Diamondbacks Bullpen

[David B]

Longtime baseball executive Syd Thrift dies at 77.

Syd Thrift, who spent nearly 50 years in pro baseball as a player, scout and executive, died Monday in Milford, Del., the Baltimore Orioles announced. He was 77.

Syd Thrift, who ended his career in the Orioles front office, spent nearly 50 years in pro baseball as a player, scout and executive.Thrift had undergone knee replacement surgery at Milford Hospital, and an autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of the death, the team said.

Thrift spent eight seasons in the team's front office as vice president for basball operations, after front-office jobs with the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals.

Thrift, a native of Locust Hill, Va., signed with the New York Yankees in 1949 and spent four years in the minors as a pitcher. He began his scouting career in the 1950s as a scout for the Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates.

After the 1967 season, he joined the expansion Royals scouting department and founded the team's Baseball Academy.