Mo Sanford, Real Tough - PC2321

Originally posted May 27, 2010. Now with corrected card from ProCards set

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In 1997, Sanford pitched in Taiwan. After a stint in Mexico, Sanford's playing days weren't done until 2000, after two seasons in independent leagues.

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

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

• Kentucky New Era, Associated Press, Aug. 10, 1991: Cincy gets Mo pitching as Reds defeat Padres
• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 10, 1991: Reds' Rookie Shows He Can Mow 'Em Down
• Business Courier of Cincinnati, Sept. 14, 2007: Investors, former pros take swing at baseball academy
• Schenectady Gazette, Aug. 31, 2009: Diamond Dogs Days

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

Steve McCarthy, Tenth Save - 2319

Read the August 2015 interview: Steve McCarthy, All Clicked

Bobby Ayala started the game and Steve McCarthy finished it.

After Ayala went eight innings for single-A Charleston in this July 1990 contest. McCarthy then came in and finished up with a perfect ninth inning, picking up a strike out and picking up his 10th save on the year.

The appearance was one of 37 he saw that season between Charleston and single-A Cedar Rapids, posting a 2.16 ERA between them.

Those 10 saves were also about all the saves McCarthy notched in a career that spanned five seasons. The reliever picked up four other saves over those seasons. He never got a chance to notch one, or  chance to get playing time, in the majors.

McCarthy's professional career began in 1987, taken by the Reds in the 11th round of the draft out of Brown University.

He started that year as a starter, at rookie Billings. In 13 starts, McCarthy went 4-4, with a 4.81 ERA.

McCarthy returned to Billings for a shortened 1988, but as a reliever. He carried that over for 30 relief outings at Cedar Rapids in 1989. In Iowa, he picked up five wins, and posted 1.51 ERA.

After that 1990 season, McCarthy returned to Cedar Rapids for much of 1991, getting 32 outings there.

McCarthy, though, also got his first look at AA Chattanooga in 1991, 12 outings. Those outings in Chattanooga would also be his final outings there, his career ending at season's end.

Read the August 2015 interview: Steve McCarthy, All Clicked 

• Sumter Item, July 20, 1990: Wheelers top Braves

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 908
Made the Majors: 611 - 67.3%
Never Made Majors: 297-32.7%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 273
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163 

Bob Dombrowski, College Injury - 2328

Team doctors originally thought Bob Dombrowski might miss the entire 1988 college baseball season at Arizona State, the culprit being a bad December 1988 ski accident.

Upon further review, though, the season-long recovery time shrunk to a third of a season recovery prognosis, according to a wire account.

Dombroski, though, came back and he came back all the way to be selected in the 18th round of the draft in 1989.

He came back to turn pro. But Dombrowski couldn't get himself to the majors, his pro career lasting just two season.

Dombrowski arrived at Arizona State in 1985 out of Coronado High School in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Dombrowski played with the Sun Devils from 1985 to 1989, homering in one February 1989 win. In between, Dombrowski also played a summer college ball in Alaska with the Goldpanners.

Out of Arizona State, Bombrowski landed with the Reds. That first season, he played 38 games between rookie Billings and single-A Cedar Rapids. Between them, Dombrowski hit just .213, with one home run.

He then started 1990 back at Cedar Rapids, but it was a short stay. He got into 10 games, picking up just two hits in 21 at bats, ending his brief Reds career.

Dombrowski then signed on with the Padres, playing at high-A Riverside. In 85 games to finish out the season, Dombrowski only improved his average to .208. Dombrowski's time at Riverside also ended his brief professional career short of the majors.

Dombrowski has returned to Arizona State in recent years, playing in the 2010 Alumni Game.

• Daytona Beach News-Journal, News-Journal services, Dec. 25, 1987: Mets' Darling Agrees To Salary Reduction

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 907
Made the Majors: 611 - 67.4%
Never Made Majors: 296-32.6%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 273
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163

Ken Rowe, Lot of Knowledge - 224

Originally posted April 10, 2011; 
Updating and reposting to mark Ken Rowe's passing at the age of 78
Ken Rowe appraised his young right-hander Bill Fulton. He hadn't done badly at AAA Columbus, the pitching coach Rowe told Fulton's hometown Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in May 1987.

He'd had a lot to adjust to, moving to spot starting and relief work.

"Bill has to get command of at least three pitches," Rowe told The Post-Gazette of Fulton. "His curveball and fastball are good, but he still needs another pitch."

Whatever work Rowe did with Fulton, Fulton made his only trip to the majors later that year. It was a trip Rowe had been on before, both as a player and as a coach.

Rowe played parts of three seasons in the majors and coached for two. And his career continued serving as a minor league pitching adviser until his passing in November 2012 at the age of 78.

Rowe's playing days lasted a total of 15 seasons, starting in 1953 as a 19 year old in the Tigers system. He didn't make the majors until a decade later, with the Dodgers in 1963. In 14 relief appearances, he posted a 2.93 ERA.

He returned to AAA for 1964, going 16-11 with a 1.77 ERA. He also posted that ERA after a staggering 88 appearances at Spokane, the organized baseball record. That September, he was traded to the Orioles, a trade welcomed by Rowe.

"I hope to get a better opportunity to work in the major leagues," Rowe told The Spokane Spokesman-Review. "I don't know now what the Orioles have in mind for me but I don't think Baltimore is the kind of organization that would buy a guy and then let him sit on the bench."

Those plans included Rowe making it to Baltimore for another six appearances in 1964, then six more in 1965. Long term, two decades later, plans also included Rowe serving two seasons as the Orioles big league pitching coach.

Rowe pitched in the minors through 1968, starting his coaching career then. By 1985, he was with Baltimore as pitching coach, that was after years coaching with the Orioles at lower levels.

One of the young players Rowe watched over was Eric Bell. Speaking to Bell's hometown paper, The Modesto Bee, Rowe liked what he saw.

"I've known him for a long time - I worked with him in the minor leagues, and in Instructional League," Rowe told The Bee in September 1986. "So far, he's shown a lot of promise. We're very pleased."

Out as Orioles coach after that year, Rowe signed on with the Yankees at AAA Columbus, staying there through 1990. He soon signed on with the Indians system, where he remained for 2011.

He served as pitching coach at Watertown in 1995, then AAA Buffalo in 1999 and 2000. From 2006 to 2010, Rowe served as pitching coach at short-season Mahoning Valley, watching over pitchers like Russell Young.

In 2008, Young worked to make the move from college to the pros, The Youngstown Vindicator wrote.

"I'm making the adjustment," Young told The Vindicator that June. "I'm trying to get my feet wet. I've learned a lot of knowledge from [pitching coach] Ken Rowe ... I need to keep building my arm strength and continue to develop some breaking balls and work on my command."

Rowe continued with the Indians until his passing in November 2012 of pneumonia at the age of 78.

After Rowe's passing, Indians director of player development Ross Atkins recalled to MLB.com that Rowe embodied everything the organization looked for in staff and players.

"In the world of professional baseball," Atkins told MLB.com, "there are always things that come to mind with the sacrifices and passion and toughness it takes not only to compete at the highest level but also to be a leader. You can't be short on any of those traits and Ken Rowe had them all. He was exceptionally bright, exceptionally passionate and exceptionally tough and was really willing to do whatever it took to help young professional baseball players."

• Spokane Spokesman-Review, Sept. 11, 1964: Orioles obtain Ken Rowe
• Modesto Bee, Sept. 27, 1986: DeHart: No glamour in the minors
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 21, 1987: Bill Fulton is one long step from the majors
• Youngstown Vindicator, June 17, 2008: Rookie Russell Young eyes differences from college ball
• MLB.com, Nov. 26, 2012: Former big leaguer, longtime coach Rowe dies

1990 CMC Tally 
Cards Featured: 439.25/880 - 49.9%
Players/Coaches Featured: 448 
Made the Majors: 302 - 67%-X
Never Made the Majors:146-33%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 124
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 112-X

Eddie Rush, Base-Hit Bunter - 2329

The University of South Florida came back on Florida State to take the lead in this May 1986 game. Helping them do so was a bunt single from infielder Eddie Rush, The Orlando Sentinel wrote.

It was something Rush often did, bunting for a single. He did it often enough for his head coach Eddie Cardieri to remember it years later.

"The best base-hit bunter I ever saw," Cardieri told USF broadcaster Jim Louk of Rush in 2011.

Rush took those skills from South Florida to the pros, ultimately playing five seasons in the Reds system. Rush, though, couldn't take those skills to the majors, making it to AA, but no higher.

Rush's pro career began in 1987, taken by the Reds in the 23rd round of the draft out of South Florida.

With the Reds, Rush began in rookie Billings, playing 25 games there and hitting .305. He also saw time there at single-A Cedar Rapids, getting 24 games there and hitting .275.

For 1988, Rush moved to Cedar Rapids full time, hitting .245 in 79 games. Rush, though, ended up staying in single-A into 1991. For 1989, he played at single-A Greensboro, hitting .258.

For 1990, he split time between Cedar Rapids and single-A Charleston, hitting just .237 between them.

His 1991 season ended up being his last. He played 80 games at Cedar Rapids, hitting .254. He also got his only time at AA, at Chattanooga. In his 32 games there, Rush hit .165, ending his professional career.

• Orlando Sentinel, May 25, 1986: FSU Swats South Florida To Sweep Into World Series Birth
• GoUSFBulls.com, March 22, 2011: Letters from Louk: Go For Broke - 1986 Baseball

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 906
Made the Majors: 611 - 67.5%
Never Made Majors: 295-32.5%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 273
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163

Bobby Ayala saw majors over eight seasons, with Reds, others

Bobby Ayala tried to explain in July 1995 a season that turned out to be spotty. He'd saved 14 games for the Mariners by that point, but had also blown five save opportunities.

"I've been trying to overthrow the ball," Ayala told The Associated Press after a late-July contest. "I can't overthrow the ball and be successful."

Ayala would go on to save 19 for the Mariners that year, after saving 18 for them the previous campaign.

But the problems that showed themselves early in that 1995 season would persist, showing themselves again in some of the worst possible moments, as the Mariners made the franchise's first playoff run.

And with that, Ayala's major league career that spanned eight seasons continues to hold the ire of an entire fan base.

Ayala's career began in 1988, signed by the Reds as a free agent out of Rio Mesa High School in California.

He started in the rookie Gulf Coast League, moving to single-A Greensboro in 1989 and then single-A Cedar Rapids in 1990. He made AA Chattanooga in 1991 and 1992, then, in September 1992, he made Cincinnati.

That first September in the majors, Ayala started five games for the Reds, going 2-1, with a 4.34 ERA. He moved to relief in 1993 as he returned to the Reds, getting into 43 games, starting just nine. Overall, he went 7-10, with a 5.60 ERA.

For 1994, Ayala arrived with the Mariners in a four-player deal. By the end of April, Ayala was Seattle's closer. Holding a Seattle lead through two innings of work against the Red Sox sealed the new title, according to The AP.

"I was very confident when I went in there," Ayala told The AP. "I had great control of my pitches. You can't do any better than that."

Ayala ended up getting into a total of 46 games in that strike-shortened year for the Mariners. He ultimately saved 18 games and posted a 2.86 ERA.

Then came his 1995 season, one where Ayala saved 19, with an ERA of 4.44, seeing his Mariners win the American League West.

Then, in the Mariners' first-ever playoff game, Ayala ended up giving up three earned runs against the Yankees, while getting just a single out. The Yankees won 9-6.

"Every pitch they hit was up," Mariners pitching coach Bobby Cuellar told The Seattle Post-Intelligencer after the game. "He is throwing his forkball too hard and not giving it a chance to break."

The Mariners ended up coming back on the Yankees and making the ALCS and Ayala pitched well enough there. Between games 2 and 4, Ayala went 3.2 innings, giving up one earned run. He also walked three. Both outings came in losses and the Mariners ultimately lost the series to the Indians.

Ayala stayed with the Mariners through 1998, his ERA hitting 5.88 in 50 1996 outings, then 3.82 in 71 1997 outings.

The 1997 season saw Ayala and the Mariners return to the playoffs. Ayala's return went about as well as his first time there. In just one outing, 1.1 innings of work against the Orioles, Ayala gave up six earned runs.

Ayala's postseason performances still had Mariners fans talking years later, with The Seattle Times noting some counted him among the franchise's "irredeemable villains."

Ayala played just two more seasons. In 1998, Ayala returned to the Mariners and got into 62 games. He also lost 10 and had an ERA that exploded to 7.29. His final big league career came in 1999, splitting 66 outings between the Expos and the Cubs. One more season, spent in the minors, and Ayala's career was done.

• Nashua Telegraph, Associated Press, April 28, 1994: Perfect ending for Mariners' Ayala against Sox
• Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Associated Press, July 26, 1995: Johnson on fire again in M's win
• Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Oct. 4, 1995: Ayala's collapse costs Mariners in opener
• Seattle Times, April 13, 2008: Hey, Mariners fans, enough about Bobby Ayala and Alex Rodriguez, already

More: The 1990 Cedar Rapids Reds

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 905
Made the Majors: 611 - 67.5%-X
Never Made Majors: 294-32.5%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 273-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163

Victor Garcia made spring 1992 with the Reds, but abruptly left; Played five seasons, missed bigs

Victor Garcia started camp in 1992 with Cincinnati. In early March, though, the veteran of four minor league seasons abruptly left.
Reds prospect

The Associated Press wrote the native of the Dominican Republic told the team he needed to sort out immigration issues. Teammate and fellow Dominican Jose Rijo speculated maybe it was something else.

"Maybe he got a little homesick," Rijo told The AP.

Whatever the reason for Garcia's departure, he wasn't credited with pitching at all that season and pitched just one more season in his career. He never made the majors.

Garcia's career began in 1988, signed by Cincinnati as an undrafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic.

Garcia played that first season in rookie ball, in the Gulf Coast League. The right-hander went 4-4 in 13 starts, with a 2.27 ERA.

For 1989, Garcia moved to relief, posting a 2.75 ERA at single-A Greensboro and amassing 10 wins to a single defeat.

Moving to single-A Cedar Rapids for 1990, Garcia went out to the mound 49 times. He also lowered his ERA to just 1.52 and picked up 15 saves.

For 1991, Garcia moved up to AA Chattanooga and then AAA Nashville. Between them, he went 7-3 in 55 outings, with a 2.19 ERA.

Then came 1992 and his departure from the team. Without a pitching credit for the entire season, Garcia returned for 1993. This time, he split time between high-A Winston-Salem and Chattanooga. In 41 outings, his ERA expanded to 4.26. It was his final year as a pro.

• Harlan Daily Enterprise, Associated Press, March 6, 1992: Rijo expected to start exhibition opener

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 904
Made the Majors: 610 - 67.5%
Never Made Majors: 294-32.5%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 272
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163

Steve Hester, Small Club - 2323

Cedarville University in Ohio saw hitter David Convertini signed to a pro contract in 2011. Convertini signed with the Braves and hoped to play rookie ball that year.

The signing put Convertini in a small club of other Cedarville signees, a club that may have as few as two members.

Convertini's signing marked the first Cedarville alum to sign such a pro contract in 24 years. The last Cedarville alum to do so was Steve Hester back in 1987.

Though he signed, Convertini was never credited with getting to a pro team. Hester, though, did get to a pro team, playing professionally in four seasons, never making the majors.

Hester's route to his pro career began in his native Virginia, playing ball at Western Albemarle High School in Crozet.

There, Hester is counted among a bigger club of players who played beyond high school. A list of Western Albemarle baseball alums counts six former players, Hester among them, as going beyond college, on to the pros.

Moving to Cedarville, Hester didn't stay long. The Reds selected him in the 13th round of the 1987 draft, after his freshman year at the school.

With the Reds, Hester started at rookie Billings. The right-hander started five games for the Mustangs, going 2-1, with a 5.76 ERA.

Hester moved to single-A Greensboro for 1988. There, he went 12-5, with a 2.92, the best season of his short career.

For 1989, Hester made single-A Cedar Rapids, going 10-7, with a 3.50 ERA. His career, though, ended in 1990, with Cedar Rapids. Hester is recorded as playing just one game for the single-A Reds that year, going six innings and giving up a single run.

• Cedarville Yellow Jackets, Feb. 3, 2011: Convertini signs with Braves

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 903
Made the Majors: 610 - 67.6%
Never Made Majors: 293-32.4%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 272
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163

Mark Krumback, That Kind - 2335

For Mark Krumback, his college coach's small-ball philosophy at the University of North Alabama fit him and his teammates that year in 1987 perfectly, he told The Florence Times Daily.

"I like that kind of baseball," Krumback told The Times Daily that May. "I've never really been much of a power hitter. I'm more of a singles and doubles type hitter. We've got a lot of guys on the team who hit like that."

Krumback went from that kind of baseball at North Alabama to the pros, starting with an independent team, then moving to the Reds. Krumback, though, never got the opportunity play that kind of baseball in the majors, playing four seasons without making it to AA.

At North Alabama, Krumback was a top hitter for the team, according to The Times Daily. In one April 1986 double header, Krumback picked up five hits in seven at bats, knocking in seven. In another game the next April, Krumback had three hits, including a home run and a double.

His efforts there, though, didn't result in Krumback being drafted. Unsigned, Krumback went to Idaho, playing 1988 with independent Boise in the short-season Northwest League.

In 69 games at Boise, Krumback hit .324, with 51 RBIs. He also earned himself a slot in the Reds system, signed as a free agent.

With the Reds, Krumback played 1989 between single-A Greensboro and single-A Cedar Rapids. In 76 total games between them, Krumback hit .279, knocking in 32.

Krumback returned to Cedar Rapids for 1990, playing a full season there. Krumback's average, though, dropped to .236.

He didn't return to the Reds system for 1991. Instead, he moved to the independent Reno Silver Sox of the high-A California League. There, he hit .291, with 30 RBIs, ending his career.

• Florence Times Daily, May 12, 1987: Krumback key man in UNA philosophy

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 902
Made the Majors: 610 - 67.6%
Never Made the Majors: 292-32.4%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 272
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163 

Brian Nichols, Tied Up - 2326

Brian Nichols tied up a game in early August 1989, hitting a double for the rookie Billings Mustangs.

The RBI was one of 18 RBIs the catcher got that year in 39 games for the Mustangs. The double was one of nine or Nichols.

For Nichols, though, he would never get the opportunity to do either in the majors, his career ending after just three seasons, never getting above single-A.

Nichols' career began in 1988, taken by the Reds in the 21st round of the draft, out of USC.

At USC, Nichols was a first-team All-Conference selection in 1987 and lettered all four years he was there. He was also a pitcher, one who spent time as a catcher.

In his junior season, Nichols posted a 1.70 ERA. He also put up 17 saves, 29 total on his college career.

Turning pro, Nichols started as a pitcher, playing at rookie Billins. In 17 relief outings, Nichols went 1-2, picking up three saves. His ERA, though, hit 6.87 over 36.2 innings.

For 1989, Nichols moved to catching. Over 39 games, Nichols hit .267. He returned for 1990, playing the season between three teams, Billings, single-A Charleston and single-A Cedar Rapids. Between them, he got into 70 games and hit .248.

For Nichols, though, those 70 games weren't enough for him to continue his career, his three seasons marking the extent of his professional stint.

• University of Southern California, 2012: Baseball media guide (pdf)

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 901
Made the Majors: 610 - 67.7%
Never Made the Majors: 291-32.3%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 272
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163  

Tom Spencer, Team Trainer - 2312a

The team's star player went down with a knee injury, leaving practice on crutches. Watching over the injury, insuring it was cared for properly, was team trainer Tom Spencer.

"When someone goes down, there's question marks in everybody's mind - the coach's mind, the player's mind, the trainer's mind," said head coach Brian Agler told his team's site afterward. "So we went through the process of the X-Rays and the MRI and seeing the physician and everything's come back pretty clean, so it's really a day by day-type thing."

This was 2008 and Spencer had already spent more than a decade serving as an athletic trainer in minor league baseball.

By 2008, though, Spencer was in the second year of his new job - as head athletic trainer for the Seattle Storm, of the WNBA. The player he worked to patch up after that July practice was star Sheryl Swoopes.

Spencer started his career as a trainer in 1988, with the Brewers, working that summer rookie ball. He moved to the Reds system in 1989, serving as trainer for the single-A Cedar Rapids Reds, returning there for 1990.

Over the next decade, Spencer stayed with the Reds, serving as trainer as high as AA.

Spencer previously graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in individualized studies, focusing on sports medicine and adaptive physical education, according to the Storm. In 2002, he went back to school to become a physical therapist.

He also returned home to the Seattle area, working with Peak Sports and Spine Physical Therapy. In 2007, he got another hometown job, with the Storm. It's a job he still holds in 2012.

In 2010, Spencer helped keep the Storm healthy enough to win the WNBA championship, an honor that got the team, and Spencer, a trip to the White House to see President Obama.

• Seattle Storm, July 2, 2008: Swoopes Hopes to Play Thursday
• Seattle Storm, 2012 Media Guide: Page 18 (pdf)

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 900
Made the Majors: 610 - 67.8%
Never Made the Majors: 290-32.2%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 272
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163 

Vicente Javier played at Cedar Rapids: Baseball Profiles

Vicente Javier first arrived at single-A Cedar Rapids in 1990, calling Veterans Memorial Stadium home. The infielder then returned there in 1991 for another season in the city and at the stadium.

That 1991 trip, though, wasn't his last to the city. He returned one last time, 10 years later, in 2001. This time, the infielder took to the mound, helping throw the ceremonial last pitch at the old stadium, ahead of the new stadium opening in 2002.

By the time he threw out that last pitch in 2001, Javier had already taken his last pitch as a hitter, 10 years earlier, back in 1991. It was a career that lasted just five seasons and never saw Javier get above single-A.

Javier's career began in 1987, signed by the Reds as an undrafted free agent out of his native Dominican Republic.

Javier started work in the rookie Gulf Coast League, hitting .299 in 24 games. He moved to rookie Billings. At Billings, though, his average dropped to .210 over 31 games.

For 1989, Javier arrived at single-A Greensboro in the South Atlantic League. With Greensboro, Javier hit .203 in 59 games.

It was in 1990 that Javier made Cedar Rapids, getting into 62 games for the single-A Reds. Those 62 games were the most Javier played in a single season in his career. With the Reds, Javier hit just .193.

His final season came in 1991, back at Cedar Rapids. In 58 games, he hit .217, ending his career.

• Spencer Daily Reporter, Associated Press, Aug. 30, 2001: Fans pay tribute to old ballpark

More: The 1990 Cedar Rapids Reds

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 899
Made the Majors: 610 - 67.9%
Never Made the Majors: 289-32.1%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 272
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163

Mike Anderson saw majors with Reds, over three appearances

The Reds were looking to the future in July 1993 and that future possibly included Mike Anderson and other young pitchers, according to The Associated Press.

"That's going to our main deal from here on out - to get some pitching," Bowden told The AP. "That's what's going to turn this organization around and get us winning again."

Bowden spoke that July as the Reds prepared to call Anderson up from AAA. Anderson, though, didn't get his first look in a game until later that year, in September. For Anderson it was a brief look, just three appearances, the extent of his major league career.

He also had a hand in a four-home-run game, on the wrong end.

Anderson's career began in 1988, signed by the Reds as an amateur free agent out of Southwestern University.

He played that first year between the rookie Gulf Coast League and rookie Billings, going 3-2 between them over 19 outings. He moved to single-A Greensboro in 1989, then Cedar Rapids in 1990.

Anderson made AA Chattanooga in 1991, then AAA Indianapolis in 1993. Then, in September 1993, Anderson made Cincinnati.

Anderson debuted Sept. 7, against the Cardinals. It was Mark Whiten's four-home-run game. Anderson came into the game in the sixth inning, his Reds down 5-2. He gives up two walks, then gave up Whiten's second home run of the game.

Anderson stayed in for the seventh, long enough to see Whiten again, and give up Whiten's third home run. In all, Anderson went 1.2 innings, giving up seven earned runs.

Anderson returned to the mound a week later, this time going 2.1 innings, giving up two earned runs against the Braves. His last outing came Sept. 17, against the Giants, giving up another two earned runs in 1.1 innings of work.

That December, Anderson landed with the Cubs, in a trade. But Anderson never saw Chicago, or saw the majors again. He played 1994 and 1995 at AAA Iowa, then played 1996 with the Rangers at AAA and 1997 in the minors with the Dodgers. One final year, playing in Korea, and Anderson's career was done.

His playing career over, Anderson went on to a career in coaching. In 2000, he served as pitching coach at short-season Eugene. In 2007, he was in Bakersfield, going through Lansing, Daytona and West Tennessee in the meantime.

In 2000, with Eugene, Anderson watched over young pitcher Mark Freed. Freed went on to go 9-2 that year under Anderson, though Freed never made the majors.

"He has been outstanding since Day One," Anderson told The Eugene Register-Guard that August. "He made a couple adjustments in his mechanics, but he has been solid all year."

• Spokane Spokesman-Review, Associated Press, July 4, 1993: Season may be over for Reds left-hander
• Eugene Register-Guard, Aug. 18, 2000: Freed's decision nearly perfect so far, Part 2

More: The 1990 Cedar Rapids Reds

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 898
Made the Majors: 610 - 67.9%
Never Made the Majors:288-32.1%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 272
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163  

Tony Terzarial, He's Learned - 2333

Tony Terzarial saw himself improving from his first junior college season to his second, according to The Chicago Tribune. His coach at Triton College Bob Symonds thought the same.

"He's got all the tools, but he needed to play to develop his talent," Symonds told The Tribune in May 1988. "I like tools, but you have to be able to use them. That's what he's learned."

Terzarial soon learned to be a pro, signing with the Reds after the college season. Whatever he learned, though, it wasn't enough. His professional career lasted just three seasons, never getting above single-A.

Terzarial went to Triton College out of Highland High School in Highland, Ind. Out of Highland in 1986, Terzarial was taken in the 19th round by the Reds. He was then taken in the 44th round by the Reds in 1987. He finally then turned pro in 1988.

With the Reds, Terzarial started at rookie Billings, the outfielder getting into 61 games, hitting .227. He moved to single-A Greensboro for 1989, hitting .234 in 83 games.

One more season, though, and Terzarial was done. He played 44 games with single-A Cedar Rapids, hitting .190, ending his career.

Terzarial has gone on to play softball in his home state of Indiana. He has also served as a hitting instructor.

In 2001, Terzarial played with a softball team called Bridges Scoreboard and his coach Jeff Bridges was happy to have him and others on the team, according to The Northwest Indiana Times.

"I've always said that Bob Weinmann, Zac Wells, Tony Terzarial and Tim Dupin are the best outfield around," Bridges told The Times. "I'll take those guys over anybody."

• Chicago Tribune, May 5, 1988: Triton Seeks Complete Success
• Northwest Indiana Times, Aug. 16, 2001: Making the grade

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 897
Made the Majors: 609 - 67.9%
Never Made the Majors:288-32.1%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 272
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163 

Rick Allen's pro career spanned 6 seasons, made AA with Reds

Rick Allen tried to look forward in 1992, his fourth season as a pro. He'd hit .251 the previous year at AA Chattanooga. But just one hit in 11 at bats and Allen got his release.

"I dug myself a pretty deep hole at the start of the season," Allen told The Los Angeles Times that August, having played out the year with the Twins at AA Orlando. "I haven't really done enough to move up next season, but we'll see what happens."

For Allen, what happened from there was little more. He wasn't recorded as playing in 1993, then played out two seasons in independent ball, ending his career without making the majors.

Allen's professional career began in 1989, taken by the Reds in the 10th round out of Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. He went to Loyola out of Calabasas High School, north of LA.

Allen played his first year with the Reds at short-season Billings. At Billings, Allen got into 26 games, hitting .321. That July, regarding his route out of College, Allen told The Times he was satisfied with the result.

"I was happy to go with the Reds," Allen told The Times. "I always loved the way Pete Rose played. I liked the old Big Red Machine."

From Billings, Allen moved to single-A Cedar Rapids for 1990. There, the third baseman hit .233 with eight home runs. He then arrived at Chattanooga for 1991, hitting that .251, with four home runs.

As The Times followed his career, Allen told them about the sights - and the smells - along the way.

With Billings, the team stopped off at Yellowstone to see Old Faithful. At Chattanooga, there was the Civil War history. At Cedar Rapids, there was the smell: Quaker Oats is located downtown, giving off the smell of burnt cereal.

"This is a Civil War town," Allen told The Times as he played in Tennessee. "I really haven't had much time to find out a lot about it. But I know this, it sure smells better than Cedar Rapids."

Allen returned to Chattanooga briefly the next year, then finished out the season with the Twins at AA Orlando. Between the two, he hit just .194. Allen finished out his career with independent Mobile in 1994 and Mobile and independent Gaston in 1995

• Los Angeles Times, July 2, 1989: Hernandez Realizes Uncertainty Goes With Professional Territory
• Los Angeles Times, May 26, 1991: Clock Ticking but Haslock Still Dreams
• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 30, 1992: Reed Reaches His Destination After Waiting Out Congestion

More: The 1990 Cedar Rapids Reds

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 896
Made the Majors: 609 - 68.0%
Never Made the Majors:287-32.0%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 272
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 163 

Scott Bryant, Too Superstitious - 740

Originally posted Aug. 20, 2010

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 2009 comments 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

Eddie Taubensee, Could Hit - PC2325

Read the July 2015 interview: Eddie Taubensee, On Everything

Originally posted April 16, 2011

Eddie Taubensee debuted with the Indians early in the 1991 season, but he didn't get regular playing time until September. When he got that regular playing time, though, he performed, The Associated Press wrote.

That was after going 0 for 23 to start his major league career.

"When I first got here, all I wanted to do was get that first hit," Taubensee told The AP. "That was a big monkey off my back, because I felt like I hadn't contributed to the team. Now I feel great."

Taubensee got a total of 16 hits for the Indians that year in 26 games. He went on to a career in which he would get his share of base hits, 784 to be exact, over 11 major league seasons.

Taubensee's professional career began in 1986, selected by the Reds in the sixth round of the draft out of Maitland High School in Florida. He played his first two seasons in rookie ball, the second at short-season Billings.

He briefly made AA Chattanooga in 1988 and, going into 1989, the catcher had designs on hitting AAA.

''The Reds wanted me to improve my consistency in throwing and blocking the ball,'' Taubensee told The Orlando Sentinel in November 1988. ''I believe I had a good instructional league. I played every day. I believe I improved as they wanted me to.''

But it was single-A Cedar Rapids and back to AA Chattanooga. He played all of 1990 back at single-A Cedar Rapids. The next year, though, it was AAA Colorado Springs with the Indians, by way of the Rule 5 draft and the Oakland Athletics.

After playing those 26 games with Cleveland in 1991, the Indians flipped Taubensee to the Astros for Kenny Lofton. With the Astros, Taubensee played two seasons, hitting .222 his first year and .250 his second.

In early August 1992, though, Taubensee helped beat the Reds, the team that did little with him when he was in their system, knocking them out of first. He hit a two-run home run.

"With a guy on first, I was just trying to hit it in the gap and score him somehow," Taubensee told The AP. "I was able to stay back on it just enough to get the bat on the ball."

By April 1994, though, Taubensee was back with the Reds, traded there in a three-player deal. And it would be the Reds who Taubensee would spend the majority of his career.

He hit .294 in 61 games for the Reds in 1994 and .284 in 1995. In 1996, he got off to a hot start, flirting with .400 through April. To The Sentinel, Taubensee credited winter workouts.

"I knew I could hit up here,'' Taubensee told The Sentinel in 1996. "Now I go to the plate with confidence, feeling like I'm gonna hit the ball hard each time.''

Taubensee ended up hitting .291 on the season, not .400. But it was still his best season to date. By 1999, though, he hit over .300, hitting .311 on the season.

His year in 2000, though, started off in slump. He was hitting .239 by late July, before a run of 10 for 14.

"I know I can still hit," Taubensee told The AP. "I've hit in the past. It's just one of those things you really have to fight through and keep working hard."

Taubensee, however, wouldn't hit for much longer. By 2001, he was back with the team that brought him up, the Indians. He got into 52 games for them that year, but, by 2002, back problems ultimately forced him into retirement.

Read the July 2015 interview: Eddie Taubensee, On Everything

• Orlando Sentinel, Nov. 16, 1988: Taubensee Will Join Reds In Spring Training
• Toledo Blade, Associated Press, Sept. 30, 1991: Taubensee just happy to be in Tribe lineup
• Middlesboro Daily News, Associated Press, Aug. 3, 1992: Reds fall from first again
• Orlando Sentinel, May 2, 1996: Taubensee Keeps Hitting While Reds Are Missing
• Harlan Daily Enterprise, Associated Press, July 31, 2000: Taubensee breaks slump to power Reds