The Giants announced Tuesday that Lee Elder, a longtime scout who served as a trusted advisor to former general manager Brian Sabean, has died.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Lee Elder, a longtime former Giants scout and advisor,” the team said in a statement. “Lee’s passion for the game, keen eye for talent, and dedication to our organization left a lasting impact on players, staff, and all who had the privilege to know him. Lee signed three-time Giants All-Star Matt Cain and was a close friend of Brian Sabean. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Lee’s family, friends, and the many colleagues whose lives he touched throughout his baseball career.”
A native of Biloxi, Miss., Elder began his baseball career when the Yankees hired him to work as a Tampa-based scout in 1988. It was there that he struck up a friendship with Sabean, who sent Elder to scout school and helped him develop into an astute evaluator of talent.
Elder rose to become an area scout in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, helping the Yankees build rosters that won World Series titles in 1996, ‘98 and ‘99, but he opted to leave New York and reunite with Sabean in San Francisco in 2000.
Sabean expanded Elder’s territory to include the Florida Panhandle and Tennessee, where Elder ended up discovering a 17-year-old Cain during a trip to the Memphis area. Impressed by Cain’s quick arm and rising velocity, Elder convinced the Giants to take the young right-hander with the 25th overall pick of the 2002 MLB Draft out of Houston High School. That gamble paid off when Cain blossomed into a three-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion for the Giants.
Elder eventually transitioned from amateur to professional scouting for the Giants and helped put his stamp on another championship roster in 2012, when he recommended trading for Rockies second baseman Marco Scutaro, who unexpectedly emerged as the NLCS MVP that year.
Elder remained with the Giants until he decided to retire at the end of the 2020 season at the age of 72.