April 14, 2026
By Kevin Glew
Cooperstowners in Canada
Former Montreal Expos catcher Tom Nieto died on March 27 at the age of 65 in Zephyrhills, Fla.
Nieto’s sister, Denise, shared the news of his passing in a Facebook post on April 5.
“On Friday March 27th, my brother Tom passed on after a heart attack, leaving cherished memories in Florida with his family,” she wrote. “His strength and resilience will continue to inspire us all.”
Nieto batted .200 in 35 games for the Expos in 1986 after he was acquired at the end of spring training from the reigning National League champion St. Louis Cardinals.
Later, he would serve as a back-up catcher for the 1987 World Series-winning Minnesota Twins.
“The Twins organization mourns the loss of 1987 World Series champion, Tom Nieto,” the Twins wrote in a statement on April 6. “Our thoughts are with the Nieto family in their time of grieving.”
Raised in California
Born on October 27, 1960 in Downey, Calif., Nieto was a star catcher at Richard Gahr High School in Cerritos, Calif., where he earned the nickname “Rocky.”
After high school, he attended Cerritos College where he caught the eye of the Twins who selected him in the 31st round of the 1979 MLB draft. He declined to sign and transferred to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla.
In 1981, he was drafted again, this time in the third round by the Cardinals and he signed.
Pro career begins
Nieto started his pro career with the double-A Arkansas Travelers in 1981. His defence was his strength, but in his two seasons in double-A, he showed significant improvement as a hitter.
In 1983, he was promoted to triple-A Louisville where he batted .272 and had a .352 on-base percentage with five home runs and 52 RBIs in 155 games.
After he got off to a strong start with Louisville the next year, he received his first big league call-up.
MLB debut
He made his MLB debut on May 10, 1984. Batting eighth and catching for the Cardinals, he went 1-for-3 with a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning to help the Cards to a 7-0 win over the San Diego Padres.
He’d continue to perform well as a back-up to Darrell Porter that season. In 33 big league games, he batted .279 with three home runs and 12 RBIs. He also threw out 10 of 29 runners attempting to steal off him.
This would help him crack the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster in 1985 and he proceeded to knock in 34 runs in a career-high 95 big league games for the National League pennant-winning squad.
He also played three postseason games, including two in the World Series that the Cards lost to the Kansas City Royals.
Lands with Expos
The following spring, with Mike Fitzgerald, their starting catcher, sidelined with back and shoulder woes, the Expos completed a deal for Nieto.
“He’s a big, strapping guy,” Expos general manager Murray Cook told the Montreal Gazette about Nieto. “He’s not pretty behind the plate but he gets the job done.”
Interestingly, Nieto and Fitzgerald were both from California and worked out together in the off-season.
“Fitz and I played together in summer leagues when we were 16, 17 years old,” Nieto told the Montreal Gazette in early April 1986. “One day, I’d catch, the next day he would. We went to high schools near each other . . . We’ve been good buddies for a long time.”
Nieto and Dann Bilardello opened the season as the Expos two catchers.
“Whatever they have in store for me is fine . . . I’ll go down [to the minors] if they tell me I have to, but I’m not planning on it . . . I lost 12 pounds over the winter, working out with Fitz. I feel great,” Nieto told the Montreal Gazette at the start of the season.
Expos manager Buck Rodgers was impressed enough with Nieto to anoint him the team’s starting catcher in mid-April.
But Nieto hit only .179 in nine games before he was sent down to triple-A Indianapolis on Apr. 25 when Fitzgerald returned.
To his credit, Nieto didn’t sulk, instead he batted .299 with three home runs and 19 RBIs in 53 games in triple-A prior to being recalled in late July when Fitzgerald was injured again.
Over the next month, Nieto saw the bulk of the playing time behind the plate for the Expos.
His most memorable moment as an Expo came on August 14 when he belted a walk-off home run in the 10th inning to give the Expos a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs.
“I don’t hit many homers, so I didn’t know if it was out or not,” Nieto told the Montreal Gazette after the game. “I’m happy. [Dan] Bilardello and I have talked about relaxing at bat.”
Unfortunately, in late August, he was hit by a pitch on his left hand and was unable to play for almost three weeks.
After he returned, on September 12, Nieto had a walk-off single against the Cardinals, his former team, in the 11th inning to give the Expos a 4-3 victory.
Less than a week later, however, he suffered a season-ending elbow injury.
Traded to Twins
On February 3, 1987, Nieto was dealt to the Twins with closer Jeff Reardon for left-hander Neal Heaton and catcher Jeff Reed.
In Minneapolis, Nieto backed up Tim Laudner and hit .200 in 41 games. After finishing just 85-77 in the regular season, the underdog Twins went on to win the World Series.
Dealt to Phillies
After splitting 1988 between the Twins and their triple-A Portland Beavers, Nieto was swapped to the Philadelphia Phillies where he’d play his final two big league seasons.
In total, Nieto batted .205 with five home runs in 251 major league games.
Turns to coaching
Nieto started his professional coaching career with the Cincinnati Reds’ double-A Chattanooga Lookouts in 1992. He then managed the class-A Charleston Wheelers for two seasons, prior to moving on to the Yankees’ organization to pilot class-A clubs in Greensboro (1997-98) and Tampa (1999-2000).
In 2003, he was hired by the Cardinals to be the skipper of their High-A affiliate in Palm Beach for two seasons.
Nieto returned to the majors in 2005 to serve as the first base coach/catching instructor for the New York Mets. He’d hold that position for four seasons.
In 2009, he went back to the Twins’ organization to manage the double-A New Britain Rock Cats for a season and then the triple-A Rochester Red Wings for two campaigns.
In 2012, he returned to the Yankees’ organization to lead their Rookie Ball Gulf Coast League club for two seasons.
His final managerial gig came with the Los Angeles Angels’ Rookie Ball Pioneer League affiliate Orem Owlz in 2017.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Red Wings manager Tom Nieto,” said the Rochester Red Wings in a statement on April 6. “Tom was a respected leader in our clubhouse and a valued member of the Red Wings family. His impact on the game and the players he mentored will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of playing for him.”
Nieto is survived by his daughter, Nicole; son, Marcus; their mom, Karen; his mother, Nellie, and his sisters, Diane and Denise.
You can read his official obituary here.
Thanks for update and the write up on Tom.
Thanks for your support.
I certainly remember Tom. He was much too young to leave this world!!
He was indeed. Thank you for your comment.
Thanks for the update on Ex-Expo Tom Nieto.
Thanks, as always, for your support, Bob.
Good long career in baseball with both playing and coaching. RIP
Yes, indeed. Thanks for reading this.