Quincy native Melvin receives Art Stewart Award as top scout for Kansas City Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Scott Melvin’s eye for talent has kept him as part of the Major League Baseball scene for nearly three decades.

As the Kansas City Royals have recognized, the Quincy native continues to be among the best at his trade.

Melvin was named the 2024 recipient of the Art Stewart Award, annually given to the most outstanding scout within the Royals organization. Melvin is an area supervisor for the Royals covering Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. He will be recognized with the award before the game against the San Francisco Giants this Friday at Kauffman Stadium.

He has been a part of the Royals organization since 2009 and has served as the president of the Midwest Scouts Association for the last 10 years. Overall, he has spent 27 years as a baseball scout, working for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1997-2008 before joining the Royals.

In 2024, Melvin played an integral role in the signings of Royals infielder Michael Massey, former pitchers Jakob Junis and Will Klein, who made his MLB debut for the Royals earlier this season, as well as right-handed pitching prospects Ben Hernandez and Blake Wolters, and outfield prospects Spencer Nivens and John Rave.

Melvin is a 1981 graduate of Quincy High School and a member of the QHS Hall of Fame and the Bradley University Hall of Fame. He set six single-season records while playing baseball at Bradley and signed a free-agent contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985. He spent seven seasons playing in the minor leagues, reaching the Class AA level.