Interview: Gary Thurman's player advice, look for positive

Gary Thurman at Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg, Pa., in August 2013. (G21D Photo)

Called up to the majors in late-August 1987, Gary Thurman found himself called into the manager's office rather quickly, he recalled recently to The Greatest 21 Days.

The meeting with Royals skipper John Wathan was because Wathan had gotten a call: Thurman's wife was in labor.

"He said, 'You have two choices,'" Thurman recalled Wathan telling him. "'You can go home, or you can stay to play.' And I chose to stay to play."

Thurman stayed, picked up his first major league hit, first major league stolen base and his first major league error, all in his first major league start.

The team playing in Chicago, Thurman and his friends jumped in a car after the game and headed for Indianapolis. When they arrived, his new daughter Brytoney was waiting for him, born a half hour before he arrived.

"She's a major league baby," Thurman noted.

Thurman himself was a major league player, and he would be one in a total of nine seasons, playing largely with he Royals, but also with the Tigers, Mariners and Mets.

Dusty Wathan, the son of Gary Thurman's old manager John Wathan, happened to be in the ballpark this night in August 2013, managing visiting Reading. (G21D Photo)

Thurman has since served as a coach in the minors, helping others to become major leaguers. For 2013, Thurman served as minor league outfield and base-running coordinator for the Nationals.

Thurman spoke to The Greatest 21 Days before an August game in Harrisburg, Pa., at Metro Bank Park. Thurman was in town visiting the Nationals' AA affiliate the Harrisburg Senators.

Part 1: Started Something | Part 2: Something Positive 

In the interview, Thurman spoke of growing up in Indianapolis more a fan of football than baseball. He then spoke of his ultimate calculation to choose baseball, and then his early struggles in the minors.

Thurman went on to play in nine major league seasons, then become a minor league coach.

Thurman, a former first-round pick, got that major league debut in late-August 1987, in his fifth season as a pro. He'd started slowly in his first two seasons out of high school, then his bat picked up, and his speed.

Nationals coordinator Gary Thurman, standing far right dugout, watches the Senators fielders in August 2013. (G21D Photo)

Making his choice to stay and make his major league debut, Thurman thought back to his then-wife, likening the experience to getting married.

"I remember when I got married and my knees, they were shaking so dang gone bad, and my first at bat, it felt the same way," Thurman recalled. "I felt like my knees were clanging together and shaking. I was nervous."

Thurman then noted all the firsts he achieved, hit, stolen base and error. "I did it all, so after that, I was pretty comfortable," he said.

Thurman ended up getting into 27 games for the Royals that year, hitting .296. He returned for 35 games the next and 72 in 1989. Thurman was an outfielder, the Royals already had a pretty good outfield of Bo Jackson, Willie Wilson and Danny Tartabull, he noted.

But Thurman was willing to wait it out.

Gary Thurman, right standing, in the Metro Bank Park dugout in August 2013. (G21D Photo)

"I had gotten a taste and knew I could play up there. I just wanted to get back, so I bided my time," Thurman said, adding a short time later, "Once you get there, you always want to get back."


One moment Thurman remembered from his first season was one from the final day of the season. Teammate Willie Wilson was battling for the stolen base title. With Wilson on first and Thurman on second, Thurman needed to make it to third for Wilson's steal of second to count.

Thurman made it, getting his teammate closer to the league lead. Thurman also recalled getting a high-five from Wilson back in the dugout as thanks.

"I felt like I did my part to get him close," Thurman recalled.

Thurman continued playing with the Royals through 1992, getting in 80 games and 88 games his final two seasons. He played 75 games with the Tigers in 1993, then 13 with the Mariners in 1995 and 11 final major league games with the Mets in 1997.

Gary Thurman, right standing, in the dugout at Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg in August 2013. (G21D Photo)

After playing his final minor league game in 1998, Thurman went right into coaching. He returned to the Mariners system, and returned to rookie ball, managing in the Arizona League.

He recalled it as an easy transition, especially switching teams. The level change, though, was jarring.

"I think the worst part of it was the baseball, going from major league baseball and AAA baseball to rookie league baseball, where they make a lot of physical and mental mistakes," Thurman said. "That was the toughest and most frustrating."

But he also got used to it, and felt like he was helping the players get to a higher level, and making a difference in their careers.

Thurman has since served as a manager in the Midwest League and the California League and hitting coach in the Texas League. He's also served as a first base coach in the major leagues twice, with the Mariners in 2007 and the Marlins in 2012.

Gary Thurman in the Senators dugout at Metro Bank Park in August 2013. (G21D Photo)

As for how to get through to younger players, Thurman said that depends on the player.

"You show them, you tell them, you make them do it. You tell them stories, however you think you can get to them," Thurman said. "And you try to do it that way because everybody doesn't learn the same. You try to teach them different ways."

Thurman spoke before the Harrisburg game, as he and Harrisburg hitting coach Eric Fox were heading in for a pre-game talk with the AA Senators.

Thurman said he planned to talk to the team about how difficult the game of baseball really is.

"Great players fail 70 percent of the time," Thurman said of his expected talk. "So you've got to find something positive out of every single game, out of every single at bat, find something positive to keep your mind on an even keel."

Read Part 1: Gary Thurman heeded Mom's advice, got long career

 Part 1: Started Something | Part 2: Something Positive

Interview: Gary Thurman heeded Mom's advice, got long career

Nationals roving outfield and base-running coordinator Gary Thurman at Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg, Pa., in August 2013. (G21D Photo)

HARRISBURG, PA - A Royals first-round draft pick, Gary Thurman's career started slowly. It started slow enough, he recalled recently, that he even thought about going home.

"I was ready to hang it up and go back to college to play football," Thurman recalled to The Greatest 21 Days of that second pro season where he hit .228 and struck out 127 times, "because I knew I could be successful at football."

What kept him in the game, though, he recalled, was advice from his mother.

"My mother always taught me, 'hey, when you start something, you've got to finish it,'" Thurman said.

"The Royals had confidence enough in me to draft me, if they've got enough confidence in me to stay with me, then I'm going to stick with it," Thurman recalled. "And I'm glad I did. Thirty-one years later, I'm still here."

Thurman was still there this past season, serving 2013 as the Nationals' minor league outfield and base-running coordinator.

A Harrisburg Senator on the base paths at third. Gary Thurman was in Harrisburg in August to work with Senator base runners and outfielders. (G21D Photo)

Thurman spoke to The Greatest 21 Days before an August game in Harrisburg, Pa., at Metro Bank Park. Thurman was in town, visiting the Nationals' AA affiliate the Harrisburg Senators.

In the interview, Thurman spoke of growing up in Indianapolis more a fan of football than baseball. He then spoke of his ultimate calculation to choose baseball, and then his early struggles in the minors.

Part 1: Started Something | Part 2: Something Positive

Thurman went on to play in nine major league seasons, a major league career, Thurman recalled, that started with a choice: Should he make his major league debut, or should he see his daughter's birth.

Thurman grew up in Indianapolis, raised by his mother in a single-parent household. He also grew up a football player, not a baseball player.

Harrisburg Senators in the dugout in August 2013. Gary Thurman was in town to work with Senator base runners and outfielders. (G21D Photo)

It wasn't until his sophomore year that he really started to play baseball. He actually started playing because one of his buddies was playing, Thurman recalled.

Though he started late, he got good fast. He got to go to a Royals tryout camp and he played well. In his junior year, he got to go to a national sports festival. Soon, he had the eye of scouts.

"It all happened pretty quick, actually, for me," Thurman said. "My passion was football, it wasn't baseball."

Come draft time in 1983, Thurman was in another tournament. He recalled not even knowing he'd been drafted until somebody told him.

And he wasn't just drafted, he went first round, 21st overall, to the Royals. He was so much a football guy, he recalled, that he didn't really understand in the moment that he wasn't going directly to the majors.

Gary Thurman, far right standing, in the Senators' Metro Bank Park dugout in August 2013. (G21D Photo)

As to why he chose baseball, a sport he hardly even liked at that point, over the sport that was the one he really loved, football, Thurman said it was a calculation.

A career in baseball, he reasoned, would be longer than one in football healthwise. Then there was also the calculation for his family, his mother.

"Just the wear and tear on your body wasn't as much," Thurman said. "But I think the biggest thing was I knew I could help my family with the money that I received as a bonus."

He then made himself a career. So, out of Indianapolis' North Central High School, Thurman turned pro.

Thurman played that first season in the rookie Gulf Coast League, hitting .259 over 59 games, stealing 31 bases. His second season is where he really ran into trouble. At single-A Charleston, his average dropped and his strikeouts went up. He still stole 44 bases.

He recalled trying to make the transition from high school pitching and that speed, to the speed of professional pitchers in the minors.

"It took me a couple years to get used to that, to try to catch up with that speed," Thurman said. "After a couple years, I started to get used to that speed, slowing the game down a little bit."

From Charleston, though, he took off. His average shot up in 1985 at single-A Fort Myers to .302. His stolen bases improved along with it, stealing a total of 70 bases that year.

Go to Part 2, Gary Thurman's player advice, look for positive

Part 1: Started Something | Part 2: Something Positive

Bonus interview in Harrisburg - Gary Thurman

Harrisburg's Metro Bank Park in August. (G21D Photo)

Back in August, I had some extra time off from the day job, so I decided to burn a couple days of it on some blog stuff, and hopefully some interviews.

After researching different options on the best place to go, I settled on Harrisburg, Pa. That's because the Harrisburg Senators were playing the Reading Fightin' Phils. In the ballpark, as far as I knew, were three players in my project.

The Senators had two, hitting coach Eric Fox and pitching coach Paul Menhart. The Fightins had hitting coach Frank Cacciatore. All three, it turned out, were up for interviews. Add to those, there was also local youth instructor Gavin Osteen. He was also up for being interviewed.

So that was my trip. Four interviews, worth it. As it turned out, though, I ended up doing five. That's because an off-hand mention by Eric Fox turned into a fifth interview, one with former Royals outfielder Gary Thurman.

It was actually the second time I've been surprised with a bonus interview. The first time was a 2011 trip to Lowell, Mass. On that trip, I was expecting to interview Lowell's pitching coach Paul Abbott and visiting Aberdeen manager Leo Gomez.

Abbott, though, spotted the card I had him sign, his CMC card with Portland, and pointed out there was another 1990 Portland player there that night, Vic Rodriguez. Rodriguez happened to be in town working with Lowell's hitters as the Red Sox' roving minor league hitting instructor.

That made me thankful for having a smart phone. Having only a couple minutes lead time, I quickly went over my previous Rodriguez post and seemed to put together a coherent, quick interview. (The other cool thing about that is Rodriguez is now in Boston for 2013, as assistant hitting coach.)

Not expecting to interview Rodriguez, I had to mail him his card to sign. He actually got it back pretty quickly.

For Thurman, it was Fox' mention that led to my interview with him. Though the time was tight, Thurman was good enough to take the time out to speak with me. Again having a few minutes lead time to research, it seemed to turn out well.

And I would have had the interview up sooner, but I was hoping to have the signed card with it. Hopefully that's on its way. But here's the interview, the bonus one from Harrisburg. It should be posted soon.

Harrisburg Interviews
-Gavin Osteen, 8/19/13 
-Frank Cacciatore, 8/16/13
-Eric Fox, 8/11/13
-Paul Menhart, 8/9/13

Lowell 2011 Interviews
-Vic Rodriguez, 9/12/11
-Paul Abbott, 8/15/11
-Leo Gomez, 8/5/11

Ed Quijada, Another Transition - 2758

Originally published May 8, 2012

Ed Quijada worked in 1991 to make the transition as smooth as possible, and have success.

Quijada had played the last three seasons as an infielder. Now, in 1991, he was a pitcher.

"It was tough," Quijada told The Houston Chronicle that August. "There was a lot of pressure on me coming out of the bullpen with the game on the line. The hardest thing for me was getting rid of the butterflies."

Quijada never did make the majors, playing that year and parts of three more in the minors. He threw his last pitch after a return in 1997.

More recently, though, Quijada has been trying to make the best of another transition, a life altering one.

It's a transition forced by a 2009 car accident, one that left Quijada paralyzed from the neck down.

In the months and years since, Quijada has been working to regain as much function as possible, as well as being a father to his kids and husband to his wife, according to a series of YouTube interviews.

"From the day I woke up from this accident," Quijada told an interviewer in a video posted in November 2009, "I said, I just basically said 'Game on. It's another game.' My whole life has always been around games. I said, you know, let this be a game."

For Quijada, the actual games began in high school, a four-sport star at Rio Vista High School in California. Of the four sports, though, it was baseball Quijada chose.

Quijada signed with the Astros out of Rio Vista, taken by Houston in the 16th round of the 1988 draft.

With the Astros, Quijada played that first year and the next in the rookie Gulf Coast League. For 1990, Quijada moved to single-A Asheville, playing the year at third base.He never could really hit, though, hitting in the .220s two out of his first three seasons.

For 1991, Quijada tried pitching, the spot he would be for the final four seasons of his career. He returned to Asheville that year, then moved to single-A Burlington in 1992. His time in Burlington, though, was his last time in the Astros system. He went 2-2 in 18 outings, 9 starts that year, with an ERA of 4.26.

Quijada is recorded as playing in two more seasons, in 1993 with independent Sioux City, then back in 1997 at independent Chico.

By the time Quijada arrived at Chico, though, he had met his wife Amy. Soon married, they had three children, according to the YouTube interviews. Quijada went into construction, playing in the local softball league. He also built their house in Northern California.

Then, in February 2009, on a trip to visit his father in Lake Tahoe, Quijada's car crashed. The resulting spinal cord injury left him Quijada essentially paralyzed from the chest down, according to the interviews.

Quijada has gone through treatments and therapy, according to the videos. Helping pay for it all has been fund raisers. Months after his accident Quijada's old team the Asheville Tourists even held a charity auction to benefit him.

In one of the videos, Quijada and his wife Amy talk abut the drastic changes the injury has made in their lives, and their efforts to keep things going. Three kids, Quijada said, are difficult enough to raise, even without an injury like his. The key, though, is to learn to adapt, he told the interviewer.

"Patience. Patience is probably the biggest thing with this injury and everything," Quijada says in the video. "You have to learn patience because the things that are so accustomed to going so fast, are so much slower."

• Houston Chronicle, Aug. 19, 1991: No-hitter carries added definition for new pitcher
• YouTube, edhbarker, 2009: Ed Quijada Interviews 
• YouTube, edhbarker, Nov. 25, 2009: Ed Quijada accident
• YouTube, edhbarker, Nov. 25, 2009: Ed Quijada about my family and life

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,307
Made the Majors: 711 - 54.4%
Never Made Majors: 596-45.6%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 307
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 181

Jose Offerman, With His Bat - 354

Originally published Oct. 22, 2011

Jose Offerman was expected to do special things with his bat when he was called up to the majors in August 1990, just not necessarily so soon and not necessarily in this way.

In his first major league at bat, leading off the Aug. 20 game against the Expos, Offerman hit a home run, something only 60 other players in history had done to that point.

"I wasn't nervous," Offerman told The Associated Press later. "Baseball's the same, whether you play here, Albuquerque or San Antonio."

Offerman never did live up to the expectations placed on him. But he did make the All-Star team twice and play in a total of 15 big league seasons, last playing there in 2005.

But it's something else that Offerman has done with a bat, and his fist, since his last big league game that have perhaps eclipsed his playing career.

Offerman's career began in 1986, signed by the Dodgers out of his native Dominican Republic. He first got onto an American field in 1988, with rookie Great Falls. He hit AA San Antonio in 1989, then AAA Albuquerque in 1990.

All the while, he never hit below .288 and never stole fewer than 57 bases in a season. At Albuquerque in 1990, Offerman hit .326, with 56 RBI and 60 stolen bases.

Offerman, though, was unable to continue the pace he'd set at AAA, or in that first at bat. In 29 games with the Dodgers, Offerman hit just .155, an average that contributed to his one steal.

Coming into 1991, Offerman also had troubles in the field, the shortstop fielding poorly in spring training. Early on, he made the Dodgers in May, then didn't return until August. His major league hitting problems also continued, hitting .195 in 113 at bats on the year.

"I try to do everything they tell me to do," Offerman told The Los Angeles Times after losing his starting job at the end of August. "But I hit better when I feel more comfortable, when I feel like I can concentrate. Sometimes that is hard."

Offerman finally got regular playing time in 1992, hitting .260 while stealing 23. In 1993, he hit .269, while stealing 30. In the field, though, Offerman committed 42 errors in 1992 then 37 in 1993.

He returned to his old hitting form in 1994, though, hitting just .210. In June, his frustrations boiled over with Offerman throwing what The Times called a tantrum. Offerman was asked to bunt with the pitcher on deck. He didn't want to bunt.

"I got mad for the wrong reason," Offerman told The Times after being sat three games after that incident. "I went too high."

By 1995, though, Offerman got things together. In June, he was even talked about as a contender for the All-Star team. On June 1, he was hitting .358. He was also doing well in the field, having a stretch of just one error in 20 games, The Times wrote.

"It would really be something, after all I've been through," Offerman told The Times of making the team. "When you make the all-star team, it means you made it to the top. Only the best ever make it. It would be nice to say, 'Hey, I was there. I was one of the best.' "

Offerman made the All-Star team that year and four years later with the Red Sox. In the middle, he played three seasons with the Royals hitting well and running well. In Kansas City, Offerman didn't hit lower than .297 and stole 45 bases in 1998.

Offerman played nearly four seasons with the Red Sox, his productivity falling in the later years. In August 2002, he was sent to the Mariners, his relations with the Red Sox having deterioriated.

After having been essentially released by the Red Sox, Offerman trashed the clubhouse, The Seattle Post-Intelligencier wrote. Offerman tried to answer the mounting criticism.

"Everybody is not going to like you," Offerman told The Post-Intelligencier. "That's the way it goes. They read more into things than what it really is. Whoever knows me personally can judge me because they have been with me and seen me. Other people are going to think what they think, but they don't know me."

Offerman got into 29 games for the Mariners. After a season with independent Bridgeport in 2003, Offerman returned for two final seasons in the majors, with the Twins, Phillies and the Mets, ending his big league career.

Then his other troubles began. In 2007, Offerman returned to the independent Atlantic League, with the Long Island Ducks. In August, the Ducks visiting Offerman's old team in Bridgeport, Offerman was hit by a pitch.

Offerman's response was shocking. He charging the mound, bat in hand, hitting both the pitcher and catcher. Arrested for assault, Offerman eventually got two years of probation. The catcher, John Nathans, suffered lasting injuries.

Then, in January 2010, Offerman's anger showed again. Managing the Dominican Winter Baseball League's Licey Tigers, a team Offerman took to the championship a year before, Offerman swung at an umpire, this time with his fist. That incident led to Offerman being banned from that league for life.

• Gainesville Sun, Associated Press, Aug. 21, 1990: Offerman answers call from Dodgers
• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 29, 1991: Offerman Admits He Feels Pressure
• Los Angeles Times, June 7, 1994: Offerman Blames His Frustration
• Los Angeles Times, June 2, 1995: Offerman: From All Done to All-Star?
• Seattle Post-Intelligencier, Aug. 13, 2002: Red Sox defend ex-mate Offerman
• ESPN.com, Associated Press, Oct. 30, 2007: Offerman gets two years probation for minor league bat attack
• ESPN.com, Associated Press, Feb. 12, 2009: Catcher says attack ended his career
• ESPN.com, ESPNDeportes.com, Jan. 18, 2010: Source: Umps from U.S. fear for safety
• ESPN.com, ESPNDeportes.com, Jan. 18, 2010: Offerman gets lifetime Dominican ban

Gershon Dallas, Two Doubles - 2759

The high-A Osceola Astros ran over the Baseball City Royals in this May 1991 game, 7-3. Helping them do it was outfielder Gershon Dallas.

Dallas picked up two doubles in this game, two of 16 he picked up on the season.

Dallas hit those doubles in his third season as a pro. He got time in just one more.

Dallas' career began in 1989, taken by the Astros in the seventh round of the draft, out of Hillsborough Community College in Florida.

With the Astros, Dallas played in the rookie Gulf Coast League, hitting .213 over 47 games.

For 1990, Dallas moved to single-A Asheville. There, he played under manager Frank Cacciatore. Cacciatore recalled Dallas years later as Dallas' college coach was a college teammate of Cacciatore.

"He was a pretty good talent," Cacciatore told The Greatest 21 Days in August 2013 of Dallas.

With the Tourists, Dallas improved his average to .278, hitting three home runs and 55 RBI. He went 1 for 3 in a May game.

Dallas moved to Osceola for 1991, hitting .263 over 99 games. He also knocked in 47, one on a double in May.

Dallas moved to the Indians system for 1992, but it was a brief stay. He played 34 games at single-A Columbus, hitting .219. They were the final 34 games of his career.

• Greatest 21 Days, Aug. 16, 2013: Frank Cacciatore and the 1990 Asheville Tourists

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,307
Made the Majors: 711 - 54.4%
Never Made Majors: 596-45.6%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 307
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 181

Craig Curtis, Bright Spot - 2753

The Gulf Coast League Astros had a tough start in 1989. A consistent force, though, was infielder Craig Curtis, his manager Julio Linares told The Orlando Sentinel.

"Curtis has been one of the bright spots this year," Linares told The Sentinel. "He's doing a good job for us with the bat. The guys are struggling, but they will come along."

Curtis ended that year hitting .323 for the GCL squad. But he couldn't keep it up. He played just three more seasons, never making AA.

Curtis' career began that year, taken by the Astros in the 8th round, out of North Kansas City High School.

Curtis started with the GCL Astros, hitting one home run and knocking in 14. For 1990, he moved to single-A Asheville. There, he hit just .228, but his home run total increase to 17.

Curtis moved to hgh-A Osceola for 1991. His average dropped that year to .207. His home run total also dropped to zero.

Curtis returned to Asheville in 1992, getting into 59 games there. His batting average improved to .248. He also got 58 games at single-A Burlington that year. But his 1992 season ended up being his last.

• Orlando Sentinel, Aug. 13, 1989: Kowboys Sell History, Make Money With Tapes

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,306
Made the Majors: 711 - 54.4%
Never Made Majors: 595-45.6%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 307
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 181

Shawn Holman, Warm Feeling - 143

Originally published May 16, 2010
It was Shawn Holman's major league debut. He pitched the final two innings of a 10-2 Tigers win, giving up one run, Sept. 5, 1989.

It was also a day Holman thought he might never see. He was in his eighth year of professional baseball, getting his first taste of the majors.

"It felt great," Holman said in a wire story of his debut. "It was a long time coming. At times, it seemed like it would never happen. I got a warm feeling all over going out there in the eighth inning."

Holman took the mound four more times that September, posting an outstanding sub-2 ERA of 1.80.

But in a professional career that spanned 14-plus seasons, those would be the only five major league games in which he would play.

A late pick in the 1982 draft, Holman was taken in the 14th round by the Pirates out of Sewickley High in Sewickley, Pa. He had expected to go to college and play at West Virginia. But Holman was taken by the Pirates and signed.

Holman started in the rookie Gulf Coast League in 1982. He didn't make AA Nashua until 1985. The next year he caught his break, the one that would eventually lead to him being called up to the majors. Holman was traded to the Tigers.

Still, he didn't make AAA Toledo until that year, 1989, posting a solid 1.91 ERA in 51 appearances.

His debut and final game past him, Holman returned to the minors. Speaking to the Beaver County Times in 2000, Holman cited the 1990 spring lockout with helping derail his chances with the Tigers.

"Fringe guys like me who had a chance of making it to the majors leagues, didn't have the opportunity," Holman told the paper. He added later, "That was probably the one point that turned my career around."

Instead of pitching in Detroit for 1990, Holman pitched in AAA Toledo again and even AA London. The next year was spent with the Braves at AAA Richmond. A year in Mexico and Holman was back in Richmond.

For 1994, it was on to Ottawa and the Expos organization. That year, he saved 31 games for the Lynx with a 2.99 ERA. That year was also the strike year, with no September call-ups.

Then it was the Dodgers organization for 1995 and back with the Pirates for 1996. During spring 1995, Holman was one of the many minor leaguers who was asked to be a replacement player, but Holman declined.

Two more years in the Mexican League, according to the Beaver County Times, and Holman was done, a elbow injury saw to that.

Speaking to The Times in 2000, Holman recalled his time with Detroit that September in 1989.

"It was special because it had taken so long to get there," Holman told the paper. "You never know if you're ever going to get there."

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 4, 1987: Sewickley's Shawn Holman is showing improvement
• Owosso Argus-Press, Associated Press, Sept. 6, 1989: Suddenly, They're Tigers Again
• Beaver County Times, July 12, 1992: Holman closing the door south of the border
• Beaver County Times, July 20, 2000: Holman's big league dreams finally came true

Kevin Scott, Veteran Type - 2752

Kevin Scott didn't hit a lot of home runs. But he hit one when it counted.

In the fifth inning of Game 1 of the 1992 Florida State League playoffs, Scott put his team ahead in the fifth with a solo round-tripper, according to The Orlando Sentinel. While it put the team ahead, his team couldn't hold that lead, eventually falling in extras.

In his first four professional seasons, though, Scott hit only six regular season home runs. He would hit just one more, his career ending after the next season, Scott never making the majors.

Scott's professional career began in 1989, taken by the Astros in the 32nd round of the draft, out of Washington State University. At Washington State, Scott hit .306 as a redshirt sophomore.

With the Astros, Scott started at short-season Auburn, getting into 60 games, 17 behind the plate. He hit .245.

For 1990, Scott moved to single-A Asheville, moving to catching almost full-time. He ended up hitting .274 over 129 games.

Years later, his manager at Asheville Frank Cacciatore recalled Scott for his presence on the field. "A catcher," Cacciatore recalled to The Greatest 21 Days in 2013, "a veteran-type guy."

Scott played 1991 and 1992 at Osceola, hitting .214 his first year and .242 his second. In one early May 1991 contest, Scott picked up three hits.

For 1993, Scott also returned to Osceola, getting 30 games there. He also made it up to AA Jackson, playing 50 games there and hitting .284. But it was his final year as a pro.

• Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 8, 1992: Baseball City Nips Osceola
• Greatest 21 Days, Aug. 16, 2013: Frank Cacciatore and the 1990 Asheville Tourists

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,305
Made the Majors: 711 - 54.5%
Never Made Majors: 594-45.5%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 307
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 181

Jeff Wood loved baseball; He couldn't play very well, so he turned to training

Growing up in West Virginia, Jeff Wood loved baseball. He just couldn't play very well, he recalled years later to CSTV.com.

But there was another way into the game, he recalled: Being a trainer.

"I just wanted to get into baseball," Wood told CSTV.com. "I loved baseball although I never had any talent in it. I wanted to get into it, be involved with it, and athletic trainers were needed in baseball."

So, Wood became a trainer. And he's been involved in the game since, in both the minor leagues and, later, in college ball.

Wood's training career began in 1983, signed by the Orioles to serve as trainer for their rookie team in his home state, Bluefield.

From there, Wood served as a trainer in the organization for a decade. By 1986, he was serving as trainer for the organization's AA club in Charlotte. In 1989, he moved up to the AAA club in Rochester.

He continued with Rochester in 1991. That year, he watched over the recovery from surgery of Jack Voigt, who went on to play in seven major league seasons. Wood believed he would recover fully, but he still had to watch the injury, Wood told The Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

"It's something he's got to be aware of for the rest of his baseball career," Wood told The Herald-Tribune.

Soon, though, Wood's own career took a different direction, one that led him to the University of Tennessee.

Wood has been at Tennessee, serving as trainer for the baseball team, since 2001. He earned his masters in 2002. He has since gone on trips to Italy and China through MLB International, serving as trainer for baseball clinics.

"I have been very fortunate throughout my career in baseball to have some unique opportunities, and this is no different," Wood told UTSports.com of the Italy trip.

• Sarasota Herald-Tribune, July 10, 1991: Venice's Voigt More Than a Fill-In, Part 2
• CSTV.com, Oct. 10, 2006: Fall Ball Spotlight: Jeff Wood
• UTSports.com, Aug. 6, 2010: UT Baseball Trainer Jeff Wood Travels to Italy with MLB International

More: 1990 Rochester Red Wings

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,304
Made the Majors: 711 - 54.5%
Never Made Majors: 593-45.5%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 307
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 181

Mark Riggins, Teaching Pitching - 420

Originally published Nov. 10, 2010, updated September 2013
When Cardinals manager Joe Torre announced his new pitching coaches for 1995, much of the pitching focus went to Torre's new bullpen coach, not his new top pitching coach.

That was perhaps understandable. The new bullpen coach was Hall of Famer Bob Gibson. The new pitching coach was longtime AAA Louisville pitching coach Mark Riggins.

"Mark Riggins can definitely teach people how to pitch," Torre told The Associated Press after the announcement. "Bob Gibson can teach people how to win."

Riggins - along with Torre and Gibson for that matter - only lasted through that 1995 season in his big league Cardinals post. But Riggins would go on continue teaching pitching in the Cardinals organization, serving as the team's minor league pitching coordinator for the next 12 seasons.

Until Riggins jumped to the Cubs in 2008, becoming Chicago's minor league pitching coordinator, Riggins had spent almost his entire career in the St. Louis system. Riggins' involvement with the Cardinals dated back to 1979, when he signed with the club as a pitcher, out of Murray State.

Riggins' pitching career didn't go as well as his coaching one. He played five seasons in the Cardinals system, getting as high as a brief look at AAA Louisville. He had his best seasons at single-A St. Petersburg with sub-2 ERAs. He did give up the winning run to Daytona Beach in an April 1980 contest there.

But, as he got higher, so did his ERA. His playing days were done by the end of 1983. Out of his playing career came a coaching career. Riggins began coaching at rookie league Johnson City in 1984.

By 1990, Riggins was the pitching coach with the team that he only got a brief look at as a player, AAA Louisville. Riggins stayed there until his promotion to Torre's Cardinals.

Becoming the minor league pitching coordinator in 1996, perhaps Riggins' most famous student was one-time Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel. Riggins spent 35 days with Ankiel after the once hot young pitcher imploded with control problems after the 2000 playoffs. It wasn't until late 2004, however, that Ankiel returned to the majors as a pitcher. Ankiel later returned as a position player.

"I was extremely pleased with the way he threw," Riggins told MLB.com after an August 2004 minor league warm up. "He had good velocity, good control and he was composed. For getting out there the first time, this was an outstanding night for him."

Riggins jumped to the Cubs for 2008, taking on a new set of students, including young Trey McNutt. A late-round pick in 2009, McNutt made it briefly to AA in 2010.

"Ultimately, your make-up carries your ability beyond A-ball, to the Double-A, Triple-A, and big-league level," Riggins told The Peoria Journal Star in an article about McNutt that suggested the pitcher had that make-up. "That's a great thing for us, if we get the guys that have good make-up along with ability."

In 2011, Riggins served as the Cubs' major league pitching coach. For 2012 and 2013, he jumped to the Reds as minor league pitching coordinator.

• Southeast Missourian, Associated Press, Oct. 26, 1994: Torre survives with Cardinals
• Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, March 12, 1995: The 'Glare': It Is Alive and Well
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Associated Press, Oct. 24, 1995: Cards reshuffle, pick up La Russa, Part 2
• MLB.com, Aug. 2, 2004: Ankiel begins road back
• MLB.com, Nov. 15, 2007: Cubs name Mark Riggins Minor League pitching coordinator
• Peoria Journal Star, May 29, 2010: Capie: Chiefs reap benefits of late-round gem

Ken Wheeler pitched marathon outing in 1990, manager recalled; Saw five pro seasons, made high-A

It was a hot day in Savannah. It had to be 110, Ken Wheeler's old manager Frank Cacciatore recalled.

But, there Wheeler was, pitching marathon outing for Asheville in 1990, an outing that his manager remembered 23 years later.

"Back then, we had a little more leeway with innings pitched," Cacciatore told The Greatest 21 Days in August 2013, noting pitch counts remained closely watched. "He threw like 10 innings and only had like 90 pitches."

"He just threw a hell of a ballgame," Cacciatore added.

Wheeler was in his second pro season that year with Asheville. He went on to get three more. He never made AA.

Wheeler's professional career began in 1989, taken by the Astros in the 11th round of the draft, out of Chillicothe High School in Ohio.

With the Astros, Wheeler started in the rookie Gulf Coast League. in 14 outings, eight starts, Wheeler went 1-4, with a 4.00 ERA.

For 1990, Wheeler moved to single-A Asheville, playing under Cacciatore. There, he went 7-9, with a 3.45 ERA.

Wheeler played 1991 at single-A Burlington, then started 1992 at high-A Osceola. At Osceola that year, Wheeler started just five games. He was out for the season with a shoulder injury by the end of June.

Wheeler made it back from his shoulder problems to return for 1993. He played that year at Osceola, going 10-14, with a 4.35 ERA. But it was his last year as a pro.

• Greatest 21 Days, Aug. 16, 2013: Frank Cacciatore and the 1990 Asheville Tourists

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,303
Made the Majors: 711 - 54.6%
Never Made Majors: 592-45.4%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 307
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 181

Mark Small, Not Enough - 2748

Updated Nov. 1, 2013
Mark Small waited into his eighth pro season to get his taste of the majors. Once he got it, though, he wanted another, he told his hometown Seattle Times.

"I always had said, 'I want to get there (majors) even if it's just for one day,'"Small told The Times. "Then you get there and you say, `Man, that's not enough.' "

Small got that first taste in the form of 16 outings for the Astros in 1996. For Small, those outings would have to be enough. In a career that spanned a dozen seasons, those were the only major league games Small got.

Small's professional career began in 1989, taken by the Astros in the 17th round, out of Washington State University. Small also followed his older brother Jeff Small into the game, according to The Times. Jeff Small played nine seasons as a pro, but never made the bigs.

With the Astros, Small started at short-season Auburn, moving to single-A Asheville for 1990. At Asheville, Small told The Times his early worries as a pro.

"I thought I had to do it for not just myself but for my family and friends," Small told The Times. "If I ever got released, what would my friends think? I think I'm pretty much over that right now."

Small made AA Jackson in 1993, then AAA Tucson in 1994. Aside from a stint as a starter at high-A Osceola in 1992, Small worked exclusively in relief.

Small didn't make his debut in Houston until April 1996. He actually made two trips to the Astros, one in April and one beginning in late-July. His debut couldn't have gone worse. His first two outings amounted to a single inning and five earned runs given up.

By the time got sent down at the end of the month, though, he'd gotten his ERA down to 4.66. By mid-July at Tucson, Small was getting talked up again, despite lingering issues with back spasms.

"He's the key to the whole second half for us," Tucson manager Tim Tolman told The Tucson Citizen. "We've got to have him healthy, and for his sake, he has to be healthy for a chance to return to the big leagues. He's a major-league pitcher. It's a positive for us and a positive for him."

Small returned to Houston at the end of July, getting nine more outings. His final outing came Sept. 3, finishing with a 5.92 ERA. In his last outing, he lasted just a third of an inning, giving up four earned.

Small ended up playing four more seasons as a pro, playing them largely at AAA in the Astros, Rangers and Expos systems. He never returned to the bigs.

In October 2013, Small passed away in his home state of Washington. He was married with two children.

• Seattle Times, June 20, 1990: Pressure Of Minor Leagues Throws Young Pros A Curve
• Tucson Citizen, July 12, 1996: Reliever Small has big impact 
• Seattle Times, June 18, 1997: Small Eyes Another Shot At Big Leagues
• 95 - Jeff Small, Six Hits, 12/25/10

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,302
Made the Majors: 711 - 54.6%-X
Never Made Majors: 591-45.4%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 307
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 181

Jeff Fischer, Up and Down - 338

Originally published Dec. 31, 2011
Jeff Fischer just wanted to go five good innings to help his Florida Gators to the 1984 conference championship, he told The Gainesville Sun.

He helped his team to the championship and he did so by pitching a complete game.

"Man, I really felt good," Fischer told The Sun after the win. "I'd had an up-and-down year, and I just wanted to make sure tonight was on an up."

Fischer finished out his college career the next season, before being selected by the Expos in the seventh round of the draft.

He went on to make it up to the majors twice, over two seasons. But his stay up in the bigs both times was brief, Fisher's major league career ending up consisting of all of six outings.

Fischer started his professional career playing in his hometown, at single-A West Palm Beach, There, Fischer went 6-5, in 13 starts, with a 3.51 ERA.

Fisher told The South Florida Sun-Sentinel that August it was another "up and down" year for him. He spoke after a 2-1, complete-game win over Fort Lauderdale.

"It's been like consistent ping pong all year," Fischer told The Sun-Sentinel. "One good game, then a bad game. It was just my good night tonight. I am trying to break the habit."

Fischer hit AA Jacksonville in 1986, getting 11 starts there. He made AAA Indianapolis, then Montreal in 1987.

Fischer debuted with the Expos in June. He got two starts and two relief appearances. In 13.2 innings of work, Fischer gave up 13 earned runs and picked up a loss.

The call-up came in the middle of a bad stretch for Fischer at AAA, The Sun-Sentinel wrote.

"I was back in Indy before I knew it," Fischer told The Sun-Sentinel. "You can't pitch well in the big leagues if you're not pitching well in Triple-A. I did not have it together, and it showed."

Fischer returned to Indianapolis full time for 1988, going 13-8, with a 2.69 ERA. For 1989, though, the Expos traded Fischer to the Dodgers.

At Albuquerque that year, Fischer went 12-10, earning a call up to the Dodgers in September. With Los Angeles, Fischer got into two games, both in relief. He gave up five earned runs in 3.1 innings of work.

Going into 1990, though, Fischer had surgery on his shoulder, The Palm Beach Post wrote. He pitched in only eight more games, three at Albuquerque and five at single-A Vero Beach, ending his career.

Fischer went on to several years in the minors as a coach, including with West Palm Beach in 1995 and 1996.

• Gainesville Sun, May 16, 1984: UF didn't let 3rd SEC title in 4 years escape its grasp
• South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Aug. 22, 1985: Expos Stay Alive In Southern Race
• South Florida-Sun-Sentinel, March 14, 1989: Fischer Being Watched By (Dodger) Blue Eyes

Orlando Miller, That Far - 2757

Originally published Nov. 13, 2011

Orlando Miller's manager predicted he would homer that night as his Astros visited Wrigley Field, Miller's third major league game, Miller told The Chicago Tribune. And he did just that.

"It's exciting," Miller told The Tribune later. "My first homer. I'm surprised it went that far."

Miller actually did more that night. He hit a second home run, both his blasts flying completely out of the historic stadium.

Miller would go on to hit 22 more home runs in a career that spanned four major league seasons, ending in 1997. Miller's professional career, though, lasted much longer, with Miller continuing to play in the independent leagues into 2008.

Miller's career began in 1987, signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent out of his native Panama.

Miller played his first year in 1988, between the rookie Gulf Coast League and single-A Fort Lauderdale. He moved to short-season Oneonta in 1989, hitting .291.

For 1990, the Yankees sent Miller to the Astros in a three-player deal. Miller played that year at single-A Asheville, hitting .313. Miller first made AA at Jackson in 1991, then AAA Tucson in 1992.

He first made Houston in 1994, debuting July 8. He got into 16 games before the strike began, getting 13 hits in 40 at bats, including those two home runs.

Miller returned to Houston in 1995, getting into 92 games. He hit .262, with five home runs. In 1996, he played the entire year as an Astro, with 139 games, hitting .256, with 15 home runs.

His year in 1996 was marked in August by a confrontation with fans after he struck out in one game. Suspended two games, Miller came back, hitting a game-winning home run in a game where he also committed two errors.

"You guys know what's been happening with me the last couple of days," Miller told The Associated Press after that game. "But you've got to move on. It was great to have the home run and now it's time to move on."

That winter, the Astros moved on, sending Miller to the Tigers in a nine-player deal. Miller got 50 games with Detroit in 1997, hitting .234. Those games turned out to be his final games in the majors.

Miller, though, continued in the minors, going through five different organizations over the next three seasons. His affiliated career ended in 2000 with 24 games in the Dodgers system.

Miller played on in independent ball and in Mexico. In 2005, Miller played on the Atlantic League's Nashua Pride, getting four hits and four RBI in one early September game. Miller played his final games in 2008 with the Golden Baseball League's Edmonton Cracker-Cats.

• Chicago Tribune, July 11, 1994: In A Battle Of Rookies, Astros Win
• Toledo Blade, Associated Press, Aug. 25, 1996: Astros rally to regain first place

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,301
Made the Majors: 710 - 54.5%
Never Made Majors: 591-45.5%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 307
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 181