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St. Paul Saints

Roland Hemond to be Inducted into Saints Killebrew Root Beer Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame

August 10, 2022 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - Often the unsung heroes of the baseball world, scouts do a lot of the dirty work that goes unnoticed. For Roland Hemond, however, he became one of the most respected men in the game and the St. Paul Saints will honor him with induction into the Killebrew Root Beer Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame (PBSHOF). In addition, the Saints will rename the Killebrew Root Beer PBSHOF after Hemond.

On Friday, April 12 Hemond will become the 15th member inducted into the Killebrew Root Beer PBSHOF and going forward the Saints will change the name to the Killebrew Root Beer, Roland Hemond PBSHOF. The ceremony will take place at 6:15 p.m., prior to the game between the Saints and Columbus Clippers.

'Killebrew Root Beer is pleased to sponsor the Professional Scouts Hall of Fame at CHS Field," said Jim Lundeen, President of RJM Distributing. "The list of inductees is extensive and worthy of this recognition. We congratulate the induction of Roland Hemond to the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame.'

The baseball lifer, and one of the most respected and loved men in the game began his career in the Minor Leagues in 1952 following a four-year tour of duty in the United States Coast Guard from 1947-51. After two months with the Hartford Chiefs in 1951, Hemond was hired by the Boston Braves in 1952 and stayed with the team until the relocated to Milwaukee. He helped contribute to their National League pennants in 1957 and '58 and to a '57 World Series title.

Hemond was hired by the California Angels in 1961 as a scouting director for their debut season. He stayed with the organization until 1970. When he joined the Chicago White Sox as Director of Player Personnel, eventually becoming their General Manager. He won the first if his three Executive of the Year Awards in 1972 when he helped increase their win total by 31 over a two-year span. He stayed with the organization until 1985, putting an imprint on a franchise that won the 1983 American League West Division.

Hemond's work under White Sox owner Bill Veeck includes a famous Winter Meetings story in which he set up a table in the hotel lobby with the sign "Open for Business Anytime." They made four trades in an hour.

In 1988, Hemond took over as General Manager of the Baltimore Orioles producing a 33-win improvement in one season. He served as the Senior Executive Vice President for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1996-2000, guiding the franchise through its debut season in 1998.

He worked as an executive advisor for the White Sox from 2001-07, winning a 2005 World Series championship before returning to the D-backs as a Special Assistant to the President.

Along with being credited for developing the Arizona Fall League, Hemond served as the president of the Association of Professional Baseball Players of America, which provides financial assistance and college scholarships to current and former players, scouts and others connected with pro baseball. He also helped found the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation, designed to give assistance to longtime scouts in need of special support.

In 2011, Hemond was awarded the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first person aside from the Hall of Famer O'Neil to achieve the honor.

Hemond passed away on December 12, 2021.

Hemond is the first inductee since 2019.

The Killebrew Root Beer, Roland Hemond Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame includes the following members:

2008 Phil Rizzo (L.A. Dodgers) and Hep Cronin (Atlanta Braves)

2009 Tom Greenwade (Brooklyn Dodgers and N.Y. Yankees) and Marti Wolever (Philadelphia Phillies)

2010 Ken Stauffer (Tampa Bay Rays)

2011 Terry Reynolds (Cincinnati Reds)

2012 Al Avila (Detroit Tigers)

2013 John Mirabelli (Cleveland Indians)

2014 Mike Radcliff (Minnesota Twins)

2015 Mike Arbuckle (Kansas City Royals)

2016 Steve Williams (Pittsburgh Pirates)

2017: Steve McAllister (Arizona Diamondbacks)

2018: Terry L. Wetzel (Washington Nationals)

2019: Marty Scott (Miami Marlins)

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