News
A's Lieppman wins 'Chief' Bender Award
Director of player development in 40th year with organizationBy Mychael Urban / MLB.com
11/18/09 3:34 PM EST
OAKLAND -- Keeping any sort of job for 40 years is astounding. Doing it in professional sports borders on unreal.Yet Keith Lieppman, director of player development for the A's, will be celebrating four decades with the organization next season, and before that the organization -- and the rest of baseball -- will be celebrating his myriad contributions over that time.
Lieppman, who turns 61 in January, has been named the recipient of the second annual Sheldon "Chief" Bender Award, presented by Minor League Baseball to "someone with distinguished service who has been instrumental in player development."
The award was established after Bender, who oversaw the Reds' farm system from 1967-88 and had 64 years of baseball service, passed away at the age of 88 last year.
"I've always been kind of an under-the-radar guy; I'm not an awards guy at all," Lieppman told MLB.com by phone on Wednesday morning. "But to be recognized like this is really nice."
Having served in his current capacity for the past 18 years, Lieppman will be presented with the award at baseball's annual Winter Meetings, which start on Dec. 7 in Indianapolis.
"I'm humbled and appreciative for being selected for this award," said Lieppman, who began his career with the A's as a Minor League player in 1971. "I had the privilege of knowing and working with Chief Bender, and I respect all that he represented and brought to the game. It's an honor to be associated, through this award, with such a man of integrity and the numerous accomplishments he has achieved."
After managing at every level of the A's organization, most recently with at the Triple-A level from 1985-87, Lieppman was named to his current position and charged with the assignment of development and evaluation of players throughout the farm system, which consistently ranks among the best in the game.
In 2009, Oakland's top two Minor League affiliates combined for a .580 winning percentage. Triple-A Sacramento posted an 86-57 record on the way to a first-place finish in the Pacific Coast League Southern Division, and Double-A Midland went 78-62 mark en route to the Texas League title.
"We are extremely proud that Minor League Baseball is recognizing Keith Lieppman as this year's recipient of the Chief Bender Award," said A's vice president and general manager Billy Beane. "His consummate professionalism and dedication to the development of young baseball players has been a cornerstone of this organization. ... Receiving this much-deserved award, named for a highly respected figure in our business, is a testament to Keith's unparalleled record of service with the A's."
Selected out of high school by the Dodgers in the 70th round of the 1967 Amateur Draft, Lieppman chose to attend the University of Kansas, from which he graduated with a degree in journalism after turning down an offer from the Braves following his junior season.
He was selected by the A's as a shortstop in the "secondary phase" of the 1971 First-Year Player Draft, and following nine seasons on the playing field, he spent eight years as a skipper in Oakland's system, beginning at Modesto in 1980. He also managed the Licey Tigres of the Dominican Winter League in 1986.
Lieppman, who also coordinates field instruction for the entire A's Minor League system, lives in Prescott, Ariz., with his wife, Corinne, and their 21-year-old twins, son Burke and daughter Lauren. He expressed gratitude for Oakland's family-first philosophy, which enabled him to "do just about everything a normal father gets to do."
"It's unusual to spend 40 years in the same organization, especially these days," Lieppman said. "But it's been great. Billy has always been big on letting people work their schedules around family stuff, making sure people are happy away from the job, and [former GM] Sandy [Alderson] was like that, too.
"I feel pretty lucky to be where I am."
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
