{{short description|American baseball player, coach, and manager}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Greg Biagini |image=1988 Charlotte Knights - Greg Biagini (cropped).jpg |caption=Biagini with the Charlotte Knights {{circa}} 1988 |position=First baseman / Hitting coach |bats=Left |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date|1952|3|12}} |birth_place=Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |death_date={{Death date and age|2003|10|3|1952|3|12}} |death_place=Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |teams= ;As coach * Baltimore Orioles ({{mlby|1992}}–{{mlby|1994}}) }} '''Gregory Peter Biagini''' (March 12, 1952 – October 3, 2003) was an American player, coach and manager in minor league baseball and a hitting coach for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). During his playing career, he was listed at {{convert|6|ft|2|in}} and {{convert|220|lb}}, while batting left-handed and throwing right-handed.
==Career== A native of Chicago, Biagini attended Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois, then played varsity baseball, varsity football, and club ice hockey at Iowa State University. He was selected in the 12th round of the 1973 MLB draft by the Montreal Expos,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/draft/baseball-draft.php?yr=1973 |title=1973 Baseball Draft |website=Baseball Almanac |accessdate=August 17, 2020}}</ref> and signed with the team in mid-June.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57521281/expos-sign-five/ |title=Expos Sign Five |agency=UPI |newspaper=St. Cloud Times |location=St. Cloud, Minnesota |page=26 |date=June 14, 1973 |accessdate=August 17, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>
During his 10-year professional baseball career, 1973–1982, Biagini played seven seasons in the farm systems of Montreal and the Seattle Mariners, and five seasons in the Mexican League.With Los Indios de Juárez get the Mexican league championship in 1982. <ref name=brm/> 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 during 1978 and 1979.<ref name=brm/> In his seven seasons with the Montreal and Seattle organizations, he compiled a .257 batting average with 51 home runs and 282 RBIs in 594 games.<ref name=brm/> 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).<ref name=brm>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=biagin001gre |title=Greg Biagini Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History |website=Baseball-Reference.com |accessdate=August 17, 2020}}</ref>
Biagini turned his hand to managing in 1983 with the Bluefield Orioles of the rookie-level Appalachian League.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57528207/bluefields-orioles-looking-for-8th/ |title=Bluefield's Orioles looking for 8th title |first=Jimmy |last=Smyth |newspaper=Johnson City Press |location=Johnson City, Tennessee |page=15 |date=June 22, 1983 |accessdate=August 17, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> 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.<ref name=brm/> He compiled a record of 937 wins and 923 losses for a .504 winning percentage.<ref name=brm/> Two of his teams won Triple-A-level championships; the 1990 Rochester Red Wings of the International League and the 1996 Oklahoma City 89ers of the American Association.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tripleabaseball.com/PostSeasonIL.jsp |title=International League Governors' Cup Championship |website=tripleabaseball.com |accessdate=August 17, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tripleabaseball.com/PostSeasonAA.jsp |title= American Association Championships |website=tripleabaseball.com |accessdate=August 17, 2020}}</ref>
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.{{cn|date=November 2022}} Biagini was later with the Boston Red Sox organization, as a roving minor league batting instructor in 2000,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57542241/redhawks-ready-for-spring-drills/ |title=RedHawks ready for spring drills |first=Bob |last=Hersom |newspaper=The Daily Oklahoman |location=Oklahoma City |page=27 |date=February 13, 2000 |accessdate=August 17, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> and as an advance scout in 2001.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57542484/transactions/ |title=Transactions |newspaper=Brattleboro Reformer |location=Brattleboro, Vermont |page=13 |date=July 13, 2001 |accessdate=August 17, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> In 2002, he helped run a youth baseball complex in Edmond, Oklahoma.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57542915/wanted-a-few-good-umps/ |title=Wanted: a few good umps |first=Bob |last=Colon |newspaper=The Daily Oklahoman |location=Oklahoma City |page=12-C |date=July 7, 2002 |accessdate=August 17, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>
Biagini died in 2003 at age 51 from kidney cancer in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57506133/ex-manager-dies-of-cancer/ |title=Ex-manager dies of cancer |first=Bob |last=Hersom |newspaper=The Daily Oklahoman |location=Oklahoma City |page=26 |date=October 4, 2003 |accessdate=August 17, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57543268/ex-wings-manager-dies/ |title=Ex-Wings manager dies |newspaper=Democrat and Chronicle |location=Rochester, New York |page=24 |date=October 6, 2003 |accessdate=August 17, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> His son, Tanner, later played two seasons for the Tampa Bay Rays organization as a corner infielder.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57543949/letters-a-message-from-greg-biaginis/ |title=Letters: A message from Greg Biagini's son |newspaper=The Daily Oklahoman |location=Oklahoma City |page=24 |date=June 14, 2005 |accessdate=August 17, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=biagin001tan |title=Tanner Biagini Minor League Statistics & History |website=Baseball-Reference.com |accessdate=August 17, 2020}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==Further reading== * [http://www.historicbaseball.com/players/b/biagini_greg.html Obituary] at historicbaseball.com
==External links== *{{baseballstats|brm=biagin001gre}} *[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B/Pbiagg801.htm Coach's page] at Retrosheet *{{findagrave|8700467}}
{{s-start}} {{succession box|title=Rochester Red Wings manager|before=Johnny Oates|after=Jerry Narron|years=1989–1991}} {{succession box|title=Baltimore Orioles hitting coach|before=Tommy McCraw|after=Lee May|years=1992–1994}} {{succession box|title=Oklahoma City 89ers/Oklahoma RedHawks manager|before=Bobby Jones|after=DeMarlo Hale|years=1995–1999}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biagini, Greg}} Category:1952 births Category:2003 deaths Category:Acereros de Monclova players Category:American expatriate baseball players in Canada Category:American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Category:Baltimore Orioles coaches Category:Baseball coaches from Oklahoma Category:Boston Red Sox scouts Category:Deaths from cancer in Oklahoma Category:Deaths from kidney cancer in the United States Category:Jamestown Expos players Category:Kinston Expos players Category:Indios de Ciudad Juárez (minor league) players Category:Iowa State Cyclones baseball players Category:Iowa State Cyclones football players Category:Major League Baseball hitting coaches Category:Mineros de Coahuila players Category:Minor league baseball managers Category:Québec Carnavals players Category:Quebec Metros players Category:Rochester Red Wings managers Category:San Jose Missions players Category:Spokane Indians players Category:Baseball players from Oklahoma City Category:Tigres del México players Category:West Palm Beach Expos players Category:American expatriate baseball people in Venezuela Category:20th-century American sportsmen