Steve Demeter

Stephen Demeter

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9½", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Homer City High School
• Debut July 29, 1959
• Final Game May 6, 1960
• Born January 27, 1935 in Homer City, PA USA
• Died February 3, 2013 in Parma, OH USA

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Biographical Information

Third baseman Steve Demeter arguably best fits the definition of a career minor-leaguer, logging 19 seasons over three decades. A skillful hitter with good power, he batted over .300 eight times. Yet, he was rewarded with only very brief cups of coffee in the majors with the Detroit Tigers in 1959 and the Cleveland Indians in 1960. His biggest claim to fame in the majors was that he was traded straight up for Norm Cash on April 12, 1960, between his two brief stays in the big leagues; Cash, of course, went on to star for the Tigers for 15 seasons.

Demeter led the 1954 Carolina League with 48 doubles. He went on to play for the Rochester Red Wings from 1964 to 1968. In 1965, he led the International League with 28 doubles and 90 RBI. The next year, he hit .313 with 18 homers and 82 RBI and paced the circuit again with 32 doubles. Once again, in 1967, he led the IL with 32 two-base hits. Overall in his time with Rochester, he slugged 64 home runs and drove in 367 runs.

After his playing career, Demeter became a minor league manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1972-1980 and was a Pirates coach in 1985. He returned to managing for one year (1987) and brought home the Carolina League title with the Salem Buccaneers. Overall his teams were 685-701. Demeter then became a scouting director for the Pirates from 1988 into at least the mid-1990s.

In 2009 he was elected to the International League Hall of Fame.

He died of heart disease in 2013, aged 78. The same year, his grandson Derek Dietrich made the majors.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1972	Sherbrooke Pirates	Eastern League	77-63	3rd	Pittsburgh Pirates
1973	Salem Pirates	Carolina League	66-72	5th	Pittsburgh Pirates
1974	Charleston Charlies	International League	62-81	6th	Pittsburgh Pirates
1975	Charleston Charlies	International League	72-67	4th	Pittsburgh Pirates	Lost in 1st round
1976	Salem Pirates	Carolina League	68-69	3rd	Pittsburgh Pirates	none
1977	Salem Pirates	Carolina League	66-72	3rd	Pittsburgh Pirates
1978	Shreveport Captains	Texas League	55-81	7th	Pittsburgh Pirates
1979	Buffalo Bisons	Eastern League	73-66	4th	Pittsburgh Pirates	none
1980	Buffalo Bisons	Eastern League	67-70	5th	Pittsburgh Pirates
1987	Salem Buccaneers	Carolina League	80-59	1st	Pittsburgh Pirates	League Champs

Related Sites

• Obituary
• Venezuelan League Statistics
• Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame