Gregory Peter Biagini (March 12, 1952 – October 3, 2003) was an American player,
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
and
manager in
minor league baseball and a
hitting coach
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...
for the
Baltimore Orioles of
Major League Baseball (MLB). During his playing career, he was listed at and , while batting left-handed and throwing right-handed.
Career
A native of
Chicago, Biagini attended
Glenbrook North High School in
Northbrook, Illinois
Northbrook is a suburb of Chicago, located at the northern edge of Cook County, Illinois, United States, on the border of Lake County, Illinois, Lake County. Per the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 35,222.
When incorpo ...
, then played varsity
baseball, varsity
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, and
club ice hockey at
Iowa State University. He was selected in the 12th round of the
1973 MLB draft by the
Montreal Expos, and signed with the team in mid-June.
During his 10-year
professional baseball career, 1973–1982, Biagini played seven seasons in the
farm system
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
s of Montreal and the
Seattle Mariners, and five seasons in the
Mexican League.
[ His longest stint was with the Double-A Québec Carnavals during part of 1974 and all of 1975–1977, and he later reached the Triple-A level, playing in the ]Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
during 1978 and 1979.[ In his seven seasons with the Montreal and Seattle organizations, he compiled a .257 batting average with 51 home runs and 282 ]RBI
RBI most often refers to:
*Reserve Bank of India
*Run batted in
RBI may also refer to:
Organisations
*Radio Berlin International
*Raiffeisen Bank International
*Reed Business Information
*Restaurant Brands International
*Ruđer Bošković In ...
s in 594 games.[ Primarily a first baseman (246 games), he also made appearances as an outfielder (152 games), third baseman (116 games), catcher (21 games), and second baseman (1 game).]Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...
. He managed in the minor leagues for 14 seasons (1983–1991; 1995–1999) for Baltimore and the Texas Rangers, including eight seasons at the Triple-A level.[ He compiled a record of 937 wins and 923 losses for a .504 winning percentage.][ Two of his teams won Triple-A-level championships; the 1990 ]Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...
of the International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
and the 1996 Oklahoma City 89ers of the American Association.
Biagini spent three seasons (1992–1994) in the American League as the major league hitting coach for the Orioles during the managerial term of Johnny Oates. Biagini was later with the Boston Red Sox organization, as a roving minor league batting instructor in 2000, and as an advance scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
**Scouts BSA, sectio ...
in 2001. In 2002, he helped run a youth baseball complex in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Biagini died in 2003 at age 51 from kidney cancer in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His son, Tanner, later played two seasons for the Tampa Bay Rays organization as a corner infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.
Standard arrangement of positions
In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...
.
References
Further reading
Obituary
at historicbaseball.com
External links
*
at Retrosheet
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biagini, Greg
1952 births
2003 deaths
Acereros de Monclova players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Baltimore Orioles coaches
Baseball coaches from Oklahoma
Boston Red Sox scouts
Deaths from cancer in Oklahoma
Deaths from kidney cancer
Jamestown Expos players
Kinston Expos players
Indios de Ciudad Juárez (minor league) players
Iowa State Cyclones baseball players
Iowa State Cyclones football players
Major League Baseball hitting coaches
Mineros de Coahuila players
Minor league baseball managers
Québec Carnavals players
Quebec Metros players
Rochester Red Wings managers
San Jose Missions players
Spokane Indians players
Baseball players from Oklahoma City
Tigres del México players
West Palm Beach Expos players
American expatriate baseball people in Venezuela