Ryan Minor

Ryan Dale Minor

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 7", Weight 240 lb.
• School University of Oklahoma
• High School Hammon High School
• Debut September 13, 1998
• Final Game October 7, 2001
• Born January 5, 1974 in Canton, OH USA
• Died December 22, 2023 in Salisbury, MD USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Ryan Minor was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as the second pick in the second round of the 1996 NBA Draft. However, he never appeared in a game with the 76ers. He decided instead to focus on baseball (he had played in the 1995 College World Series with the University of Oklahoma) and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 33rd round of the 1996 amateur draft. Minor quickly soared through the Orioles' minor league system, debuting with the Orioles in 1998 where he batted .429/.429/.500 with 0 HR's and 1 RBI. That September, Minor was best known for replacing Cal Ripken Jr. in the Orioles lineup when Ripken stepped down from his 2,632 consecutive games, ending his historic streak. When placed in the lineup, Minor asked: "Does he know?". He struggled in 1999, batting .194/.241/.323 with 3 HR's and 10 RBI. Minor's struggles continued into the 2000 season, when he only batted .131/.170/.143 with no home runs and only 3 RBI.

The Orioles traded Minor to the Montreal Expos for pitcher Jorge Julio in December 2000. He again struggled in 2001 with his new team, only batting .158/.234/.242 with 2 HR's and 13 RBI. He was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners in November, then failed to make the team out of spring training, struggled in the minors and was released in late May. The next spring, Minor signed another minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers but found himself released in July. Following his release, he signed with the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League where he batted .253/.320/.429 with 4 HR's and 11 RBI. In 2004, Minor joined the Atlantic City Surf where he batted .326/.369/.576 with 16 HR's and 45 RBI, which earned him another shot with a major league organization when the Florida Marlins purchased his contract; he was assigned to the AA Carolina Mudcats where he batted .250/.304/.477 with 8 HR's and 33 RBI. In 2005, Minor found himself back in the Atlantic League when he signed with the expansion Lancaster Barnstormers where he batted .268/.347/.491 with 26 HR's and 99 RBI.

At the beginning of the 2006 season, Minor retired and become a coach with the league's traveling team, the Road Warriors. He moved to the York Revolution in 2007 as their hitting and infield coach. In 2008-2009 Minor was the hitting coach of the Delmarva Shorebirds, becoming their manager in 2010. Minor's contract with the Baltimore Orioles was not renewed after the 2019 season as part of a widespread overhaul of the Oriole's scouting and player development systems.

In addition to managing, Minor served as a hitting coach for the 2017 Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League. Minor was scheduled to manage the GCL Tigers West in 2020 before COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the minor league season.

Ryan is the twin brother of Damon Minor; the two were teammates in college. Ryan passed away from colon cancer at age 49 in 2023.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
2010	Delmarva Shorebirds	South Atlantic League	59-81	14th	Baltimore Orioles
2011	Delmarva Shorebirds	South Atlantic League	55-85	13th (t)	Baltimore Orioles
2012	Delmarva Shorebirds	South Atlantic League	52-86	14th	Baltimore Orioles
2013	Frederick Keys	Carolina League	61-78	7th	Baltimore Orioles
2014	Delmarva Shorebirds	South Atlantic League	66-73	7th	Baltimore Orioles
2015	Delmarva Shorebirds	South Atlantic League	71-67	7th	Baltimore Orioles
2016	Delmarva Shorebirds	South Atlantic League	73-66	6th	Baltimore Orioles
2017	Delmarva Shorebirds	South Atlantic League	59-78	13th	Baltimore Orioles
2018	Frederick Keys	Carolina League	65-72	6th	Baltimore Orioles
2019	Frederick Keys	Carolina League	53-84	10th	Baltimore Orioles
2021	FCL Tigers West	Florida Complex League	18-33	17th	Detroit Tigers

Further Reading

• Jake Rill: "Ryan Minor, who replaced Ripken to end the streak, passes away at 49", mlb.com, December 22, 2023. [1]

Related Sites

• Washington Post
• 1996 NBA Draft Summary