Art Stewart

For the producer, see Art Stewart (producer).

Art Stewart
Born	Arthur Stewart (1927-02-06)February 6, 1927 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	November 11, 2021(2021-11-11) (aged 94)
Occupation	Baseball scout
Years active	1953–2021
Organizations	New York Yankees Kansas City Royals

Arthur Stewart (February 6, 1927 – November 11, 2021) was an American baseball front-office executive and scout. He began his Major League Baseball (MLB) scouting career with the New York Yankees in 1953. He later joined the Kansas City Royals in 1969, becoming its scouting director in 1984, before serving as senior advisor to the general manager from 1997 until his death.

Early life

Stewart was born in Chicago on February 6, 1927.

Career

New York Yankees

Stewart was hired as a territorial scout by the New York Yankees in 1953. He was trained by Yankee scout Lou Maguolo. He scouted, suggested and signed many players for the Yankees. Working as the organization's Midwest scouting supervisor, the first player Stewart discovered and steered to the Yankees was pitcher Jim Bouton, who had not attracted any interest from major league teams while in high school. Bouton eventually played seven seasons with the Yankees and was selected an All Star in 1963, the same year that he won 21 games.

Kansas City Royals

Stewart served in multiple roles for the Kansas City Royals after joining the MLB expansion franchise in 1969. He was appointed as Director of Scouting in 1984 and served in that capacity until 1997, while having the responsibility of Player Development from 1986 to 1987. He later became the Senior Special Assistant to General Manager in 1998, before serving as Senior Advisor to the General Manager until his death.

Stewart was the longest tenured Royals associate at the time of his death, having served 52 seasons with the organization. He was inducted into the Kansas City Royals Baseball Hall of Fame during 2008 season, on June 28. Stewart represented the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame class of 2008, becoming the 23rd member of the elite group. Stewart was the Royals' Senior Advisor to General Manager (GM) Dayton Moore. Seventy players that Stewart drafted have played Major League Baseball. They include Bo Jackson, Kevin Appier, Brian McRae, Mike Sweeney, Johnny Damon, Joe Randa and Carlos Beltrán.

Author

Stewart co-authored a book, The Art of Scouting, with Kansas City newspaper writer Sam Mellinger in 2014. In an interview with Dick Kaegel of MLB.com on October 17, 2014, as the Royals advanced to their first World Series appearance since 1985, Stewart told a story from his Chicago childhood: "When I was 8 or 9 years old, playing ball as a kid, my mother said, 'You know, you're going to be in professional baseball someday.' I said, 'What do you mean, Mom?' She said, 'Because you were born on Feb. 6, Babe Ruth's birthday, in 1927, the same year that he hit 60 home runs.' She was right. Talk about scouting!"

Personal life

Stewart was married to Rosemary until his death. They resided in Racine, Wisconsin, during his later years. Together, they had one child (Dawn). He died on November 11, 2021, at the age of 94.