorts.
Vaughn, 56, has joined Perfect Game as a special assistant to owners Rick Thurman and Rob Ponger. He’ll work to identify talented players in parts of the country where economic status is holding kids back from playing.
“We want to do it right,” Vaughn told the Globe. “We want to spotlight players and make sure we don’t miss anyone. We want to find those diamonds in the rough.”
Vaughn finished out his playing career on the injured list because of a chronic knee injury. It was a bitter ending after many years of success.
“I left the game with a lot of anger,” Vaughn said. “Luckily, I was able to spin that around and have some success in business. The most important thing as a baseball player is to have a plan, and I had a plan and was able to get there.”
Vaughn stayed away from baseball for years until his son, Lee, was old enough for Little League.
Vaughn started coaching his son and eventually built a facility in Boca Raton, Fla. The Vaughn Sports Academy grew and now fields travel teams, runs camps, and aids in getting players seen by college coaches.
Vaughn has former major leaguers Mike Easler and Omar Moreno helping out as coaches. He has 50 teams in all.
Thanks to his son, Vaughn found a second act in baseball. The three-time All-Star and 1995 American League MVP found himself driving kids across the state, getting them ready for games and teaching baseball.
“That’s what got me back on the field,” Vaughn said. “With all the different things I’ve been able to have success with, I’m still a baseball guy. I have information and I want to share it with whoever will listen.
“I was hesitant about getting back into baseball. But I enjoy the clubhouse setting and being on the field and working together. I’ll help anybody willing to play the game.”
Major League Baseball has invested in grassroots baseball in the Black community with its RBI program and urban academies. But Vaughn was quick to say he doesn’t view this new role in racial terms.
“Black, brown, green, gold, I don’t care who you are. I want to give every player access to the opportunity to be spotlighted by Perfect Game,” he said. “That’s why I’m doing this. I believe in what they’re trying to do.”
Thurman, a former MLB agent, saw Vaughn as a good fit.
“His stature in the baseball community cannot be understated, as he is as beloved off the diamond as he was feared on it,” Thurman said.
Lee Vaughn is 11 and a much different player than his father, who was a slugging first baseman.
“He’s a middle-of-the-field athlete, one of those five-tool kids,” Vaughn said. “I love seeing him play. I coach my team personally and I’m working on his mind-set as a player so he can move forward.”
Vaughn also is keeping an eye on the Red Sox. He was thrilled when Joe Castiglione was elected as the winner of the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to baseball as a broadcaster.
“Tremendous,” Vaughn said. “Joe is a great guy who really loved me and took care of me. He was sad to see me leave the Sox. He’s Boston through and through. It couldn’t happen to a better guy.”
Vaughn also has found himself following the career of Triston Casas, another big first baseman with a good approach at the plate and a high on-base percentage.
“Good player and he has some pop,” Vaughn said. “I’ve watched him. He knows what he’s doing. Now he has to take the next step and become elite.”
Vaughn recently got together with new Astros general manager Dana Brown, a teammate at Seton Hall.
“One of my best friends and my college roommate,” Vaughn said. “I saw him in spring training and I’m just so proud of him. He came from a tough background and to see him get to this point, it’s tremendous.”
Brown hired another of his former college teammates, John Valentin ,asan adviser.
“Johnny Val, it’s great that he’s back in the game,” said Vaughn. “The Astros have another Northeast guy with Jeff Bagwell, too. It’s a nice group there. I love that those guys are working together.”
Vaughn hit .315 with a .974 OPS and 392 extra-base hits from 1993-98 with the Red Sox, one of the best runs in team history.
“I had my time,” Vaughn said. “Hopefully I can help these kids.”
SPEEDY SOX? Athleticism could change their play
Red Sox manager Alex Cora used the word “athleticism” seemingly every day during spring training. It was a running theme as he discussed the team.
He had a point. Jarren Duran, Tyler O’Neill, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Trevor Story are all capable of changing the game offensively and defensively with their speed.
Rafaela did it on Opening Day, turning what would normally be a double into a triple and coming around to score on a two-out single by Connor Wong in the sixth inning.
The Sox stole 112 bases last season, five better than the league average. They’re capable of a lot more this season.
“We’re about to see,” Cora said. “It feels good. Defensively, we’re going to make errors but we’re going to make plays, too. It starts with Trevor, the attitude and the way he goes about it.
“Compared to last year, you see our roster and what we have right now; with all due respect to the guys [from last season] we’re a lot more athletic.”
A few other observations on the Red Sox:
■ When Brayan Bello faced Luis Castillo on Thursday, it was only the second time two starters from the Dominican Republic opposed each other on Opening Day.
The first time was in 2015, when Johnny Cueto of the Reds faced Francisco Liriano of the Pirates.
At 24 years, 316 days, Bello was the second-youngest Opening Day starter. Garrett Crochet of the White Sox is 35 days younger.
■ It will be a good story if 31-yearold lefthander Cam Booser gets called up this season.
The Sox were excited with what they saw from Booser in spring training as he allowed two runs on four hits over 10 innings and struck out 10 without a walk. He averaged 97.6 miles per hour with his four-seamer in his final outings and threw his cutter for strikes.
Booser is a career minor leaguer who quit baseball in 2018 to become a carpenter and came back in 2021 via an independent league. The Sox signed him last season.
■ The Sox opened the season with 26 players and 12 coaches in uniform. The only ones wearing single digits were Masataka Yoshida (7) and Reese McGuire (3). Vaughn Grissom, who is on the injured list, has No. 5.
As we know, Nos. 1, 4, 6, 8, and 9 are retired.
No. 2 is still available. Justin Turner had it last season and home clubhouse manager Tom McLaughlin held it open in case Turner returned or another notable player joined the team.
That hasn’t happened yet.
No. 2 has a pretty good history with the Red Sox. Xander Bogaerts, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jerry Remy, and Mike Andrews all wore it.
■ The Sox will have an open house at Fenway Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 6. Fans can walk on the warning track, sit in the dugouts, tour the clubhouses, and look inside the Green Monster.
There will be activities for kids, photo opportunities with the World Series trophies, and autograph sessions in the Aura Club with former Sox players including Orlando Cabrera, Manny Delcarmen, Lenny DiNardo, Keith Foulke, Sam Horn, Bob Montgomery, and Ken Ryan.
There also will be a display of memorabilia from the career of Tim Wakefield.
Fans can enter using gates A, B, and D.
ETC. Does AL East remain the best?
There’s little question the American League East is a difficult division. The Blue Jays, Orioles, Rays, and Yankees have legitimate postseason aspirations.
But is it still the best division in baseball? That was the question put to ESPN’s David Cone, Eduardo Pérez, and Karl Ravech.
“I used to think that,” Pérez said. “The National League West is pretty strong this year. The American League West is really strong this year. You could even say the National League East, as well, with the Braves and Phillies.
“The divisions are definitely challenging right now, especially out west. When you look at the Rays, last year was an interesting year for them. They started off the season as hot as any team that we’ve ever seen, and then they sort of plateaued with all the injuries.
“Kevin Cash was able to get this team in the postseason, but it was a team that sort of came limping in compared to the team that we saw strong at the beginning of the season.”
Ravech went even further.
“I don’t think the American League East is the best division at all. I think the National League West is better. I think the American League West is better,” he said. “Oftentimes the perception of the league going in or the division is associated with the amount of money that’s spent, and in the case of the AL East, traditional spender Boston isn’t spending anything.
“The Orioles don’t need to spend anything yet, and they’re the best team in the division. The Yankees have some injury concerns right now that you don’t see out in Los Angeles or Arizona. San Francisco spent money late, which was really encouraging.
“I don’t have the American League East being the power they have been recently partly because of the Yankees’ inability to succeed lately and the Red Sox’ unwillingness to spend money. I think those other divisions are better.”
Said Cone: “The Rays are always the X-factor in the American League East. They’ve been the envy of the sport for a while now from doing more with less. They may have the best pitching coach in the big leagues. Kyle Snyder has a track record that is second to none. The development of pitching there is phenomenal.
“I think the American League East has always been kind of the one division to look at and then compare to everybody else. So that’s no longer the case depending on what happens in Boston.”
Extra bases
There were 264 players from outside of the 50 United States on Opening Day rosters or inactive lists. That was 27.8 percent of all players. The Dominican Republic (108), Venezuela (58), Cuba (18), Puerto Rico (17), Canada (13), Mexico (12), and Japan (10) had the most. The Astros (16), Padres (15), and Red Sox (14) had the most foreign-born players . . . The Yankees were right to be concerned with the health of DJ LeMahieu, who is on the injured list with a bruised left foot. They learned Saturday he has a non-displaced fracture. New York obtained infielder Jon Berti from the Marlins on Thursday to have another option at third base . . . David Robertson is with his eighth team, having joined the Rangers on a one-year deal. The 39-year-old righthander, who makes his home in Rhode Island, represents himself and deals with teams directly. “Just looking for a good situation and a chance to compete,” he said. “It’s not too complicated.” Robertson signed for one year and $11.5 million with a mutual option for 2025. The Red Sox, a team he would love to play for, never called. Robertson has a 2.70 ERA since 2022 and has averaged a healthy 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings. His fastball still plays . . . East Longmeadow’s Nick Ahmed was released by the Diamondbacks in September after 10 years with the franchise. It was a reasonable baseball decision given his .560 OPS through 72 games. Ahmed, 34, joined the Giants on a minor league deal two weeks into spring training, made the team, and was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs on Opening Day at San Diego. The Giants host the Diamondbacks on April 18 . . . The Guardians can’t afford to make mistakes on contract extensions like they did with center fielder Myles Straw. He was signed to a fiveyear, $25 million deal in 2022 and has since posted a .580 OPS with one home run in 997 at-bats. Straw cleared waivers and was outrighted off the 40-man roster this past week with the Guardians owing him $19.25 million. He’s now with Triple A Columbus . . . Players who are still free agents: Mike Clevinger, Zack Greinke, Rich Hill, Evan Longoria, Mark Melancon, Wil Myers, Tommy Pham, and Noah Syndergaard . . . Seattle signed Nelson Cruz to a oneday contract on Thursday so he could retire as a Mariner. He signed the deal on a small table in front of the plate after throwing out the first pitch. Cruz, 43, played eight seasons for the Rangers (2006-13) and only four for the Mariners (2015-18). But Cruz was a three-time All-Star with Seattle and had some of his best seasons. “I have always identified myself with the Seattle Mariners,” he said. Cruz had a mishap throwing out the first pitch, spiking the ball into the ground before picking it back up and tossing it to Felix Hernandez. Ichiro Suzuki also took part in the pregame ceremonies and was in full uniform. Suzuki, 50, is around the team often. He will be eligible for the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 and should be a unanimous choice . . . Braves manager Brian Snitker told his wife, Ronnie, and other family members not to come to Philadelphia for the first series of the season. He was worried about their safety because of the hostile fans at Citizens Bank Park . . . The mystery of Adalberto Mondesí remains unsolved. The Red Sox acquired Mondesí before the 2023 season for lefty Josh Taylor. Mondesí never appeared in a spring training or regular-season game and was released after the season. He spent the entire year on the injured list with what was described as “recovering from left knee surgery.” This was from surgery he had in May 2022. There was talk in January that the Marlins were interested in signing Mondesí, but it never happened. At 28, he’s a free agent . . . Happy birthday to Jamie Brown, who is 47. The righthander appeared in four games for the 2004 Red Sox, all in May. He was released after the season and went on to play four seasons in Asia, the first in Japan before spending three years in Korea. Brown is a native of Meridian, Miss. As any good Red Sox fan knows, that also is the hometown of Oil Ban Boyd.