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
Biographical Information[edit]
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[edit]
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 |
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