Scott Matthew Ullger (born June 10, 1955) is an American former Major League Baseball player and coach. He spent 20 seasons (1995–2014) as a coach for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball, serving in four different roles: as third base and first base coach, bench coach and hitting instructor. Ullger was frequently referred to as "Scotty" by Twins faithfuls and by broadcasters Bert Blyleven and Dick Bremer.
| Scott Ullger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First baseman / Coach | |
| Born: June 10, 1955 New York City, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 17, 1983, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1983, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .190 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 5 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player
As coach | |
Ullger, from Plainview, New York, was drafted by the Twins in the 18th round (456th overall) of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft.[1] After a successful minor league career, he was called up in 1983. He started out his career by going hitless in his first 19 at-bats before recording his first career hit and RBI against Kansas City Royals pitcher Steve Renko on June 8.[2] Ullger played in 35 career games, all in the 1983 season, batting .190 with four doubles, 5 RBI and five walks in 85 career plate appearances.[3] Defensively, Ullger primarily appeared at first base, starting 17 games, but he also appeared in three games at third base.[3]
After his playing career, he got into coaching. Ullger became the manager of the Visalia Oaks in 1988, becoming the California League Manager of the Year in 1990.[2] He also had successful runs with the Portland Beavers/Salt Lake Buzz when the team was the Twins' Triple-A affiliate.[2]
On October 7, 1994, Ullger was named the Twins' first base coach.[2] He went 3–2 in a brief unofficial managerial stint in 2002, while manager Ron Gardenhire was absent.[2] Following the 2005 season, Ullger was shifted and became the Twins’ new third base coach, a position which he held through the 2010 season.[2] In December 2010, it was announced he would become the Twins' bench coach, swapping roles with Steve Liddle. This allowed him to work more closely with manager Ron Gardenhire.[2]
In May 2008, Ullger managed the team for five games due to the death of Ron Gardenhire's brother Mike, and for a road game in New York at the end of the month while Gardenhire attended his daughter's high school graduation.[4]
References
edit- ^ "18th Round of the 1977 MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Manager and Coaches". Minnesota Twins. MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011.
- ^ a b "Scott Ullger Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ Nystrom, Thor (May 30, 2008). "Gardenhire hands over Twins to Ullger". Minnesota Twins. MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
External links
edit
- Career statistics from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)