Karl Kuehl, 70, baseball scout

PHOENIX - Karl Kuehl, a baseball scout, coach, author, and player development specialist known for his contributions to the Oakland Athletics teams that won three pennants, died Wednesday. He was 70.

Mr. Kuehl (pronounced "keel") died of pulmonary fibrosis in a Scottsdale hospital, his son, John, said. He had been active until recent weeks, when he was hospitalized.

Mr. Kuehl was the manager of the Montreal Expos in 1976, going 43-85 before being fired with two months left in the season.

He went on to serve six seasons as a base coach for the Minnesota Twins and then spent 12 years as head of player development and later assistant to the general manager for the A's.

Players who came out of the A's farm system in those years included Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Walt Weiss, Terry Steinbach, Scott Brosius, Mike Bordick, Miguel Tejada, and Mike Gallego.

In 2006, he was awarded baseball's Roland Hemond Award for long-term contributions to scouting and player development.