SALISBURY, MD - Delmarva Shorebirds' beloved and all-time great Ryan Minor passed away Friday, according to family and the Baltimore Orioles.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of former third baseman and longtime minor league manager Ryan Minor, who courageously fought cancer," the Baltimore Orioles posted to social media Friday night.
Minor suffered from stage four colon cancer and was under hospice care. He was 49.
In November, Minor and his family announced there were no more available treatment options for his cancer.
According to the Delmarva Shorebirds, Minor was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1996 MLB Draft out of the University of Oklahoma where he was a two-sport star in both baseball and basketball. He then made his Major League debut with the Orioles in 1998. The team won their first-ever South Atlantic League Championship on Delmarva in 1997, when Minor set multiple single-season records that still stand.
After retiring as a player in 2004, Minor returned to the Orioles organization as a coach and joined the Shorebirds staff in 2008. In 2010, Minor rose to manager of the Shorebirds from 2010-2012. He was then moved up to lead the High-A team Frederick Keys in 2013 before returning as Shorebirds manager for the 2014-2017 seasons.
This past summer at Perdue Stadium, Minor’s #44 Jersey was the first-ever Shorebirds number retired in the team’s history.
“The Shorebirds are honored to retire Minor’s number 44 as the first jersey ever retired in Shorebirds history,” Shorebirds General Manager Chris Bitters said in July. “Minor has been a fixture for the Shorebirds representing the team as both a manager and player and we could not think of a more deserving individual to enshrine forever in Shorebirds history.”
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Ryan’s family and friends at this time," the Baltimore Orioles said.
