Grady Fuson

Grady Lee Fuson (born April 19, 1956) is an American professional baseball scout and executive who is a special adviser for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball.

Early life and education Fuson grew up in Kearny Mesa, San Diego. He attended Kearny High School. Fuson played college baseball for a junior college before transferring to the University of Puget Sound, where he finished his college career with the Puget Sound Loggers in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). He graduated in 1978.

Career Fuson played professional baseball for the Salem Senators, an independent team. He led the Senators with a .320 batting average in 1978, but batted .198 in 1979.

Fuson was Oakland's director of scouting from 1995 to 2001. Despite the agreement, the Rangers chose to retain Hart as their general manager for 2005, and dismissed Fuson.

In 2005, the Padres hired Fuson as a special assistant to the general manager, Kevin Towers. He became a vice president of scouting and player development. The Padres fired Fuson after the 2009 season, when they hired Jed Hoyer as their general manager. In 2010, he returned to Oakland as an adviser on scouting and player development. In 2017, Fuson won the Sheldon "Chief" Bender Award, given for service in player development, and the Scout of the Year Award, presented annually at the Winter Meetings.

Personal life Fuson was portrayed in Moneyball by Ken Medlock. In the movie, Oakland Athletics’ General Manager Billy Beane fires Fuson, though in reality, Fuson appreciated Beane's approach and left for Texas voluntarily.