Bryan House, Only Problem - 164

Bryan House's manager at single-A Peoria wasn't sure what he had in his second baseman in 1985, according to The Chicago Tribune.

As the season wore on, though, House began to show manager Pete Mackanin what he could do, ending the year with 76 RBI and 45 stolen bases.

"He's the catalyst for this team," Mackanin told The Tribune that August of House. "Now the only problem I have with Bryan is should I lead him off because he runs so well or do I hit him third or fifth because he drives in runs? So I compromise. I hit him second."

While House showed what he could do that year at Peoria, and he eventually showed enough to make AAA Iowa, House never could show enough to make the majors.

House's career began in 1984, taken by the Cubs in the ninth round, out of Illinois State.

At Illinois State, House made the All-Missouri Valley Conference Team in 1984. He also led his team that year in stolen bases, with 20, in Doubles, with 15, and runs, with 49.

With the Cubs, House started at rookie Pikeville, hitting .270 in 68 games, stealing 19. He then moved to Peoria in 1985, stealing those 45 bases and hitting .260.

In 1986, he moved to single-A Winston-Salem, then AA Pittsfield in 1987. He made the Eastern League All-Star Team in 1988 after returning to Pittsfield.

In August 1988, House got called up for the exhibition Hall of Fame game in Cooperstown, as the Cubs played the Indians. That winter, the Cubs sent him to play winter ball in the Caribbean.

House made AAA Iowa for the first time in 1989, hitting .250 and stealing 37 without getting a call to Chicago. In January 1990, the Cubs traded House to the Rangers for Rey Sanchez. House played 1990 at AAA Oklahoma City, hitting .277 and stealing 30. But he didn't make Texas and it was also his final year as a pro.

• Chicago Tribune, Aug. 23, 1985: House Lets It Be Known He Belongs

1990 CMC Tally  
Cards Featured: 809/880 - 91.9%
Players/Coaches Featured: 820
Made the Majors: 562 - 69%
Never Made the Majors:258-31%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 253
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 152

Scott Leius, On Base - 568

Scott Leius only hit five home runs all year, The Associated Press wrote. His sixth, though, came when it counted - in a tie game, Game 2 of the World Series.

In the eighth inning, the game tied at two apiece, Leius came up with the bases empty and facing Tom Glavine.

"I was just looking to get on base and he laid it in there," Leius told The AP afterward. "Once I saw it go out, I was just trying to touch all the bases, to make sure that was covered. I've never done anything like this. Well, maybe in whiffle ball."

Leius' Twins went on to win that game, and the series. Leius went on to a career in which he played parts of nine seasons in the bigs, his last coming in 1999.

Leius' career began in 1986, taken by the Twins in the 13th round of the draft out of Concordia College-Bronxville.

He played his first year at rookie Elizabethton, hitting .278 in 61 games. He made single-A Kenosha in 1987, then AA Orlando in 1989. With Orlando, Leius helped his team to the playoffs with a .303 batting average and four home runs.

In the Southern League playoffs that year, Leius gave a glimpse of what was to come. In Game 2 of the Eastern Division series, Leius came up in the fourth inning and broke a 2-2 tie with, of all things, a home run.

"We're a far better team with Leius in the lineup," Orlando manager Ron Gardenhire told The Orlando Sentinel afterward. "We were 19-21 in the games he missed, 60-44 when he played. Today's performance was rather typical of what he did for us all year at bat and in the field."

He then made AAA Portland in 1990, and then Minnesota that September. With the Twins in 1990, Leius got into 14 games, getting six hits in 25 at bats. For 1991, Leius was with the Twins to stay.

In his first full year in the majors, Leius hit .286 in 109 games. He also hit those five home runs and knocked in 20.

For 1992, he returned for 129 games, hitting .249. In 1993, though, injury stuck. Leius suffered a tear to his rotator cuff. He missed most of the season, getting into just 10 games on the year.

Leius was back, though for 1994, getting into 97 games for the Twins that year and 117 in 1995. He moved to the Indians for 27 games in 1996, then finished out his career in 1998 and 1999 with the Royals, playing 17 and 37 games respectively.

Leius has since moved to the Chicago area, working with an IT company, according to MLB.com. He also continues with baseball, working with kids through Big League Baseball Camps.

"I love being involved with the kids," Leius told MLB.com in 2008. "I want to be a good influence and mentor to them."

• Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 4, 1989: Leius' Spark Helps O-Twins Even Series
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Associated Press, Oct. 21, 1991: Twins Go 2-Up on Pair of Homers
• MLB.com, Aug. 29, 2008: Where are they now? Scott Leius

1990 CMC Tally  
Cards Featured: 808/880 - 91.8%
Players/Coaches Featured: 819
Made the Majors: 562 - 69%-X
Never Made the Majors:257-31%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 253-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 152

Denny Gonzalez, Didn't Expect - 368

Runners were on second and third, Denny Gonzalez' Pirates were up by one and Gonzalez hoped to extend that lead - in his major league debut.

Gonzalez didn't even get to swing the bat. The Cardinals walked him, intentionally walked him.

"I didn't expect that," Gonzalez told The Pittsburgh Press afterward the Pirates win. "But third base coach, Hal Lanier, he knows me from the Dominican."

Gonzalez didn't get his first hit until three days later, in a three-hit performance, again against the Cardinals. He went on to play in a total of five big league seasons, 98 total games. He also got intentionally walked just two more times.

Gonzalez' career began in 1981, signed by the Pirates out of his native Dominican Republic, the place where Lanier had seen him play previously.

He played that first year for the rookie Gulf Coast League Pirates, hitting .346. He moved all the way to AA Buffalo and AAA Portland in 1982, hitting .257 between them.

Gonzalez remained at AAA for 1983, at Hawaii and again in 1984. It was also in 1984 that he debuted in Pittsburgh. With the Pirates, he got into 26 games that year, hitting .183.

In 1985, Gonzalez got into another 35 games with the Pirates, hitting .226. In a September game, Gonzalez beat out a grounder, knocking in a run.

"I think I was lucky this time," Gonzalez told The Press after that game, "because I didn't hit the ball good today but I got that base hit. Luck is one thing that can make you win a lot of games in baseball."

Gonzalez' luck, though, soon turned. He injured his knee later that month. It took him until 1988 before the Pirates really felt he was back. He spent all of 1986 in the minors.
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For 1987, he got into just five games, without getting a hit. In 1988, he got into 24 games, getting six hits in 32 at bats.

"The last two years were kind of tough," Gonzalez told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after getting recalled in June 1988. "The knee kept my mind busy for a long time. But this year, everything is positive. It's a new year."

Gonzalez played in just one more year in the majors, in 1989. He played in eight games for the Indians that year, ending his big league career.

Gonzalez, though, continued playing for nearly another decade in the minors and overseas. He played in Japan in 1991 and 1992 with Yomiuri. He moved to Mexico in 1993, last recorded playing there in 1998. He has since stayed in baseball, scouting for the White Sox.

• Pittsburgh Press, Aug. 7, 1984: Cardinals show Gonzalez respect in his first game
• Pittsburgh Press, Sept. 16, 1985: 'Happy Days'
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 10, 1988: Gonzalez's start earns another big-league trial

1990 CMC Tally  
Cards Featured: 807/880 - 91.7%
Players/Coaches Featured: 818
Made the Majors: 561 - 69%-X
Never Made the Majors:257-31%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 252-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 152 

Stan Clarke returned for bigs win after hurt shoulder

Stan Clarke picked up the win in relief for Seattle in this May 1987 game. It was a big win for Clarke, not just because his family was there to see it or because it was his first in the bigs in four years, according to The Associated Press.

It was a big win because he'd come back from a career-threatening shoulder injury, all the way back to notch that next win.

"When I blew my shoulder out (in 1984), I thought I'd never pitch again," Clarke told The AP. "To me, this is the finest, finest win that's ever come in my career."

Clarke ultimately got into four more big league seasons after that shoulder injury, playing in six big league seasons overall. For the reliever, though, he only got one more win, totaling three on his career.

Clarke's career began in 1981, taken by the Blue Jays in the sixth round of the draft, out of the University of Toledo.

Clarke started at rookie Medicine Hat, moving to single-A Florence and AA Knoxville in 1982. In 1983, he made AAA Syracuse. That June, he also made Toronto.

Clarke got into five games for the Blue Jays in June, picking up his first win in his second outing. That second outing consisted of two outs, a double play to end the 14th inning. He came back for five more outings in September, getting into 11 innings total on the year, giving up four earned runs.

Clarke worked that off-season to develop another pitch, according to his hometown Toledo Blade. His former coach at the University of Toledo, Stan Sanders, showed him a split-finger fastball. "I tried it and, boom, just like that, I was throwing it with a lot of accuracy," Clarke told The Blade in March 1984.

Clarke's 1984 season, though, consisted of 29 outings, five starts. Then he had his shoulder injury. Despite the injury, though, Clarke got into 43 games for Syracuse in 1985, starting 14. He also went 14-4 and made it back to Toronto in September.

Clarke returned to the Blue Jays for another 10 relief outings in 1986, then, after a trade, for those 22 relief outings for the Mariners in 1987.

After going through the Tigers system in 1988, playing at AAA in his hometown without a call-up to Detroit, Clarke moved to the Royals for 1989. He made it back to the majors or two outings with Kansas City that year, both starts.

In his first start May 30, Clarke went just one inning, giving up seven earned runs. In his second a week later, he went six innings, giving up five earned runs.

"Yeah, I'm discouraged," Clarke told The Lawrence Journal-World after that first start. "I was working too fast and had no breaking ball whatsoever. My curve ball was just flat."

Clarke returned to AAA Omaha after the second start, playing out the year there. He then came back to the majors for one final two-game stretch in September 1990 with the Cardinals, ending his big league career. His playing days ended the next season, back at AAA Louisville.

• Toledo Blade, March 18, 1984: New Pitch Could Establish Clarke In Major Leagues 
• Spokane Chronicle, Associated Press, May 6, 1987: Willie wonders: 'Is end near?'
• Lawrence Journal-World, May 31, 1989: Twins explode for seven runs in second

More: The 1990 Louisville Redbirds

1990 CMC Tally  
Cards Featured: 806/880 - 91.6%
Players/Coaches Featured: 817
Made the Majors: 560 - 69%-X
Never Made the Majors:257-31%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 251-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 152 

Bill Laskey, Settled Down - 300

Bill Laskey made it to the majors for the first time in April 1982. He also had about as good of a first start as anyone could hope - a complete game, three-hitter.

"I was nervous the whole first inning," Laskey told The Associated Press. "But then I settled down and started getting ahead of the batters. I didn't think people knew me here, but then they started chanting my name by the end of the game."

Laskey ended up getting 13 wins for the Giants that year and 13 more the next. He ended up pitching in a total of six big league seasons, his professional career not ending until 1991.

Laskey's professional career began in 1978, taken in the second round of the June secondary draft by the Royals out of Kent State University.

Laskey hit AA in his first year with the Royals, then AAA Omaha in 1980. For 1982, he was traded to the Giants in a three-player deal. He also then made his debut with San Francisco.

He ended up getting 31 starts for the Giants in 1982, spending almost the entire year in the majors. He went 13-12, with a 3.14 ERA. In a May start, Laskey lasted into the seventh for a win against the Expos.

"That's actually the first time I've felt relaxed on the mound," Laskey told UPI after the Expos win, noting he'd faced several of the players the previous year at AAA. "That helps a lot, but it works both ways because they know how I can pitch and I know how they can hit."

Laskey returned to the Giants for another 25 starts, picking up another 13 wins. By the end of May, he had also picked up seven-straight wins.

Laskey got 34 starts for the Giants in 1984, going 9-14. In 1985, he went just 5-16, moving to the Expos mid-season. In his Expos part of the season, Laskey went 0-5. The Giants part wasn't much better. Laskey started the year 1-11, before winning four-straight in advance of the trade to the Expos.

"Mentally, it tears at your mind," Laskey told The AP of his losing streak, after finally picking up a win. "I'm not a 1-11 pitcher. I should at least be around .500. I've given up two or three runs a lot of times and lost. In 11 losses, I've had 13 runs scored for me."

Laskey returned to the Giants for 1986, serving as a reliever. He only got into 20 games, posting a 4.28 ERA. He didn't play in the majors at all in 1987, returning to the bigs in 1988 for one final season, 17 relief appearances, with the Indians.

Laskey didn't stop playing, though, until 1991, playing in the Royals, Braves and Rangers systems to end his career.

Since his retirement, Laskey has stayed involved with sports. He's served as a softball coach at Aragon High School in San Mateo. He also serves now as an analyst for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and as an ambassador for the Giants.

• Albany Herald, Associated Press, April 28, 1982: San Francisco's Laskey Has Auspicious Debut
• Sarasota Journal, UPI, May 13, 1982: Giants went to Montreal at right time
• Rome News-Tribune, Associated Press, July 15, 1985: Padres miss chance to regain lead

1990 CMC Tally  
Cards Featured: 805/880 - 91.5%
Players/Coaches Featured: 816
Made the Majors: 559 - 69%-X
Never Made the Majors:257-31%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 250-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 152  

Pete Delkus, That Shot - 557

Pete Delkus never did make the majors in five seasons as a pro. But, when it came time to find something else to do, for Delkus, his next choice of vocation was a natural one, he told The Orlando Sentinel in 1993.

"As a baseball player, I was always interested in the weather anyway, so I thought I would give it a shot," Delkus told The Sentinel, two months in to his new job.

That shot involved Delkus leaning back on his college education from Southern Illinois, where he majored in broadcasting. After an internship in Orlando's WFTV's sports department, The Sentinel wrote Delkus moved to the weather desk.

And he's been at one weather desk or another ever since. Since 2005, that desk has been in Dallas, the seventh-largest market in the country.

It was out of Southern Illinois University that the Twins signed the baseball player Delkus as an undrafted free agent.

Delkus started his pitching career at rookie Elizabethton, and he started off strong. In 21 relief outings, he gave up just five earned runs in 37.2 innings of work for a 1.29 ERA. He also saved eight games.

Delkus continued the next year at single-A Kenosha. He even bettered his Elizabethton performance. In 61 appearances, he saved a total of 33 games. In 68 innings, he also gave up just two earned runs for an almost non-existent 0.26 ERA.

Moving up to AA Orlando for 1989, Delkus went out for 76 games, for a total of 139.2 innings, and a still stellar 1.87 ERA. His save total hit 10.

It was in 1990, though, the Delkus began to slow down. Promoted to AAA Portland, Delkus turned in 65 appearances and an ERA he'd never seen before, 4.18.

He played just one more season, largely back at AA Orlando. Injuries that year, and an elbow injury the next spring meant Delkus' baseball career was done.

His weather career was just starting. After accepting his job at Orlando, Delkus went back to school to become a full-fledged weatherman. From Orlando, Delkus moved to Cincinnati's WCPO in 1995, then Dallas' WFAA in 2005. At WFAA, Delkus is the station's chief meteorologist.

In 2006, after he'd taken the job in Dallas, Delkus talked to MiLB.com, recounting the night in 1999 in Cincinnati when, expecting a storm, he spent the night at the station. He ended up being the only meteorlogist on the air when a deadly tornado hit at 4 a.m.

"It's just the way I was raised, and something that baseball reinforced," Delkus told MiLB.com in 2006. "Nothing is easy, you have to work for everything. So, with that mentality, my thought was 'This is just TV.' If you work hard, that's part of the job. There are so many parallels between TV and baseball; it really helped me become who I am."

• Orlando Sentinel, April 18, 1993: Funderbunk Feels 'Weird' Upon Return To Tinker Field
• MiLB.com, March 28, 2006: Forecast bright for former prospect

1990 CMC Tally  
Cards Featured: 804/880 - 91.4%
Players/Coaches Featured: 815
Made the Majors: 558 - 69%
Never Made the Majors:257-31%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 249
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 152

Scott Scudder got sent down, but he expected to return; He did, saw five ML seasons

Scott Scudder made the Reds in 1989, getting 17 starts. To start 1990, though, he got sent back to AAA Nashville.

"I was disappointed when I got sent down," Scudder told The Associated Press after his return May 6, "but I expected to be back."

Scudder returned to the Reds with a start where he went into the eighth inning, giving up a single earned run.

Scudder went on to pitch in five major league seasons, playing for the Reds and the Indians, getting 96 outings, 64 starts. He also played on a World Series champion.

Scudder's career began in 1986, signed by the Reds as the 17th overall pick out of Prairieland High School in Texas.

He started at rookie Billings, moving to single-A Cedar Rapids in 1987. He made AA Chattanooga for the first time in 1988, then AAA Nashville in 1989. In 1989, Scudder also made Cincinnati.

Scudder debuted with the Reds in June. He picked up his first win June 22, in his fourth outing. He got into the eighth, giving up one earned run. Scudder, though, wasn't satisfied with the win, according to The AP.

"As a pitcher, you want a shutout," Scudder told The AP. "You don't just want a victory."

By the time Scudder was done, he'd made it into 23 games, starting 17. He was also 4-9, with a 4.49 ERA.

Coming back for 1990, Scudder made it back in May, going on to get 21 outings, 10 starts for the eventual world champions. He had a 5-5 record, with a 4.90 ERA. In July, Scudder was pressed into a start three days after a relief appearance. He went into the seventh, giving up two runs and picking up his second win.

"It was kind of like relief," Scudder told The AP of that emergency start. "I took it like I was relieving the game."

Scudder stayed with the team into the postseason, getting an appearance each in the NLCS and the World Series. In the World Series, Scudder pitched 1.1 innings in Game 2, striking out two without giving up a hit.

In 1991, Scudder got into 27 games for the Reds, starting 14. He went 6-9, with a 4.35 ERA. For 1992, Scudder arrived with the Indians in a four-player deal.

The trade to the Indians allowed Scudder to pitch as a visitor in a park he used to go to as a kid in Paris, Texas, Texas' Arlington Stadium. He pitched there and won there in May.

On the year, Scudder went 6-10, with a 5.28 ERA. He returned for two more outings in 1993, starting one game. They were the last two major league games of his career. He continued playing in the minors into 1995, but never made it back to the bigs.

• Madison Courier, Associated Press, June 23, 1989: Scudder does job for Reds
• Portsmouth Daily Times, Associated Press, May 7, 1990: Reds 'ready' as backups, young pitcher shuffle Cards
• Portsmouth Daily Times, Associated Press, July 18, 1990: Scudder gives Reds a jump-start

More: 1990 Nashville Sounds

1990 CMC Tally  
Cards Featured: 803/880 - 91.3%
Players/Coaches Featured: 814
Made the Majors: 558 - 69%-X
Never Made the Majors:256-31%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 249-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 152

Dave Burba took bright future to 15 major league seasons

Dave Burba closed out 1991 strong. He went six innings, giving up three hits in a Mariners win.

It was Burba's second season with time in the majors and his manager Jim Levebvre saw Burba coming back for more, according to The Associated Press.

"He's a big, strong kid," Lefebvre told The AP. "He has a bright future."

Burba did have a bright future, a future that saw him pitch in 13 more big league seasons. He also went on to hit double digits in wins in eight total seasons, hitting 16 wins in 2000 for the Indians.

Burba's career began in 1987, taken by the Mariners in the second round, out of Ohio State.

Burba played his first year between short-season Bellingham and single-A Salinas. He made AA Williamsport in 1989, then AAA Calgary in 1990. In September 1990, Burba made Seattle.

In six relief outings for the Mariners that September, Burba got into eight innings, giving up four earned runs. He returned for another 22 outings, two starts in 1991, ending with a 3.68 ERA.

Burba arrived with the Giants for 1992 in a five-player trade, getting 23 outings with the Giants that year and 54 outings the next. In 1993, Burba was used largely in relief, but he also got his first 10-win season.

Burba began 1993 with a start, giving up four hits and a run over six innings in an April game against the Marlins. He also did that just two days after a long bullpen outing, his manager Dusty Baker noted to The AP.

"He threw 94 pitches on two days rest after throwing 52 pitches out of the bullpen," Baker told The AP. "It's great to have someone like Burba on the team."

While it was a good start, Burba didn't become a full-time starter until 1995, when he was picked up mid-season by the Reds. With Cincinnati, Burba began 5-0. 

That year, he started 33 games for the team. His previous high was nine. Burba's start to 1996, though, was rough. He started 0-7. He ended the season, though, 11-13.

It was the second of seven-straight years where Burba had 10 or more wins. He moved to the Indians in 1998, winning 15 that year, 15 the next and 16 in 2000.

Burba picked up his 15th win in 1999 against the Tigers, giving up one run in eight innings of work.

"I got by with my fastball, just locating it.," Burba told reporters afterward. "I'm not overpowering."

Burba continued playing in the majors through 2004, staying with Cleveland into 2002. By the time his career was over, after time in 15 big league seasons, he'd amassed 115 total wins in 234 starts and 511 total appearances.

Burba has gone on to a career coaching in the minors. For 2012 he is serving as pitching coach for the short-season Tri-City Dust Devils of the Northwest League.

• Ellensburg Daily Record, Associated Press, Oct. 2, 1991: Buhner leads M's to win
• Sonora Union Democrat, Associated Press, April 14, 1993: Burba powers Giants
• CNNSI.com, ticker, Sept. 22, 1999: Cleveland 6, Detroit 1 

More: The 1990 Calgary Cannons

1990 CMC Tally  
Cards Featured: 802/880 - 91.1%
Players/Coaches Featured: 813
Made the Majors: 557 - 69%-X
Never Made the Majors:256-31%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 248-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 152

Ty Gainey, One Spring - 463

Ty Gainey had a hot spring for the Astros in 1985, so hot, that Astro brass began noticing.

Gainey hit .370 on the spring, with 10 extra-base hits, The Houston Chronicle wrote. He did all of it without having hit previously above AA.

"I told him that I don't think I've ever seen a player improve so much from one spring to the next," Astros manager Bob Lillis told The Chronicle. "When spring training started, there were a lot of people who weren't on his side. Now everybody is."

For Gainey, though, the interest soon wained. A poor spring the next season and a Houston outfield that he couldn't seem to find a home in left him playing largely in AAA.

He made it to Houston in 1985 and each of the next two seasons, but his big league career ended up consisting of 57 total big league games.

Gainey's playing career, though, continued much longer, taking him to the Indians and Pirates systems and into Mexico, Taiwan and Japan. His last recorded playing time didn't come until 2000 - more than two decades after he was first drafted.

Gainey was first drafted by the Astros in 1979, in the second round, out of Cheraw High School in South Carolina.

Gainey started in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He made it to single-A Daytona Beach in 1981, then to AA Columbus full time in 1983.

After his spring in 1985, Gainey got his first look at AAA Tucson. He also quickly got called back to Houston, debuting April 24. In all, he got into just 13 games on the year, hitting .162. At Tuscon, though he hit .336 in 68 games.

Going into 1986, though, Gainey couldn't replicate his 1985 spring, coming in overweight, according to The Chronicle. He was also quickly returned to the minors. At Tucson that year, Gainey hit .351, and won the league batting title.

Gainey also had the best of his three seasons with time in the majors, getting back to Houston for 26 games, hitting .300. In spring 1987, Gainey acknowledged to The Orlando Sentinel his mistakes from the previous spring and he hoped they were behind him.

"This year, my goal from day one has been to make this club," Gainey told The Sentinel. "If I don't, I know the reason. It's not that I can't do it. It's the numbers game. And my number hasn't come up."

Gainey played just 18 games for the Astros in 1987. They were the last games he played in the majors.

Gainey only got five games in 1988 at AAA Tucson. He moved to the Indians system in 1989, starting 1990 back there. He moved to the Pirates system mid-year, then to Mexico City. Gainey made another attempt at the majors in spring 1991, with the Pirates.

"I'm a 30-year-old man with a kid's attitude about the game," Gainey told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in March 1991. "As long as you can put on the uniform, as long as your meats can carry you to first base, as long as you can swing a bat, you've got a chance."

Gainey continued playing for nearly another decade, but not in the majors. He moved to Japan for 1993 and 1994, playing for Orix. He played in Taiwan in 1998 and is last recorded as playing in 2000 for Yucatan in the Mexican League.

• Houston Chronicle, April 2, 1985: Gainey is sent down to Tucson
• Houston Chronicle, March 21, 1986: Astros send Gainey out early
• Orlando Sentinel, April 4, 1987: Gainey's Number Not Called Yet
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 13, 1991: Gainey's plea: What's Cherokee for 'big-leaguer'?

1990 CMC Tally  
Cards Featured: 801/880 - 91.0%
Players/Coaches Featured: 812
Made the Majors: 556 - 69%-X
Never Made the Majors:256-31%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 247
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 152

Dorn Taylor made bigs in 6th season, got 1st W in 5th start

Dorn Taylor had to wait until his sixth professional season to make the majors. Then he had to wait until his fifth start to get his first major league win.

But, on May 20, 1987, Taylor went 6.1 innings, giving up three earned runs. His Pirates went on to win 5-3.

"It's about time," Taylor told The Associated Press afterward. "This feels almost as good as it did when I first got called up."

Taylor ultimately got into 14 games for Pittsburgh that year, starting eight. While he would back to the majors in two more seasons, he would only get two more wins.

Taylor's career began in 1981, signed by the Pirates as an undrafted free agent, out of Pfeiffer College.

Taylor started play in 1982 at single-A Greenwood. He went 9-8 in 24 starts, with a 2.30 ERA. He stayed in single-A through 1984, making AA Nashua in 1985.

He then got his first look at AAA in 1986, with five starts at Hawaii. Taylor started 1987 back in the minors. But, by the end of April, he was in Pittsburgh.

Taylor appeared in 14 games for the Pirates that year, getting eight starts. He went 2-3, with a 5.74 ERA. He played out the rest of the year in the minors, amounting to just 12 outings between AA Harrisburg and AAA Vancouver. That off season, he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his elbow.

He played all of 1988 at AAA Buffalo, amounting to 22 starts. He went 10-8, with a 2.14 ERA. But he didn't return to Pittsburgh. Going into 1989, Taylor continued his success in the spring. Pirates manager Jim Leyland began to take notice.

"When does his turn come?" Leyland told The AP of Taylor, noting his success at AAA the previous year. "Sometimes we forget much of what Dorn Taylor has done."

Taylor started the year with the Pirates, but just lasted three games. In 4.2 total innings, he gave up five earned runs. Called back in September, he got into six more innings, giving up just one earned run.

In 1990, Taylor returned to Buffalo. This time, he went 14-6, with a 2.91 ERA. But he wasn't called up to Pittsburgh until September. That June, the Pirates were calling on other pitchers, but not Taylor.

"I think I deserve a chance," Taylor told The AP in June. "I have so much more confidence than I've ever had before. I think I can pitch up there."

Taylor, though, pitched in the majors just four more times, just 3.2 more innings. He gave up one earned run. He didn't return for 1991.

• Harlan Daily Enterprise, Associated Press, May 21, 1987: Rookie Pittsburgh Pirate Dorn Taylor Gets First Major League Win
• Washington Observer-Reporter, Associated Press, March 31, 1989: Pirates place Fisher on DL, send Kramer down to minors
• Ocala Star-Banner, Associated Press, June 26, 1990: Taylor wants the call

More: The 1990 Buffalo Bisons

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Featured: 800/880 - 90.9%
Players/Coaches Featured: 811
Made the Majors: 555 - 68%-X
Never Made the Majors:256-32%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 247
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 152

Jose Escobar, Long Wait - 341

Jose Escobar thought his wait was finally over in 1990. It wasn't, he just had to wait a little longer.

Playing for the AAA Syracuse Chiefs in the Blue Jays organization - in his 12th season as a pro - Escobar hit .270 in 79 games. It was a good enough showing to raise expectations for September, and the first call up of his career, according to The New York Times.

September came and went without that call. that call finally came the next April, with a new organization and in his 13th total season.

Escobar's long road to the majors began back in 1979, signed by the Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent out of his native Venezuela.

He started at short-season Utica, playing there his first two seasons. He hit .265 his first year there and .234 his second.

Escobar moved to single-A Kinston and Florence in 1981 then returned to Kinston the next two seasons. He got his first look at AA in 1984, at Knoxville. There, he hit .235, with 45 RBI.

To start 1985, the Blue Jays sent Escobar and two others to the Phillies for Len Matuszek. Escobar split the year between AA Reading and AAA Portland. At Portland, Escobar hit .321 in 46 games.

Escobar was then released by the Phillies and signed back with the Blue Jays. Over the next five seasons, Escobar split time between Knoxville and AAA Syracuse. The outfielder, though, never played in more than 81 games.

In 1988, he played in just 57. That spring, Escobar knocked in two in an exhibition win for the Blue Jays. In 1989, he also played 23 games with the Royals at AAA Omaha. His final year with the Blue Jays system came in 1990.

For 1991, he signed with the Indians. He also made the majors for the first time that April. He debuted April 13 in the field. He got his first at bat two days later and his first hit April 22. The hit also came with an RBI.

Escobar ended up getting three total hits in 15 at bats. His final appearance came May 15. Sent back to the minors, Escobar played 45 games between AAA Colorado Springs and AA Canton-Akron, ending his career.

Escobar's impact in the majors has gone on. Escobar is the uncle to Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar. In a spring 2010 interview, Alcides Escobar counted his uncle Jose Escobar as one of his heroes growing up.

• New York Times, April 14, 1991: A's Have the Greenest Arms in the American League
• MLB.com, March 1, 2010: Escobar next Venezuelan star at short?

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Featured: 799/880 - 90.7%
Players/Coaches Featured: 810
Made the Majors: 554 - 68%-X
Never Made the Majors:256-32%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 247
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 152-X

Tim Cecil helped Charleston to title, saw 3 pro seasons

Tim Cecil had a goal on the season to reach 15 wins for the single-A Charleston Wheelers, according to his hometown Bend Bulletin.

He barely got to half that number, though, mid-season arm troubles limiting his outings for a time. When he did play - the pain never completely went away - Cecil helped his team to the South Atlantic League title, The Bulletin wrote.

"I guess everything turned out okay," Cecil told The Bulletin. "I'm happy with the season. We won a championship. That's something I dreamed about."

Whether he came back fully from his arm troubles is unclear. As it finally turned out, though, Cecil only played in one more season.

Cecil's professional career began in 1989, signed by the Reds as an undrafted free agent.

He played his first year in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He went 8-1, with a 1.87 ERA.

For 1990, Cecil moved to single-A Charleston. With Charleston, he went 7-5 in 29 outings, 17 starts. He also posted a 3.76 ERA.

The next year, Cecil's third as a pro, he stayed at Charleston. He went 8-4 in 23 starts. He also had an ERA of 3.18 and threw two complete games in the process.

For Cecil, though, that second season at Charleston, his third overall, was his last as a pro. He didn't return for 1992 and never made the majors.

• Bend Bulletin, Sept. 27, 1990: Making their way in the minors

More: The 1990 Charleston Wheelers

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Featured: 798/880 - 90.7%
Players/Coaches Featured: 809
Made the Majors: 553 - 68%
Never Made the Majors:256-32%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 247
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 151

Bernie Nunez, Make Contact - 772

Bernie Nunez stepped to the plate in the ninth inning, his team down by a run with one on.

With one swing, Nunez' Bend Bandits went from being down a run to the Mission Viejo Vigilanties to being up one and winning the game.

"I don't even know what [pitch] I hit," Nunez told The Los Angeles Times after that June 1997 contest. "I just went up there wanting to make contact. I wasn't sure if it was out of the park, but when I saw the center fielder give up I knew I had it."

Nunez was playing in the independent Western League, a decade after he played his first pro season in the Blue Jays organization. He was also playing independent ball after an affiliated career that only saw him make AA, but never the majors.

Nunez' career began in 1997, signing with the Blue Jays out of his native Dominican Republic. Nunez is also known by his full name Bernardino Nunez.

He started at short-season St. Catharines, hitting .204 in 66 games. He moved to single-A Myrtle Beach in 1988, hitting .260 in 130 contests. He hit his first of 11 home runs on the year in May, against Sumter.

He made single-A Dunedin in 1989, hitting .271 with eight home runs. In 1990, he made AA Knoxville. At Knoxville, Nunez' average dropped to .233.

Nunez returned to Knoxville in 1991, but hit just .197 in 82 games. He isn't recorded as playing in 1992, but he returned in 1993 for one final appearance in affiliated ball with the Cubs at single-A Daytona Beach. He hit .231 in 124 games.

Nunez played out 1995 with independent Palm Springs, hitting .303, then played three more seasons in the Western League, two at Bend and one at Pacific. With Pacific in 1998, Nunez hit .254, with 13 home runs, ending his career.

• Los Angeles Times, June 27, 1997: Bend Beats Vigilantes in Ninth

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Featured: 797/880 - 90.6%
Players/Coaches Featured: 808
Made the Majors: 553 - 68%
Never Made the Majors:255-32%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 247
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 151-X

Hall of Fame Classic: Three CMC Set Members

Hall of Famer Tony Perez gives five to CMC set member and former Red Sox Rick Lancellotti. Fellow CMC set member and former Yankee Brian Fisher left of Lancellotti. (G21D Photo)

Going into this year's Hall of Fame Classic at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, I wasn't sure which team I would root for, Team Wizard or Team Knucksies.

That's because I wasn't sure ahead of time who was playing on what team. After getting the rosters straight, though, it was Team Wizard all the way. Team Wizard had, count them, three members of the CMC set on the roster. Knucksies had none.

Going into the game, I actually only thought there would be two, the same number as last year. Last year's roster had Reggie Sanders and Rick Lancellotti. One of the two I had already interviewed, and it was a cool interview at that. The other one, Sanders, I would have loved to have interviewed, had I gotten the chance. But that chance didn't come.

Todd Haney, left, greets Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith in the infield. (G21D Photo)

This year, going in to the game, I spotted two CMC set members. There was Todd Haney, who played parts of five seasons in the majors. I featured him here in July 2011. There was also Brian Fisher, who had a longer career, playing seven years in the majors, with the Yankees, Pirates, Astros and Mariners. I featured Fisher here in December 2011.

What I didn't see on the player lists that I looked at, was there was a third set member there. Lancellotti was back. I actually caught up with him briefly after last year's classic, doing a postscript to his interview. So it was good to see Lancellotti on the field again.

As it turned out, all three happened to be on Team Wizard, the team helmed by the Wizard himself, Ozzie Smith. Haney actually played the whole game, starting at second base. When Ozzie came out of the game, Haney moved to shortstop.

Rick Lancellotti in the on-deck circle as Jon Warden (rainbow hair) attempts to interfere with the umpire. (G21D Photo)

Haney actually made some good plays, too, ranging to his left to pick up a ball. At the plate, he hit one off the fence in left. During a middle-inning interview with the announcer, Ozzie, in good fun, said that shot should have been a home run.

At another moment, Haney played grounds crew. Jesse Barfield, of Team Knucksies, lost control of his bat, the bat skipping across the infield. The skip also happened to dislodge a small patch of infield grass, sending it into the dirt. Like a good golfer, Haney grabbed the divot and replaced it.

Lancellotti got into the game mid-contest. Last year, he played first base. This year, he played left.

Fisher also got into the game late, and swung the bat a couple times. The pitcher started by playing in the field, at third base. When he moved to the mound, though, he had a rough go of it, giving up a home run on his first pitch.

Dante Bichette rocking the future Rockies uniform. (G21D Photo)

Fisher eventually took himself out, switching places with non-pitcher Dante Bichette. Bichette, by the way, was rocking his futuristic Rockies uni. Together, though, Team Wizard couldn't hold its lead. Team Knucksies won.

Elsewhere, I also picked up some cool stuff. Hopefully I'll have time to write about it in the next few days. Extra stuff I want to write about seem to pile up next to my desk and never get written about.

Gil Heredia, What Counts - 530

In his ninth season with time in the majors, 34-year-old Gil Heredia started off hot for the Athletics.

By mid-May, he was 5-2 and had an ERA of 2.52, a mark that put him fourth in the American League, The Associated Press wrote.

"I take great honor in that, but statistics are so overrated," Heredia told The AP as the questions about his early success came. "If I'm successful and consistent and we're winning games, that's what counts. If this were the end of the season, then yeah, obviously, I'd have something to say."

By the end of the season, Heredia didn't have the ERA title - his ERA returned to a 4.12 mark - but he did pick up 15 total wins out of 32 starts, a career high.

Heredia played for the Athletics that year, his 14th overall season as a pro. He went on to play in just one more.

Heredia's career started in 1987, taken by the Giants in the ninth round, out of the University of Arizona.

He played his first year between short-season Everett and single-A Fresno. He made AA Shreveport in 1989, then AAA Phoenix in 1990.

Heredia debuted with the Giants as a September call-up in 1991, getting into seven games, starting four. He posted a 3.82 ERA in 33 innings.

Heredia returned to the Giants for 13 more outings in 1992, before being traded to the Expos in August. He played with the Expos through 1995, getting as many as 40 outings in a season.

In 1994, Heredia was a part of the Expos team that had the game's best record when the strike came. By that time, Heredia had already pitched in 39 games and had a 3.46 ERA.

He arrived with the Rangers for 44 outings in 1996. He played 1997 between the Cubs and the Expos systems at AAA.

For 1998, though, he arrived with the Athletics, where he would spend the final four seasons of his career.

He got eight outings, six starts in 1998. In 1999, his starts increased to 33. He went 13-8, with a 4.81 ERA. In one August start, Heredia set down 18 in a row.

To start 1999, Heredia went toe-to-toe with his idol, Roger Clemens. Heredia went six innings, giving up one earned run in a game the Athletics would go on to win.

"Gil did a heck of a job," Oakland manager Art Howe told reporters later. "In the first two innings, he battled through some tough spots."

He then went that 15-11 in 2000 in 32 starts. He also got his first postseason work. In Game 1 of the ALDS against the Yankees, he went six innings, giving up three earned runs for the win. In the deciding Game 5, he went just a third of an inning, giving up six earned runs for the loss.

"is final year came in 2001 with 24 outings, 18 starts. That August, Heredia went three scoreless innings in relief, picking up a win against the White Sox.

"I really have not had a lot of opportunities like today," Heredia told reporters after that August 2001 game. "But when they arise, you have to take advantage of them and do the best you can. The biggest thing is to go out there and try to throw strikes."

Heredia has gone on to be a coach in the minors. In 2009, he served as pitching coach at short-season Yakima. In 2012, he is now in his third year as pitching coach at rookie Missoula.

"I think we've got ourselves a good group of guys," Heredia told The Missoulian in June 2012 of the new squad. "Every single pitcher that's here is ready and prepared for a challenge. As far as goals, we want them to have fun out there. We have about three months together and we want them to make it the best it can be."

• Sonora Union Democrat, April 6, 1999: Heredia matches his idol
• Kitsap Sun, Associated Press, May 15, 2000: M's, A's flipflop again
• USAToday, ticker, Aug. 18, 2001: Athletics vs. White Sox
• Missoula Missoulian, June 17, 2012: O's are back in town 

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Featured: 796/880 - 90.5%
Players/Coaches Featured: 807
Made the Majors: 553 - 69%-X
Never Made the Majors:254-31%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 247-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 151 

Keith Miller, Big Hit - 247

Keith Miller got his first major league hit in 1988 in his seventh at bat. As it turned out, it was a big hit, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Miller's Phillies down 5-0 early, the rookie outfielder cleared the bases with a second-inning double. It was a game the Phillies came back to win.

"In a lot of ways, that was as big a hit as any," Phillies manager Lee Elia told The Inquirer afterward of Miller's hit. "He put us right back into the game after we were stunned in that first inning."

Miller debuted with Philadelphia the previous month. He ended up getting into 47 games on the year. He would only get into just eight more.

Miller's career began in 1984, taken by the Phillies in the 16th round out of Lubbock Christian University.

Miller started at short-season Bend and single-A Peninsula. Between them, he hit .315. He moved to AA Reading in 1985, hitting .295 there with six home runs.

Miller returned to Reading for 1986. He also got his first look at AAA, with 36 games at Portland. He remained in AAA in 1987, at AAA Maine. There, he hit .292 with 16 home runs.

Miller hit one of his 1987 home runs in a June game, off an Oil Can Boyd changeup.

"He had been throwing quite a few, he just got that one up," Miller told The Bangor Daily News of the Boyd changeup. "It was 2-2. In that situation, you really can't guess a pitch. If he would have got it down in the strike zone I might have missed it."

It was in May 1988 that Miller got his call to Philadelphia. In 47 total games that year for the Phillies, Miller recorded just 48 at bats, getting eight hits. He also started just one game, Aug. 4, going 1 for 4 in that contest with a strikeout.

He returned to the Phillies in 1989, but not until September. In Miller's eight games that year, he also started just one. He picked up three hits in 10 at bats, ending his major league career.

Miller continued playing in the minors until 1993. He moved to the Pirates system in 1991, playing at AAA Buffalo. He then played his final two seasons in the Rangers system, at AAA Oklahoma City.

• Bangor Daily News, June 15, 1987: Oil Can stifles Guides; may be ready
• Philadelphia Inquirer, June 11, 1988: Phils Barrel Back To Top Bucs, 12-10

1990 CMC Tally
Cards Featured: 795/880 - 90.3%
Players/Coaches Featured: 806
Made the Majors: 552 - 69%-X
Never Made the Majors:254-31%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 246
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 151