Ryan Minor
Ryan Minor | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 January 1974 |
| Died | 22 December 2023 (aged 49) |
| Occupation(s) | Professional baseball third baseman, minor league manager, former basketball player |
| Known for | Major League Baseball player for Baltimore Orioles and Montreal Expos; Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year |
Ryan Dale Minor (January 5, 1974 – December 22, 2023) was a professional American athlete known for his roles as a baseball third baseman, minor league manager, and former basketball player. His Major League Baseball career spanned parts of four seasons from 1998 to 2001, during which he played for the Baltimore Orioles and Montreal Expos.
In basketball, Minor distinguished himself by earning the Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year while representing the Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team. On the baseball diamond, he received recognition on the ABCA/Rawlings High School All-America Baseball Team, secured a championship at the 1994 College World Series, and is particularly remembered for starting in place of Cal Ripken Jr., thereby concluding Ripken’s renowned consecutive games streak.
Basketball career
Minor was an All-American standout in college basketball at the University of Oklahoma, where he led the Big Eight Conference in scoring on two occasions. In his junior year (1995), he earned the Big Eight Player of the Year distinction. Despite being projected as a possible lottery pick following that season, Minor opted to return for his senior year.
He was selected during the second round of the 1996 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Minor participated in seven preseason contests but was ultimately released due to stiff competition from players such as Jerry Stackhouse and Clarence Weatherspoon. Subsequently, he appeared in 32 games for the Oklahoma City Cavalry in the Continental Basketball Association, averaging 9.5 points along with 4.4 rebounds per game before departing in January 1997 to attend spring training with the Baltimore Orioles.
Baseball career
While attending Hammon High School in Hammon, Oklahoma, Minor earned a spot on the ABCA/Rawlings High School All-America Third Team in 1992. He continued his baseball career at college level with the Oklahoma Sooners, contributing significantly to their victory in the 1994 College World Series as a sophomore and receiving All-Tournament Team honors. Although drafted in the seventh round of the 1995 MLB draft by the New York Mets, Minor chose not to sign. The following year, he was selected in the 33rd round by the Baltimore Orioles.
After spending over two seasons developing in the minor leagues, Minor made his MLB debut in 1998. Over the subsequent two years, he divided his time between the Orioles and their minor league affiliates, predominantly with the Rochester Red Wings. He notably became the first player to start ahead of Cal Ripken Jr., ending Ripken's renowned consecutive-games-played streak. Following the 2000 season, Minor was traded to the Expos in exchange for pitcher Jorge Julio. In 2001, he played across both the Expos and their affiliate team, the Ottawa Lynx, appearing in a total of 142 Major League games.
Between 2002 and 2004, Minor played within three different organizations and also had periods with independent league teams such as the Newark Bears and Atlantic City Surf of the Atlantic League. He joined the newly established Lancaster Barnstormers for their inaugural season in 2005 and achieved a milestone by hitting their first-ever home run on May 17 at Clipper Magazine Stadium. That year, Minor posted a .268 batting average alongside a team-leading 26 home runs and 99 RBIs, ranking second on his team and tied for third throughout the league.
Coaching and managerial career
Following his retirement from professional baseball, Minor took on the role of coach for the 2006 Road Warriors. In December 2006, he accepted a position as hitting and infield coach with the York Revolution competing in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. By 2008, Minor had transitioned to a comparable coaching capacity with the Delmarva Shorebirds, the Orioles' Class A team in the South Atlantic League. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as manager for the Delmarva Shorebirds before advancing in 2013 to manage the Advanced-A level Frederick Keys. He returned to manage Delmarva from 2014 through 2017, then resumed managerial duties for the Keys in 2018. After concluding the 2019 season in last place, the Orioles chose not to renew his contract. By January 2020, Minor had joined the Detroit Tigers organization as manager of their Gulf Coast League West squad for the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.
Personal life
Minor's twin brother, Damon, also reached Major League Baseball, playing for the San Francisco Giants. The siblings were teammates at the University of Oklahoma from 1993 until 1995.
In October 2022, Minor received a diagnosis of colon cancer. He entered hospice care in November 2023 and passed away due to the illness on December 22, 2023, at age 49. One month before his death, it was announced that Minor would be inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame class of 2024.