Luke and Willy Taveras are close friends. As Cleveland Indians prospects, the two began rooming together in 2002, along with three more Latin players: Carlos De La Cruz, Oscar Alvarez, and Mariano Gomez. Scott and Taveras agreed to speak each other's native languages and provide pointers along the way.

"I would talk to him in Spanish and he'd talk to me in English, and we'd help each other out," Scott said. "He'd ask questions like, 'What do people mean when they say this?'"

From that, a close friendship developed between the two. During 2004 spring training, they lived with Ezequiel Astacio and Wandy Rodriguez.

"I had a stretch there where I didn't use it much," Scott said. "Once I became roommates with Willy, I started using it more and more."

Scott said he relied on his faith to get him through the tough times he experienced being stuck in the minors. He read Bible passages each night to give himself strength.

"I could choose to be angry and complain about it and throw a fit or tell them that I wasn't happy with the situation, or I could just say 'OK I'm going to be professional,' " he said. "Now was a chance to show them what I'm made of and show myself what I'm made of."

Before 2005 spring training, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook ranked Scott as #17 in the Houston farm system. And in the spring of 2006, they rated Luke as 15th-best prospect in the Astros' organization.

One offseason, Scott didn't play ball at all in Venezuela, but went there anyway, spending time working with kids who had been abandoned.

"Being a professional ballplayer, the kids look up to you," Luke said. "They have been rejected. God brings me there to give them hope."

Scott also gave them baseball equipment and donated money and signed balls that could be raffled off to raise money for the children in hopes that it could help enable them to lead healthy and prosperous lives.

On July 29, 2006, Scott hit for the cycle, and the home run was his first in the Major Leagues. After he hit the homer, Scott said he remembered very little, except that his cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. The magnitude of the entire evening, however, didn't hit him until he got home and thought about the events.

"I said, 'Man, did that really happen?" Scott said. "I woke up in the morning, and I thought it was a dream, honestly."

Luke is not married.

Scott drives himself. Just as he often devotes himself to others as a missionary for God, he also drives himself to get the most of his baseball playing ability.

"My desire is to excel at whatever I do," Luke said. "I am a Type-A personality. I'm very persistent at what I do. I love the game of baseball, and I want to play well." (April 2008)

"He's like a little kid," said Orioles catcher Ramon Hernandez of teammate Luke Scott. "He gets excited even when he gets a single. For him, he really loves the game. He'd play all day long—24 hours a day, he would play baseball. He's a great guy."

During visits to big league cities on road trips, Luke tries to soak up the local culture and discover what's unique about each place.

"I like to explore the city," Scott says, "and whatever it's known for."

That means eating ethnic food in some places or heading out to museums in other towns.

"I walk into stores," he says. "I walk into interesting museums and aquariums and things like that. And as you go around, you see different architecture and buildings." (Louis Berney-Inside Pitch-July 31, 2008)

Scott always seems to be smiling. But he says he is very intense as a player.

"In my heart, I've got real deep, fiery-red passion to do well in this game. My goal in life is to take whatever God has given me—talents, abilities and opportunities—and always to honor Him and do the best I can for Him, and just be a blessing to those I'm around and those I represent," Luke said.

Now, Scott's offseasons are filled with hunting trips. It It could be West Texas. It could be Wyoming or Utah or Montana or New Mexico. There are only a few necessities.

"Peace, quiet, fresh air and nature," Scott says. "I like to get away from the bustle, just kind of escape from all the traffic and people and just get out there and have time to get up in the mountains, track a herd of elk, camp by a river, whatever. Just be."

Scott, an avid hunter and target shooter, spent some time this winter outside of the small town of Blackwell, Texas, near Abilene in the north-central part of the state. He hunted whitetail deer, fished and left baseball-related complications such as his arbitration eligibility up to his agent while wandering in and out of cell-phone reception.

Scott and his brother learned to fish from their father and then honed their skills on their own. His mother and sister also fished.

"Those were priceless times, hanging out as a family, being out on the water together, telling stories," he said. "Being outdoors ... is a great way to relax, to get away from all the pressure. Peace and quiet and enjoying God's creations."

As a 10-year-old, Scott perfected a largemouth bass fishing technique that, on paper, would seem doomed to fail. Sizing up a dock that had a protective wooden skirt at the waterline, he decided there had to be fish underneath. Reaching under the water and jamming his rod up under the dock, he hit the release button on his reel and let the rubber worm float free. A few twitches of the line, and Scott suckered in one fish. A little while later, he scored another one.

"Whatever works, man," he said, laughing. "Put the bait in front of them and see what happens." (Candy Thomson-Baltimore Sun-4/16/10)

TRANSACTION REPORT

June 2001: The Indians chose Luke in the 9th round, out of Oklahoma State University. Scott signed with the Indians, and scout Chad MacDonald.

March 31, 2004: The Astros sent P Jeriome Robertson to the Indians, acquiring Scott and OF Willy Taveras.

December 12, 2007: The Orioles sent SS Miguel Tejada to the Astros, acquiring Scott, 3B Michael Costanzo, and pitchers Matt Albers, Troy Patton, and Dennis Sarfate.

January 20, 2009: Luke and the Orioles avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year, $2.4 million contract.

January 19, 2010: Scott and the O's again avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year, $4.05 million contract.