George Digby, a longtime Boston Red Sox scout who was responsible for the signing of Wade Boggs, among many others, passed away Friday. He was 96.
Digby, the first scout inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008, worked in the organization for more than 60 years, most of it as a scout. In addition to Boggs, Digby discovered Mike Greenwell, Jody Reed, Marc Sullivan and Tom Bolton. He was East Coast Scout of the Year in 1985 and is also a member of the Florida Scouts Hall of Fame.
A plaque near the press box at Tropicana Field honors Digby, stating that he signed 53 players in a career that began in 1944.
Digby urged Red Sox executives to go after Boggs despite some organizational reservations of Boggs' ability to make it as a major leaguer. Boggs was signed in 1976 and in 1982 began a Hall of Fame career in the majors that would include 3,010 hits. Digby was present at Tropicana Field when Boggs became the first player to homer for his 3,000th hit on Aug. 7, 1999.