Gary Hughes, longtime MLB scout with deep Bay Area ties, remembered as ‘quintessential baseball man’
Gary Hughes, a Bay Area native and beloved professional scout for the Giants as well as numerous other big league organizations during a 54-year career, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 79.
Hughes was a regular at Bay Area ballparks in recent years working for the Red Sox and Diamondbacks. Arizona announced his death in a statement Saturday, saying he passed earlier in the day.
“Gary Hughes was the quintessential baseball man,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “He coached at various levels. He scouted. He developed players. And he helped put together major league rosters.”
Hughes, who graduated from San Mateo’s Serra High and San Jose State and had a stint as the head baseball coach at Marin Catholic High from 1964-72 before becoming a scout, had lived for years in Santa Cruz.
“Gary’s impact on the game of baseball was exceeded only by the number of friends he made throughout it,” the Diamondbacks said. “He was a member of the Giants, Mariners, Mets, Yankees, Expos, Marlins, Rockies, Reds, Cubs and Red Sox organizations before joining the D-backs and it was an honor to have a legend like him be part of our family for two seasons.”
A member of the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame, Hughes always was a popular figure when he turned up before games with a briefcase and a big grin, ready to work or share his baseball knowledge with genuine care and love for the game.
“He scouted me in high school, I’ve known Gary for that long,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said immediately after a win against the Giants when told of Hughes’ death. “I consider him a friend, a good friend. I knew he was struggling some, I knew he went into hospice. It’s awful.”
The Diamondbacks said, “More than anything, he was a tremendous person, a great storyteller and a friend to everyone whose path he crossed. He will be missed by so many and our thoughts are with his family including his sons, Sam and (Michael) ‘Rock,’ who carry on his legacy in the game.”