This week, the Washington Nationals made it official as they announced the hiring of Danny Haas as their new Scouting director. I was wondering who is Danny Haas and what can he bring to the Nationals. Let’s dive right into it.

Name: Danny Haas

Born: January 4, 197 (Age: 47)

Years of Experience: 20 years

MLB teams worked for: Arizona Diamondbacks (2019-2023); Baltimore Orioles (2012 - 2018); Boston Red Sox (2002 - 2011)

Quotable: “Scouting players is very humbling. You see them, form an opinion and sometimes you are right and sometimes wrong. It's fun to watch them grow and move up the ladder. Just seeing the whole process unfold is the best part of scouting for me." [Quote via MASN’s Steve Melewski]

Bio: A native of Paducah, Kentucky, Haas played college baseball at both the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. Haas was selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft out of Louisville.

After spending the previous five seasons (2019–23) as a special assignment scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to his time with Arizona, Haas worked for the Baltimore Orioles from 2012–18, first as a national crosschecker (2012–14) before being promoted to special assistant to the executive vice president of baseball operations (2015–18).

He worked for the Boston Red Sox from 2002 to 2011, spending the final six seasons (2006–11) as a regional crosschecker, and in 2004, was named Boston’s Scout of the Year. He joined the scouting ranks with the Red Sox in 2002 after a five-year professional career from 1997 to 2001.

What does he bring to the Nationals?: Having 20 years of experience in scouting players and in different leagues is definitely going to bring “veteran” leadership to a very important job for the Nationals. Since the Nationals are in the middle of their own re-tooling, Haas’s experience in being part of previous re-builds in Boston and also recently being part of another team’s re-build process: the Baltimore Orioles will greatly benefit the Washington Nationals.

Additionally, Haas is known around MLB for his ability to identify talent and his keen eye for detail. He has been instrumental in discovering several talented players who have gone on to have successful careers in the Major Leagues. Haas is also known for his work ethic and dedication to the game of baseball.

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