Gary Hughes (baseball)

file:Gary Hughes (baseball).webp

Gary Hughes (February 2, 1941 – September 19, 2020){{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29923030/long-baseball-pro-scout-gary-hughes-dies-79|title = Longtime baseball pro scout Hughes dies at 79|date = 20 September 2020}} was an American baseball executive. He also served as a coach and scout.

Career

Hughes went to Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California; one of his classmates was Jim Fregosi.{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Daniel |date=January 30, 2015 |title=Beyond Tom Brady: Other notable Serra High alums |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/01/30/beyond-tom-brady-other-notable-serra-high-alums/ |newspaper=Mercury News |location=San Jose |access-date=March 5, 2019 }} He graduated from San Jose State University. He served as the baseball coach at Marin Catholic High School from 1964 through 1972.{{cite web | url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MIJB&p_theme=mijb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=12BCFEBDD116B1E0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM | title=Gary Hughes: MAFHOF Class of 2009 | publisher=Marin Independent Journal | access-date=February 14, 2014}} He then became a part-time scout, working in Northern California for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, and New York Mets, before he was hired on a full-time basis by the New York Yankees. Hughes became the scouting director for the Montreal Expos, and the assistant general manager and scouting director for the Florida Marlins, starting at the organization's inception in 1991. After working briefly for the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds, Hughes worked for the Chicago Cubs from 2002 through 2011 as the special assistant to the general manager.{{cite web | url=https://www.espn.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/6997623/chicago-cubs-special-assistant-gary-hughes-resigns | title=Gary Hughes resigns Cubs job | work=ESPN.com | date=September 20, 2011 | access-date=February 14, 2014 | author=Levine, Bruce}} The Red Sox hired Hughes in 2012 as a scout.{{cite web | url=http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120202&content_id=26556192&vkey=news_bos&c_id=bos | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205002820/http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120202&content_id=26556192&vkey=news_bos&c_id=bos | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 5, 2012 | title=Red Sox hire veteran scout Hughes | work=MLB.com | date=February 2, 2012 | access-date=February 14, 2014 | author=Drellich, Evan}}

Honors

Baseball America presented Hughes with its lifetime achievement award in 2007. He was inducted into the Marin Catholic Hall of Fame in 2007 and Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame in 2009.{{cite web | url=http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13723640 | title=Gary Hughes: MAFHOF Class of 2009 | work=San Jose Mercury News | date=November 5, 2009 | access-date=February 14, 2014}}

Personal

Hughes had five children, four step-children, seventeen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Hughes' son Michael "Rock" Hughes is the visiting clubhouse manager for the Miami Marlins and is the longest termed full time employee of the Marlins, being with the team since it was founded. Rock is married to the sister of Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell.{{cite news |last=Spencer |first=Clark |date=March 13, 2018 |title=The man who's been with Marlins since the start thought he wouldn't make it past Day 1 |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mlb/miami-marlins/article204731594.html |newspaper=Herald |location=Miami |access-date=March 4, 2019 }}

Hughes’ son Sam is a National Crosschecker with the New York Yankees.