Guy Conti, a longtime Mets instructor and advisor, has passed away at 84 after a lengthy illness. The Tarentum, Pa. native served as the Mets bullpen coach from 2005 to 2008 and later as a minor league advisor. Conti previously worked for the Dodgers, where he was instrumental in the early development of Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez. The Dodgers had signed Pedro’s older brother Ramon, and Conti was sent to the Dominican Republic to scout the younger Martinez, who was listed at just 5-foot-11. Conti recalled, ‘I got there, I was presented with 20 pitchers and there was no 6-foot pitcher in there, never mind 6-foot-4 like Ramon was. All of a sudden when Pedro got on the mound and started throwing the ball, it just exploded. He just jumped off the page after that.’ After signing with the Dodgers, Martinez referred to Conti as his ‘white daddy.’ Conti helped Martinez refine his pitching, including adding a changeup, and importantly, taught him English. ‘Pedro knew that he had to learn English as soon as he could,’ Conti said. ‘My wife was a high school librarian, and I said, go to my wife and learn the language. He would go to her and get a word in the morning and at 4 o’clock, he knew how to spell it, how to use it, how to write it, and he wanted another one.’ The two reunited with the Mets from 2005 to 2008. After his major league coaching days, Conti served as the Mets spring training coordinator for years. His friendship with Sandy Koufax helped bring the Hall of Famer to camp. Former media relations director Jay Horwitz said, ‘Guy was the first one to arrive at camp every morning and the last one to leave.’
