MINNEAPOLIS — Mike Radcliff, who was scouting director for 14 of his 35 years evaluating prospects for the Minnesota Twins, died Friday at age 66 after a nearly four-year bout with pancreatic cancer.
The Twins said Radcliff died in suburban Kansas City, where he and his wife, Sherry, kept their home.
He was hired by the club in 1987 and became scouting director in 1993. He was the longest-tenured scouting director in Major League Baseball in 2007, when he was promoted to vice president of player personnel. Radcliff received several scouting awards from his peers over his career and was credited within the Twins organization for his confidence in making Joe Mauer the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft over Mark Prior and Mark Teixeira.
“He had a good idea of what he was looking for. He had a good idea of how to go about his business, with a total respect for the game and his coaches,” former Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. “There wasn’t any player or team or assignment that was too trivial for him.”