Steve Demeter

Stephen Demeter (January 27, 1935 – February 3, 2013) was an American professional baseball player, manager, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball for parts of two seasons, appearing in 15 games as a third baseman and pinch hitter in 1959 and 1960. Demeter was born in Homer City, Pennsylvania; he threw and batted right-handed and was listed as 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall and 185 pounds (84 kg).

Demeter graduated from Homer City High School and signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1953. During his seventh season in the Tiger farm system, he was recalled in July 1959 and appeared in 11 games over the remainder of the American League schedule, starting two games at third base. He collected two hits, including a double, in 18 plate appearances and at bats.

Then, prior to the 1960 season, on April 12, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for first baseman Norm Cash in what turned out to be one of the most lop-sided trades in MLB history. Demeter played only four games and went hitless in five at bats for the Indians before being returned to the minor leagues, from which he never returned. Cash won the 1961 AL batting championship (.361), became one of the top sluggers of the 1960s (hitting 377 career home runs), appeared in 2,018 games in a Tiger uniform and made four All-Star teams.

Demeter played 19 seasons of minor league baseball (1953–1970, 1972). He was a fixture of the Rochester Red Wings teams of the mid- to late 1960s, hitting 272 minor league home runs over his long career. He was inducted into both the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame, in 1990, and the International League Hall of Fame, in 2009.

He also had a long tenure as a coach and manager. He served one year (in 1985) as a coach with the MLB Pittsburgh Pirates, working at first base through June 13, and then as bench coach. He also managed for nine seasons in the Pirates' farm system, at the helm of the Sherbrooke Pirates (1972), Salem Pirates (1973, 1976–1977), Charleston Charlies (1974–1975), Shreveport Captains (1978), and Buffalo Bisons (1979–1980) and was a roving instructor and scout for the Bucs.

Steve Demeter died in Parma, Ohio, at age 78 on February 3, 2013. A grandson, Derek Dietrich, played 746 games in the majors from 2013 to 2020 as a member of the Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers, as a versatile infielder-outfielder.