Brian Dayett

Brian Kelly Dayett (January 22, 1957 – September 7, 2025) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played five seasons between and for the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs. He also spent some time in Japan, playing for the Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from until .

Early life Brian Kelly Dayett was born in New London, Connecticut, on January 22, 1957. He was raised in Deep River, Connecticut. Deep River has since named their Little League Baseball program for him.

Playing career New York Yankees Dayett was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 16th round (416th overall) in the 1978 amateur entry draft. He began his first season in professional baseball that summer with the Oneonta Yankees of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League. Batting .309, he hit 11 home runs and co-led the league with 20 doubles in 68 games. He hit .256 for the Double-A West Haven Yankees of the Eastern League in 1979. That season, he was selected for the Southern League All-Star Game, named to the postseason All-Star team, and won the league MVP award.

In 1983, he led the International League with 35 home runs and 108 runs batted in for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. He was called up to the Yankees after the season. He collected a hit in his first at-bat off of the Baltimore Orioles' Mike Flanagan. Dayett was pleased with the trade, because he had not been playing everyday with the Yankees, but he wound up being used as a platoon player in Chicago, as well. He played four seasons with the club, mostly in a reserve role. With the exception of the 1989 season, in which he played 89 games, he never made more than two dozen appearances in a season. He managed the same club, renamed the Cook County Cheetahs, in 1998, and led them to win the league's championship. He entered the affiliated coaching ranks in 2000 when he managed the Carolina League's Winston-Salem Warthogs, the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

In 2002, Dayett served as hitting coach for the Michigan Battle Cats, the Class A affiliate of the Houston Astros in the Midwest League. He served in the same capacity with their Class A-Short Season Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York–Penn League in 2003. He coached Houston's hitters in the South Atlantic League (SAL) with the Class A Lexington Legends in 2004. From 2012 to 2014, he was a roving Special Assignment Coach in the Rangers organization.

Following the resignation of Rangers manager Ron Washington in early September 2014, Dayett filled a vacancy on the Rangers' coaching staff for the rest of the season.

Personal life and death After retiring from baseball he lived in Winchester, Tennessee, with his wife and two sons.