Tommy Sandt, Former Pirates Coach and Bisons Manager, Dies at 69

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Wednesday that former coach Tommy Sandt died at the age of 69.

Sandt was an infield and first base coach for the Pirates in the 1980s and 1990s before taking on similar roles with the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies. He returned to the Pirates as a special instructor in 2000.

Before his Major League coaching career, Sandt appeared in 42 games for the Oakland Athletics as an infielder in 1975-76 and served as a manager in the minor leagues for multiple clubs in the 1980s.

During his brief MLB playing career with the A's, Sandt hit .209 with no home runs, three RBI and six runs scored.

He was far more prolific in the minors, appearing in 948 games over a 14-year span. During that stretch, Sandt hit .270 with 28 homers, 309 RBI, 511 runs and 70 stolen bases.

Notably, Sandt was a player-manager for the Triple-A Portland Beavers from 1980 to 1981 and later went on to manage the Double-A Buffalo Bisons and Lynn Sailors, as well as the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders. He was named the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year while managing the Islanders in 1984.

Sandt's first opportunity as a Major League coach came under Jim Leyland with the Pirates in 1987, and he was part of a staff that helped lead the Pirates to three consecutive NL East Division titles, although they failed to reach the World Series each time.

Sandt went with Leyland from Pittsburgh to Florida, and he was the Marlins' first base coach when they improbably won the 1997 World Series.

He was also part of Leyland's staff in Colorado for one season in 1999 before making his return to Pittsburgh in 2000 and ultimately ending his coaching career there.