Tony Scott had trouble hitting early on in his professional career, so he made a decision. His decision was that he needed to be a switch-hitter, he told The Montreal Gazette in 1975."It didn't take long before my batting average went up 60 points..." Scott told The Gazette. "Right now, I'm probably a better left-handed hitter because I see a lot more righthanded pitchers."
From there, Scott was able to switch-hit his way into time in 11 major league seasons with three different teams. He's also gone on to teach his hitting techniques to younger hitters, as a coach in both the minors and in the majors.
Scott's career in baseball began in 1969, taken by the Expos in the 71st round of the draft, out of Withrow High School in Ohio.
With the Expos, arrived at single-A West Palm Beach in 1971, then hit AA Quebec in 1972. It was in 1973 that he debuted in Montreal, getting into 11 games, one at bat.
Scott got into 19 games for the Expos in 1974, then got his first extended playing time in the bigs in 1975, 92 games, but hit just .182.
For 1976, Scott spent the season at AAA. That November, he was traded to the Cardinals. It was in St. Louis that Scott's bat heated up. He also returned to the majors. In 95 games for the Cardinals in 1977, Scott hit .291.
Scott stayed with the Cardinals into 1981, getting into 153 games in 1979. That September, Scott helped the team to a win, hustling in from second on an error. He did so by bowling over Pirates catcher Ed Ott.
"I hit him," Scott told UPI afterward. "I got just a part of the plate, but I wasn't even sure I had. When I heard "Safe,' I just didn't do anything else."
Scott went on to play in the majors through 1984, moving to Houston in mid-1981, then returning to Montreal for his final 45 games in 1984.
Soon after, Scott started his coaching career. By 1990, Scott was hitting coach and later manager with the Phillies at short-season Batavia. He later became hitting coach at single-A Spartanburg and Piedmont. In 1996, he's credited as being Phillies roving outfielder instructor.
By 2001, Scott was back in the majors, as Phillies first base coach. He continued with that until 2003. Back in 2000, he served as hitting coach at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. That July, he spoke to The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader about a young Marlon Anderson as Anderson tried to return to the majors.
"He's a potential .300 hitter at that level," Scott told The Times-Leader. "He has a good swing and he always stays focused when he's at the plate."
- Montreal Gazette, April 10, 1975: Given confidence and Tony's arrived
- Ottawa Citizen, UPI, Sept. 7, 1979: Cards beat Pirates
- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, July 9, 2000: Anderson eager to show he is Phillies material again
Players/Coaches Featured:1,181
Made the Majors: 678 - 57.4%-X
Never Made Majors: 503-42.6%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 292
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 174
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