Mark Higgins got crucial hit for first ML hit, only ML hit

The score tied 3-3, and a runner on first, Mark Higgins came up. Off Mike Flanagan, Higgins smacked a single to center, setting up the tie-breaking run.

It was Higgins' first major league hit, one that came in a crucial situation for his Cleveland Indians, as the Tribe went on to a 5-4 win over Toronto.

It was also a hit that would turn out to be Higgins' only one in the majors. In his fifth major league game, Higgins only got into one more before being sent back down for good.

Higgins made it to Cleveland after being taken by the Indians five years earlier in the first round of the 1984 draft out of the University of New Orleans.

Higgins started at short-season Batavia, hitting .272 with eight home runs. He spent 1985 and 1986 at single-A Waterloo. He hit .254 his first year at Waterloo, then .317 his second. His second year earned him a promotion to AA Williamsport for 1987.

At Williamsport, Higgins hit .312 with 19 home runs. Higgins went 4 for 5 in one April game, knocking in four, according to The Reading Eagle.

In May, Higgins was named the Eastern League's Topps Chewing Gum Player of the Month. Higgins hit .346 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI, according to The Schenectady Gazette.

Then, in one June game, Higgins had two hits in a Williamsport victory.

"That definitely was a good win," Williamsport manager Orlando Gomez told The Reading Eagle of the June win. Higgins tied a game the next month on a two-run home run.

Higgins divided 1988 between Williamsport and AAA Colorado Springs, his combined batting average dropping off to just .224. Higgins, however, came back strong for 1989, improving his average to .329 for Colorado Springs and earning that September call-up to Cleveland.

Despite getting his call-up, Higgins' time with the Indians was done. He spent 1990 with the Brewers at AAA Denver. He hit .283 with 16 home runs for the Zephyrs, ending his playing days.

• Reading Eagle, June 27, 1987: Bills stop R-Phils, 3-2, in 11
  
• Ocala Star-Banner, Associated Press, Sept. 9, 1989: AL: Indians 5, Blue Jays 4

More: The 1990 Denver Zephyrs

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 241/880 - 27.4%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 246
Made the Majors: 165 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 81 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 73
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 75

Thanks to Readers - Three More Cards To Go

Before I get going head long into my vacation posts, just a quick thanks to reader Will. Before we left for vacation, Will offered and sent all the CMC cards I needed to complete the set, except three.

Before Will got to my want list, I needed a total of 48 cards to complete the CMC set, including a couple of the key cards, the Juan Gonzalez and Steve Avery cards.

Will is an avid collector of minor league baseball cards himself, including the CMC set. He was actually trying to finish the set and I had the cards he needed and sent them off to him.

Thanks again Will!

Actually, Will brought my list down to four. I just brought it down to three myself. It turns out one of the cards I needed, I already had. Number 661. It turns out there is no actual 661, but two numbered 660. Mario Brito and Brian Barnes are both numbered 660. The master checklist I've been working off of, which notes other misnumbered cards, didn't have this one down. It looks like Barnes should have been the actual 661.

And I think I may have gotten behind on other thanks. Jason, DaClyde from Clyde's Stale Cards, sent along 12 last month. Bo at Baseball Cards Come to Life! has helped, as has Nick at Baseball Happenings. Kerry at Cards on Cards helped out, too. Then there was reader Shawn back in May, demolishing my want list by 87.

So, anyway, with the thanks out of the way, my want list has dwindled to just three: 6 Scott Medvin; 471 Rick Adair; and 798 Rob Maurer.

If anybody has those three, let me know.

The haul from Will: 13 - Dann Bilardello; 54 - Travis Chambers; 55 - Chris Marchok; 59 - Richard Thompson; 73 - Jose Castro; 76 - Shawn Boskie; 101 - Scott Arnold; 133 - Rob Lopez; 134 - Keith Brown; 166 - Nick Capra; 167 - Juan Gonzalez; 258 - Joe Johnson; 262 - John Flaherty; 277 - Steve Avery; 297 - John Mizerock; 353 - Kevin Brown; 386 - Mike Schwabe; 390 - Phil Ouellette; 396 - Scott Lusader; 451 - Dan Warthen; 456 - Efrain Valdez; 461 - Beau Allred; 466 - Tom Magrann; 505 - Matt Maysey; 512 - Rich Rodriguez; 520 - Tom Levasseur; 538 - Mike Kingery; 543 - Craig Colbert; 547 - Tony Perezchica; 561 - Park Pittman; 592 - Eric Fox; 628 - Wilson Alvarez; 636 - C.L. Penigar; 687 - Scott Lawrenson; 717 - Dan Rambo; 737 - Gary Wilson; 792 - Chris Myers; 794 - Mike McDonald; 803 - Kim Batiste; 804 - Dan Peltier; 806 - Tom Fischer; 838 - Tim Leiper; 875 - Brian Ahern; 876 - Eddie Taubensee

Rich Aude worked on consistency over 11 seasons, 3 in bigs

In his fifth year in the minors, Rich Aude was eager to finally get his call-up. The Pirates' general manager in town, Aude saw his chance to get noticed, The Los Angeles Times wrote in June 1993.

Aude delivered with two hits, a double and his 11th home run for AA Carolina, The Times wrote. Those went along with a high batting average at .330.

"The name of the game is being consistent," Aude told The Times. "With two strikes, I choke up an inch, move a little closer to the pitcher and just try to put the ball in play. If I can sneak in a few singles, I can keep my average up."

Whether he got noticed then or somewhere else, Aude was in Pittsburgh by September, marking the first of three seasons in which Aude would see major league time.

Aude began his career taken by the Pirates in the second round out of Chatsworth High in 1989. It was Aude's height that got him noticed then. He grew four inches before his senior year to 6 feet, 5 inches tall. His power grew, as well.

"He's a big kid that's long and lean with a lot of room to physically mature and get stronger," Cam Bonifay, Pirates' director of scouting, told The Times. "We feel like he's going to be a big man with fine body control who could develop into a power hitter."

Aude chose the Pirates over college ball at Santa Barbara. The deal included an $80,000 bonus.

"I think I have a good chance to move up because they don't have a whole lot of talent," Aude told The Times later.

Aude got off to a slow start at rookie ball that year. Then it got worse. In his first 13 games, he hit just .152, The Times wrote in August. He had just started to turn it around when he was beaned in the face, breaking his jaw.

"My whole head was buzzing," Aude told The Times. "It feels like I've got the whole baseball stuck in my cheek. I didn't really know where I was. I was spitting out blood."

Returning to single-A Augusta for 1990, Aude hit just .234 with six home runs in 128 games. He hit a run-scoring double in an August game. At high-A Salem in 1991, Aude hit a better .265 then .286 at Salem for 1992.

Aude spent 1993 largely at AA Carolina. In April, two months before his outing in front of the GM, Aude had the game-winning RBI in the 10th.

''I expected the slider,'' Aude told The Orlando Sentinel. ''I was fortunate enough to get the hit that counted today.''

Aude then hit AAA Buffalo later in the year and then Pittsburgh. With the Pirates for September, Aude got his first major-league hit Sept. 17, breaking a tie against the Cardinals. Aude saw another hit taken off the board later, when a lineup issue resulted in him batting out of order.

Aude played 13 games for the Pirates in 1993, then the entire year of 1994 he spent at AAA Buffalo. He returned to the majors in 1995 for 42 games. One of those 1995 games came in May with Aude hitting a two-run home run to break a tie. Another came in September with Aude hitting a two-run, 11th-inning single. He had seven more games in 1996 and his major league time was done.

Aude's final major league game came in May 1996. But he was still hitting in June, hitting home runs in three consecutive at-bats for AAA Calgary, The Times wrote that month.

Aude held on in the minors through 1999, last playing with the White Sox at AA Birmingham. Aude later became a scout for the Devil Rays, signing Delmon Young.

• Los Angeles Times, June 17, 1989: Growth Spurt Left Aude Head and Shoulders Above the Rest
  
• Los Angeles Times, June 22, 1989: Chatsworth's Aude Signs With Pirates for $80,000 Bonus
• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 10, 1989: Beaning Ends Aude's First Pro Season
• Orlando Sentinel, April 12, 1993: Mudcats Thump Cubs In 10th, Spoil Williams' Efforts
• Los Angeles Times, June 6, 1993: Aude's Audition With Simmons Goes Smashingly
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Sept. 28, 1993: Pirates commit a rookie mistake

More: The 1990 Augusta Pirates

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 240/880 - 27.3%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 245
Made the Majors: 164 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 81 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 73
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 75

Vacation 2010 - The Rundown

The August moon rises over the Great American Ball Park scoreboard Aug. 27

So my wife and I are back from vacation. We road tripped back to my home state of Iowa seeing a bunch of cool things along the way. (See the coolest site RoadsideAmerica.com) Also along the way I got a few extra blog topics.

The obvious topics are the rundowns of the three games we saw. My wife and I traveled to Burlington, Iowa and took in a Bees game. The Burlington write-up will also give me the opportunity to mention again the last time I was there, with my dad. It involved A-Rod.

We also traveled over to Omaha with my folks to see the ninth-to-last game ever at Rosenblatt Stadium. It was team card set night. We got two. On the way there, we stopped at the Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter, Iowa, and saw some very cool stuff there, including a notable Babe Ruth bat he borrowed from Feller. More on that when I get there. Both Rosenblatt and the Feller museum are among the 101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out, a great book my wife got me a couple years ago.
The August moon rises over Community Field in Burlington, Iowa, home of the Midwest League's Bees, Aug. 23

I also got some card topics. My wife and I always try and stop at the Paul's Discount Store in town when I get home. They have lots of cool stuff. On this trip, I spotted a bunch of jumbo packs of junk-era cards, "The Ultimate Super Jumbo Pack." The coolest part, they weren't that overpriced, 50+ cards for a buck. That's $1. They had six of them, I grabbed all six.

I'll probably make a post for each. I have yet to open them. I bet there's some CMC players in there. Then I picked up new packs at a couple Casey's General Stores we stopped at. Those I did open. And I got some cards to talk about there, too.

The August moon rises past the Rosenblatt Stadium scoreboard in Omaha, Aug. 25

On the way home, we stopped in Cincinnati and, as I donned my Andre Dawson Cubs jersey, saw the Cubs lose to the Reds and Jay Bruce hit three moon shots over the fence for home runs. The Bruce home runs showed how little I've paid attention to my fantasy team this year. I've kept the pitchers up and made changes here and there. With Bruce, I knew I'd had him earlier in the year, but wasn't sure if I still had him. I did. And, by the way, thanks to his performance, my Sch'dy Kittenz snuck into the playoffs.

Aside from Bruce's fireworks, it was also real fireworks night. My wife loves fireworks and these didn't disappoint.

Speaking of moon shots, the pictures above are my own moon shots. I snapped the pictures above at each of the three games we saw. The weather was great for all three games and the moon made striking appearances at all three.

Cards, games, a museum and the moon. We also packed in non-blog-related stuff like a roller derby match, two duck tours, many Roadside America stops and saw squirrels that were white. My wife often says we try to pack too much stuff into our vacations. I don't know, I don't see it.

John Hoover, Some Only Dream - 153

Updated November 2014
It was late in the 1984 gold medal game and the U.S. was down 3-1 to Japan. Starter John Hoover had pitched well, but he was in trouble. But the trouble wasn't all his doing. The two runners on base were there on a single and then an error.

Hoover stayed in and promptly gave up a three-run shot to Japan's Katsumi Hirosawa for an insurmountable 6-1 deficit.

"I threw a million pitches in my career, maybe a billion," Hoover told The Los Angeles Times eight years later. "A lot of them were good, some were bad. I left a curveball up and he did what any good hitter would do with it."

Taken by the Orioles that year in the first round, Hoover did throw many pitches in his seven-season professional career. But the number of pitches Hoover threw in the major leagues was a precious few.

Hoover only appeared in two major league games.

A native of Fresno, Calif., Hoover made the Olympic team out of Fresno State. Hoover went 31-16 with the Bulldogs, claiming the school's wins record. It was also enough to land him on the list of Fresno State's top athletes of the century. He is to also be put on his high school, Fresno High's, Wall of Champions this October.

It was during the Olympic run that Hoover signed with the Orioles. The contract meant Hoover would start his professional career at AAA Rochester. "It's great," Hoover told the Associated Press. "Better than I expected."

Hoover went 2-3 in five appearances, with a 5.21 ERA at Rochester that year. He didn't return to AAA for another six years.

Hoover spent much of that time at AA, staying with the Orioles through 1987. He went 8-16 at AA Charlotte in 1985 with a 4.72 ERA. But he did show flashes of why he was a first-rounder. In a May game, Hoover threw a three-hit shutout against Birmingham.

The Orioles shipped Hoover to the Expos in a five-player deal before the 1988 season. After spending 1988 at AA Jacksonville, Hoover got his release. It was then he was signed by the Rangers.

Hoover spent 1989 at the Rangers' AA team in Tulsa. A 3.38 ERA and a 9-6 record earned Hoover a promotion for 1990 to AAA Oklahoma City. Then, in May 1990, Hoover was brought up to Texas.

In his debut, May 23, Hoover gave up consecutive singles, one of them scoring. He didn't record an out. In his second and final game two days later, Hoover pitched 4.2 innings, giving up five earned runs. His career ERA in 4.2 innings was 11.57.

Hoover's appearance with the Rangers made him the 17th member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team to make the majors, according to The Times. Three others never made it.

Hoover was released by the Rangers in July. Picked up briefly by the Expos system late in the year and Hoover's career was done.

Speaking to The Times in 1992, Hoover said the Rangers offered him a coaching position, but he had other interests. Hoover then was going into law enforcement, with the Fresno Police.

"I had a good time in baseball, but I'm not frustrated or disappointed that I'm not playing, that my professional career wasn't more successful," Hoover told The Times.

"I mean, I did some things people only dream of doing. I had more fun than anyone has a right to have," Hoover added. "I traveled all over the world. I was a member of probably the best amateur baseball team ever. That alone, being in the Olympics with that team, was unbelievable, overwhelming."

Hoover passed away in July 2014 at the age of 51.

• Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Associated Press, Aug 5, 1984: Hoover Signs With Orioles
• Eugene Register-Guard, Associated Press, Aug. 8, 1984: Japanese take baseball gold from Americans
• Rock Hill Herald, Associated Press, May 7, 1985: Charlotte earns split with Birmingham
• Los Angeles Times, July 22, 1992: A Silver Lining: Talented '84 U.S. Baseball Team Didn't Get the Gold, but the Sport Proved to Be an International Winner
• GoBulldogs.com: Bulldog Legends

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 239/880 - 27.2%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 244
Made the Majors: 163 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 81 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 73
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 75

Kevin Reimer, A Lot of Interest - 169

Kevin Reimer showed consistency playing at AA Tulsa in 1988, his manager Jim Skaalen told The Los Angeles Times in August. Reimer just had to keep it up.

"If he continues this way, there'll be nothing that stops him," Skaalen told The Times. "He hits left-handers very well, he's been consistent and has great power potential. The organization is really looking at him with a lot of interest now. He's opened up a lot of eyes."

Reimer opened enough to make the jump from AA Tulsa to the majors that September, playing 12 games for the big club. Reimer would go on to a career that touched six major league seasons, five with the Rangers and one with the Brewers.

It was the Rangers who started Reimer's career in 1985, taking him in the 11th round of the draft. That year with Tulsa, in 1988, was Reimer's first above single-A. He showed his power in April 1987, playing for single-A Port Charlotte. He hit five home runs in his team's first seven games, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

He first made AAA Oklahoma City in 1989, staying there much of the year. It was in 1990 that his major league playing time increased, to 64 games, hitting .260.

Reimer stayed with the Rangers through 1992, his final two years seeing considerable playing time. He hit 20 home runs in 1991 and 16 more in 1992.

One of his 1992 home runs came in August, off Kevin Appier. It was the longest hit at Arlington Stadium up to that point in the year. Reimer had to give Appier credit, but Reimer also said he knew what pitch to expect.

"He throws a lot of good pitches," Reimer told The Associated Press after the game. "But he also likes to keep the ball around the plate."

Reimer was left unprotected in that off-season's expansion draft. The Rockies selected him, then flipped him to the Brewers for franchise-staple Dante Bichette.

With the Brewers some teams saw Reimer as a way around Greg Vaughn. Reimer tried to show them that was a bad choice.

"If they want to walk me, he'll make them pay for it," Vaughn told The Milwaukee Sentinel after a May game in which Reimer knocked in two after Vaughn was intentionally walked. "They'll have to deal with him."

Reimer hit 13 home runs on the year, with a .249 batting average. It would be his last in the majors, but he would play through 1997.

Reimer played in Japan in 1994 and 1995, returning stateside in 1996. He played for the Twins and then the Mariners systems. He returned to AAA Tacoma for 1997, his final year.

Sent back to Tacoma for 1997, Reimer was optimistic. If the Mariners needed him, he'd be there.

"I'll go down and be ready," Reimer told The Associated Press in March. "I'm just happy to have this opportunity."

• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 18, 1988: Reimer Wouldn't Mind Making the Major Leagues After All
• Lawrence Journal-World, Associated Press, Aug. 26, 1992: Appier no surprise to Rangers' Reimer
• Milwaukee Sentinel, May 24, 1993: Reimer sends loud message: Don't walk Brewers' Vaughn, Part 2
• Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Associated Press, March 20, 1997: Mariners give Sabo the ax

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 238/880 - 27.1%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 243
Made the Majors: 162 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 81 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 73
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 75

John Shea, Serious Look - 334

In his eighth season of professional baseball in 1993, John Shea could still pitch. And he pitched well enough in a set-up role to get a vote of confidence from his AA manager at New Britain Jim Pankovits, according to The Hartford Courant.

"I hope the organization takes a look at him," Pankovits told The Courant. "A serious look."

The organization did take a look at Shea, bringing him up to AAA Pawtucket that year. But they looked no further. Shea's latest attempt to make the majors ended like the others, without a call-up.

Shea's career began in 1986, taken by the Blue Jays in the 17th round of the draft. Sent to short-season St. Catharines that year, Shea made single-A Myrtle Beach for 1987. He went 11-5 with a 3.47 ERA for Myrtle Beach that year, pitching four shut-out innings in an August game.

He made AA Knoxville in early 1988 and AAA Syracuse in 1990, where he would stay through 1992.

With AA Knoxville in April 1988, Shea recorded his first save, inducing a bases-loaded grounder to end the game. He soon went back down to high-A Dunedin, pitching seven innings and striking out eight in a July win. In 1989, Shea retired 11 straight batters in one June Knoxville victory.

Shea struck out five and walked two in a June 1991 Syracuse victory. In that game, Shea set down 15 straight batters at one point, according to a wire account.

In 1992, his final year with the Blue Jays system, Shea went 8-8 with a 6.18 ERA. In a May game against Toledo, Shea gave up six runs for the loss. That was after he had done well against Toledo in prior outings, The Toledo Blade wrote.

Shea went on to the Red Sox system in 1993, getting that promotion to Pawtucket. Then it was the Brewers, Orioles and Rangers systems, one each year through 1996, never getting the call-up to the majors. A stint two seasons later, in independent ball with the Northeast League's Waterbury Spirit, and Shea's career was done.

• Hartford Courant, June 27, 1993: Hatteberg's Progress Comes By Staying Put
• Reading Eagle, news services, June 19, 1991: Syracuse tops Red Barons
• Toledo Blade, May 15, 1992: Hens beat Syracuse with six-run inning

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 237/880 - 26.9%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 242
Made the Majors: 161 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 81 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 72
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 75

Darryl Motley, Biggest Game - 143

Darryl Motley was just trying to hit the ball hard May 25, 1984. He ended up driving in five runs and scoring three in a Royals win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

"I've had some good games in the minor leagues," Motley told The Associated Press afterward, "but this is definitely my biggest game in the majors.

It would be a contender, until Game 7 of the 1985 World Series.

Motley was on the road to racking up contenders in 1978, drafted by the Royals in the second round. He made AA Jacksonville in 1980 then AAA Omaha in 1981. A Motley home run in June helped Omaha to a win. The year he made Omaha was also the year Motley made Kansas City, playing 42 games for the Royals and hitting .232.

Motley returned to Omaha for 1982, then played in 19 more games for the Royals in 1983. In 1984, he was in Kansas City to stay.

Motley played in 146 games for Kansas City in 1984, hitting .284. He returned for 1985, playing in another 123 games, but hitting just .222. He made the Royals post-season roster, but was used little during the league championship series, The Associated Press wrote. In the World Series against the Cardinals, Motley was just 1 for 7.

In the second inning of Game 7, Motley came to bat. He took a 3-2 pitch far down the left-field line, but foul. Upset, he hit his bat to the ground and cracked it.

With a new bat, one he'd never used before, the AP wrote, he hit the next pitch out and fair. The two-run shot put the Royals up 2-0 and put them on their way to an 11-0 rout and the World Series title.

"I've had visions and dreams about this," Motley told reporters afterward. "Everyone dreams of being the man in the seventh game of the World Series."

Motley even got to catch the final out.

Despite his World Series success, Motley only played in two more seasons. By the end of 1986, he was with the Braves. The next year, he only played in six games and his major league career was done. But his playing career wasn't.

Motley hung on in the minors through 1990, ending up that year with the Reds system at AAA Nashville, then with the Rangers at Oklahoma City by July. Motley helped the 89ers to a win that month with an 11th inning, two-out, run-scoring single.

His time in affiliated ball done, Motley spent time in Mexico and in Japan. In Japan, Motley helped his Chiba Lotte Marines to a win with a score-tying single.

Motley returned stateside to play independent ball in 1995, often serving as a player and a coach. In 2001, he was a player-manager with the independent Adirondack Lumberjacks, enduring a losing season.

"It seemed every night we found a different way to lose, or the other guys found a different way to win," Motley told The Allentown Morning Call that June, his team just ending a losing streak. "But we've stayed positive and knew it would end some time."

But Motley is still asked about that 1985 World Series home run, now a quarter century later. Motley spoke of the home run in May to The Kansas City Kansan, recounting the first one went foul.

"That doesn’t happen very much," Motley, now a personal trainer, told The Kansan. "Usually when you hit one just foul you make an out. I still think about it. It was a great thrill."

• Nashua Telegraph, May 26, 1984: Motley powers Royals past Boston, Part 2
• Miami News, Associated Press, Oct. 28, 1985: Motley gets a lucky break
• Allentown Morning Call, June 28, 2001: Adirondack jumps on Ams' mistakes
• MLB.com, Jan. 19, 2005: Saberhagen calls at Kauffman
• Kansas City Kansan, May 24, 2010: '85 Royals re-live World Series memories

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 236/880 - 26.8%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 241
Made the Majors: 161 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 80 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 72
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 74

Doug Strange, Some Perspective - 618

Doug Strange had been highly thought of by none other than the Tigers manager himself, Sparky Anderson. But that was in spring 1988. His season in 1988 did nothing to live up to the expectations.

Strange didn't make the Tigers out of spring training and went on to hit just .201 at AAA Toledo. He even saw time back at AA at Glens Falls.

Back for 1989, Strange told The Toledo Blade he'd tried to get away from everything over the winter and refresh. Everything included part-time jobs and lifting weights.

"Luckily I was able to gain some perspective," Strange told The Blade. "I learned that the way to play this game is to play hard and everything else will take care of itself."

Strange made his major league debut later that year, in July. It was the first of nine major league seasons in which he'd see time. His playing days wouldn't end until 2000, when he began a front office career.

Strange was drafted by the Tigers in the seventh round of the 1985 draft. He made AA Glens Falls and AAA Toledo in 1987, then Detroit in 1989.

Strange's manager with Glens Falls in 1987, Tom Burgess, told The Blade he believed Strange was going to make it. "He's going to get there as quickly as he wants," Burgess told the paper. That July, Strange hit home runs in consecutive games.

Strange's off-season work before 1989 paid off. Called up in July, Strange stayed for 64 games. He spent 1990 in the Astros system, next seeing major league action in 1991, three games for the Cubs. His most major league time came in 1993, playing 145 games with the Rangers, hitting .256. He hit a two-out single in a May game to give the Rangers the win.

Arriving with the Mariners for 1995, Strange proved an important part of Seattle's run to the playoffs and past the Yankees. The Mariners got into the playoffs after a tie for the division. Helping them to that tie was a Strange home run Sept. 19 that tied a game in the ninth that the Mariners won in extras.

"I'd be lying to you if I said this didn't mean something special," Strange told The Associated Press after the game. Strange went on to take the walk that tied up Game 5 of the Division Series against the Yankees.

Strange returned to Seattle for 1996 then went on to Montreal for 1997. There, he played in 118 games and hit .257 with 12 home runs. His final major league season was 1998, with the Pirates. He hit just .173, then he underwent elbow surgery and lost most of 1999.

But he returned for 2000, attempting a comeback with the Braves. He told The Spartanburg Herald-Journal he needed to leave on his own terms. He spoke as a member of the AA Greenville Braves.

"I just don't want to leave the game hurt," Strange told The Herald-Journal. "I want to give myself a chance to get healthy and what, if anything, happens from that. If nothing happens, I'll know it is time."

Strange played in just 18 games for Greenville that year, ending his career.

• Toledo Blade, April 1, 1989: Strange learns last season's lesson
• Ellensburg Daily Record, Sept. 20, 1995: Griffey's 11th inning heroics lift M's
• Northwest Arkansas Times Daily, Oct. 9. 1995: Mariners give them a Yank, Part 2
• Spartanburg Herald-Journal, June 11, 2000: Strange back where he started

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 235/880 - 26.7%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 240
Made the Majors: 160 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 80 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 71
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 74

Brad Arnsberg saw bigs over 6 seasons, later turned ML coach

The Yankees were still in first place on Aug. 5, 1987 and Brad Arnsberg kept them there. With six innings and gave up no runs against the Indians for his first major league win.

"He really showed some poise," Yankees manager Lou Piniella told The New York Times afterward. "When he had to come up with a big out, he did. It was a strong effort."

Arnsberg was in his second season with the Yankees, having gotten into two games the previous year. He would see time in four more major league seasons before embarking on a career as a coach, a career that has him currently serving as pitching coach for the Houston Astros.

Arnsberg's career began in 1983, taken by the Yankees in the first round of the June secondary draft. He made AA Albany-Colonie in 1985, going 14-2 with a sub-2 ERA, at 1.59. He then made AAA Columbus and the Bronx in 1986. In August 1986, for Columbus, Arnsberg came within two outs of a no-hitter against Syracuse, retiring 21 batters in a row at one point, according to The Times.

His 1987 season with the Yankees comprised a total of six appearances. His overall ERA would climb to 5.59. An outing days after the one that Pinella praised, Arnsberg gave up three home runs in two innings, according to The Times.

The Yankees would sink out of the race and Arnsberg would soon be traded. In November, he was sent to the Rangers and it wasn't soon enough for the right hander.

"I was glad to get out of there," Arnsberg told The South Florida Sun Sentinel in March 1988. "In a lot of organizations, I would have already been in the big leagues. ... With the Yankees, they brought me to the big leagues and put me in the bullpen. I had been nothing but a starter all my life."

Arnsberg was pegged as a rookie to watch for 1988. But Arnsberg wouldn't pitch for anybody that year, elbow surgery saw to that. A tendon from his left wrist was implanted into his right elbow. He was out for the year.

Arnsberg returned for 1989, his best, though was the next campaign. In 1990, Arnsberg pitched in 53 games for the Rangers posting a 2.15 ERA. Nine more games for Texas in 1991 and eight more for the Angels in 1992 and Arnsberg's major league days were done. Another year in the minors and his playing days were done.

Arnsberg signed on in 1994 as the pitching coach at AAA Syracuse. By 2000, he was pitching coach for the Expos and 2002 for the Marlins. He was fired in May 2003 in the Jeff Torborg shakeup.

Catching back on with the Blue Jays, Arnsberg served there through 2009. There, Arnsberg was praised for his work with young pitchers. (A video of Arnsberg with the Blue Jays is below)

"He's so prepared," Roy Halladay told Slam Sports in May 2009. "He's one of the guys, more like a teammate. Look at his track record with all the young arms."

Arnsberg is currently in his first year as pitching coach for the Astros.

"Adding Brad Arnsberg to our staff represents a huge step in the right direction," Astros GM Ed Wade told reporters after the hire. "Brad has a wealth of Major League coaching experience and has a proven track record of success working with both veterans and younger pitchers. He is a key hire for the Astros."

• New York Times, Aug. 6, 1987: Arnsberg keeps Yankees in first
• South Florida Sun Sentinel, March 11, 1987: Homesick For NY? Certainly Not Arnsberg
• Slam Sports, May 16, 2009: Arnsberg's pupils get straight A's
• KWTX.com, Oct. 30, 2009: Astros Name Brad Arnsberg Pitching Coach

More: The 1990 Oklahoma City 89ers

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 234/880 - 26.6%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 239
Made the Majors: 159 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 80 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 70
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 74

Eddie Dixon, Chance to Pitch - 60

Eddie Dixon was about as nervous as he could be before this game in 1985. It was his first professional outing, for the West Palm Beach Expos.

Dixon promptly went out and threw a complete-game shutout. It was the first step in a career that Dixon hoped would go a few steps further, to the major leagues.

"All I really want is to get a chance to pitch in the major leagues," Dixon told The Palm Beach Post after the game, "and I plan to make the best of it."

Dixon would go on to a career that spanned 11 seasons, but that nervous feeling he felt in his first professional start, he would never get the opportunity to experience it in the majors. He got as high as AAA, but no further.

Dixon joined West Palm Beach in 1985, having been signed by the Expos as an undrafted free agent. He split the year between West Palm and short-season Jamestown, his ERA on the year at 3.21.

He returned to single-A West Palm Beach for 1986 and 1987, appearing in 43 games each year as a reliever. He was expected to be the stopper out of the gate in 1986, according to The Post. West Palm manager Moises Alou called Dixon a "pleasant surprise."

Dixon got his fourth save of 1986 July 1, throwing a single pitch to get the batter to pop out and end the game, The Post wrote. Dixon took the loss in another July game, giving up a late home run.

Dixon had a 3.36 ERA for 1986 and an even better 2.27 ERA for 1987, earning a promotion to AA Jacksonville for 1988. At Jacksonville, Dixon didn't lose a beat, posting a 2.74 ERA there. He pitched a hitless last two innings of a June game and threw a 1-2-3 ninth in a July game, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

Dixon started 1989 with an ERA that by early June was below 1, at 0.83, and he was off to AAA Indianapolis. A 2.48 ERA in 27 appearances led to a return to Indianapolis for 1990. In one June 1990 game, Dixon pitched out of a bases-loaded seventh-inning jam by getting the batter to pop out.

In 57 appearances that year, and 53 the next, Dixon posted ERAs of 3.25 and 2.91. But he never got the call up to Montreal.

Dixon joined the Pittsburgh system for 1992, pitching at AA Carolina and AAA Buffalo. He got the final out of a July game with Carolina with the tying run on second, part of a 3.21 ERA with the club. But his AAA time that year resulted in an ERA that wasn't like it previously had been. It ended at 5.57 in 26 outings.

By 1993, his second to last in affiliated ball, Dixon was with the Astros at AAA Tucson. In 50 appearances, he posted a 4.15 ERA.

On one windy May night, Dixon faced 10 batters and got nine of them out, The Arizona Daily Star wrote.

"He came in and pitched outstanding," Toros manager Rick Sweet told The Daily Star. "Dixon has really come along and given us some outstanding innings."

Dixon split 1994, his final year as a full-time player between the Reds' AA club and the Expos' AA team. The season and his career almost over, Dixon signed on with the Padres as a scout. He returned briefly in 2001, as a manager and player with the independent Albany Alligators of the All-American Association, appearing in four more games and he was done.

• Palm Beach Post, May 10, 1985: Expos' Dixon Starts Career in Style, Shuts Out Red Sox 4-0
• Arizona Daily Star, May 12, 1993: Rally lifts Toros into first place (search archives)

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 233/880 - 26.5%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 238
Made the Majors: 158 - 66%
Never Made the Majors: 80 - 34%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 69
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 74

Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes, Never Looked Back - 620

Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes didn't hit many home runs early in his career. By April 1994, he'd only hit five in 280 at-bats. But in 1994, Rhodes increased that total to eight. By inning five. Opening Day. Facing Dwight Gooden.

"I have to tell you I don't try to hit home runs," Rhodes told reporters after his three home run effort, only the second such display ever on Opening Day. "I go up there and try to hit line drives."

While he may have tried to hit line drives, Rhodes it would be his home run swing for which he would become better known, just not so much in the United States.

Rhodes would take his bat to Japan by 1996, where he played until last year. Rhodes collected a total of 464 home runs in the Far East, the most of any foreign-born player. He also claims a share of the single-season mark, with 55 hit in 2001.

A native of Cincinnati, Rhodes' career began stateside, selected in the third round of the 1986 draft by the Astros. He started that year in the rookie Gulf Coast League, hitting .293. He had three hits in one August game.

By 1988, Rhodes was still in single-A, at Osceola. He was also known more for his speed. By mid-May, Rhodes had already swiped 21 bases in 29 attempts, according to The Orlando Sentinel. He'd stolen 43 the previous year at Asheville.

"I've got decent speed 6.7 in the 60, but my hitting and defense are my strongest assets," Rhodes told The Sentinel. "I've got a good eye, am well-disciplined and hit to all fields."

Rhodes made AA Columbus in 1989 and AAA Tucson and then Houston in 1990. He played in 38 games that year for the Astros, hitting .244. He hit two doubles and scored twice in one September 1990 game. In another, he hit a bases-loaded, pinch-hit single for an Astros win.

He returned for 44 games in 1991, hitting just .213. But in 1992 and 1993, he played in just five games each year for the Astros. After a brief stop in the Royals system, Rhodes was traded to the Cubs mid-1993 in a three-team deal.

Cubs manager Jim Lefebvre called Rhodes "a very interesting player," according to The Chicago Tribune. GM Larry Himes called him, according to The Tribune, "our most disciplined batter. He takes a pitcher deep into the count. He watches the ball into the catcher's mitt. He fouls off pitches, draws walks . . . "

The Cubs were looking at Rhodes for the next year, 1994. That was the year he hit his three Opening Day home runs. It was also his best in the majors. He played in 95 games in the strike-shortened year, hitting five more home runs. But, by 1995, he was on his way out. He played in just 23 games, split between the Cubs and the Red Sox. It was his final year in the majors.

But another career was about to begin, one in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. He played 13 seasons there, finishing last year with the most home runs of any foreign-born player.

In September 2001, as Rhodes challenged Sadaharu Oh's single-season mark, Rhodes told the Associated Press he wasn't thinking about the record. He was thinking about a pennant race.

"I'm just trying to swing at pitches in the strike zone," he told the wire service. "I've been getting some good pitches to hit and it helps when you have good hitters behind you."

Rhodes finished with 55, tying Oh's record. He hit his 450th career home run in April 2009.

"When I first came to Japan," he told The AP after hitting the milestone home run, "I never thought I would hit this many homers."

Rhodes' 2009 campaign would be his final one. He had hoped to continue for a 14th season this year. He told The Japan Times in December that, at the age of 41, he thought he could still hit. "I would not play if I were going to embarrass myself," he told The Times.

But Rhodes confirmed in an April interview with BaseballHappenings.net, that no one called. He had received no interest from teams for 2010.

Rhodes recalled to BaseballHappenings the year his Japanese baseball career, 1996. That year was rough, Rhodes recalled, especially the first months.

"Then, I got accustomed to the way Japanese culture was," Rhodes told BaseballHappenings, "and I never looked back."

(A credit at the end, be sure and check out the Tuffy Rhodes interview by Nick from BaseballHappenings.net. Nick made some news with it back in April 2010: Tuffy Rhodes reaches a crossroads)

• Orlando Sentinel, May 15, 1988: Osceola's Rhodes Makes Quick Strides All Around
• Chicago Tribune, Sept. 24, 1993: Rhodes, Hill Might Fit In Cubs' Outfield
• Yavapai County Daily Courier, Associated Press, April 5, 1994: Rhodes belts 3 homers in Cub loss
• Tuscaloosa News, Associated Press, Sept. 4, 2001: Ex-major leaguer challenges Japanese home run record, Part 2
• ESPN.com, Associated Press, April 26, 2009: Rhodes, 40, belts 450th HR in Japan
• Japan Times, Dec. 13, 2009: Tuffy hopes to extend career in Japan another year
• BaseballHappenings.net, April 3, 2010: Tuffy Rhodes reaches a crossroads

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 232/880 - 26.4%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 237
Made the Majors: 158 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 79 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 69
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 73

Laddie Renfroe, Work Harder - 83

Laddie Renfroe had some important advice for his son David in June 2010, according to The Nashua Telegraph. Professional baseball and college baseball are not the same.

"I told him, 'You’re going to be playing every single day,'" Laddie Renfroe told The Telegraph on the occasion of his son, the Red Sox' 2009 third-round pick, starting play at single-A Lowell. “And you’re going to have to battle through slumps every once in awhile, so just work harder.”

The father knows, he played professionally for nine seasons, pitching in the majors for a total of four games and 4.2 innings.

Laddie Renfroe started his own career taken by the Cubs in the 24th round of the 1984 draft out of the University of Mississippi. He had been a walk-on at OleMiss and, by the time his college career ended, he owned the school's total wins mark, according to The Telegraph.

But, whether it was enough to get him drafted, Renfroe wasn't sure.

"I waited and waited," Renfroe told The Telegraph in 1985. "I came to the conclusion that I wasn't going to be drafted. Then (Cubs scout Earl) Winn called with the good news."

Converted from a starter to a reliever, Renfroe posted a 1.38 ERA at short-season Geneva, then a 3.20 mark at single-A Peoria in 1985. He made AA Pittsfield and then AAA Iowa in 1987 with a combined 4.30 ERA on the year.

He returned to AA in 1989, at Charlotte. Still a reliever, Renfroe claimed 19 wins for the club and a 3.14 ERA. At one point, he retired 16 consecutive batters, according to The Rock Hill Herald.

"I'm throwing better strikes," Renfroe told The Herald that May. "But throwing every night helps me. When I'm tired the ball sinks more."

Renfroe returned to AAA Iowa in 1990 and had a 4.96 ERA. By late June 1991, the reliever led the league in saves with 14 saves. It was enough to get the call up to the Cubs.

In four outings for the Cubs, Renfroe pitched in 4.2 innings and gave up seven earned runs. He faced 14 batters in his third appearance, giving up two of those runs and taking the loss.

Sent back down shortly afterward, Renfroe played one more year at AAA Iowa and his career ended. Now his son David Renfroe is playing in the minors himself, in the Red Sox system.

• Nashua Telegraph, May 1, 1984: Renfroe sets career mark
• Nashua Telegraph, May 10, 1985: Renfroe's riding high
• Rock Hill Herald, May 17, 1989: Knights bat down Lookouts
• Chicago Tribune, July 8, 1991: Cubs Prove No Lead Is Safe
• Nashua Telegraph, June 17, 2010: Renfroe's homecoming highlights Spinners' visit to Holman Stadium

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 231/880 - 26.3%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 236
Made the Majors: 157 - 67%
Never Made the Majors: 79 - 33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 68
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 73

Scott Bryant took superstitions to 10 pro seasons, made AAA

Scott Bryant recalled his 1980s college days in 2009, college days that included rituals before each game he played at the University of Texas.

"I tended to be too superstitious," Bryant told Texas Media Relations. "Before every game I went to an old Whataburger on the Drag and got a cheeseburger, and then with the players, I got a Dr Pepper and a BLT. I always ate the same thing."

Whatever his ritual was, it worked well enough for the Texas standout to be selected by the Reds in the first round of the 1989 draft. But they didn't work well enough for Bryant to make the major leagues.

Bryant was taken by the Reds 20th overall that year. He had hit a team-high .385 at Texas with 18 home runs and 109 RBIs by June 5. He had been named the 1989 collegiate player of the year by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Signed by July 1, Bryant was sent to single-A Cedar Rapids. He hit .253 for the Midwest League Reds that year. He returned for the start of 1990, hitting .264 in 67 games before a promotion to AA Chattanooga.

At Chattanooga, Bryant hit .313 the remainder of the year and .304 the next year. Bryant hit a two-run home run in one May 1991 game, getting the Lookouts out to an early lead.

But, by April 1992, the Reds gave up on their former No. 1 pick, sending him to the Cubs for another first-rounder, Ty Griffin. Bryant spent much of that year for the Cubs at AAA Iowa.

It was the first of six organizations Bryant would play for through 1996. He played for the Expos at Ottawa in 1993; the Mariners at Calgary in 1994, the Athletics at Edmonton in 1995 and then the Mariners again and the Rangers in 1996.

A Bryant home run helped Ottawa to a late-season win in 1993, another home run in a May 1994 game with Calgary proved the difference in a 4-3 contest. In June 1994, Bryant collected five hits in a 19-5 Calgary win. He again collected five hits, two of them home runs, in an August contest.
Bryant finished out his career in 1997 with the independent St. Paul Saints.

The occasion for his comments last year to the Texas Media Relations department was the retirement of his old Longhorns No. 25. Other numbers retired in 2009 were those of Brooks Kieschnick, Greg Swindell and Burt Hooton.

Bryant set several records at the school, including most doubles in a season, most total bases, most RBI in a season and most doubles in a game. He still holds those four.

"To think about the talent that comes through the University of Texas and has been there the last 20 years and that my records are still standing, is very surprising to me," Bryant told the relations department. "And who knows how much longer they'll be there, but it's nice to know that they are still there at this time."

• TexasSports.com, May 7, 2009: Baseball set to retire Scott Bryant's No. 25 on Saturday

More: The 1990 Cedar Rapids Reds

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 230/880 - 26.1%
Players/Coaches Reviewed: 235
Made the Majors: 156 - 66%
Never Made the Majors: 79 - 34%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 68
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 73