Keith Lieppman, A’s special advisor to player development, has been named the winner of the 2019 Tony Gwynn Award. The lifetime achievement award is given yearly by Baseball America for individuals with the greatest contributions to the game.

Next year will be Lieppman’s 50th with the A’s organization. He was the team’s director of player development for 28 years before transitioning into his new special advisor role after this past season, when Ed Sprague was named the new director.

In 2010, Lieppman won Minor League Baseball’s award for “distinguished service and being instrumental in player development” throughout his career -- the Chief Bender Award. Lieppman has managed at all levels of the A’s Minor League system, starting with Class A Modesto in 1980 and working his way to Triple-A Tacoma from 1985-87.

Lieppman was selected by the A’s in the second round of the 1971 January Draft secondary phase. A first baseman and third baseman, he played nine seasons in the Minors in the organization but never made it to the Majors.