Russ Garside, Some Credit - 2038

Grady Fuson's Southern Oregon Athletics committed errors in this June 1990 loss to Spokane. But they also faced a good pitching performance from Spokane's Russ Garside, according to The Spokane Chronicle.

Garside went 6-plus in the win, facing two over the minimum in those first six innings, The Chronicle wrote. Fuson gave praise where it was due.

"Tonight was a good ball game," Fuson told The Chronicle. "You've got to give that kid out there some credit."

Garside was in his second season as a pro that summer. His career lasted just three seasons in total. He never made it higher than single-A.

Garside's career began in 1989, taken by the Padres in the fourth round of the draft out of Douglas High School in Nevada.

Garside played his first season in the rookie Arizona League. In 13 outings, 12 starts, Garside went 7-4, with a 3.43 ERA.

For 1990, Garside played mostly at Spokane. He also got two starts at single-A Charleston, coming out of there with an 11.25 ERA.

With Spokane, Garside couldn't keep up the pitching from that game against Southern Oregon. In 17 starts, he went 8-3, but had an ERA of 5.66.

He gave up four runs early in a July contest there, before being forced to leave the game due to being struck by a line drive, according to The Spokane Spokesman-Review. In a late August game, he gave up 12 hits in five innings, taking the loss.

Garside got another look at Charleston for 1991. In 19 outings, seven starts, his ERA came in at 3.17. It was his final season as a pro.

• Spokane Chronicle, June 26, 1990: Indians capitalize on Athletics' errors

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,724
Made the Majors: 823 - 47.7%
Never Made Majors: 901-52.3%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 357
10+ Seasons in the Minors:206

Brian Beck, Early Start - 2050

Brian Beck got the scoring off to an early start in this August 1990 game for single-A Charleston.

In the top of the second, Beck launched a solo home run with two outs. The home run put Charleston up 1-0 and put it on its way to a 5-2 win, according to The Sumter Item.

Beck hit that home run in his second season as a pro. He ended up getting into three more seasons, but he never made AA.

Beck's career began in 1989, taken by the Padres in the 37th round of the draft out of Hidden Valley High School in Oregon.

He started in the rookie Arizona League, hitting .214 in 52 games. He also knocked in 23.

For 1990, Beck moved to Charleston. Over 127 games, Beck hit .231, with 11 home runs and 50 RBI. He scored a run in a May game, one of 39 he scored on the year.

He returned to Charleston for 1991. The outfielder's average dropped to .202.

His 1992 season was a transition year. He played 20 games in the outfield at single-A Augusta. He also got seven outings on the mound as a pitcher in the rookie Gulf Coast League. In those pitching outings, Beck picked up a win and had a 2.08 ERA.

Beck became a full-time pitcher for 1993. In 22 relief outings at short-season Welland, Beck posted a 4.08 ERA and picked up three wins. It was his final year as a pro.

• Sumter Item, Aug. 22, 1990: Braves surrender costly three-run homer in 10th

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,723
Made the Majors: 823 - 47.8%
Never Made Majors: 900-52.2%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 357
10+ Seasons in the Minors:206

Tom Lampkin, Ultimately Played - 39

Originally published Nov. 24, 2011

Tom Lampkin was fine with spending most of the 1992 season at AAA Las Vegas. He'd rather play there, than sit on the bench in the majors, he told The Los Angeles Times.

Just so long as the stay in AAA wasn't permanant.

"I'm happy with the way it all ended up," Lampkin told The Times after being recalled in September. "I love to play, I love to play every day, and I know it was something I wouldn't be able to do if I was up here.

"Ultimately," Lampkin added to The Times, "I'd love to play every day in the big leagues."

Ultimately, Lampkin did. The next year, he got into 73 games. In 1997, he got into 108. By the time his career was over following the 2002 campaign, Lampkin saw time in a total of 13 big league seasons.

Lampkin's career began in 1986, taken by the Indians in the 11th round, out of the University of Portland.

He played that first year at short-season Batavia, then 1987 at single-A Waterloo. In 1988, he made AA Williamsport, then AAA Colorado Springs. That September, he debuted in the majors.

In that first appearance in the bigs, Lampkin got into four games, with five plate appearances. He went 0 for 4, with a walk.

Lampkin didn't get his first major league hit until two years later. He spent 1989 back at Colorado Springs, starting 1990 there again. In July, though, Lampkin arrived with the Padres in a trade. He played much of the second half in San Diego.

Lampkin got his first major league hit July 17, in a loss.

"I knew I'd get it sooner or later as long as I stayed up," Lampkin told The Times, "but it was something I'll always treasure. I just wish I could have gotten it under more pleasant circumstances, and we had won."

Lampkin ended up getting 14 hits in 63 at bats in 1990. In 1991, he got 11 hits in 58 at bats. In that 1992 season, spent at AAA Las Vegas, Lampkin did come up briefly July 31, in anticipation of a Benito Santiago trade that never happened.

His major league time in 1992 was limited to nine games. Then, after being purchased by the Brewers, he spent those 73 games in the majors in 1993.

Lampkin spent 1994 back in the minors, with the Giants at AAA Phoenix. But, by 1995, Lampkin was back in the majors, in San Francisco. In June 1996, Lampkin won a game against the Marlins in the 15th inning, with a three-run home run. He also had two other RBIs in the 7-4 win.

"I've never driven in five runs before," Lampkin told The Associated Press. "I've never ended a game with a home run. This game ranks right up there."

Lampkin played the most games of his career in 1997, with the Cardinals, hitting .245 on the year. He returned for another 93 in 1998, before moving to the Mariners in 1999.

Lampkin played with Seattle through 2001, before finishing out his career with the Padres in 2002, playing 104 final games.

• Los Angeles Times, July 18, 1990: Padres Tell Alomar to Sit Down
• Los Angeles Times, Sept. 15, 1992: Velasquez, Lampkin Come Up for September Tour of Majors
• Rome News-Tribune, Associated Press, June 20, 1996: Giants hook Marlins in 15

Scott Bream, Good Evaluator - 2049

Scott Bream played most of his first year through back pain and lost much of his second to surgery correcting that back pain, The Spokane Spokesman-Review wrote.

So, when he got a hit in his first at bat for his short-season team in 1991, he was happy.

"It's always nice to lead off the season with a hit," Bream told The Spokesman-Review. "I was definitely looking for a good start."

Bream got himself back on track that year and, in a few years, he eventually made AAA. But, in a career that spanned a decade, he never made the majors.

He has since made a career of finding others who have a shot at the majors, working as a scout. For 2014, he serves as director of pro scouting for the Tigers.

Bream's career began in 1989, taken by the Padres in the third round of the draft out of Millard South High School in Nebraska.

Bream became a pro after overcoming earlier back problems that left him in a body case his freshman year of high school. Those problems resurfaced in his first season as a pro, according to The Spokane-Review.

In that first year as a pro, Bream played in just 28 games and hit .175. In his second season, he got just four games at Charleston before his back surgery ended his season.

He returned to Charleston to start 1991 and ended it at Spokane. After playing 1992 at Waterloo and hitting .230, he moved to high-A Rancho Cucamonga for 1993 and hit .281.

For 1994, Bream made AA Wichita and hit .300 in 109 games. In 1995, he made AAA Las Vegas. He moved to the Cubs system and AAA Iowa at the end of the year. Between the two, he hit .223.

He played 1997 between high-A, AA and AAA for Detroit. He rounded out his career at AA Jacksonville, his 10th and final season as a pro.

Soon, Bream was a scout. He served in 2001 as advance scout for the Tigers, then moved to assistant general manager for 2002.

He stayed with the Tigers until 2010, when he moved to the Padres as a major league scout. In late 2012, he returned to the Tigers as director of pro scouting.

"He's a very good evaluator of talent," Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski told The Detroit Free Press, "a very good baseball person."

• Spokane Spokesman-Review, June 19, 1991: Indians start work week off with bang
• Spokane Spokesman-Review, July 4, 1991: Bream just happy to be playing baseball
• Detroit Free Press, Oct. 23, 2012: Scott Bream returns to Tigers as director of pro scouting

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,722
Made the Majors: 823 - 47.8%
Never Made Majors: 899-52.2%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 357
10+ Seasons in the Minors:206-X

Joe Murdock, Two Runs - 2036

This outing in April 1989 wasn't the kind of outing Charleston reliever Joe Murdock wanted.

Murdock came into the game in the seventh inning and picked up three outs. When he started, his team was down 4-2. By the time he was done, his team was down 6-2, according to The Sumter Item.

Murdock pitched that game in his second season as a pro. He got into just one more.

Murdock's career began in 1988, taken by the Padres in the 18th round of the draft out of Southern Arkansas University.

Murdock played his first year between the rookie Arizona League and short-season Spokane. He got 10 starts in Arizona and one in Spokane. Between the two, he had a 4-4 record and a 5.80 ERA.

He moved to single-A Charleston for 1989. There, he got into 30 games, starting 21 of them. He went 9-3, with a 3.09 ERA. He struck out 93 in 148.1 innings.

For 1990, Murdock returned to Charleston. But it was a brief return. In five relief outings, Murdock had a 6.10 ERA and picked up one loss. Those five outings were his final outings as a pro.

• Sumter Item, May 1, 1989: Smith pitches Braves past Rainbows

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,721
Made the Majors: 823 - 47.8%
Never Made Majors: 898-52.2%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 357
10+ Seasons in the Minors:205

Scott Anderson, Nothing Handed - 280

Originally posted July 12, 2012
The opposing announcers were tough on Scott Anderson. Anderson was a career-minor leaguer. His only previous time in the majors, three years earlier, resulted in an ERA over 9.

Former Anderson teammate Steve Fireovid relayed the account in his book on the 1990 season, "The 26th Man." It was an account of his friend and roommate's one major league outing that August. And, he wrote, all Fireovid could do was shake his head.

"The Expos needed a pitcher, and Scott deserved the promotion," Fireovid wrote. "He's worked hard all year. Of course, I'm biased. He's a good friend of mine. But I also know that nothing was handed to him."

Anderson returned to the majors one more time that season. He also returned one more time after that. In that last return, though, when Anderson got his one and only major league win, others had the opportunity to be tough on Anderson.

Anderson's career began in 1984, taken by the Rangers in the seventh round, out of Oregon State University.

He played that first year as a starter at single-A Burlington, making AA Tulsa in 1985. Anderson made AAA Oklahoma City in 1986, moving to relief. He then debuted in Arlington in April 1987.

With the Rangers that month, Anderson got into eight games, all in relief. He pitched in 11.1 total innings, giving up 12 earned runs. He picked up one loss to no wins.

He spent the rest of that season and the next back at Oklahoma City. He then moved to the Expos for 1989, playing at AAA Indianapolis without a call up to Montreal. Anderson also returned to starting, starting 19 games for Indianapolis in 1989 and 25 games in 1990.

Anderson returned to the majors that August in 1990. In that one outing, Anderson went three innings in relief against the Cubs, giving up three hits and one earned run. He returned to the Expos for three more outings in September, all three starts. He only got one decision, a loss.

Then Anderson didn't return to the majors again until 1995. In the meantime, he moved to Japan, playing two seasons with the Chunichi Dragons. He returned stateside in 1993 with the Marlins, playing at AAA Edmonton, then with the Brewers at AAA New Orleans in 1994.

Then, Anderson signed with the Royals. He signed as a replacement player. He also pitched well, not allowing an earned run in nine innings, garnering praise from his manager, Bob Boone, according to The Associated Press.

"Anderson has been very impressive in games and working on the sidelines," Boone told The AP. "I saw him pitch in the Pacific Coast League. If he's healthy, he'll be a quality pitcher in this league. The only thing that concerns me is his health."

Anderson stayed healthy. And, after the strike ended, he stayed on with the Royals at AAA Omaha. Injuries got Anderson called back up in late-July. Anderson got into six games for the Royals, his last in the majors.

After his debut, The AP referenced Anderson's time as a replacement that spring, writing Anderson "may be the loneliest man in the clubhouse." Anderson, though, was focused in that debut. He also got his only major league win.

"Once you get here, it's not enough just to be here," Anderson told The AP. "You have to do well. Just be consistent Stay out of the big inning. You have to keep setting new goals for yourself."

• The 26th Man: One Minor League Pitcher's Pursuit Of A Dream, 1991, Steve Fireovid & Mark Winegardner: Page 174
• Lawrence Journal-World, Associated Press, March 15, 1995: KC wastes Andersons efforts
• Fort Scott Tribune, Associated Press, Aug. 1, 1995: Royals post series sweep

Craig Pueschner, Strong Arm - 2052

Craig Pueschner's college coach Dave Dangler didn't see much problem in Pueschner winning the club's right field job for 1989, Dangler told The Prescott Courier.

"In Pueschner, we have a fast guy with a strong arm who can really go get the ball," Dangler told The Courier. "If he can hit, and we think he can, he'll have the job."

Pueschner played the 1989 spring season at Yavapai College in Arizona, getting extra work in before signing with the Padres, the team that drafted him.

From there, he took his speed and arm strength to a five-season pro career. He never made AA.

Pueschner was drafted by the Padres in the 32nd round of the 1988 draft out of Sahauro High School in Arizona. He signed after playing a season at Yavapai.

At Yavapai, Pueschner knocked a double in a March game. He singled and scored in another March contest.

With the Padres, Pueschner started in the rookie Arizona League. He hit .308 in 46 games.

He moved to single-A Charleston for 1990, his average dropping to .241. At single-A Waterloo for 1991, he hit a career high 11 home runs, but hit just .230. He also stole 29 bases.

For 1992, he was sent to the Reds to complete a deal that saw Randy Myers and Bip Roberts change teams. Sent to single-A Cedar Rapids, Pueschner hit .245. He picked up three hits in one April game.

His final season came in 1993. Between single-A Charleston, W.V., and high-A Winston-Salem, he hit .182, ending his career.

• Prescott Courier, Feb. 9, 1989: Blue-chip athletes have Dangler optimistic about 1989 campaign

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,720
Made the Majors: 823 - 47.9%
Never Made Majors: 897-52.1%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 357
10+ Seasons in the Minors:205