# Mel Didier > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mel_Didier > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mel_Didier.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Didier > Source revision: 1302061505 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American baseball player, scout manager and executive}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography | name = Mel Didier | image = Mel Didier (cropped).jpg | caption = Didier in 1973 | position = [Pitcher](/source/Pitcher) / [Scout](/source/Scout_(sports)) | birth_date = {{birth date|1926|6|25}} | birth_place = [Marksville, Louisiana](/source/Marksville%2C_Louisiana), U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2017|9|10|1926|6|25}} | death_place = [Phoenix, Arizona](/source/Phoenix%2C_Arizona), U.S. | bats = Right | throws = Right }} '''Melvin Joffrion Didier Sr.''' (June 25, 1926 – September 10, 2017) was an American [professional baseball](/source/professional_baseball) [pitcher](/source/pitcher) in [Minor League Baseball](/source/Minor_League_Baseball) for two years (1948-49). However, he spent more than 60 years in pro ball as a [scout](/source/Scout_(sports)) and executive. ==Biography== Born in [Marksville, Louisiana](/source/Marksville%2C_Louisiana), Didier was raised in [Baton Rouge, Louisiana](/source/Baton_Rouge%2C_Louisiana). He attended [Louisiana State University](/source/Louisiana_State_University) (LSU) where he played both [football](/source/LSU_Tigers_football) and [baseball](/source/LSU_Tigers_baseball) for the [Tigers](/source/LSU_Tigers).{{cite news |last1=Franques |first1=Bill |title=Former LSU Player and Coach Mel Didier Dies |url=https://lsusports.net/news/2017/09/11/211666780/ |access-date=12 January 2023 |publisher=[LSU Sports](/source/LSU_Tigers) |date=11 September 2017}} His career covered a wide array of involvement in athletics for over 70 years from starting his career as a [football](/source/American_football) and baseball coach at his alma mater, [Catholic High School](/source/Catholic_High_School_(Baton_Rouge%2C_Louisiana)) in Baton Rouge, to a football assistants' job at LSU. Didier moved to professional baseball as both a scout and later as a front office executive for three expansion clubs. Didier pitched in 1948 for the [Stroudsburg Poconos](/source/Stroudsburg_Poconos) and in 1949 for the [Thomasville Tigers](/source/Thomasville_Tigers), ending his career with an 11–15 [win–loss record](/source/Win%E2%80%93loss_record_(pitching)) and a 6.33 [earned run average](/source/earned_run_average) (ERA) in his two-year career. A shoulder injury ended his playing days with the [Detroit Tigers](/source/Detroit_Tigers) organization but not his association with the game.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=didier001mel|title=Mel Didier Minor League Statistics & History|work=[Baseball-Reference.com](/source/Baseball-Reference.com)|accessdate=September 11, 2017}} When the expansion [Montreal Expos](/source/Montreal_Expos) began in 1969, Didier was hired as director of scouting and player development, a position that he held until September 1975.{{cite web|url=http://www.baseballamerica.com/execdb/?show=franchise&fid=was|title=Baseball America - Executive Database|work=[Baseball America](/source/Baseball_America)|accessdate=September 11, 2017}} During his time at Montreal, he was responsible for the signings of future [Baseball Hall of Famers](/source/Baseball_Hall_of_Fame_and_Museum) [Gary Carter](/source/Gary_Carter) (1972) and [Andre Dawson](/source/Andre_Dawson) (1975).[http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/article_8fc2cc48-8b34-11e6-b954-7ffbf3e0559d.html/ At 90, Mel Didier isn't finished helping major league baseball teams win]. Article by George Morris. ''The Advocate'', October 15, 2016. Retrieved on September 12, 2017. Didier was the running backs/freshman coach at his alma mater, LSU, when the expansion Expos hired him to oversee their player development. He was the director of player development for the [Seattle Mariners](/source/Seattle_Mariners) from 1977 to 1978, after which he joined the [Cleveland Indians](/source/Cleveland_Indians). He was the baseball coach at the [University of Southwestern Louisiana](/source/University_of_Southwestern_Louisiana) from 1981 to 1982, also serving as its [athletic director](/source/athletic_director) in 1982. Didier then became a scout for the [Los Angeles Dodgers](/source/Los_Angeles_Dodgers), whom he convinced to acquire free agent [Kirk Gibson](/source/Kirk_Gibson) in 1988. As a result, he gained fame for his scouting report on [Oakland Athletics](/source/Oakland_Athletics) ace [relief pitcher](/source/relief_pitcher) [Dennis Eckersley](/source/Dennis_Eckersley), which Gibson credited for his dramatic [1988 World Series Game One-winning pinch-hit home run](/source/Kirk_Gibson's_1988_World_Series_home_run) against Eckersley; the Dodgers would go on to win the series in five games.[http://www.lasportshall.com/inductees/baseball/mel-didier/?back=inductee Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame official website]. Retrieved September 12, 2017. Didier joined the expansion [Arizona Diamondbacks](/source/Arizona_Diamondbacks) in December 1996 and served with them through October 2000. He then served a second stint in Cleveland, followed by a year with the [Baltimore Orioles](/source/Baltimore_Orioles). After that, he worked for the [Texas Rangers](/source/Texas_Rangers_(baseball)) as a special assignments scout. In October 2009, he joined the [Toronto Blue Jays](/source/Toronto_Blue_Jays), whom he served until his death. In 2003, Didier gained induction into the [Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame](/source/Louisiana_Sports_Hall_of_Fame). Then in 2014, Aquila Productions made the documentary, ''Scout's Honor: The Mel Didier Story''," which baseball greats, including Gibson, talk about Didier's influence on the game. His son [Bob](/source/Bob_Didier) was a [catcher](/source/catcher) in the Major Leagues from 1969 through 1974, and later had a long post-playing career as a [coach](/source/coach_(baseball)), [scout](/source/scout_(sport)) and minor league [manager](/source/manager_(baseball)). Didier died on September 10, 2017, in his home in [Phoenix, Arizona](/source/Phoenix%2C_Arizona), at the age of 91.{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=George |title=Legendary baseball scout Mel Didier dies at age 90; grew up, coached in Baton Rouge |url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/article_d889f63a-88e6-11e7-8d98-3737c24a007c.html |access-date=12 January 2023 |work=[The Advocate](/source/The_Advocate_(Louisiana)) |language=en}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} {{baseballstats|brm=didier001mel}} *[https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/b2cc5d8f Mel Didier] at SABR (Baseball BioProject) {{Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball coach navbox}} {{Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns athletic director navbox}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Didier, Mel}} Category:1926 births Category:2017 deaths Category:Arizona Diamondbacks executives Category:American expatriate baseball people in Canada Category:Atlanta Braves scouts Category:Baseball coaches from Louisiana Category:Baseball players from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Category:Catholic High School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) alumni Category:Cleveland Indians scouts Category:Detroit Tigers scouts Category:Los Angeles Dodgers scouts Category:Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns athletic directors Category:Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball coaches Category:LSU Tigers football coaches Category:Major League Baseball farm directors Category:Milwaukee Braves scouts Category:Montreal Expos executives Category:People from Marksville, Louisiana Category:Seattle Mariners executives Category:Stroudsburg Poconos players Category:Texas Rangers scouts Category:Thomasville Tigers players Category:Toronto Blue Jays scouts Category:LSU Tigers football players Category:LSU Tigers baseball players Category:High school baseball coaches in the United States Category:High school football coaches in Louisiana Category:20th-century American sportsmen --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mel Didier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Didier) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Didier?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.