Braves Lose Dal Canton
Veteran Myrtle Beach pitching coach dies
The Braves lost one of their most trusted and integral parts of the player development process on Oct. 7, when pitching coach Bruce Dal Canton died from esophageal and stomach cancer. He was 66.
A fixture in the Atlanta organization since 1982, Dal Canton had served as the pitching coach at high Class A Myrtle Beach since 1999 before being diagnosed with the disease and departing from the team on May 16 to begin treatment in his hometown of Carlisle, Pa. He remained upbeat and longed to return to coaching, but his condition failed to improve. In his absence, Pelican players wrote "DC" on bats, cleats and caps, while Dal Canton's name was announced in the starting lineup prior to every game at BB&T Coastal Field.
"It's a very sad day in the organization," farm director Kurt Kemp said. "Bruce had such a positive impact on the lives of everyone he worked with. But while it's a sad time, it also gives us a chance to realize how fortunate the Atlanta Braves were to have him in the organization for such a long time."
Several teams over the past two decades were interested in Dal Canton's services as a major league pitching coach, but the ever-patient mentor preferred working with younger hurlers at a point in their careers where the physical abilities and a willingness to accept instruction dovetailed best. He toiled tirelessly with every pitcher on the roster, from the organization's top prospect to a twirler on the verge of having to update his resume.
The minor league setting fit Dal Canton's style like a hand in a velvet glove. After all, when he signed his first professional baseball contract in 1965 with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a 24-year-old with a knack for throwing a knuckleball, DC was teaching general science and biology in Burgettstown, Pa.
"I tell the kids I'm still teaching, only it's a different subject," Dal Canton said in 2005. "It's all about how you get your points across and knowing that they're taking in what you're teaching them. There are a lot of different ways to approach it. One of the things in teaching that I try to do is repeat things until it finally starts to sink in. You do that in coaching baseball and teaching in the classroom. It works in both settings."
As a pitcher, Dal Canton reached the big leagues at the end of both the 1967 and 1968 campaigns before spending most of the next nine seasons in the majors. In 11 different slates between the Pirates, Royals, Braves and White Sox, Dal Canton went 51-49 with a 3.67 ERA. His coaching career began when he served as the White Sox's pitching coach following his release in June 1978. He rejoined the Braves' organization four years later as Durham's pitching coach, and served in the same capacity in Atlanta, from 1987-90. His understated and unheralded approach led to success on staffs throughout the top three levels of the farm system, including high Class A Durham (1982), Danville (1998) and Myrtle Beach (1999-2008), Double-A Savannah (1983) and Greenville (1984, 1994-97), and Triple-A Richmond (1985-86, 1991-93).
"He's the best," Myrtle Beach manager Rocket Wheeler said. "He was the best pitching coach and the best person you could ever meet."
Veteran Myrtle Beach pitching coach dies
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PrintThe Braves lost one of their most trusted and integral parts of the player development process on Oct. 7, when pitching coach Bruce Dal Canton died from esophageal and stomach cancer. He was 66.
A fixture in the Atlanta organization since 1982, Dal Canton had served as the pitching coach at high Class A Myrtle Beach since 1999 before being diagnosed with the disease and departing from the team on May 16 to begin treatment in his hometown of Carlisle, Pa. He remained upbeat and longed to return to coaching, but his condition failed to improve. In his absence, Pelican players wrote "DC" on bats, cleats and caps, while Dal Canton's name was announced in the starting lineup prior to every game at BB&T Coastal Field.
"It's a very sad day in the organization," farm director Kurt Kemp said. "Bruce had such a positive impact on the lives of everyone he worked with. But while it's a sad time, it also gives us a chance to realize how fortunate the Atlanta Braves were to have him in the organization for such a long time."
Several teams over the past two decades were interested in Dal Canton's services as a major league pitching coach, but the ever-patient mentor preferred working with younger hurlers at a point in their careers where the physical abilities and a willingness to accept instruction dovetailed best. He toiled tirelessly with every pitcher on the roster, from the organization's top prospect to a twirler on the verge of having to update his resume.
The minor league setting fit Dal Canton's style like a hand in a velvet glove. After all, when he signed his first professional baseball contract in 1965 with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a 24-year-old with a knack for throwing a knuckleball, DC was teaching general science and biology in Burgettstown, Pa.
"I tell the kids I'm still teaching, only it's a different subject," Dal Canton said in 2005. "It's all about how you get your points across and knowing that they're taking in what you're teaching them. There are a lot of different ways to approach it. One of the things in teaching that I try to do is repeat things until it finally starts to sink in. You do that in coaching baseball and teaching in the classroom. It works in both settings."
As a pitcher, Dal Canton reached the big leagues at the end of both the 1967 and 1968 campaigns before spending most of the next nine seasons in the majors. In 11 different slates between the Pirates, Royals, Braves and White Sox, Dal Canton went 51-49 with a 3.67 ERA. His coaching career began when he served as the White Sox's pitching coach following his release in June 1978. He rejoined the Braves' organization four years later as Durham's pitching coach, and served in the same capacity in Atlanta, from 1987-90. His understated and unheralded approach led to success on staffs throughout the top three levels of the farm system, including high Class A Durham (1982), Danville (1998) and Myrtle Beach (1999-2008), Double-A Savannah (1983) and Greenville (1984, 1994-97), and Triple-A Richmond (1985-86, 1991-93).
"He's the best," Myrtle Beach manager Rocket Wheeler said. "He was the best pitching coach and the best person you could ever meet."
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