Mel Didier

[3] When the expansion Montreal Expos began in 1969, Didier was hired as director of scouting and player development, a position that he held until September 1975.

[4] During his time at Montreal, he was responsible for the signings of future Baseball Hall of Famers Gary Carter (1972) and Andre Dawson (1975).

[1] Didier was the running backs/freshman coach at his alma mater, LSU, when the expansion Expos hired him to oversee their player development.

[5] Didier then became a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom he convinced to acquire free agent Kirk Gibson in 1988.

As a result, he gained fame for his scouting report on Oakland Athletics ace relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley, which Gibson credited for his dramatic 1988 World Series Game One-winning pinch-hit home run against Eckersley; the Dodgers would go on to win the series in five games.