Steve Scarsone
A versatile utility infielder who carved out a seven-year major league career through sheer adaptability, later shaping future talent as a coach.
Born 1966 (age 60)·American baseball player·Birthday: April 11·Generation X
Biography
Steve Scarsone’s baseball story is one of persistence and positional flexibility. Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles, he spent years honing his craft in the minors before getting his first real shot with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1992. He was never a star, but he became the quintessential valuable reserve—a player who could credibly handle shortstop, second base, and third base, providing solid defense and occasional pop off the bench. His journey took him through five different big-league clubs, with his most sustained playing time coming in San Francisco. After his final game in 1999, Scarsone seamlessly transitioned to instruction, managing in the minor leagues for over a decade before joining the Oakland Athletics' player development staff. His career embodies the vast middle layer of professional baseball: the grinders whose knowledge and adaptability become their lasting legacy in the game.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Steve was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Steve Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Steve's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played in Major League Baseball for parts of seven seasons across five different teams from 1992 to 1999.
- Hit a walk-off home run for the San Francisco Giants in the 11th inning against the Houston Astros in 1996.
- Managed the Sacramento River Cats, the Oakland Athletics' AAA affiliate, for two seasons (2014-2015).
- Served as a travelling minor league instructor for the Oakland Athletics, overseeing infield development across their farm system.
Did You Know?
He was a teammate of both Barry Bonds on the Giants and Mark McGwire on the Cardinals.
In his MLB debut with the Phillies in 1992, he got a hit in his first at-bat, a single off pitcher Mike Morgan.
He played college baseball for the California Golden Bears at the University of California, Berkeley.
After managing, he returned to a roving instructor role, a job often considered crucial for consistent player development.
“I just wanted to be ready when they called my name.”
