The scout who signed Scott Rolen is suing the Phillies and MLB for age discrimination

Scott Rolen was one of Indiana’s top high school basketball players, had a scholarship to play college hoops and told the Phillies he dreamed of reaching the NBA. But they still drafted him in 1993′s second round after their scout said he had the makings of a major league third baseman as long as they could get him to stop dribbling.

That’s why Scott Trcka groaned when Rolen hit a deep three-pointer in an all-star game on an NBA court a few weeks after the draft while the Phillies were still trying to sign him to play baseball.

“I didn’t want to see him do good,” Trcka said. “Because I was afraid he might stay and sign with college basketball.”

Those fears were short lived and Rolen — who will be inducted next month into the Baseball Hall of Fame — soon agreed to strictly play baseball. It was a career highlight for Trcka, who formed a relationship with Rolen and his family while other scouts faded under the belief that he was headed to play baseball and basketball at the University of Georgia.

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Trcka helped launch a Hall of Fame career, but that didn’t help him in 2016 when the Phillies fired him after 17 seasons with the team. Now he’s one of 17 former scouts who said in a lawsuit Monday that they were discriminated against because of their age by Major League Baseball, all 30 teams, and commissioner Rob Manfred.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Denver and alleges that MLB “blacklisted” older scouts and used analytics and the pandemic as “pretext for coordinated and systemic discrimination based on age.” The group, which also includes former Phillies scout Steve Jongewaard, seeks class-action certification and expects roughly 100 scouts to join as teams have thinned scouting departments in recent years.

“It was sad because I did a lot for the Phillies,” said Trcka, 66. “To be honest, I don’t think it was just the Phillies. I think it was Major League Baseball who wanted to get rid of us because of our age. They didn’t want to pay and they could bring guys in who have no experience because they don’t listen to the new guys anyway. I think they just wanted to get rid of us.

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“When the unemployment bureau called the Phillies, they asked them why I was fired. They said ‘No reason.’”

Major League Baseball and the Phillies both declined comment since it’s pending litigation but the league said “we look forward to refuting these claims in court.”

The scouts, ranging from age 55-71, said while teams have increased the use of analytics and video in scouting, veteran scouts have been denied employment based on a “false stereotype” that they did not have the ability to adapt to new tools and technologies. The lawsuit alleges that MLB has created a “list of non-hirable scouts” who “cannot be hired back into professional baseball because, among other things, of their age.”

Trcka (pronounced Turka) said he was “flabbergasted” when he lost his job after the 2016 season. He was 58 years old with 27 seasons of scouting experience and helped the Phillies find a cast of major leaguers. He has not worked in professional baseball since despite saying he talked to seven other teams about job vacancies.

“It was a great life. I really enjoyed my time,” Trcka said. “I loved the Phillies. You know how Tommy Lasorda said he bled Dodger blue? I bled Phillies red. I just loved them.”

Trcka thought his job was safe when the Phillies told him a few weeks earlier to book a plane ticket to Clearwater, Fla., for the fall instructional league and scheduled him to be in Arizona to scout other teams. But Trcka was then asked to meet his boss at Midway Airport in Chicago, about 45 miles from his home in Hobert, Ind.

“I knew I was done then,” Trcka said. “I haven’t watched a game since that day I got fired. I’ll never watch a game again. I have a lifetime pass from Major League Baseball and I won’t go anymore. It’s sad. I gave up everything I have. I gave up my family life. My kids never got anything because of me never being around. You live and learn, but it’s too late on all accounts.”

Two months before the 1993 draft, Rolen faxed his letter of intent to attend Georgia and play basketball and baseball. He was an all-state shooting guard at Jasper High and Georgia said he had a chance to crack the starting five as a freshman. Basketball, Trcka said, is king in southern Indiana and a chance to play in the Southeastern Conference is a “hell of a weight on your shoulders.” But the scout kept pushing.

“I said ‘Scott, you’re 6-foot-3.’ He said ‘No, I’m 6-4,’” Trcka said. “I said ‘No, you’re 6-3 and you may end up being 6-4 but right now you’re 6-3 and you’re not a ball handler so you’re not going to play in the NBA. But guess what? You could play the corner at The Vet.’”

It took a bit for Rolen to agree with the scout. Trcka said he was lucky to work for Mike Arbuckle, who was then the team’s director of scouting and “believed in me as an area scout.” He sat in the draft room with Dallas Green and Paul Owens and learned from people like Marti Wolever and Dick Lawlor. The Phillies trusted Trcka to sign the player he urged them to draft. He did.

“I don’t know how I did it but it got done. He was a great player and I did my job for the Phillies,” Trcka said. “In my opinion, he’s probably the greatest third baseman. We talk about Brooks Robinson being the gold standard. Brooks Robinson didn’t have close to his speed. He didn’t have close to his range. I used to always say ‘Brooks Robinson had to work to play. Scott Rolen just played.’ It came easy. He didn’t have to dive on certain plays. He just got to the ball quicker and he had a cannon for an arm. But hey, there’s a lot of people who look at me like I have three heads when I say that. Mike Schmidt was a good one but Rolen was better, as far as a defender.”

Next month, Rolen will receive his Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown, N.Y. Maybe he’ll even mention the scout who swayed him to join the Phils when he makes his acceptance speech. Trcka hasn’t watched baseball in almost seven years. But can the scout who lived and died with the Phils put aside his hurt to watch the kid who hit that three-pointer enter the Hall of Fame?

“No,” Trcka said.

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