Jeff Bittiger, a former major-league pitcher who originally was drafted by the Mets and later served for more than two decades as a scout for the Athletics, died Saturday.
He was 63.
The Mets chose the Jersey City native and Secaucus HS product in the seventh round of the 1980 draft.
Bittiger spent six seasons in their minor-league system, reaching Triple-A Tidewater. He was a rotation member alongside Ron Darling on the Tides squad — managed by Davey Johnson — that reached the Triple-A championship round in 1983.
Following a trade, Bittiger made his major-league debut with the Phillies in 1986. The right-hander also pitched for the Twins and the White Sox, finishing with a 4-6 record and a 4.77 ERA over 33 appearances.
Bittiger played in the minors and independent leagues until retirement at the age of 40 before taking a job as an area scout with Oakland in 2003.
Among the players he signed over 22 seasons working for the A’s were former All-Star closer and 2009 AL Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey.
The team did not disclose a cause of death for Bittiger.
“Jeff spent his whole life around the game: playing, coaching, and scouting. He was as good a person as he was a scout, and he was a hell of a scout,” former A’s GM and current ownership advisor Billy Beane said in a statement. “He knew pitchers inside and out and you could tell how much he loved baseball just by being around him.”
