Bob Fontaine Jr. spent his career building teams he never played for, and the Angels’ tribute made clear how much of their best run traced back to his eye for talent.
Fontaine died Saturday in Arizona at age 73, and the Angels confirmed the news Sunday on Twitter/X. The organization called him “a gifted talent evaluator and mentor” and credited him with helping shape generations of Angels through the signing and development of players including Jim Abbott, Jim Edmonds, Garret Anderson, Tim Salmon and Darin Erstad. The team added that Fontaine “left a lasting mark on baseball by devoting over five decades to the game.”
His work with the Angels helped lay the foundation for the franchise’s 2002 World Series championship roster, built heavily from homegrown players he had scouted during his 1987-99 run as scouting director.
The tributes came quickly. Orange County Register columnist Mark Whicker said Fontaine was someone who “made original judgments and was self-effacing and soft-spoken.”
Longtime scout and executive Dan Evans, who worked with Fontaine three times, wrote, “Crushed regarding Bob Fontaine Jr.'s passing, as he was a special man who I was lucky to work closely with three times (with the) White Sox, Mariners, and Blue Jays. Fun as hell, elite evaluator, and phenomenal people skills.
RIP, Robert. 💔”
Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Shaikin also praised Fontaine’s impact, writing, “Bob was a great scout - his seeds sprouted into the Angels' 2002 championship team - and a greater person. We'll miss him.”
Fontaine’s baseball life stretched well beyond Anaheim. He scouted for the Padres from 1974-80, following his father, the Padres’ general manager of the same name. In 1982, he became the Montreal Expos’ west coast scouting supervisor before joining the Angels.
After his time in Orange County, Fontaine served as the Chicago White Sox’s Director of Player Development from 2001-03, then as the Seattle Mariners’ scouting director from 2004-08. His search for talent took him across the United States and overseas to places such as France and Russia.
By 2022, Fontaine had signed or supervised 114 future major leaguers, a group that included Hall of Famers Tony Gwynn, Randy Johnson and Ozzie Smith.
Former Angels GM Mike Port said, “When baseball's Hall of Fame decides to move into the 21st century and induct scouts, I expect Bob Fontaine will be one of the first scouts to be so recognized.”
Fontaine also told his own story in 2021 with the memoir “In Search of Millionaires the Life of a Baseball Gypsy: The Accounts of Bob Fontaine Jr.” In it, he wrote, “Baseball has provided me with a fabulous opportunity to see the world and work in an industry that most people envy.
I didn't get rich, except in experiences. To meet and work against so many fine people, as well as some great general managers and owners, has been a privilege.”
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