Sherman Corbett, Crafty Left-Hander - 482

While not stellar, Sherman Corbett's debut with AA Orlando was worthy of praise. The lefty pitched 5.1 innings, giving up eight hits and got the win.

"Sherman is what you would call a crafty left-hander," Orlando Cubs manager Tommy Jones told the Orlando Sentinel in July 1993, "and tonight he was very tough on their lefties."

By 1993, Corbett was already three years on from his last major league appearance, with the Angels. It would be his final year in professional baseball, he would not return to the majors.

Corbett's pro career began in 1984, drafted by the Angels in the third round. He made AA Midland in 1986 and AAA Edmonton in 1987. He made spring training that year, working with Stewart Cliburn to shut out the Giants for nine innings in one game.

It was in 1988 that he made California, appearing in 34 games that year in relief with a 4.14 ERA.

Corbett was also the subject of an apparent malapropism from Angels announcer Ken Brett that year. After Corbett finished warming up, according to The Los Angeles Times, Brett commented "Well, Sherman Corbett has finished throwing up in the bullpen."

Corbett added four more appearances each in 1989 and 1990 for the Angels and his major league career was done. He remained with the Angels system through 1991, then went through the Tigers system before ending with the Cubs.

Since 2001, Corbett has been the head baseball coach at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Earlier this year, Corbett's Roadrunners rallied for three runs in the ninth to take a game with Houston and end a six-game losing streak.

"This was a huge victory for us," Corbett said in a university athletics article after the game. "Not only did we end a long losing streak, but more importantly, the guys showed a lot of heart and never gave up. I cannot begin to say how proud I am of the effort they showed out on that field tonight, especially in the ninth inning."

• Orlando Sentinel, July 20, 1993: Corbett Wins Debut As Cubs Salvage Split
• GoUTSA.com, March 30, 2010: UTSA ends skid with dramatic 6-5 victory at Houston
• GoUTSA.com: Sherman Corbet Profile

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 152/880 - 17.3%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 155
Made the Majors: 104 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 51 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 55

Cards from Cards fans

So I've just been the recipient of a couple trades, drastically shortening my want list. Both come from Cardinals fans, something that I, as a Cubs fan, can overlook if they're sending cards I need. Together, the additions bring my CMC set total percentage over 90 percent. I now have 799 of the 880 cards.

First up, we have a trade with Kerry at Cards on Cards. Kerry, a fan of the Cardinals had three of the cards on my want list: 619 Jim Olander; 485 Chuck Hernandez; 15 Danny Shaeffer
Kerry also passed along some cool Andre Dawsons and Ivan Rodriguez. I'm the Dawson guy. My wife loves Pudge.

Then, not to deminish Kerry's trade. How about reader Shawn, from Missouri? He's also a Cardinals fan. Shawn finally moved his old collection out of his parents' house. Well, he moved them out and, get this, he sent along 87, 87!, cards from the want list, offering them to the cause. How cool is that? It basically slashed my want list by more than half. In case you're wondering, that picture is what a stack of 87 needed cards looks like. Thanks Shawn!
Here's the stash that Shawn sent along: 3 Terry Collins; 20 Mark Ryal; 38 Mario Monico; 42 George Canale; 45 Don August; 50 Dave Machemer; 62 Edwin Marquez; 64 Dwight Lowry; 66 Quinn Mack; 75 Tim Johnson; 78 Kevin Blankenship; 79 Greg Kallevig; 84 Dean Wilkins; 95 Jeff Small; 107 Dave Osteen; 109 Bernard Gilkey; 125 Gary Nichols; 147 Reggie Jefferson; 148 Neil Allen; 164 Bryan House; 168 Gar Millay; 169 Kevin Reimer; 192 Harvey Pulliam; 197 Paul Zuvella; 208 Rich Monteleone; 221 Rob Sepanek; 241 Victor Rosario; 255 Larry Shikles; 271 Mickey Pina; 287 Drew Denson; 301 Brian Snyder; 311 Leo Gomez; 326 Greg Biagini; 327 Alex Sanchez; 334 John Shea; 342 Webster Garrison; 351 Andy Dziadkowiec; 376 Darren Reed; 392 Jim Lindeman; 395 Travis Fryman; 398 Milt Cuyler; 411 Tim Scott; 431 Pat Rice; 435 Ed Vande Berg; 458 Jeff Edwards; 468 Luis Medina; 484 Mike Fetters; 507 Jeff Datz; 523 Rafael Valdez; 526 Gary Lance; 531 George Bonilla; 533 Ed Vosberg; 541 Gregg Ritchie; 554 Pat Bangtson; 560 Francisco Oliveras; 567 Ed Naveda; 571 Chip Hale; 572 Dave Jacas; 573 Jim Shellenback; 585 Reese Lambert; 619 Jim Olander*; 623 Scot Servais; 625 Kevin Dean; 631 Ravelo Manzanillo; 637 John Pawlowski; 646 Keith Smith; 650 Jerry Willard; 652 Tracy Woodson; 662 Ed Quijada; 738 Blas Minor; 742 Craig Faulkner; 745 Bill Haselman; 746 Matt Stark; 751 Kenny Morgan; 753 Jeff Baldwin; 759 Ted Williams; 763 Julio Peguero; 767 Michael Wilkins; 774 Jimmy Tatum; 807 Chuck Knoblauch; 808 Willie Banks; 827 Tyler Houston; 829 Brian McRae; 830 Victor Cole; 832 Rudy Seanez; 837 Mike Lumley; 867 Darin Kracl

Pat Austin worked to improve defense; Saw six pro seasons

Pat Austin could hit. He could also run. But his defense, that was a liability, at least according to some, the Reading Eagle wrote in 1991.

It was a label he was trying to shake, with his fourth organization in three years. But it wasn't a label for his then manager, Don McCormack.

"He might not have the greatest arm in the world, but you don't need one at second base," McCormack told The Eagle. "He makes up for his lack of arm strength with quickness, and he's got good range."

Austin joined Reading for 1991 having played in the Orioles, Cardinals and Tigers systems in recent years.

He was originally drafted by the Tigers in the fifth round of the 1986 draft. Sent to rookie league Bristol, Austin proceeded to swipe 48 bases, then an Appalachian League record.

Austin stole another 45 bases at single-A Lakeland in 1987. Austin made AA Glens Falls in 1988, hitting .297, the same mark he'd had the previous year. After a brief stint at AAA Toledo for 1989, it was back to AA for Austin, at London.

Read the March 2013 interview: Pat Austin, Learned Much

London manager Chris Chambliss praised Austin's speed, along with teammate Milt Cuyler.

"Because of their speed, they are a threat to steal any time they get on base," Chambliss told the Toledo Blade that year. "You can imagine the pressure that puts on a pitcher."

For 1990, Austin was no longer with the Tigers system. He started 1990 with the Cardinals' AAA team at Louisville, but he only played in eight games there before being signed by the Orioles and sent to AA Hagerstown, hitting a solid .307.

He was expecting to head to AAA Rochester for 1991, but was released on the final day of spring training, according to The Eagle. He signed on with the Phillies and was sent to AA Reading. He hit .289 in 91 games. It would be his final professional season.

Also read the Pat Austin interview from March 2013: Pat Austin, Learned Much

• Toledo Blade, Aug. 7, 1989: No hidden gems left in Tigers' system Part 2
• Reading Eagle, Aug. 25, 1991: Pat Austin utilizes talents

More: The 1990 Louisville Redbirds

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 151/880 - 17.2%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 154
Made the Majors: 103 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 51 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 54

Stu Pederson, Walk-Off Win - 349

Fresh out of the University of Southern California, Stu Pederson found himself with the single-A Lodi Dodgers, hitting a home run in his first at bat.

Now, Lodi was looking for the California League championship, the five-game series tied 2-2, in an account in the Lodi News-Sentinel. Lodi had battled back from a 3-0 deficit in that game five, finding themselves tied at four with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Pederson came to bat. He fouled off pitches until the count was 3-2.

He then parked the next one over the wall as the Lodi Dodgers walked off with the 1981 California League championship.

"I knew he would challenge me with a fastball," Pederson told The News-Sentinel during the celebration afterward.

Pederson was drafted by the Dodgers, taken in the ninth round of the draft. Lodi was his first destination. It would be a career that would span 12 seasons, and one where he would make it to the majors only once, for eight brief appearances.

Pederson made AA San Antonio in 1983, then AAA Albuquerque in 1985. It was in September 1985 that Pederson got his call-up, to the Dodgers.

He appeared in eight games that September, getting to the plate five times. He scored one run, batted in another, but never got a hit.

Pederson stayed with the Dodger organization through 1987, then signed on with the Blue Jays system. He would never make Toronto, but he did make a name for himself.

Already in his eighth year of professional baseball, Pederson started the year at AA Knoxville, then got the promotion to AAA Syracuse. It was the place where Pederson would play the rest of his career, part of that year and then four more full seasons. He would also later try his hand at replacement baseball in 1995, according to a Google News Archives search.

Pederson would quickly become a fan favorite, his first name making for easy acknowledgments from fans, chanting the long form of his first name as he was announced: Stuuuu.

He would also get a curse named after him, though the details of the supposed curse are unclear. There was an extremely short-lived blog dubbed "The Curse of Stu Pederson." Another blog referenced the curse, suggesting it related to the last time Syracuse won a championship, though the date, 1976, would suggest otherwise.

Pederson returned in 2004 to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in 2004.

• Lodi News-Sentinel, Sept. 8, 1981: Dodgers clinch title with 5 solo homers

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 150/880 - 17.1%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 153
Made the Majors: 103 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 50 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 54

Leo Garcia worked hard, made bigs in parts of two seasons; Later coached

When Leo Garcia made his debut for the Reds in April 1987, he got the run home, lifting a fly ball to left for a sacrifice.

It wasn't his first hit, but it was good enough for some high-fives. If he could reach. Taller teammate Dave Parker went on tip toes, putting the target out of reach, amusing manager Pete Rose.

"Funniest thing I ever saw," Rose told The Los Angeles Times the next month.

While Rose was unimpressed with Garcia's high-five skills, he was impressed that spring with Garcia's defensive abilities. Garcia made the team that spring, despite the Reds being continually flush with outfielders.

The abundance of outfielders was something Garcia tried not to think about.

"When I got here, I just got my mind on working hard and trying to make the team," Garcia told the Associated Press.

Garcia was originally signed seven years earlier out of his native Dominican Republic by the White Sox. He spent two seasons at single-A Appleton before being traded to the Reds in September 1982.

With the Reds system, Garcia made AA Waterbury in 1983 and AAA Wichita in 1984, staying at AAA through 1986. In one game in June 1985, Garcia hit a three-run home run and another sacrifice fly to lead Denver to a win. His 1987 stint with the big club lasted for 31 games. He posted a batting average of .200.

For 1988, Garcia returned to Cincinnati for another 23 games, posting a lower batting average of .143. It was his final time in the majors.

He stayed with the Reds system at AAA Nashville in 1988, then jumped to the Tigers system at AAA Toledo for 1989. It was back with the Reds system for 1990 and 1991, then a final year in affiliated ball for 1992 at AAA Omaha.

More recently, Garcia is serving in 2010 as hitting coach for the rookie-level Arizona League Dodgers.

• Bowling Green Daily News, Associated Press, April 1, 1987: Long-shot Garcia impressive
• Los Angeles Times, May 18, 1987: For Manager Rose, Winning Baseball Is Mostly Simple Fun

More: 1990 Nashville Sounds

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 149/880 - 16.9%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 152
Made the Majors: 102 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 50 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 53

Mo Sanford showed toughness in his major league debut; Saw time in three ML seasons

Mo Sanford couldn't believe he'd been called up to the Reds. The Padres wished he hadn't.

In his major league debut, Aug. 9, 1991, Sanford pitched seven solid innings, gave up two hits, one unearned run and struck out eight.

"He was real tough," Padres leadoff hitter Bip Roberts told reporters afterward. "Our scouting report said his breaking ball wasn't one of his better pitches, but after that first at-bat, I told the guys, 'this boy is for real, you'd better be ready."

It was a call-up that came in his fourth year of professional ball. Sanford was a late-round draft pick by the Reds in 1988, taken in the 32nd round out of the University of Alabama.

He did well in the low minors, posting a 12-6 record at Greensboro in 1989, making the South Atlantic League All Star team. He had an even better 13-4 mark at Cedar Rapids for 1990.

Sanford was rewarded in 1991 with a promotion to AA Chattanooga, then AAA Nashville and Cincinnati in August. He started five games for the Reds that year, with an ERA under 4.

He spent 1992 back in the minors, at Chattanooga and Nashville. But a 5.68 ERA in 25 AAA starts left the Reds to leave him unprotected in the expansion draft and the Rockies took him with the 62nd pick. One reporter called Sanford's right arm powerful, one that oozed potential.

Called back to the majors that next July, Sanford got his first win as a Rockie Aug. 8, scattering five hits over seven innings. The win stopped a 13-game Rockie skid. It was also Sanford's second and final win in the majors.

Signed by the Twins in 1994, Sanford made it back to the majors for a final time in 1995. He pitched in 11 games, putting up a 5.30 ERA. He stayed on in the minors through 1996, with the Rangers.

In 1997, Sanford pitched in Taiwan. In 1998, he got a look from the Angels in spring training, but didn't catch on. Instead, he pitched in Mexico. Sanford's playing days weren't done until 2000, after two seasons in independent leagues.

A sports reporter for The Daily Gazette in Schenectady in 2009 recalled one 1999 Sanford start with Massachusetts. Sanford gave up a run in the first, then set down 11 straight batters and 19 of 20.

More recently, Sanford has worked on instruction, opening the Southwest Ohio Baseball Academy in 2007 with partner Brian Conley.

(Note: This is the second of two features from CMC 659. Read my earlier post on why. Scott Shockey is the other feature, he's the player named. Mo Sanford, the player pictured on the card)

• Kentucky New Era, Associated Press, Aug. 10, 1991: Cincy gets Mo pitching as Reds defeat Padres
• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 10, 1991: Reds' Rookie Shows He Can Mow 'Em Down
• Business Courier of Cincinnati, Sept. 14, 2007: Investors, former pros take swing at baseball academy

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 148/880 - 16.8%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 151
Made the Majors: 101 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 50 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 53

Scott Shockey, Made It Back - 659

(Note: This is the first of two features from CMC 659. Read my earlier post on why. Scott Shockey is the player named on the card. The photo, though, belongs to Mo Sanford. Mo Sanford's feature: Real Tough)

Scott Shockey made AAA Tacoma for a brief stint in 1990, but for 1991, it was back for seasoning at AA Huntsville.

In 70 games for the Stars, his season hadn't been going well. He hit .240 with just four home runs. Then, it got worse, about as bad as it could, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Attempting to break up a double play, Shockey's foot got stuck, his knee gave out, according to The Times. Total reconstructive surgery ended his year and made him lose out on all the next year.
Doctors, The Times said, put his chances of coming back at no better than a coin flip.

"You can tell someone the odds, but you can't tell how much desire they have," Shockey told The Times in 1993, playing for AAA Tacoma. "I don't like being told I can't do anything."

Shockey was taken by the Athletics in the seventh round of the 1989 draft out of Pepperdine. He played that year at short-season Southern Oregon.

For 1990, Shockey began at single-A Madison, hitting .261 with 10 home runs with the Muskies. One of those home runs came off a rehabing Juan Nieves May 21, according to The Milwaukee Journal.

Then came high-A Modesto and an average jump to .325 and a level jump to AAA Tacoma. With the Tacoma Tigers, Shockey played 13 games, hitting .279.

Then came 1991, Huntsville. On July 4, Shockey did well, hitting a triple and scoring on a sac-fly. The blown-out knee came later that summer. Surgery and rehab and Shockey was ready for 1993.

While Shockey made it back, and to AAA Tacoma, he wouldn't make it to the majors. He played 21 games at Tacoma in 1993, then 28 back at Huntsville for 1994 and Shockey was done.

• Los Angeles Times, Feb. 13, 1988: Pepperdine Batters Get Well in 9-7 Victory Over Northridge
• Orlando Sentinel, July 5, 1991: Sunrays Dazzle Stars Behind Mahomes, 6-1
  
• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 2, 1993: Shockey Forced to Leave Modesto

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 147.5/880 - 16.8%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 150
Made the Majors: 100 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 50 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 53

Shockey and Not Shockey

Let me first say this next card is one of cards in the set I remember from when I was a kid. The photo is a nice one of a pitcher on my hometown team, the Cedar Rapids Reds.

The CR Reds' home Veterans Memorial Stadium was the first stadium I ever attended a game at. I can't say I remember much about that game, but I do remember during one game being urged by my parents to get a slip of paper signed by a player signing for other kids.

So anyway, I remember getting this card and thinking, cool, I got a Cedar Rapids card. I was more of a picture guy when I was a kid, never actually reading or questioning what was on the card.

So that brings me to this card, CMC 659. I remember seeing it but I don't ever remember questioning the team. The player is identified as Scott Shockey, of the Midwest League's Madison Muskies. Maybe Shockey was traded before the picture was changed? No. According to Baseball Reference, Shockey was a career-long member of the Athletics organization.

So, no, that's Not Shockey.

So who's in the picture? I thought this search would be more difficult that it was. First, I would go through the pitchers I could find from the 1990 Cedar Rapids Reds, try to find a match. If that didn't work, then I would go through the position players.

In reality, the search took two seconds. See his glove? Written in white letters is what appeared the name "MO." Would the Baseball Reference roster on the 1990 CR Reds include a Mo as a pitcher? Yes. Mo Sanford.

Looks like he found a way to get his name on a card where his name was nowhere to be found. He even made the majors for three short stays and got some cards of his own, correct name and correct picture.

A check of ebay confirms both conclusions. Shockey had his own card in the Muskies ProCards team set. Turns out he couldn't look less like Sanford. Even the uniform couldn't look less like Madison's. See for yourself. And with Sanford, you can compare for yourself the photo from the Shockey card with a properly identified Sanford.

So, what I'm getting at, is, with both referenced players identified, I'll treat this card as a multi-player card and review both Shockey and Sanford. Shockey will be up later today, with Sanford going tomorrow.

Charlie Mitchell, Family Trade - 131

Charlie Mitchell and his brother John had been on their way to becoming siblings on the same team, the Red Sox. Until 1985.

First John was traded to the Mets system, then Charlie was sent off to the Twins.

"We have nothing against the Mitchell family," Red Sox GM Lou Gorman told a reporter after the organization rid itself of the second Mitchell sibling, "but we didn't think Charlie fit into our plans in the long haul."

For his brother John, the move signaled the path to his major league debut. For Charlie, it saw him leave the major league portion of his career behind.

Charlie Mitchell was taken by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 1982 draft. He was first sent to short-season Elmira, and made AA New Britain in 1983. With New Britain, Mitchell shut down Reading Sept. 6 over four innings for his 14th save, according to a wire report in The Day.

He made Pawtucket and Boston in 1984. He made the International League All Star team that year.

Mitchell, described in one report as a sinkerball specialist, made his major league debut Aug. 9. The Rangers' Pete O'Brien greeted him to the majors with a solo home run on his first batter faced.

Twenty-three years later, Hideki Okajima would do the same, getting Mitchell back into the papers.

Mitchell pitched in 10 games for the Red Sox that year, posting a 2.76 ERA. In one game, Sept. 14, Mitchell's performance, three hits over three innings, was seen as the lone bright spot for the Sox, who lost to the Yankees 7-1.

Mitchell returned to Boston for only two games in 1985, giving up three runs in 1.2 innings. Mitchell would play in affiliated ball through 1991, but never return to the majors.

He was with the Twins system in 1986, the Tigers' system in 1987. His stretch with the Tigers was briefly sidelined when he contracted mononucleosis, according to The Telegraph.

Then he made a home with the Reds at AAA Nashville, where he would remain for four seasons. Baseball-Reference has Mitchell returning to independent Columbia for 1996 and 1997, ending his baseball career.

More recently, Mitchell went on a baseball clinic and baseball chapel visit to Mexico in 2008, according to the blog EddieMosley.com. For an account of the trip, visit the site.

• Nashua Telegraph, Patriot Ledger Sports Service, Dec. 13, 1985: Sox (yawn) make a deal
• Worcester Telegram & Gazette, April 3, 2007: Buck's belt ruins Hideki Okajima's debut
• EddieMosley.com, Nov. 18, 2008: Mexico Baseball Clinic, Fielders Choice

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 147/880 - 16.7%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 149
Made the Majors: 100 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 49 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 53

Van Snider, Full Outfield - 216

Van Snider had gotten a taste of the majors the previous September, but his prospects for 1989 weren't good.

He could do well and still not make the team. The outfielder had three, better established players already patrolling the outfield at Riverfront Stadium.

"Realistically, I won't make it," Snider told The South Florida Sun Sentinel that March. "I won't be there in April... but there's nothing wrong with being there in May."

It wasn't May, but Snider did make it up for four games in June, and four more in July. The games brought Snider's career total to 19, where it would remain.

Snider began his career with the Royals' system, signed as a free agent in 1981. By 1983, he was at single-A Charleston, where he hit .291, going 4-4 in one July game.

He made AA Jacksonville in 1983, a two-run triple for AA Memphis in August 1985 helped Memphis win. He made AAA Omaha in 1986 after posting 26 home runs at Memphis, his 25th winning a game Aug 22.

By spring 1987, one sportswriter was talking about Snider in Kansas City's right field, ahead of the better-known Bo Jackson. But Bo got the nod.

A year later, Snider was shipped off to the Reds for little-known reliever Jeff Montgomery. Montgomery would go on to post a little-known 304 saves for the Royals and even make the Hall of Fame ballot. Snider, in turn, would hit his first and only home run off Rick Reuschel that September.

Snider played with the Reds at Nashville through 1989, before being traded again, this time to the Yankees in a four-player deal that sent Hal Morris to the Reds. Snider spent two years at Columbus, then four more seasons with four more teams. Snider played for the Red Sox, Cardinals and Twins organizations, as well as in Mexico before hanging it up.

• Lawrence Journal-World, Feb. 17, 1987: Royals ought to infuse veteran lineup with youth
  
• South Florida Sun Sentinel, March 16, 1989: Snider's Position In Cincinnati? It May Be Left Out

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 146/880 - 16.6%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 148
Made the Majors: 99 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 49 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 52

Darrin Chapin made majors for 4 outings in 10 seasons

Called in for the eighth, Darrin Chapin, Albany-Colonie's closer, did what he was supposed to do, and more.

Pitching against the Hagerstown Suns, Chapin set the Suns, striking out the side twice, April 30, 1989, for his third save on the year, according to The Schenectady Gazette.

"I think I was 0-1 on every hitter today," Chapin told The Gazette. "I've always tried to go right after the hitters, and if they want to lay off that first pitch, that's okay."

Taken by the Yankees in the sixth round of the 1986 draft out of Cleveland State, the Warren, Ohio-native Chapin had started his career as a starter. He started all 13 games he appeared in for the Yankees' Gulf Coast League rookie team that year with a respectable 3.24 ERA.

But a move to the bullpen for 1987, at short-season Oneonta proved a boon. The right-hander appeared in 25 games, posting a stellar sub-1 ERA, at 0.68. Chapin continued that at single-A Fort Lauderdale in 1988, though, naturally, not as good as Oneonta. His Fort Lauderdale ERA was 0.88.

Three games at AA Albany-Colonie that year were definitely not as good, giving up five earned runs in four innings of work. All five of those earned runs came in one game June 3. After getting out of one inning, Chapin promptly came back in the next frame, giving up six hits and seven total runs, five earned, according to The Gazette.

But he returned to Albany-Colonie for that 1989 campaign. After seven games, Chapin earned the promotion to AAA Columbus. Chapin even earned the right to be mentioned by The New York Times as a big-league injury fill-in.

Chapin again pitched at both levels for 1990, returning full-time to Columbus for 1991. That's the year the Yankees gave him a look in the Bronx, as a September call-up, one of a parade of rookies for the Yankees that year. In 5.1 innings for the Bombers, Chapin gave up three earned runs and took a loss.

Chapin's run with the Yankees came to an end that off-season, traded to the Phillies for a player to be named that turned out to be Charlie Hayes. Chapin was with the Phillies for a single game in April 1992, his last. He pitched in two innings, giving up two earned runs.

Chapin spent the rest of that year at AAA Scranton, then three more seasons with three different systems before finally hanging it up after 1995.

• Schenectady Gazette, June 4, 1988: Tigers Erupt in Third, Blast A-C Yanks, 14-1
• Schenectady Gazette, May 1, 1989: A-C Yanks Conclude Successful Homestand
• Schenectady Gazette, Sept. 9, 1990: A-C Yankees still feel like champions
• New York Times, Sept. 25, 1991: For Yanks' Rookies, to Err Is Typical
• New York Times, Jan. 10, 1992: Yankees, in Whispers, Replay Who's-on-3d Act

More: The 1990 Columbus Clippers

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 145/880 - 16.4%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 147
Made the Majors: 98 - 66%
Never Made the Majors: 49 - 34%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 51

Then and Then, Stealth CMC Edition

So I was perusing Chris' want list over at Nachos Grande recently and realized I had a couple cards he needed, (and one he apparently didn't). So I sent them off. He didn't have anything off my admittedly limited want list of CMCs, so I suggested some random Cubs cards and he came through with this cool package almost two dozen Cubs in return.

It's a great selection, everything from a 1985 Topps Henry Cotto to a 2008 Goudey Derrek Lee. But you'll have to forgive me, there were two other cards that stuck out to me, the proprietor of a blog focusing on the 1990 CMC set.

There was the 1995 Stadium Club Cub Willie Banks. Banks graced card 808 of the CMC set, a card that I do not yet own. So maybe this is a want list card. Banks spent 1990 with the Orlando Twins as one of the club's top prospects.

He made it to the Cubs for 1994, traded by the Twins in a three-player deal. The back of his card points out he threw his first complete game shutout May 24. Over his nine-season major league career, it would be his only such achievement.

But the coolest card of the package, by far, has to be the 1993 Upper Deck Mark Grace. Now, Grace was obviously not in the CMC set, but the catcher he's running past, Kirt Manwaring is.

If that's not enough, it's also one of those cards where you can figure out when the photo was taken to a reasonable degree of certainty. And, in doing so, it reveals what prompted Grace's dash to the plate: a single by Hall of Famer and my favorite player Andre Dawson.

A stealth CMC alum card and a stealth Dawson card. That is so cool.

In case you're wondering, the Cubs played at San Francisco from May 15 to May 17, 1992 (that's not Wrigley in the background). Manwaring and Grace played in the first game, but Grace went 0-5, never getting on base. Game 2, Manwaring didn't play.

But, in Game 3, on May 17, both played. Grace went 2-4, scoring once. With one out and one on, Grace doubled to left. Ryne Sandberg was walked intentionally, then came Dawson, who promptly lined a single to short left. Dwight Smith scored, Grace came after him.

Grace appears to be readying for a collision, but Manwaring isn't. That's apparently because attention shifted to third and Sandburg, who was gunned down, Grace scoring without a play.

Now that's a cool card. Totally worth the two wanted cards and one non-wanted card I sent. Thanks, Nachos!

Don Gordon gave up Molitor streak hit, saw 3 majors seasons

Fifteen thousand fans at County Stadium wanted it and Don Gordon did his best to prevent it.

But, Gordon's best wasn't enough. Paul Molitor slapped Gordon's first pitch through the right side, making this game, Aug. 25, 1987, Molitor's 39th consecutive in which he got a hit.

"I can't say I was worried," Molitor told reporters afterward, the day before his streak would be broken, "But it looked like one of those nights when you swing the bat well and come up empty."

Gordon gave up a few hits in his time, 150 to be exact, in a major league career that spanned three seasons.

Gordon began his pro career, selected in the 31st round by the Tigers in the 1982 draft. He made AA Birmingham his second year, but was released by mid-1984. Picked up by the Blue Jays, Gordon made AAA Syracuse in 1985, earning International League Pitcher of the Week honors in June, and Toronto in 1986.

In 21.2 innings for the Blue Jays in 1986, Gordon gave up 17 earned runs. On May 6, Gordon gave up four runs to the A's, helped along by his own errant throw to second. But in a game June 16, Gordon pitched the final four innings, notching his first save.

He returned to Toronto for five more games in 1987, before being taken by the Indians off waivers in August, two weeks before giving up the Molitor streak-extending hit.

Back in Cleveland for 1988, Gordon pitched in 38 contests, earning a spot in the Indians' "Bullpen From Hell," a nickname given not out of admiration. Gordon himself posted a 4.40 ERA, in what would be his final major league year.

Gordon went on to play AAA for the Indians in 1989, then signed on with the Brewers for 1990, playing at AAA Denver. Then it was AA El Paso with the Brewers and back to the Blue Jays system at Syracuse in 1991 and his playing days were done.

His playing days done, Gordon was working with a missionary group by 1996, SCORE International, according to the Boston Irish blog. The blog has an account of the trip, posted last year.

• Schenectady Gazette, UPI, May 7, 1986: Kingman, A's Shell Jays, 17-3
• Lawrence Journal-World, Associated Press, Aug. 26, 1987: Molitor keeps streak alive
• Boston Irish, IrishBaseballSeason.blogspot.com, July 20, 2009: The time I met Don Gordon

More: The 1990 Denver Zephyrs

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 144/880 - 16.4%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 146
Made the Majors: 97 - 66%
Never Made the Majors: 49 - 34%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 50

Julius McDougal, Dazzlingly Paisley - 267

Sports Illustrated described the shirt as dazzling and paisley. The shirt was found in the spring training locker of Twins minor leaguer Julius McDougal by new manager Tom Kelly.

Kelly took a liking to it, so much so that the young manager borrowed it and wore it out to practice.

"I like to keep the game fun," Kelly told the magazine.

While the game was fun for his manager that spring, the game had to be fun for McDougal. He played it for parts of nine seasons, never making the majors.

By spring 1987, McDougal had spent three years in the minors, reaching AA Orlando in 1986 and Baseball Digest had him challenging for a utility position for 1987. By the time his career was over McDougal got as high as AAA, but no further.

A native of Jackson, Miss., McDougal was originally taken by the Cubs in the third round of the 1984 draft. McDougal had been a stand-out at Jackson State.

He spent three seasons with the Cubs system, overcoming a slow offensive start with outstanding defense at single-A Lodi in 1984, to become a respectable hitter for single-A Winston-Salem by 1986.

It was mid-1986 that the Cubs shipped him to Minnesota in a five-player deal and the Twins slotted him at AA Orlando. In 61 at bats for the O-Twins, McDougal hit a scorching .377.

But, in a year that began with promise, McDougal's 1987 would end with a combined .203 average between AAA Portland and AA Orlando.

For the last five seasons of his career, McDougal moved to five successive teams, starting with the Tigers in 1988 and ending with the Phillies in 1992.

With the Tigers' AA team in Glens Falls, McDougal hit a three-run home run that powered the GF Tigers to victory. But it was one of only seven homers on a year where he hit .241.

The next year, at Canton-Akron, McDougal broke a cardinal rule of baseball in one game, trying to steal third with two outs May 28 at Albany-Colonie. Jim Leyritz gunned him down, ending the inning and the chance to tie.

McDougal closed out his career with 59 games with AAA Syracuse in the Blue Jays system in 1991 and 13 games with the Phillies at AA Reading in 1992 and his playing days were done.

• Lodi News-Sentinel, June 22, 1984: Lodi set for 2nd half
• Lodi News-Sentinel, July 11, 1984: Padres to host Crushers
• Sports Illustrated, April 6, 1987: 16 Minnesota Twins
• Schenectady Gazette, May 29, 1989: Layana, Imes Hurl A-C Yankees To Fourth Double-Header Sweep

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 143/880 - 16.3%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 145
Made the Majors: 96 - 66%
Never Made the Majors: 49 - 34%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 49

Bernie Tatis, Dominican Prospect - 170

Major League Baseball had just tightened rules on treatment of Dominican prospects and Blue Jays farmhand and Dominican Republic-native Bernie Tatis believed it was progress, he told The Evening Independent of St. Petersburg in 1986.

The new rules placed restrictions on scouts, including the age that prospects could sign.

"A lot of scouts sign players when they are young," Tatis told the paper. "If a boy is good, the scouts will try to sign him before anybody else, even if he's only 15 or 16, I think it's a good idea to wait, so the boy can finish school."

Tatis himself played his first professional game at the age of 19, in Medicine Hat, Alberta, in 1981, making a slow rise through the Toronto system.

Tatis played at single-A Florence and Kinston through 1984. That year in Florence, Tatis stole 83 bases. He made AA Knoxville in 1985, where he stayed through 1987, having a couple triples in one game May 31 his final year.

Signed by the Pirates for 1988, Pittsburgh took a close look at Tatis, according to the Beaver Country Times. He had more at bats early on than any other Pirate. But Tatis was sent back down, spending the year at AAA Buffalo.

By spring 1989, Tatis was loose, loose enough to pull the shaving cream prank on a young Moises Alou, according to The Pittsburgh Press. With Alou fast asleep, Tatis filled a towel with shaving cream, placed it next to Alou's head and waited for him to roll over. He did.

Tatis also, before spring training was out, was assigned to Mexico City.

Back stateside for 1990, Tatis signed with Texas, playing half the year with Oklahoma City, the other half with Cleveland's team at AA Akron. A handful of games for 1991 with the Indians system and Tatis' time in affiliated ball was over, never making the majors.

But Tatis' baseball career went on. According to Baseball Reference's Bullpen, Tatis played in Mexico and Taiwan through 1997, making 17 years in professional baseball. More recently, Tatis has remained in the Mexican League, turning to managing.

• St. Petersburg Evening Independent, April 18, 1986: New rules fight exploitation of Dominican baseball players, Part 2
• Beaver County Times, March 11, 1988: Ueberroth likes shape Pirates, baseball taking
• Pittsburgh Press, March 21, 1989: Baseball's practical jokers find ways to score, Part 2

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 142/880 - 16.1%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 144
Made the Majors: 96 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 48 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 49

Doug Davis, Break Given - 495

Doug Davis never thought he would be a manager, he told The Reading Eagle in 1998.

A veteran of 12 minor league seasons, and a grand total of five major league games, Davis recalled that he'd heard from a former teammate that the Mets were looking to make some changes.

"There are hundreds of guys who were in my position, and the thing you hope for is that someone comes along and gives you a break," Davis told The Eagle.

Playing his last game in 1995, by 1996 Davis was manager of the short-season Pittsfield Mets. It was the beginning of a managerial and coaching career that would lead Davis to the World Series, as bench coach for the 2003 Florida Marlins.

Davis' pro career began in 1984, taken by the Angels in the ninth round out of North Carolina State University. He made AA Midland and AAA Edmonton and then Anaheim in 1988. (He is, of course, not to be confused with the current Doug Davis, a pitcher.)

His stint with the Angels only lasted five games and 13 plate appearances. He scored one run, but did not get a hit. His brief stint won him a share of the Los Angeles Times' not-so-serious post-season "Thanks for Stopping by the Booth Award."

Davis' first major league hit - also his last - would have to wait four more years, until 1992, with the Rangers. On April 23, 1992, Davis came in for Pudge Rodriguez in the top of the ninth down 11-5. In the bottom half, Davis put a 2-2 pitch between short and third. He was shortly sent down for good.

Davis stayed at AAA Oklahoma City through 1994. One game in 1995 at single-A Lake Elsinore and his playing days were through. That was the year Davis attempted a return to the majors with the replacement Angels.

During a team slump that spring, Davis told The Los Angeles Times the team had been pressing.

"This is a big-league camp, we're working with the major league coaching staff, and sometimes guys feel they have to perform at a major league level, which none of us are at," Davis told The Times. "The only thing people expect is for us to perform at the level we're at."

Davis stayed with the Mets' system as a manager through 2000, going on to the Marlins as minor league field coordinator. Then, in the May 2003 shuffle that put Jack McKeon in the skipper seat and the Marlins on their way to the wild card and championship, Davis was made bench coach.

He joined the Blue Jays system in 2006, helming the AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats, then AAA Syracuse for 2007 and 2008. He's now the Blue Jays' minor league field coordinator.

But, speaking to The Manchester Union Leader in April 2006, Davis said it was managing that he enjoyed most.

"I'm really looking forward to getting back into managing and thinking along the lines of a manager," he told the paper. "Just being on the field and making decisions and trying to evaluate players - I enjoy that as much as anything else I've done."

• Los Angeles Times, March 21, 1995: Baseball
• Reading Eagle, July 26, 1998: Doug Davis manages to stay on right path
• USA Today, May 11, 2003: Marlins change skipper
• Manchester Union Leader, April 2, 2006: Steep learning curve for new Fisher Cats manager
• MiLB.com, Nov. 21, 2006: Doug Davis Named New Manager of Chiefs

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 141/880 - 16.0%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 143
Made the Majors: 96 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 47 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 48

Ryan Klesko, Delivering for Mom - 826

Practicing in his backyard as a teenager, Ryan Klesko honed his skills delivering 90 mph baseballs to his mother from a mound she had dug for him when he was 9, according to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

On this day, in October 1995, Klesko wished he could deliver her another baseball, one of the two he hit over the fence at Cleveland's Jacobs Field, one each in Games 3 and 4.

"I would have liked to have had one to give to my mom," Klesko said in a wire story after Game 4, adding later, "It's really important to have her here."

And Klesko wasn't done. He hit another home run in Game 5, further realizing the promise that scouts, and his mother, had seen in him for a long time.

Klesko was drafted by the Braves in the fifth round of the 1989 draft. By June 1990, Klesko was being talked about as the Braves' latest can't-miss prospect. "One of the best hitting prospects since Dale Murphy," Atlanta director of player development Bobby Dews told The Associated Press..

Klesko saw his first major league time in September 1992, with another short stint in 1993.

"I'm going to try to have another good camp and make it a hard decision for them to send me down," Klesko told The Sun Sentinel in February 1993.

Klesko made the majors for good in 1994. The year after he hit the three home runs in the 1995 World Series, he hit 34 in 1996. He stayed with Atlanta through 1999, when he was traded to the Padres.

He stayed with the Padres through 2006, making the All Star team in 2001 and hitting 30 home runs that year. Klesko played his final year in 2007, for the Giants, before injuries forced him to retire.

His mom was there all the way, phoning her son each day with an encouraging message, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. In 2004, he rewarded her with a condo next to Petco Park.

"I kept telling him I need a house down there so I can be there and he's always so busy," Lorene Klesko told The Union-Tribune. "Then he came up here one day and said, 'I got you that house you wanted.'"

• Hendersonville Times-News, Associated Press, June 18, 1990: Klesko is Bulls' new 'can't miss' prospect
• South Florida Sun Sentinel, Feb. 27, 1993: Mom's The Word In Klesko's Youth
• Eugene Register-Guard, wire services, Oct. 27, 1995: Belle may be disciplined for tirade
• San Diego Union-Tribune, Sept. 5, 2004: Home advantage
• San Diego Union-Tribune, April 24, 2010: Retired Klesko returns for some fun and games

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 140/880 - 15.9%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 142
Made the Majors: 95 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 47 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 41
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 47