It wasn’t a computer printout that propelled Princeton outfielder B.J. Szymanski’s name to the top of prospect lists last spring. It was one sweet swing at a 95 mile per hour offering from Old Dominion uber-prospect Justin Verlander.

After the ball cleared the fence, all Szymanski had to do was stand there—all six feet five inches of his two-sport frame—and watch the 100 scouts in attendance, hungry for college position players, jot in their notebooks that this kid had the tools. He was big. He was fast. He could play defense, probably, since he was an all-Ivy wide receiver. And besides, he could hit for power.

In 176 more at-bats, Szymanski only hit five more home runs. He finished the season with a .433 OBP and .610 slugging percentage. His stats were less impressive than Farkes’, were dwarfed by Trey Hendricks’ ’04 numbers and on top of everything else, it was only his second year of college ball.

Beane probably wouldn’t have drafted Szymanski in the first few rounds under penalty of death. Too much risk for that much money.

But the “old school” Reds selected him in the second round, paid him $725,000 and sent him to rookie ball. Even today—even for teams like DePodesta’s Dodgers and Epstein’s Red Sox—statistics are only a tool. What scouts see still matters a lot more than Moneyball fanatics realize. The scouts are still the gatekeepers.

And that’s why Scout Day is a special day.

That’s why the team chatters more than they would at a regular practice. That’s why everyone overthrows everything trying to show arm strength. That’s why everyone—even if you’re a little hurt—takes the mound.

Former president Dwight D. Eisenhower once told a story of a childhood fishing trip with a friend, and as boys do, they began to talk about what they wanted to be when they grew up.

“It told him I wanted to be a real major league baseball player, a genuine professional like Honus Wagner,” Eisenhower said. “My friend said he’d like to be President of the United States. Neither of us got our wish.”

Deep down, just like Eisenhower we all dream of being big leaguers. And that’s the allure of Scout Day. On Wednesday, no Harvard player got six figures with a single swing like Szymanski, but they may have earned a second look. A scout may have put their name in a database, and that same scout may come back this spring. The player might not get drafted, and even if he did, he probably will never reach the big leagues.

But there’s still a chance, and that, by itself, makes Scout Day worth the walk across the river.

—Staff writer Lande A. Spottswood can be reached at spottsw@fas.harvard.edu. Her column appears on alternate Fridays.