1990 Visalia Oaks player profiles, Minnesota Twins affiliate

Recreation Park in Visalia, Ca., in 2012. Recreation Park was home to the 1990 Visalia Oaks. (G21D Photo)

Features on each member of the 1990 Visalia Oaks, high-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

Interview (1) 
1 - Chad Swanson, Good Pitches
Chad Swanson played four seasons and helped prank two umpires.

Visalia Oaks (31)

1 - Brian Allard played 3 major league seasons, later coached

2 - Mike Aspray saw 4 seasons, made high-A Visalia with Twins
3 - J.T. Bruett faced major league pitching over two seasons
4 - Troy Buckley saw 6 seasons, then turned coordinator, coach
5 - Bruce Bucz worked to fill seats with W's as Visalia Oaks GM
6 - Joseph Bucz was Visalia Oaks fixture, along with wife Mary
7 - Carlos Capellan played as pro over eight seasons, made AA
8 - Ramon Cedeno had lucky night at Abilene, saw 8 seasons
9 - Jason Elick, Collected Himself
Jason Elick served as a Visalia Oaks bat boy. He also got his own card.
10 - Tom Fine, Lost Concentration
Tom Fine lost his concentration at single-A, then lost 11 games to no wins. Played four seasons, never made the bigs.
11 - Carl Fraticelli, Came Ready
Carl Fraticelli's Aliis came ready to play. Fraticelli came with his own playing and coaching experience.
12 - Rich Garces, Proved Himself
Rich Garces finally got his chance to prove himself, then he ran with it.
13 - Jose "Cheo" Garcia, Twins Tour
Cheo Garcia played as a pro for six seasons, made AAA in two of them. He never the bigs.
14 - Darren Holt, Different Role
Darren Holt served as the Visalia groundskeeper in 1990. He previously played.
15 - Mike House, Different Path
Mike House turned his career around at new school. He couldn't turn it around enough for a long pro career.

16 - Jay Kvasnicka, Means Everything
Jay Kvasnicka's AA playoff run meant everything to him. He never made the majors.
17 - Todd Logan, Tough Kid
Todd Logan was called a tough kid, competitor. His pro career lasted just four seasons.
18 - Pat Mahomes, Paying Off
Pat Mahomes saw a resurgence late in his career. He played in 11 major league seasons and in Japan.
19 - Dan Masteller, Like This
Dan Masteller didn't bunt, was given green light and hit his first major league home run. It was a walk-off.
20 - Bob McCreary, Toughest Adjustment
Bob McCreary tried two paths to the bigs, hitting and pitching. He never made it in either.
21 - Denny Neagle, Already Familiar
Denny Neagle made connections in his new town, it led him to the Mitchell Report.
22 - Ray Ortiz, Winning Teams
Ray Ortiz helped his minor league teams to titles. In eight pro seasons, he never got a chance to help one in the majors.
23 - Joel Safly, Little Things
Joel Safly became a school athletic trainer after a brief pro stint.
24 - Dan Segui, Some Kids 
Dan Segui's father and brother made the bigs. In four seasons, Dan Segui never made it.
25 - Robert Spurlock, Well Acquainted
Robert Spurlock was in his fourth season as Visalia bat boy in 1990.
26 - Chad Swanson, Successfully Deployed
Chad Swanson and a teammate decided to pull a prank in 1988. Their chosen targets: The umpires.
27 - Mike Trombley, Good Times
Mike Trombley took the good times with the bad. He did so for 11 major league seasons.
28 - George Tsamis, Greatest Place
George Tsamis saw the big leagues as the greatest place. It was. And he was there for a single season.
29 - Scott Ullger, Chance Taken
Scott Ullger looked forward to returning to the bigs as a player, later returned as a coach.
30 - Fred White, Unlimited Potential
Fred White impressed scouts in high school with a 20-strikeout game. He played eight seasons as a pro, never made the bigs.
31 - Phil Wiese, Left Off
A torn rotator cuff forced an early end to Phil Wiese's baseball career, an early start to his golf career. 

Scott Ullger, Chance Taken - 2170

Scott Ullger began his third-straight big league camp in 1985. He was hoping to get back to the majors, a place he'd been only once, in 1983.

Late that spring, after being sent back to minor league camp, Ullger spoke with The Toledo Blade about the rigors, and expenses, in that minor league spring training.

"A lot of times you break even or lose money during spring training, but you know the chance is there," Ullger told The Blade. "Kirby Puckett was making $1,200 a month with the Mud Hens last season, but in less than six weeks he was in the big leagues and starting."

Ullger never did get to play again in the big leagues. But he has gotten back, as a coach. And he's been back each year since 1995, with his old parent club, the Twins, alternatively serving as a base coach or as hitting coach. And it's a job he continues into 2013, serving as the big league club's coach at first base.

Ullger's baseball career began in 1977, taken by the Twins in the 18th round of the draft, out of St. John's University.

Ullger started at single-A Wisconsin Rapids, them made AA Orlando in 1979 and AAA Toledo in 1982.

In 1983, Ullger is not recorded as playing in the minors at all. Instead, he debuted with Minnesota in April and played his last game in September. In all, though, he got into just 35 games, hitting .190.

That final game in September also turned out to be Ullger's final game in the majors. He played in AAA for four more seasons, his last with the Orioles at Rochester, ending his playing career.

But Ullger's baseball career continued. In 1988, he returned to the team that drafted him and brought him to the majors, taking the helm at single-A Visalia. He stayed on there as manager for three seasons.

At Visalia in 1990, he pegged a young Rich Garces as on his way to the bigs. Garces went on to a play decade in the majors.

"He's not afraid to work hard, and he's working on a split-finger to throw against lefties," Ullger told The Orlando Sentinel. "If he gets that down, then no one can touch him. He's a good athlete and good fielder. Don't forget that this kid is just 19 years old. He's just mature for his age."

Garces first made the majors that next month. It took Ullger a few more years, but soon he was back in the majors, too.

Ullger moved up to manage AA Orlando for 1991, then AAA Portland for 1992. It was in 1995 that Ullger moved back to the bigs, serving as third base coach in Minnesota.

Ullger served as third base coach for four seasons, then hitting coach for the next five. As a base coach, he guided runners around third to home, or stopped them. In one case in 1996, a mixed up command helped lead to a Twins loss. Ullger reported shouting "Go!," while the runner heard "No!," according to The Associated Press.

By December 2001, Ullger was talked about as a possible successor to longtime Twins manager Tom Kelly. Though the job went to another longtime coach Ron Gardenhire, Ullger stayed on under Gardenhire.

But, while continuing to coach for the team, Ullger has gotten looks at the manager's seat, when Gardenhire's been away.

In May 2012, as Gardenhire was away attending the college graduation of his daughter, Ullger tried to explain to The St. Paul Pioneer Press a 7-0 Twins loss.

"Well, I mean, you go through spells like this in the course of a season," Ullger told The Pioneer Press. "Hitting is contagious, and lack of hitting is contagious."

• Toledo Blade, April 1, 1985: Minor-League Spring Certainly No Big-League Deal
• Orlando Sentinel, Aug. 12, 1990: Closer 'Ali' Garces Punches Out Batters
• St. Paul Pioneer Press, May 5, 2012: Postgame view from Seattle

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,015
Made the Majors: 634 - 62.4%-X
Never Made Majors: 381-37.6%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 279-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Jay Kvasnicka, Means Everything - 2168

The Orlando SunRays won the 1991 Southern League title, with no small part of the credit going to Jay Kvasnicka.

In seven playoff games, The Orlando Sentinel wrote, Kvasnicka hit .417 and knocked in four.

"This really means everything," Kvasnicka told The Sentinel after the title series win. "We had such a rough start this season . . . to come together and win it all, you just can't imagine how good this feels."

Kvasnicka helped Orlando to that title in his third season as a pro. He would only get one more season and he would never make the majors.

Kvasnicka's career began in 1988, taken by the Twins in the eighth round of the draft, out of the University of Minnesota.

He started with the Twins at single-A Kenosha the next year, 1989. He hit .257 there, knocking in 42 and stealing 30 bases. Kvasnicka moved to single-A Visalia for 1990, hitting .232, but stealing 32 bases.

Kvasnicka then moved to AA Orlando for 1991, helping the team to the league title. During the season, he hit .271, stealing 23. In the championship series-winning game, Kvasnicka hit the game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth.

Kvasnicka returned to Orlando for 51 games in 1992. He also got his only look at AAA Portland, 26 games that year. Between the two, though, he hit just .212, ending his career.

Kvasnicka has since go on to see his son Michael Kvasnicka enter pro ball. Michael Kvasnicka played his third season in the Astros system in 2012, his second at single-A Lexington.

To The Brainerd Dispatch in 2009, Michael Kvasnicka credited his father's coaching influence with becoming the player he was. Kvasnicka was in Brainerd playing summer collegiate ball.

"I wouldn't have any idea where I'd be (without him)," Michael Kvasnicka told The Dispatch of his father. "Because of him, I'm starting to figure stuff out on my own and not need him, but he likes talking baseball and I like talking baseball. It's great having him, you know?"

• Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 16, 1991: Title 'Everything' To Kvasnicka
• Brainerd Dispatch, June 13, 2009: Kvasnicka on track to become household name

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,014
Made the Majors: 633 - 62.4%
Never Made Majors: 381-37.6%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 278
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Carlos Capellan played as pro over eight seasons, made AA

Carlos Capellan started off 1991 slow. By late-May, he was hitting just .229, The Orlando Sentinel wrote.

But in one game, he improved that average with three hits. He also knocked in two as his Orlando SunRays went on to a 12-3 victory.

Capellan went on to hit .241 on the season, his fifth as a pro. That season, though, would be his last full season in affiliated ball. He never made the majors.

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

He played his first season at rookie Elizabethton, hitting .261 there, knocking in 31. He moved to single-A Kenosha for 1988, hitting .244 over 113 games.

Capellan made single-A Visalia for 1989, returning there for 1990. He hit .261 his first year in the California League and .284 his next.

In August 1990, The Los Angeles Times wrote a feature on the California League that included a brief description of clubhouse roughhousing, where Capellan ran into a fire extinguisher. The article didn't say if Capellan lost time, but he did only get into 105 games that year, as opposed to 140 the year before.

For 1991, Capellan made AA Orlando, getting into 117 games, hitting that .241. Along the way, Capellan knocked a double and scored in a July game and picked up two hits in a late-July game.

Capellan's 1992 season, though, was brief. He got just four games at AA Orlando, then 11 at high-A Baseball City with the Royals.

He then isn't recorded as playing again until 1996, for independent Palm Springs. He got into 44 games that year and 54 the next for independent Greenville, ending his career.

• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 13, 1989: Field of Dreams
• Orlando Sentinel, May 24, 1991: Rays Pound Barons Wiese Snaps Slump

More: The 1990 Visalia Oaks

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,013
Made the Majors: 633 - 62.5%
Never Made Majors: 380-37.5%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 278
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Rich Garces, Proved Himself - 2148

By early August 2000, Rich Garces had already appeared in 46 games in relief for the Red Sox, The Hartford Courant wrote.

He'd played in seven previous major league seasons, never getting into more than 30.

"The teams I played with before," Garces explained to The Courant, "I never got the chances to go out there and prove myself."

Once he got that chance, Garces ran with it for two seasons. By the end of the year, Garcas' game total hit 64. The next year, it hit 62.

To get that kind of major league time, Garces had waited more than a decade, is career beginning 13 years earlier, signed by the Twins as an amateur free agent out of his native Venezuela. His brother Jesus Garces played three seasons in the minors.

Garces started with the Twins at rookie Elizabethton in 1988. He hit single-A Kenosha in 1989, then high-A Visalia and AA Orlando in 1990.

By August 1990, Garces had turned reliever, recording 32 saves between Visalia and Orlando, The Orlando Sentinel wrote. His manager at Visalia Scott Ullger had nothing for The Sentinel but praise for Garces.

"He's not afraid to work hard, and he's working on a split-finger to throw against lefties," Ullger told The Sentinel. "If he gets that down, then no one can touch him. He's a good athlete and good fielder. Don't forget that this kid is just 19 years old. He's just mature for his age."

By that September, that 19-year-old was in the majors. Garces debuted with Minnesota Sept. 18, getting into five relief outings. He gave up one earned run in 5.2 innings of work.

Garces, though, didn't return to Minnesota for three more seasons, getting three outings for the Twins in 1993. Garces then moved to the Cubs and Marlins systems for 1995, getting into 18 games between them. From there, Garces made the majors each season through 2002.

For 1996, Garces found his home in Boston. He got into 37 games that year, but 12 the next. He then got into 30 games in each of 1998 and 1999.

He then finally came into his own in 2000 and 2001, getting into more than 60 games each season. He then saw his final major league time in 2002, 27 games with the Red Sox.

In July 2001, in the midst of his second 60-plus outing season, Garces recorded a 13-inning scoreless string, according to The Courant.

"I just do my job," Garces explained to The Courant. "I hand the ball to Rod Beck, who hands it off to Derek Lowe. That has worked."

• Orlando Sentinel, Aug. 12, 1990: Closer 'Ali' Garces Punches Out Batters
  
• Hartford Courant, Aug. 2, 2000: Hitters Give Garces A Wide Berth
• Hartford Courant, July 16, 2001: Garces Pulls His Weight

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,012
Made the Majors: 633 - 62.6%-X
Never Made Majors: 379-37.4%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 278-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

George Tsamis, Greatest Place - 2154

By July 1993, George Tsamis already had more two months in the bigs behind him.

To his hometown Orlando Sentinel, he could only describe that time as a single word.

"It's unbelievable,'' Tsamis told The Sentinel. "The big leagues is just the greatest place. Since you're a little kid you've dreamed of it, and that's exactly what it's like."

For Tsamis, his stay in that greatest place continued through the end of the season, 41 total relief outings. Though he would play professionally for five more seasons, he never did get back.

Tsamis' professional career began in 1989, taken by the Twins in the 15th round of the draft, out of Florida's Stetson University. As a kid, Tsamis played in the Little League World Series.

Tsamis began with the Twins at single-A Visalia, serving as a starter. He returned to Visalia for 1990, then made the jump to AAA Portland for 1991.

The jump to Portland was an emergency call-up, but Tsamis pitched well enough to stay, The Sentinel wrote. That started thoughts of the next jump, to the majors.

'They (the Twins) have great pitchers, a lot of good pitchers, so it's going to be tough to break in there,'' Tsamis told The Sentinel. "I'd like to play for the Twins some day, but I'd prefer whatever gets me up there faster - as long as I get up there. There's nothing I can do about that, though. I can only think about pitching."

Tsamis' call, though, didn't come for two more years. He returned to Portland again in 1992, posting a 13-4 record, with a 3.90 ERA. He started 1993 back at Portland, then got his call to Minnesota.

With the Twins, Tsamis recorded those 41 relief appearances, his last coming Oct. 1. He picked up a save and a win, along with two losses. His ERA stood at 6.19.

His only win came May 26 at Oakland, where he went 1.1 innings, and gave up an earned run in a steady rain.

"I tell you what, that was a great thing even though I got knocked around a lot," Tsamis told The Minneapolis Star-Tribune years later. "I sat in the room that night and couldn't believe it. I played with some good guys. I'm lucky. That ball is my prized possession."

After Tsamis' major league run, he returned to the minors, playing in affiliated ball through 1995. He then played independent ball for three more seasons, ending his pro career.

For Tsamis, though, it was in independent ball where he found his home. In 1999, he picked up his first managerial job with the independent Waterbury Spirit. In 2003, he moved to independent St. Paul. He has managed there since, continuing into 2013.

Talking to The Hartford Courant after winning his first managerial job in 1999, Tsamis put that selection right up there with his other accomplishments.

"Next to being told I was going to pitch in the major leagues,'' Tsamis told The Courant, "this is the happiest moment of my baseball career.''

• Orlando Sentinel, July 4, 1991: Tsamis Follows Advice: Quit Worrying And Get Batters Out
• Orlando Sentinel, July 18, 1993: Tsamis Still Awed By Call To The Big Leagues
• Hartford Courant, Jan. 20, 1999: Tsamis Named Spirit Manager
• Minneapolis Star-Tribune, June 7, 2012: Moments of glory series

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,011
Made the Majors: 632 - 62.5%-X
Never Made Majors: 379-37.5%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 277
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Dan Segui, Some Kids - 2164

Dan Segui got a call from old teammate Curtis Pride in 2002 to help with a fundraiser and Segui couldn't say no, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel wrote.

The fundraiser was a wiffle ball tournament to benefit Pride's Together with Pride Foundation, an organization aimed at helping educate hearing-impaired children.

"Every kid, I think, grew up playing Wiffle ball," Segui told The Sun-Sentinel at the tournament. He was there with friends he recruited to play. "Some kids never grow up, though."

Segui and Pride played together in the Mets organization, at rookie Kingsport in 1987 and at short-season Pittsfield in 1989. But, while Pride would go on to make the majors over a two-decade-long pro career, Segui's career would be much shorter. Segui would also never make the majors.

Segui's pro career began in 1987, taken by the Mets in the 47th round of the draft, out of Kansas City Community College.

The Mets also took Segui as the son of a former major leaguer. Segui's father, Diego Segui, played in 15 major league seasons, and went on to coach in the minors. Also, taken higher in that same 1987 draft was Segui's brother, David Segui. David would go on to make the majors in 15 seasons himself.

Dan Segui's professional career began at rookie Kingsport in 1987. There, Segui got into 38 games, hitting just .170. He also hit two home runs and knocked in 11.

For 1988, Segui stayed in rookie ball, but in the Gulf Coast League. He got into 63 games there and hit .223.

Segui moved up to short-season Pittsfield for 1989. He started off hot, hitting .375 in his first 19 games, according to The Albany Times-Union.

By the end of the season, he had cooled off. Over 59 games, he hit .276. He also knocked in 23. It was perhaps his best season.

Segui's final season as a pro came in 1990. He moved for that year to the Twins organization, sent to high-A Visalia. At Visalia, Segui hit just .211 over 33 games, ending his professional career.

• South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Nov. 17, 2002: Wiffle Ball's A Big Hit At Benefit World Series

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,010
Made the Majors: 631 - 62.5%
Never Made Majors: 379-37.5%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 277
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Denny Neagle, Already Familiar - PC2150

Originally posted June 10, 2010

Traded to the Yankees earlier in the summer, Denny Neagle started making connections in his new town, New York. Among those connections, was a man Neagle met at a club.

Soon, Neagle called that man, looking to make a purchase. That man was Kirk Radomski. And Neagle was looking for HGH.

Neagle, Radomski recalled to George Mitchell, appeared already familiar with the drug. Neagle became a regular customer, of not only HGH, but anabolic steroids, as well.

It was a meeting and relationship detailed in the 2007 Mitchell Report on performance enhancing drug use in baseball. The Mitchell Report itself was also the final disintegration of a once great career, but one that had long since self-destructed.

It was a career that began 18 years before that report was published, with Neagle taken in the third-round of the 1989 draft by the Twins. Neagle was a virtual hometown product, a Maryland native who played his college ball at the University of Minnesota.

Neagle began 1990 at single-A Visalia, posting an 8-0 record before making AA Orlando by June. He opened his Orlando stint with a four-hit shutout, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

"I was determined to pitch the same way I did at Visalia,'' Neagle told The Sentinel after that win. ''Nothing fancy, nothing different. I didn't want to put a whole lot of pressure on myself. It wasn't a case of trying to prove myself here all over again.''

Neagle made it to Minnesota the next July, promptly getting a line-drive off his throwing elbow. The injury, and a subsequent demotion, delayed his other homecoming, pitching for the Twins at Baltimore, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Neagle began to come into his own in 1995, going 13-8 with the Pirates. Neagle would have double-digit wins each year through 2000, except in 1999, when he had nine.

His best year came in 1997, with the Braves. Neagle went 20-5 with a 2.97 ERA. It was enough for Neagle to come in third in the Cy Young voting. But he also had to wait his turn in the playoffs, pitching behind Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine. It was a wait that lasted 13 days.

"I'm not too worried about it, really," Neagle told The Associated Press. "The adrenaline rushes in and gets you throwing."

Neagle went on to pitch a complete-game shutout in Game 4 of the 1997 NLCS, a series the Braves would go on to lose to the Marlins.

By 2000, Neagle was with the Reds and then the Yankees, in time for his meeting with Radomski.

Then Neagle signed a deal with the Rockies that was one that became synonymous would soon easily earn the prefix "ill-advised." It was a $51 million, five-year deal. Neagle would only play three forgettable seasons, often injured, with the final year canceled by the Rockies.

It was canceled after a series of off-the-field issues, including that he was simply off the field. His final game was July 20, 2003. But, more notably, Neagle pleaded guilty to two crimes after that.

As detailed in a 2006 wire story, Neagle pleaded guilty to one count of patronizing a prostitute. He was accused of paying a woman $40 for sex in December 2004. Neagle previously pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in 2003.

It was also during that time that Neagle kept up his relationship with Radomski. Neagle purchased the drugs from Radomski five or six times from 2000 to 2004, Radomski told Mitchell. Radomski's story was backed up by copies of eight checks, from or on behalf of Neagle.

Neagle did not respond to Mitchell's request for an interview to address the allegations.

• Orlando Sentinel, June 1, 1990: Neagle Throws 4-hitter In Debut With Sunrays
• Baltimore Sun, Aug. 22, 1991: Neagle's Hometown Big-league Debut Thrown A Curve
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 6, 1997: Neagle waits turn for pitching-rich Braves in playoffs
• ESPN.com, Associated Press, Jan. 25, 2006: Neagle pleads guilty, gets community service
• MLB.com, December 2007: Mitchell Report pdf Page 235

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,009
Made the Majors: 631 - 62.5%
Never Made Majors: 378-37.5%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 277
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Mike Trombley, Good Times - 2153

Mike Trombley tried to keep his outing in perspective. He'd just got himself out of a jam in this June 1999 game against the Red Sox. But he also knew it wasn't always like that.

"You take the good times with the bad," Trombley told reporters afterward. "Tonight I just threw some good pitches in a big situation. Nomar (Garciaparra) and (John) Valentin are not easy batters. The other night it wasn't so good, tonight it was OK. Tonight I got ahead of the hitters and got them to chase my pitches."

Trombley spoke with experience. He was in his eighth major league season, all with the Twins. He went on to get time in a total of 11 big league seasons, getting into more than 500 games, almost all in relief.

Trombley's professional career began in 1989, taken by the Twins in the 14th round of the draft, out of Duke University.

Trombley started at single-A Visalia and single-A Kenosha, moving to full time starting at Visalia in 1990. He hit AA Orlando in 1991, even throwing a seven-inning no-hitter.

Trombley hit AAA Portland in 1992, the same year he debuted with Minnesota. He got into his first game with the Twins in August, getting 10 outings, seven starts. He then returned for 44 more outings in 1993, starting just 10.

Speaking to The Wilmington Star-News in spring 1993, Trombley looked back on his time in the pros and how he got to where he was.

"Guys who breeze through college go into pro ball thinking it's going to be easy," Trombley told The Star-News. "But I think because I was 6-22 in college, I went in with no expectations."

Trombley jumped between starting and relief through 1995. From 1996 on, though, he was a reliever. He got 43 outings in 1996, 67 in 1997 and 77 in 1998. From 1998 to 2000, Trombley got into more than 70 games a year. In 1999, he served as the Twins' closer, saving 24.

In 1997, Trombley credited his new pitch, the split-finger fastball, with helping his game.

"I got sent down last year, and I really kind of wondered where my career was going," Trombley told The Duke Chronicle that June. "But once I started throwing the split finger, it really became a great pitch for me. It's made all the difference-it's made my other pitches better."

Trombley moved to the Orioles for 2000, then the Dodgers in mid-2001. Trombley then finished out his career in 2002, returning to the Twins for five final outings.

Trombley has since gone into the financial services industry in his home state of Massachusetts and had taken up golf, according to The Springfield Republican. He also teaches youth and, as of 2011, had his own local baseball radio show.

• Wilmington Star-News, March 27, 1993: Ex-Duke pitcher shines
• Duke Chronicle, June 12, 1997: Trombley settles in with Twins after inauspicious college career 
• CNNSI.com, Ticker,  June 18, 1999: AL Recap (Minnesota-Boston)
• Springfield Republican, June 8, 2011: Wilbraham's Mike Trombley makes pitch as a pretty good golfer

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,009
Made the Majors: 631 - 62.5%-X
Never Made Majors: 378-37.5%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 277
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Brian Allard played 3 major league seasons, later coached

Brian Allard was looking for his second major league victory. The opposing pitcher he had to get through to get that second win was only coming off a perfect game, Len Barker.

Allard ended up going seven innings, giving up four hits and a single run, getting that second win. He also did it, he told The Associated Press later, by pitching sticking to his game.

"My main objective is to get as many groundball outs as I can," Allard told The AP afterward, "because I'm a groundout pitcher."

Allard got that second major league win in his third season with time in the majors. He ended up getting just two more big league wins.

But he did go on to a career working with younger pitchers, trying to get them to their main objective, the bigs, though he never returned to the bigs himself.

Allard's baseball career began in 1976, taken by the Rangers in the fourth round of the draft, out of Henry High School in Illinois.

Allard started with the Rangers in rookie ball, then moved to single-A, AA and AAA in successive years. The year he made AAA, he also made the majors.

Allard debuted with the Rangers in August 1979. He got into seven games, starting four. He picked up his first big league win, as well has his first three losses.

Allard returned to Texas for 5 games in 1980, two starts. He gave up nine earned runs in 14.1 innings, going 0-1. He then got that final time in the bigs in 1981, with seven starts as a Mariner. He went 3-2, with a 3.75 ERA, ending his big league career.

Allard, though, continued playing in the minors through 1984, playing his final seasons with the Mariners at AAA.

Out of his playing career then came his coaching career. He began in 1985 at AAA Maine, then moved to single-A Waterloo for 1986. By 1990, he was with the Twins, serving as pitching coach at high-A Visalia.

At Visalia, Allard watched over young closer Richard Garces. Garces moved up to AA Orlando by August.

"He's got quite a future ahead of him," Allred told The Orlando Sentinel of Garces, who went on to pitch in 10 major league seasons. "He has an above-average fastball and a sharp breaking curve. If he gets both pitches over, it's all over."

For 1994, Allard served with the Tigers at high-A Lakeland. There, he worked with young pitcher Rick Greene on his delivery, as Greene came back from an injury, The Lakeland Ledger wrote.

By 1996, Allard was pitching coach at AAA Toledo. One of his pitchers there was a young Jose Lima. Lima went on to a career that spanned 13 seasons. That May in 1996, though, Lima was coming off an outing at Toledo where he gave up seven earned runs and didn't get out of the fourth.

"He's been to the big leagues three times now, and he keeps getting sent back," Allard told The Toledo Blade of Lima. "So something's got to change. His command is what's lacking and command mostly starts with his concentration level."

• Spokane Spokesman-Review, Associated Press, May 21, 1981: Barker not so perfect
• Orlando Sentinel, Aug. 12, 1990: Closer 'Ali' Garces Punches Out Batters
• Lakeland Ledger, Aug. 16, 1994: Mounds of talent, Part 2
• Toledo Blade, May 28, 1996: Mud Hens drop tilt to Wings

More: The 1990 Visalia Oaks

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,008
Made the Majors: 630 - 62.5%
Never Made Majors: 378-37.5%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 277
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Chad Swanson, Successfully Deployed - 2152

Read the March 2015 interview: Chad Swanson, Good Pitches

Chad Swanson explained the trick to The Chicago Tribune. The trick was pennying a door.

"With the door closed, one guy pushes on the top so it bends," Swanson told The Tribune in July 1988. "Then the other guy slides the pennies in the space between the door and the doorjamb, as close as he can to the latch. You do the same thing on the bottom."

He explained it to The Tribune after he and teammate Pat Bangtson were fined $25 each, after successfully deploying the trick on two umpires.

Swanson was in his second season as as pro that year in 1988. He went on to get just two more, never getting the chance to deploy his baseball antics in the major leagues.

Swanson's career began in 1987, signed by the Twins as an undrafted free agent, out of St. Cloud State University.

At St. Cloud, Swanson posted a 3.41 ERA in his final season, along with seven complete games and three shutouts.

With the Twins, Swanson started at single-A Kenosha, going 4-3 in 13 outings, with a 3.93 ERA. With Kenosha again in 1988, Swanson posted a 2.74 ERA in 41 mostly relief outings.

He played most of 1989 with single-A Visalia, getting 30 outings there. He also got 10 back at Kenosha. Between them, he recorded a 2.75 ERA and two saves.

For 1990, what turned out to be his final season, Swanson got into 39 games, with an ERA of 4.99. He also picked up three saves, ending his career.

Read the March 2015 interview: Chad Swanson, Good Pitches 

• Chicago Tribune, July 8, 1988: Minor-League Madcaps Take It 1 Joke At A Time

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,007
Made the Majors: 630 - 62.6%
Never Made Majors: 377-37.4%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 277
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Pat Mahomes, Paying Off - PC2149

Originally published May 18, 2011
Once a top prospect, Pat Mahomes had never become the star he thought he'd be, The New York Times wrote in 1999.

But, in 1999, after a trip to Japan, Mahomes experienced a resurgence, The Times wrote. Helping with that was an attitude change.

"I figured I wasn't a boy anymore. I knew I would have to work harder just to get a good look," Mahomes told The Times. He added later, ''I just worked hard. And now it seems like it's all paying off."

Mahomes got 39 appearances that year for the Mets, winning eight games in relief against no losses. His next two seasons, with the Mets and the Rangers, he would get into even more games, more than 50 each.

In all, Mahomes saw time in 11 big league seasons, plus one in Japan. His playing career itself would span more than two decades. He's now watching another Mahomes play baseball, his teenage son Patrick II.

Mahomes' career began in 1988, taken by the Twins in the sixth round of the draft, out of Lindale High School in Texas.

He played that first year at rookie-league Elizabethton, making high-A Visalia in 1990. In 1991, he hit AA Orlando and AAA Portland. Mahomes went 11-10 between the two, posting a combined 2.32 ERA.

In April, at Orlando, Mahomes took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. In May, he struck out 16, according to The Orlando Sentinel. "You won't see a better-pitched game at the Double-A level,'' Orlando manager Scott Ullger told The Sentinel after the 16-strikeout effort.

Mahomes opened the next spring as the Twins' first spring starter. In April, he was with the big club. He picked up wins in two of his first three starts, but ended 3-4 in 13 starts. For his first win, Mahomes went six innings, giving up one run on five hits.

"The kid did a great job," Twins manager Tom Kelly told The Associated Press after Mahomes' first win. "He's going to have a helluva future. He throws hard enough and he mixes 'em up pretty well."

In 1993, Mahomes returned for another 12 appearances, five of them starts. He went 1-5, with a 7.71 ERA. In 1994, he was a regular, starting 21 and going 9-5. His ERA that year was 4.73.

In mid-May, Mahomes went seven innings in one outing, giving up just two hits.

"I don't know if it's a matter of me progressing or not," Mahomes told The AP after that outing. "I'm just keeping the ball low, hitting spots, mixing up pitches, putting the ball in play and letting the defense make great plays."

In 1995, Mahomes moved to largely relief, getting into 47 games, but taking the loss in 10. He stayed with the Twins into August 1996, when Minnesota traded him to the Red Sox. He only lasted with Boston into July of the next year, when he was released.

After spending 1998 in Japan with Yokohama, Mahomes returned to the U.S. for 1999 and his resurgence with the Mets. By August 1999, Mahomes was 5-0 as a long reliever, with a 3.12 ERA.

"I worked so hard to get back, and it seems like it's all paying off,'' Mahomes told The Times after his fifth win. "The 5-0 record and the hitting, all that's a plus. I'm just trying to re-establish myself."

Mahomes got 53 outings in 2000, with a 5.45 ERA. He fell short of the Mets' postseason roster, the team making its run to the World Series. In 2001, Mahomes played for Texas and got 56 appearances. His final time in the majors came in 2003, nine outings with the Pirates.

Mahomes, however, continued playing through 2009, his last affiliated time coming in 2007. His final two seasons came in the independent leagues.

In August 2010, Mahomes took pleasure in watching his 14-year-old son, Patrick II, play ball, The Southgate News-Herald wrote.

"This is more exciting for me," Pat Mahomes told The News-Herald of watching his son. "When you're out there playing, you have some control over what’s going on. When you’re in the stands watching your son, you just hope for the best."

• Orlando Sentinel, May 23, 1991: Mahomes Strikes Out 16 But Loses On 2 Homers
• Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Associated Press, April 22, 1992: Rookie pitches Twins past M's
• Eugene Register-Guard, Associated Press, May 19, 1994: Twins sweep out Yanks streak
• New York Times, Aug. 2, 1999: Mets Ready to Twist and Shout After Victory
• New York Times, Aug. 3, 1999: Mahomes Finally Catches On After a Checkered Career
• Southgate News-Herald, Aug. 20, 2010: Former Major Leaguer delights in son's achievements

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,006
Made the Majors: 630 - 62.6%
Never Made Majors: 376-37.4%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 277
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Carl Fraticelli, Came Ready - 2160

Carl Fraticelli's Hawaii Aliis had already set their playoff seed. In this late-July 2010 collegiate league game, though, the Aliis helped prevent the rival Waimea Waves from clinching theirs.

"We came out here still wanting to win a series," Aliis head coach Carl Fraticelli told the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League site afterward. "They took it that way and came ready to play."

Fraticelli served as head coach for the Aliis in 2010, part of a long coaching career that continues in 2013 as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Hawaii. That coaching career came after a brief playing one that saw him come ready to play in three pro seasons, but never above high-A.

Fraticelli's pro playing career began in 1988, taken by the Twins in the 19th round, out of Loyola Marymount University. At Loyola, Fraticelli played well enough to make the cover of the media guide.

With the Twins, Fraticelli started at single-A Visalia, playing second base. He got into just 35 games that year, hitting .275 with six RBIs. It would be Fraticelli's best season, and one with his most games played.

He returned to Visalia for 1989, getting into 27 games that year, hitting .205. In 1990, it was Visalia again. It was also his final year as a pro. Fraticelli got into just 11 games that season, getting two hits in 18 at bats.

Fraticelli's playing career over, he became a scout for the Athletics, then coached at Diablo Valley College and Los Medanos College, according to his Hawaii bio. In 2006, he took the reins of the collegiate Hawaii Aliis. For 2013, he's serving his third season as volunteer assistant coach at Hawaii.

With the Aliis in 2010, Fraticelli's team secured the sixth seed. The team's playoff run, though, was brief, becoming the first team eliminated after an 8-6 loss.

"We battled as best as we could we just couldn't stay out of those big innings," Fraticelli told the league site afterward. "We gave up a two-run and five-run inning that separated the game right there."

• Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League, July 31, 2010: Waves fail to capture No. 2 seed in 5-2 loss to Aliis
• Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League, Aug. 3, 2010: Five-run 7th inning propels Surfers as Aliis first to go
• HawaiiAthletics.com: Carl Fraticelli

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,006
Made the Majors: 630 - 62.6%
Never Made Majors: 376-37.4%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 277
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Fred White, Unlimited Potential - 2155

Fred White got the notice of scouts in high school, a 20-strikeout game will do that.

That performance came in White's senior year, after a 0.64 ERA his junior year at Long Beach's Jordan High School.

"His stock has really gone up," White's high school coach Bill Powell told The Los Angeles Times in April 1986. "He throws harder than he did last year, has a lot better control and his composure has improved. He expects to win when he goes to the mound. If he gets a (professional) pitching coach to teach him the right mechanics (after high school), his potential is unlimited."

White ended up impressing scouts enough that year to get selected in the third round of the draft by the Twins. White, though, could never seem to realize that potential in the pros, getting a long, eight-season career, but only making it to AA once and never getting higher.

With the Twins, White began at rookie Elizabethton, getting eight outings, six starts. He also posted a 5.11 ERA and returned to Elizabethton for 1987. In his second year in rookie ball, used in 11 starts, White failed to pick up a win, going 0-9, with a 7.53 ERA.

For 1988, White moved to single-A Kenosha. In 22 starts there, he went 6-8, with a 3.36 ERA. It was, perhaps, his best season.

White moved to single-A Visalia for 1989, going 7-8 in 29 outings, 15 starts. His ERA increased to 6.79.

White then returned to Visalia for the next two seasons, working mainly in relief. His ERA hit 5.45 in 1990, then 5.80 in 1991. In 1991, White also picked up 10 saves.

For 1992, White made the jump to AA Orlando, picking up a relief win in early April. In mid-May, White came on in relief, pitching a total of 7.1 innings and giving up just one run. It was a performance that earned praise from his manager Phil Roof.

"That's the best Freddy has been this year," Roof told The Orlando Sentinel after White's performance.

White, though, had few other opportunities to perform. In all, he got into just 15 games for the AA SunRays that year, posting a 5.13 ERA. It was his final year in the Twins' organization. He returned for just one more season, getting into seven games in 1993 with the Cubs at high-A Daytona, ending his career.

• Los Angeles Times, April 3, 1986: Major Leagues Train Eyes on Jordan's White After 20-K Gem
• Orlando Sentinel, May 19, 1992: Rays Slip Past Knights In 11th

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,005
Made the Majors: 630 - 62.7%
Never Made Majors: 375-37.3%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 277
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Mike House, Different Path - 2167

Mike House got himself drafted and played as a pro. Years later, he credited that path with a different path he chose for himself in college.

"After transferring to Hawaii Pacific College in 1987," House told his original school, Lewis-Clark State College, years later, "I was able to turn my career around."

House did do well enough at Hawaii Pacific to get drafted, but he apparently didn't do well enough as a pro for a long career. He's credited with just two seasons, making it to high-A Visalia, but no higher.

A native of British Columbia, House was drafted out of Hawaii Pacific in the 18th round in 1989.

In one March 1988 game at Hawaii Pacific, House knocked a two-run home run, and did it off his old school, Lewis-Clark. Also at the school, House is credited with earning 1989 Male Scholar Athlete of the Year honors in 1989 and NAIA All American honors that same year.

As a pro, House started at rookie Elizabethton. In 63 games there, House hit a stellar .376, winning the league's batting title. He also hit 12 home runs and knocked in 68.

For 1990, House moved to high-A Visalia, where he got into 88 games. He also hit a still-respectable .266, with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs.

But his year with Visalia was also his last recorded year as a pro, though to Lewis-Clark, House referenced two more seasons that apparently did not include appearances in games.

House now works in real estate management and consulting in Las Vegas.

• Lewis-Clark State College: Mike House

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,004
Made the Majors: 630 - 62.8%
Never Made Majors: 374-37.2%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 277
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167

Mike Aspray saw 4 seasons, made high-A Visalia with Twins

Mike Aspray nearly got himself a perfect game. Instead, he settled for a no-hitter.

Going into the ninth inning, Aspray hadn't allowed a Waterloo Indian to reach base. With one out, though, he walked one, then another.

Still, though, Aspray managed to finish off the game without allowing a hit for single-A Peoria.

Aspray accomplished that feat in his second year as a pro. But Aspray wasn't able to translate that single-game success into a long career. He ended up getting just two more seasons, never making it above high-A.

Aspray's professional career began in 1987, signed by the Cubs after a college career that took him to West Los Angeles College and Cal State Dominquez Hills. He was previously taken by the Royals in the 10th round of the January 1985 draft, but did not sign.

In college, at Dominquez Hills, Aspray helped his team to the Division II College World Series in 1987, earning conference co-pitcher of the year honors along the way.

With the Cubs, Aspray started at short-season Geneva, getting 23 outings, two starts, posting a 2.45 ERA. He also struck out 56.

For 1988, Aspray returned to starting, going 10-14 between single-A Winston Salem and Peoria, getting that no-hitter at Peoria. He also posted a 2.73 ERA, striking out 131.

Aspray played at Winston-Salem full-time in 1989, going 8-15, with a 3.86 ERA. In May, Aspray picked up a win in the front-end of a double-header, giving up just two hits. It was his last year with the Cubs organization.

For 1990, Aspray arrived with the Twins, sent to high-A Visalia. There, Aspray got into just 19 games in relief, posting a 3.46 ERA. By early August, Aspray received his release, ending his career.

• Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, wire service, Aug. 10, 1988: Minor-leaguer hurls no-hitter

More: The 1990 Visalia Oaks

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,003
Made the Majors: 630 - 62.8%
Never Made Majors: 373-37.2%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 277
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 167