Edith Houghton Dies: MLB’s First Female Scout Passes At 100

Edith Houghton, the first female MLB scout, died this month at the age of 100. Houghton loved baseball and was involved in the game in many different levels throughout her life.

Houghton played on several women’s baseball teams during the 1920s and 1930s, before the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was even formed.

The League was popularized by the iconic film A League of Their Own. MLB.com notes that Houghton started her career with the Philadelphia Bobbies before moving on to the New York Bloomer Girls and the Hollywood Girls.

She began her baseball career at the age of 10 when she played the starting short-stop for the Bobbies. Just two years later she was known as a 12-Year-Pld-Wonder whose skills dazzled many.

The Bobbies traveled around, playing in any competition they could find, including against a few men’s college baseball teams, notes Yahoo! Sports.

Edith Houghton also served in the Navy during World War II. Once she returned, she made it her priority to contact Bob Carpenter, owner of the Philadelphia Phillies, and ask to work as a scout. Carpenter took one look at the impressive scrapbook she compiled through her travels and hired her immediately.

She held the highly coveted position in the MLB between 1946 and 1952. She left only to serve in the military during the Korean War.

But when she returned, she would never work with baseball in an official capacity again. While she signed 15 players during her career, none of her signees ever earned a call to the big leagues. Despite this, her impact on the MLB was still felt and her legacy as a pioneer in the game was solidified.

Edith Houghton died eight days before her 101st birthday on February 2.