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Sunday, October 31, 2021

Steve Scarsone got his majors chance, then took it to seven seasons, career as coach

Steve Scarsone recalled once needing an attitude adjustment just two seasons prior, sent from AA back to high-A. But he got through it and bettered himself, The Camden Courier-Post wrote.

Then, in May 1992, his work paid off with his debut trip to the majors and Philadelphia.

"It's a little overwhelming," Scarsone told The Courier-Post. "I'll try to take in as much as possible, maybe keep a little diary so I can remember it later. I don't know how long this will last. But I finally got a chance."

For Scarsone, it ultimately lasted through parts of seven major league seasons, seeing his last time in the bigs in 1999 with the Royals.

He's then gone on to a long career in the minors, as a manager and coordinator.

Scarsone's career began in 1986, taken by the Phillies in the second round of the January draft out of Santa Ana College in California.

Scarsone started with the Phillies at short-season Bend. He hit .219 over 65 games. He then saw single-A Charleston for 1987, then single-A Clearwater in 1988 and AA Reading in 1989.

He split 1990 between Clearwater and Reading, then played much of 1991 at AAA Scranton. He hit .274 in 111 games at Scranton.

Scarsone then made Philadelphia in May 1992. He saw seven games there, then got traded in August to the Orioles. He saw 11 more games with the Orioles. Between them, he hit .167.

He arrived with the Giants for 1993 in another trade and saw another 44 games in the majors. That August, The Los Angeles Times wrote of his limited playing time, but Scarsone expressed optimism.

"I'm enjoying every minute of this," Scarsone told The Times then. "You have to go with the flow. Right now, the flow is going great."

Scarsone returned to the Giants for 52 games in 1994, then 80 in 1995 and 105 in 1996. He hit .219 over that 1996 campaign, with five home runs.

He moved to the Cardinals for 1997, but saw just five games. He didn't see the majors in 1998, then saw 46 final games with the Royals in 1999 to end his career.

By 2001, Scarsone had turned minor league manager. He managed that year at single-A South Bend, then high-A Lancaster in 2002. In 2011, he moved to AA Midland and 2014, AAA Sacramento.

At the end of the 2016 campaign, in which he managed AAA Nashville to the playoffs, Scarsone spoke to The Tennessean about his future.

"I like what I do now," Scarsone told The Tennessean. "I'm able to teach, I'm able to give back to the players and I'm able to get a lot back from the contacts, connections and relationships that we get a chance to build through this process."

In 2021, Scarsone served as the Athletics' minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator.

1990 Minor League Tally 
Players/Coaches Featured:3,767
Made the Majors:1,275-33.9%-X
Never Made Majors:2,492-66.1%
5+ Seasons in the Majors:525-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors:313

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