RIP Harry Minor 1928*-2017

[G-Fafif]

Harry Minor, the scout responsible for securing so many of the players who'd compose the 1986 world champion Mets, has died at the reported age of 89. There doesn't seem to be a definitive birth date available for him, but we know he was on the planet, in the game and with the Mets for a very long time. He entered baseball in 1947 and retired in 2011. If you showed up for Mike Piazza's Mets HOF induction in 2013, you saw Harry receive the Mets Hall of Fame Award.

Eerily, I was in the audience for a discussion of baseball scouting last night and Harry's name came up for one of his misses: he recommended the Mets not draft Greg Maddux because he was too short. The speaker said Harry considered it his biggest misjudgment. With Doc, Darryl, Mookie, Wally, Hubie, Mitch, Elster and Jefferies on his ledger, he clearly got plenty right.

[Guest themetfairy]

G-Fafif wrote: If you showed up for Mike Piazza's Mets HOF induction in 2013, you saw Harry receive the Mets Hall of Fame Award.

RIP to a Mets great!

[Edgy MD]

According to MLB.com's Tracy Ringolsby, as the Mets debated whether to draft Dwight Gooden or Richard Monteleon with their first round during the 1982 MLB draft, it was Minor that helped tip the balance in Gooden's favor. "Do you realize this other guy is 19 and Dwight is 17," Minor told Ringolsby, recalling the 1982 decision. "When Dwight is 19, he'll be pitching in the Major Leagues. I was being facetious, but sure enough, he was."

Rich Monteleon.

[Frayed Knot]

And even before you get to Monteleon, who wound up being drafted 20th in that round by the Pirates, there were still two other pitchers taken in that draft before Dwight (5th overall).

Jimmy Jones -- 3rd overall, Padres

Bryan Oelkers - 4th overall, Twins


Sometimes you're good, sometimes you need to be lucky, usually it helps to be both.