Tommy Sandt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tommy Sandt |
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| Shortstop/coach | |||
| Born: December 22, 1950 Brooklyn, New York |
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| Died: December 1, 2020 (aged 69) Lake Oswego, Oregon |
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| debut | |||
| June 29, 1975, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 3, 1976, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .209 | ||
| Home runs | 0 | ||
| Runs batted in | 3 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As coach
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Thomas James Sandt (December 22, 1950 – December 1, 2020) was an American baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) and also managed teams in the minor leagues. Tommy Sandt was an infielder who played for the Oakland Athletics in 1975 and 1976. He threw and batted with his right hand.
Sandt played baseball professionally for 15 seasons. Later, he coached in MLB for 16 years. He was a coach for the Florida Marlins when they won the World Series in 1997.
Early Life and School
Tommy Sandt was born in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up and finished high school in California. He graduated from Pacifica High School in 1968.
Playing Career
The Oakland Athletics chose Tommy Sandt in the 1969 Major League Baseball draft. He started playing professionally that same year.
His MLB playing career included 42 games. He played one game on June 29, 1975, as a second baseman. In 1976, he played 41 games as a utility infielder. This means he could play different positions in the infield.
In the major leagues, Sandt batted .209. He had 14 hits, including one double. On defense, he played 29 games as a shortstop. He also played ten games at second base and two games at third baseman.
Coaching and Managing
Tommy Sandt joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 1979. He was still playing baseball at that time. After his playing days, he became a manager for the Pirates' minor league teams. He managed teams in the Eastern League and Pacific Coast League from 1982 to 1986.
In 1984, he was named the PCL Manager of the Year. This was when he was managing the Hawaii Islanders.
In 1987, Sandt became a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates' MLB team. He worked with manager Jim Leyland for 13 years. They were together with the Pirates until 1996. Then, they moved to the Florida Marlins (1997–1998) and the Colorado Rockies (1999).
After that, Sandt returned to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He coached there for two and a half more years. He worked under managers Gene Lamont (2000) and Lloyd McClendon (2001–2002).
Later Life
Tommy Sandt passed away on December 1, 2020. He died in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
