Batting average .190 Role Baseball player Name Scott Ullger | Runs batted in 5 Home runs 0 Education St. John's University | |
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Similar People Rick Stelmaszek, Joe Vavra, Jerry White, Rick Anderson, Paul Molitor | ||
Scott Matthew Ullger (born June 10, 1955 in New York City) is a retired Major League Baseball player and coach. He spent 20 seasons (1995–2014) as a coach for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball, serving in four different roles: as third base and first base coach, bench coach and hitting instructor. Ullger was frequently referred to as "Scotty" by Twins faithfuls and by broadcasters Bert Blyleven and Dick Bremer.
Ullger, from Plainview, New York, was drafted by the Twins in 1977 and called up in 1983 after a successful minor league career. This did not, however, translate to big league success as Ullger played only 35 games in the majors, primarily at first base, all in the 1983 season.
After his playing career, he got into coaching. Ullger became the manager of the Visalia Oaks in 1988, becoming the California League Manager of the Year in 1990. He also had successful runs with the Portland Beavers/Salt Lake Buzz when the team was the Twins' AAA affiliate.
In 1995, Ullger became the Twins’ first base coach. He went 3-2 in a brief unofficial managerial stint in 2002, while Manager Ron Gardenhire was absent. Following the 2005 season, Ullger was shifted and became the Twins’ new third base coach, a position which he held through the 2010 season. In December 2010 it was announced he would become the Twins' bench coach, swapping roles with Steve Liddle. This allowed him to work more closely with Manager Ron Gardenhire.
In May, 2008, Ullger managed the team for five games due to the death of Ron Gardenhire's brother Mike, and for a road game in New York at the end of the month while Gardenhire attended his daughter's high school graduation.