Richard Pendleton "Dick" Balderson was a Major League Baseball executive from 1977 to 2002 with several teams. Balderson pitched in the minor leagues for 8 years, all in the Kansas City Royals organization, reaching AA. His career record was 32-21. Balderson served as the Assistant Farm Director for the Royals from 1977 to 1980. In 1982, he became the Director of Scouting and Player Development with the Royals, a position he held until 1985. He served as General Manager of the Seattle Mariners from 1986 to 1988. It was then that the team drafted Ken Griffey, Jr. Just days after making one of the best trades in team history, acquiring Jay Buhner from the New York Yankees, Balderson was fired from his post as GM. Balderson was then the scouting director of the Chicago Cubs in 1989-1990 and director of player development in 1991-1992. He moved to the Colorado Rockies as director of player development from 1993 to 1997 and held the same post with the Atlanta Braves from 2000 to 2002. In 2008, Balderson was a Special Assistant to GM for the Braves. He retired in 2013. 

February 7th, 1946 in (Age 78)