Diamondbacks scout Gary Hughes, a legend in his field who spent 54 years in the game, died Saturday after a bout with liver cancer. He was 79.

Hughes, who was named by Baseball America as one of the Top 10 scouts of the 20th century, had been with the Diamondbacks for the past year as a pro scout.

Hughes had stops with 11 different teams, including serving as the scouting director for the Expos and Marlins and working in high-ranking positions with the Cubs and Rockies. The Diamondbacks hired him shortly after he was let go by the Boston Red Sox last year.

“Gary touched the lives—directly or indirectly—of every scout that ever sat in the bowl,” Jason Parks, the Diamondbacks’ director of professional scouting, wrote in a text message. “He was a gifted evaluator, a very caring teammate and a legendary storyteller. He taught without coming off like a teacher, he fought without coming off like a fighter and he commanded every room he ever entered. He meant so much to us as an industry. He’s the type of scout that every scout aspires to be. Baseball lost a part of its foundation today.”

Diamondbacks Assistant GM Jared Porter, who was involved in hiring Hughes in Boston nine years ago, said he will remember Hughes as a caring and conscientious scout who was constantly pushing for diversity in the game.

“He had a very good eye for talent,” Porter said. “He was very good at identifying undervalued players and undervalued markets. He loved chasing down players and finding diamonds in the rough.”

Hughes is the second member of the scouting staff the Diamondbacks have lost this year. Johan Maya, a scout based in the Dominican Republic, died in July after contracting COVID-19.

Change for better

Former Diamondbacks infielder Jake Lamb had yet another productive day at the plate for his new team, homering in the Oakland Athletics’ 6-0 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.

Lamb is 7 for 19 (.368) with two homers and two doubles in five games since signing with the Athletics. He went just 5 for 43 (.116) with the Diamondbacks, who designated him for assignment on Sept. 10.

“His bat has come around,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “I can’t quite explain the reasons why, you’ll probably have to get that information from him, but the opportunity and the consistency of the at-bats is obviously leading to success. I’m real happy for him.”

Short hops

Lovullo said outfielder Tim Locastro, who hasn’t started since Sept. 12 and hasn’t appeared in a game since Sept. 13, is healthy, according to Lovullo, who said he has been playing hot hands and matchups lately. “His day will be coming up here pretty soon,” Lovullo said.

*The Diamondbacks were “close” to officially naming a starter for their series opener on Tuesday against the Rangers, Lovullo said, but were still discussing how to handle the final five games of the season after that. “We want to try to win every game we’re playing,” Lovullo said. “There are some things we’re walking through right now as a staff and a front office and trying to get the best combination of starters moving forward after Tuesday’s game.”

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.

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