First Posted: 8/13/2013

Jim Farr has a wide area to cover.

As Mid-Atlantic Area Supervisor of scouting for the Kansas City Royals, Farr is responsible for tracking baseball prospects in Maryland, Western Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and his current home state of Virginia.

When Farr, an Athens native, needs help in Pennsylvania he knows where to turn. Since this spring, Farr has had Greater Pittston American Legion baseball general manager and former Wyoming Area High School head coach Ron Musto scouting the area for him.

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Farr uses Musto as a “bird-dog scout,” getting a first look at players the Royals have heard about to determine whether he needs to travel into the area for a closer evaluation.

“Ron is a good evaluator,” Farr said. “He’s been around some talented kids. If he tells me a guy can play, then that’s a guy I need to get in there and see.”

Musto’s presence has made Farr’s job a bit easier.

“That’s a tough area for me,” Farr said. “I live in Williamsburg, Virginia, so for me to get up there is a seven-hour trip.”

Farr looks to coordinate visits to several northern Pennsylvania players into the same trip. With Wilkes, King’s, Misericordia, Scranton, Keystone and Lackawanna in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, along with the need to monitor the area’s best high school players, Musto helps keep that list manageable for Farr.

“Ron is really familiar with the area,” Farr said.

Musto has been on both sides of recruiting/scouting, promoting players he has worked with for a chance to play at a higher level and, now, assessing whether players are qualified for that opportunity.

“I’ve known Ron since the late ‘80s,” said Farr, who spent 24 years as a college coach at Penn State, Old Dominion, William & Mary and Maryland.

Musto spent 14 years as head coach at Wyoming Area and 16 as an American Legion manager/general manager. In addition to the players on his teams, Musto has helped others prepare for college recruiting, including assisting them in producing skills DVDs and video tapes for recruiters.