Olympic Stadium 2014: The 1994 Montreal Expos

The 1994 Montreal Expos honored before the March 29, 2014 exhibition game at Olympic Stadium. (G21D Photo)

Olympic Stadium 
Part 1: Expos Found | Part 2: Honoring 1994  
Part 3: Expos Speak | 2012: Expos Search

The big number on Saturday in Montreal was 50,229. That was the attendance at the Blue Jays-Mets exhibition game at Olympic Stadium.

The big number for me, though, was 12. That's the number of players or coaches in the building who have been featured here. There were also three others who are to be featured here in the future.

All of the former 1994 Expos took part in the pre-game ceremony to honor the team that was the best in baseball that year.

The players were each called out on the field one by one, greeted by Youppi! The crowd greeted them as champions.

1990 Phoenix Firebird Gil Heredia, center, and 1990 Omaha Royal Tim Spehr, right. (G21D Photo)

There was Moises Alou, Sean Berry, Wil Cordero, Darrin Fletcher, Lou Frazier, Gil Heredia, Tim Scott, Tim Spehr, Joey Eischen, Denis Boucher and Felipe Alou.

The cool thing about that list is it shows where that 1994 Expos team came from. My focus is the 1990 season, where players were that year. I then figured out what happened to their careers.

Four years before they would help the best team in the game, all 11 were in the minors. Also, only two of the 11 were actually with the Expos system then, Cordero and Felipe Alou. Tied with the Expos was the Dodgers system, with both Scott and Fletcher at AAA Albuquerque.

They all came together, with some other pretty good players like Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom and Pedro Martinez. Then, for a brief time, they were all on top of baseball.(Martinez also played for Great Falls in 1990)

A close-up shot of the gathering of 1994 Expos. Darrin Fletcher is standing with the beard. Tim Scott is standing far right. Felipe Alou is standing far left. (G21D Photo)

Anther cool thing with that list is that I had actually interviewed one of the players, Tim Scott. I caught up with him in July 2012 in California.

In addition to the former Expos players, there were also four managers or coaches, two each with the Blue Jays and the Mets. With the Blue Jays, there was manager John Gibbons and first base coach Tim Leiper. With the Mets, there was manager Terry Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen.

That all brings the total of players in the place to 15. I also got some cool pictures, if I ever get to interview any of them for the site.

Blue Jays first base coach Tim Leiper, right. (G21D Photo)

I also got to go to an ExposNation rally the day after the game at a hotel in downtown Montreal. I'll outline that in my next post.


Sean Berry and Lou Frazier introduced at Olympic Stadium

1994 Montreal Expos Featured
-Moises Alou: Played for the 1990 Harrisburg Senators.
-Sean Berry: Played for the 1990 Memphis Chicks
-Wil Cordero: Played for the 1990 Jacksonville Expos
-Darrin Fletcher: Played for the 1990 Albuquerque Dukes
-Lou Frazier: Played for the 1990 London Tigers
-Gil Heredia: Played for the 1990 Phoenix Firebirds
-Tim Scott: Played for the 1990 Albuquerque Dukes
-Tim Spehr: Played for the 1990 Omaha Royals

 To be featured in the future
-Joey Eischen: Played for the 1990 Gastonia Rangers
-Denis Boucher: Played for the 1990 Dunedin Blue Jays
-Felipe Alou. Managed high-A West Palm Beach in 1990


Wil Cordero and Moises Alou introduced at Olympic Stadium

2014 Toronto Blue Jays
John Gibbons, Blue Jays manager: Played for the 1990 Scranton Red Barons
Tim Leiper, first base coach: Played for the 1990 London Tigers with Frazier

2014 New York Mets
Terry Collins, Mets manager: Managed the 1990 Buffalo Bisons
Dan Warthen, pitching coach: Pitching coach with 1990 Calgary Cannons


After the ceremony: Let's Go Expos

Olympic Stadium 
Part 1: Expos Found | Part 2: Honoring 1994  
Part 3: Expos Speak | 2012: Expos Search

Olympic Stadium 2014: Expos Found

Montreal's Olympic Stadium March, 29, 2014 as the Blue Jays take on the Mets in an exhibition game. In the stands are 50,000 people. (G21D Photo)

Olympic Stadium
Part 1: Expos Found | Part 2: Honoring 1994
Part 3: Expos Speak | 2012: Expos Search

Quick, what color are Olympic Stadium's seats?

Based solely on that picture up there, it'd be hard to tell. That's because there were 50,000 people in the stands. That many people tend to obscure the seats themselves from view.

My wife and I had the good fortune this weekend to obscure two of those seats (yellow) during the second of two exhibition games staged between the Blue Jays and the Mets.

The games were the first baseball games played at Olympic Stadium in nearly a decade. And, what a turnout. The place was alive from start to finish.

The game itself seemed to be beside the point. There were people in Blue Jays gear. I don't think I spotted one guy in Mets gear.

Two guys in Expos jerseys and another in an Expos shirt at Olympic Stadium in Montreal March 29, 2014. (G21D Photo)

What we did see were tons of people with their Expos gear. I was actually one of them. I had my Expos hat, purchased for and worn at a 2012 game we saw at Nationals Park in Washington. I also had my 2010 Andre Dawson-in-Expos-gear Hall of Fame induction T-shirt, purchased just for this occasion.

That's my connection to the Expos, Dawson. Dawson was my favorite player growing up in Iowa, Dawson as a Cub. Before he was a Cub, of course, Dawson was an Expo. And he's in Cooperstown as an Expo.

My other connection is just that my wife and I have seen games at 20 different major league parks. We met in 2003 and began going to games in 2004. I had seen an Expos game the year before we met. But I didn't get the message that the Expos actually were leaving in 2004. We live not four hours from Montreal. We didn't go to a game there together. It was one of my biggest regrets.

Those regrets drove us to Montreal in 2012, for a soccer game at Olympic Stadium. Read about that trip: Montreal - Search for the Expos.

But that was soccer. It wasn't baseball. So, when I heard baseball was back in Montreal, if only for two days, we had to go. And we did.

In the Olympic Stadium rotunda before the gates opened March 29, 2014. (G21D Photo)

We made sure we got there early and were in line before the doors opened. There was already a crowd, a crowd filled with Expos fans. There were fathers in Expos hats and kids, to whom baseball in Montreal had to only be something from far off ancient history, with Expos hats, too.

Inside, there were vendors selling programs and souvenirs. The concession stands were hopping. There was music.

Poutine and baseball at Olympic Stadium in Montreal March 29, 2014. (G21D Photo)

Our seats were on the third base side. We found them and then went for some food. My objective: The Quebec delicacy that is poutine. I had developed a taste for the fries, gravy and cheese curd mess on previous trips to Quebec. And, now, I was going to have it at a baseball game. That's it there.

The big wait was for the pre-game ceremony, the one where they honored the 1994 Expos team that finished the strike-shortened season with the best record in baseball. The ceremony was great, but I'll get to that in another post.

That's because there were eight players honored who have been featured here as members of the 1990 CMC/ProCards sets. One of them, Tim Scott, was even interviewed here.

The game itself was a tight one, without a score until the eighth inning. That's when Melky Cabrera launched one over the wall to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead and, soon, the 2-0 win.



I actually had the video running for Cabrera's home run. Some fireworks went off off camera. But the real fireworks were in the stands, with so many people getting up and cheering a home run in hit in Montreal.

That was nice to see.

What was also nice to see: The wave. Experience the Montreal wave in the video below. And, if you look closely, as the wave passes by, you'll find out the answer to the top question above: The Olympic Stadium seats are yellow and blue.



Olympic Stadium 
Part 1: Expos Found | Part 2: Honoring 1994 
Part 3: Expos Speak | 2012: Expos Search

Other photos and notes:

Souvenirs. (G21D Photo)

Another view of the crowd. Note the top ring, it's full. (G21D Photo)

More crowd. (G21D Photo)

Bottom of the third and the outfield upper tier is full. (G21D Photo)

Speaking of scoreboards, the Olympic Stadium scoreboards seemed a bit stuck in time, understandable for a stadium that hasn't had a permanent tenant in a decade. (G21D Photo)

The Olympic Stadium roof. A pop up hit off the roof and was caught for an out. (G21D Photo)

The big attendance announcement: 50,229. (G21D Photo)

Mike Curtis, Future Considerations - 1287

Originally published Oct. 20, 2010

Mike Curtis had been traded before. In 1988, the Cubs sent him to Pittsburgh for Mike Bielecki. But this time was a little different.

This time, Curtis had signed as a replacement player with the Indians in spring 1995. The Indians had too many players, the Reds had too few. This trade was completed for "future considerations," a strange notion in a spring of uncertainty.

"When they called me in, the first thing I said was 'You can't release me yet, we haven't played any games,'" Curtis told The Associated Press. "Then they told me I was traded, and I said, 'You've got to be kidding me.' It took them 15 minutes to convince me."

Curtis was taking one last shot at the majors, albeit the replacement majors. Curtis had spent nine seasons in professional baseball, never getting to the bigs. He wouldn't get there through replacement ball, either, his career ending as the strike ended.

Curtis' career began a decade earlier, taken by the Cubs in the 10th round of the 1986 draft. He played his first two seasons in the Cubs' organization, at short-season Geneva and single-A Winston-Salem, posting ERAs of 2.42 and 4.23 respectively.

It was for 1988 that he was traded to the Pirates. He spent that season at AA Harrisburg, posting an ERA by mid-May of 1.70. By late July, it was up to 2.49. But, by year's end, his record stood at a dismal 6-13, his ERA at 3.28. It was enough for the Pirates to hand him his release.

That next year, he signed on with the Indians, making only 17 appearances on the year. Of those, 16 came at single-A Kinston, going 6-0 with a 1.18 ERA.

Curtis remained with the Indians through 1993, the end of his time in affiliated ball. He split 1990 between AA Canton-Akron and AAA Colorado Springs. He did the same thing in 1991. Seven more games at AAA in 1993 and 10 at independent Duluth in 1994 and he was done.

Then it was one more shot, at replacement ball.

"I know it's an old adage, but whatever happens is gonna happen, especially with the strike going on," Curtis told The Lakeland Ledger after his trade. "You don't know when it's gonna end - it could end tomorrow, could end next week, could end next month. So I don't really have any expectations."

• Lakeland Ledger, March 3, 1995: Trade marks bizarre start to weird spring, Part 2
• Middlesboro Daily News, March 3, 1995: Nothing goes right as Reds open exhibition season

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,577
Made the Majors: 770 - 48.8%
Never Made Majors: 807-51.2%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 334
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 198

Pat Rice, Pitched Until - 650

Originally published April 22, 2012
Pat Rice was exhausted, he told The New York Times, but he was excited.

In his sixth professional season, the 27-year-old Rice was in the majors, with the Mariners.

"I always thought I would pitch until they fired me," Rice told The Times after shutting out the Yankees over 5.2 innings of work in his debut. "I began to wonder last year when they were going to fire me."

Rice pitched until he made the majors. Over the month starting with that Yankees start, Rice got into a total of seven contests - throwing 13 shutout innings to start his career. Rice played one more season, but those seven big league outings proved to be the extent of his major league career.

Rice's career, though, has continued as a coach and coordinator in the minors. And it's continuing into 2012, with Rice serving his fourth-consecutive season as pitching coach for the AAA Fresno Grizzlies.

Rice's career began in 1986, playing for independent Salt Lake City of the Pioneer League. Coming out of the University of Arkansas, Rice hadn't been drafted.

At Salt Lake City, Rice went 1-3 in 18 outings, six starts. He also posted an ERA of 3.34. It was good enough for the Mariners to take notice, signing him for 1987.

With the Mariners, Rice started at single-A Wausau, going 12-11 in 27 starts. In 1988, Rice got his first look at AA, with six outings at Vermont.

In 1989, Rice got his first look at AAA Calgary, with 17 outings, five starts. He returned to Calgary for 15 outings in 1990, then to start 1991.

He got his call to Seattle in mid-May, starting that game against the Yankees May 18 and taking the win. The Yankees outing was the first of four where Rice didn't give up a run. In all, Rice didn't give up a run in his first 13 innings of work, a team record to start the career.

On June 16, his seventh outing, Rice got his second start. He went 2.1 innings, giving up three earned runs and taking the loss.

Rice played the rest of the year at Calgary. He went 13-4 there in 21 starts. He had a 5.03 ERA. His final year as a player came in 1992, with another 21 outings. His ERA topped 8, ending his playing career.

In 1995, Rice started his post-playing baseball career with the Mariners in the Midwest League with single-A Wisconsin.

Rice moved to AA New Haven in 1998, then became Mariners minor league pitching coordinator in 2000. In 2008, he resumed pitching coach duties, at single-A San Jose with the Giants, moving to AAA Fresno in 2009, where he continues as pitching coach for 2012.

Going into 2000, as Mariners minor league pitching coordinator, Rice worked with former Mariners first-round pick Ryan Anderson, whose career was ultimately derailed by injury, on the details of his delivery.

"Small things," Rice told The Associated Press of his work with Anderson, "but things that in the big leagues you're not going to get away with."

The Greatest 21 Days caught up with Pat Rice in July 2012, read the two-part interview: Pat Rice, Original Path

• New York Times, May 19, 1991: Seattle Downs Punchless Yanks
• Lewiston Morning Tribune, Associated Press, Feb. 26, 2000: Anderson awaits his time for M's

Terrel Hansen, Wrong Time - 1384

Originally published July 21, 2010
Talking to a columnist in 2009, Terrel Hansen's assessment of his career was succinct.

"I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time or behind somebody," Hansen told The Kitsap Sun of Bremerton, Wa.. "But when you are a $100,000 guy and there are $6 million guys ahead of you, those guys have to play. That is just a part of the game."

Hansen was speaking of a professional playing career that spanned 13 minor league seasons and two major league days.

That's two major league days.

Hansen's career began with the Expos, taken in the 14th round of the 1987 draft out of the University of Washington.

He started at short-season Jamestown, then made West Palm Beach in 1988 and Rockford in 1989. It was AA Jacksonville in 1990. Hansen never hit better than .269 in those four seasons. But he did become a home run hitter. He hit 16 for Rockford and 24 for Jacksonville.

It was enough for the Expos to ship him to the Mets in a four-player deal, getting Alex Diaz and Darren Reed in return.

With the Mets, Hansen found a home at AAA. He would play the next two seasons there, at Tidewater. Then it was back with the Expos at AAA Ottawa. His final three years in affiliated ball were spent largely at AA Jacksonville.

In 1994, Hansen hit .317 and made the Southern League All-Star Team. In 1996, Jansen hit the most home runs he'd hit in a year, 26, 25 of those at Jacksonville. Two of them came in one June game. His four seasons at Jacksonville, for three different organizations, earned him a spot on the all-time Jacksonville Suns team from The Jacksonville News.

His time in affiliated ball over with 1996, Hansen held on three more years with independent Chico. He hit 46 home runs over three seasons, earning a spot in the Chico Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. He's since moved into teaching baseball, as an instructor.

Back to those two days in the majors. Those came in 1992, with the Mets. Called up in late April when infielder Kevin Baez went down. He was sent back down two days later, as Vince Coleman came off the DL.

He never got an at-bat, or in a game. At one point, according to The Sun, he was going to pinch-hit, but was told to put the bat back down. The starter was going to stay in.

To make the situation worse, just after Hansen was sent back down, the player who prompted it, Coleman, got hurt again. But Hansen couldn't be brought back up, not for 10 days due to a rule about recalling players, The Sun wrote.

His replacement, according to The Sun, stayed up for a month. Hansen never got back.

• Moscow-Pullman Daily News, March 14, 1995: Ex-Coug Hansen paces Mariners
• Chico Outlaws, Dec. 25, 2005: Outlaws to honor latest 'Legends of the Diamond'
• Kitsap Sun, June 2, 2009: Hansen's MLB Career: 2 Games, 0 At-Bats
• Kitsap Sun, June 10, 2010: Terrel Hansen One of Brightest Suns in Jacksonville History

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,577
Made the Majors: 770 - 48.8%
Never Made Majors: 807-51.2%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 334
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 198

Wilfredo Cordero had ability enough for 14 ML seasons

Wil Cordero was still a few years away from the majors in 1988. At the age of 16, he was still a few years away from a lot of things.

But the Expos saw big things for their young Puerto Rican prospect, according to The Houston Chronicle.

"He has so much athletic ability about him," team assistant director of scouting Frank Wren told The Chronicle that September. "He's got great physical tools, good hands, a good arm, he's big and strong and he handles the ball away very well."

Cordero ended up making Montreal less than four years later, at the age of 20. He didn't stop playing in the majors until 2005, seeing time in 14 big league seasons and making an All-Star team.

Cordero was signed by the Expos in 1988 as an amateur free agent out of his native Puerto Rico, playing his first year at short-season Jamestown.

Cordero got a look at AA Jacksonville in 1989, then made AAA Indianapolis in 1991. It was then in July 1992 that Cordero made his debut in Montreal.

Cordero made Montreal in a season where he saw a series of injuries, and contracted Chicken Pox, according to The Montreal Gazette. But Cordero came back to get into 45 games with the Expos, and hit .302.

In 1993, Cordero played the entire season with the Expos, hitting .248, with 10 home runs. In the strike-shortened 1994 season, Cordero hit .294, with 15 home runs. In early July, Cordero was named to the All-Star team and hit is first major league grand slam to help the Expos into first place, all in the same day, according to The New York Times.

Cordero stayed with the Expos through 1995, when he was traded for 1996 to the Red Sox. His time with the Red Sox, though, turned out to be rocky.

His first season with the team was limited to just 59 games. Then, in June 1997, came domestic abuse allegations. He missed 11 games, finally returning after going to counseling, The Associated Press wrote. On the season, he hit .281, with 18 home runs in 140 games.

By spring 1998, the Red Sox released him. He then signed with the White Sox, looking for a chance to get his reputation back from his off-field problems.

"I recognize that I've made mistakes and have worked hard to change," Cordero said in a statement after signing with Chicago, according to news services. "With the support of Chicago's fans and the White Sox, I see this as a tremendous chance to redeem myself and my reputation."

Cordero ended up hitting .267 that year in 96 games for the White Sox. By 2001, Cordero was with the Indians, getting into 89 games and hitting .250.

In one May 2001 game, Cordero tied a game with a ninth-inning, two-run home run.

"The best thing about the hit was that we won the ballgame, and that feels great," Cordero told reporters afterward. "I am just trying to contribute as much as I can and it feels good when you make a play that helps you win."

Cordero went on to play into 2005, returning to the team that originally signed him, the Expos, in 2002. He played his last games in 2005, with the relocated Expos, the Nationals.

By 2007, Cordero was working as an instructor. That July, he stopped in to teach young players in Monticello, NY. Asked by The Times Herald Record of Middletown about the greatest moment of his career, Cordero looked back to the beginning, his major league debut back in 1992.

"It is like a dream," he told Times Herald Record. "After all this hard work - I made it. Once you're there, all the real work begins because you don't want to go down to the minors."

Originally published Sept. 29, 2012

• Houston Chronicle, Sept. 4, 1988: Youngest pro player at 16, Cordero looks to majors
• Philadelphia Daily News, wire services, March 24, 1998: Karros Needs Surgery
• USAToday, ticker, May 16, 2001: Indians vs. Rangers
• Middletown Times Herald Record, July 4, 2007: Former major-leaguer Wil Cordero shares baseball knowledge with kids at camp in Sullivan County

More: The 1990 Jacksonville Expos

Rich Rodriguez, Confidence Level - 123

Originally published Sept. 4, 2011

Rich Rodriguez felt he was being underutilized and he let his manager know.

In late June 1992, after facing just two batters before being pulled, Rodriguez simply told Padres manager Greg Riddoch he wanted the ball, according to The Los Angeles Times.

"When I'm sitting on the bench, I'm not just a happy-go-lucky guy. I want to pitch. I want the ball in tough situations," Rodriguez told The Times after that meeting. "Basically, I just wanted to reaffirm to him that my confidence level is all there."

Rodriguez was in his third season with time in the majors, on his way to getting the ball nearly as many times as the year before, more than 60. Rodriguez would go on to get the ball in parts of a total of 13 major league seasons, getting it for a final time in 2003 with the Angels.

Rodriguez' career began in 1984, taken by the Mets in the ninth round of the draft, out of the University of Tennessee.

He played that first year at short-season Little Falls. He made AA briefly in 1986, then for good in 1988. He returned to AA in 1989, but by then was with the Padres, sent there in a trade.

Rodriguez made AAA for the first time in 1990, at Las Vegas. He also made major league San Diego. He debuted with the Padres June 30, getting into 32 games on the year. In 27.2 innings, he gave up 15 earned runs for an ERA of 2.83.

On Aug. 16, Rodriguez went two innings, giving up two hits and no earned runs. He also got his first major league win. The Padres came back after Benito Santiago got hit at the plate, The Times wrote.

"(It was) a little emotional roller coaster there for a while," Rodriguez told The Times afterward. "But the intensity was very good in the dugout. We had a lot of confidence. Even before Benny got hit."

Used almost exclusively as a reliever, Rodriguez did get two starts, one each in 1991 and 1992. In 1991, Rodriguez went five innings in May, giving up one run for a no decision. Riddoch called Rodriguez' start then "outstanding," according to The Times.

But it was back to closing. Rodriguez got into 64 games that year, posting an ERA of 3.26. In 1992, he got into 61, with an ERA of 2.37.

In June 1993, the Padres sent Rodriguez, along with Gary Sheffield to the Marlins for two minor leaguers and a rookie. The rookie was Trevor Hoffman.

Rodriguez stayed with the Marlins through the end of the season, signing with the Cardinals for 1994. He got into 56 games that year, and one in 1995. He spent 1996 completely in the minors, at AAA with the Royals.

Rodriguez returned to the majors in 1997, his first of three productive seasons with the Giants. Rodriguez got into at least 62 games each season, getting into 71 in his first.

After the 1997 season, where he posted an ERA of 3.17, Rodriguez re-signed with the Giants, telling The San Francisco Chronicle he had offers elsewhere, but didn't seriously consider them.

"We wanted to keep it as simple as we could," Rodriguez told The Chronicle. "The Giants made an offer, we made a counter offer and we were able to find some common ground. . . . . It took a little longer than I thought it would, but I'm glad we were able to get it done."

Rodriguez played through 2003, the left-hander pitching for the Mets, Indians, Rangers and Angels.

In 2003, Rodriguez was cut by the Angels out of spring training, The Times wrote. He thought about retiring, but went to AAA. He got called back to the majors in late-April, for three final outings, ending his big league career.

• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 17, 1990: Padres Beat Expos in Second Leg of Marathon
• Los Angeles Times, May 22, 1991: Gant's Homer Fells Padres
• Los Angeles Times, July 1, 1992: Rodriguez Meets With Riddoch Seeking Expanded Role in Bullpen
• San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 8, 1997: Giants Re-Sign Rodriguez, Darwin
• Los Angeles Times, April 24, 2003: Bullpen Gets a New Look

Hector Rivera, Slowed By Injuries - 1374

Originally published Dec. 8, 2010

By mid-July 1989, Hector Rivera was West Palm Beach's top pitcher. He had allowed just two earned runs over his previous 46 innings, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel wrote.

He also won Florida State League Player of the Week honors that month, throwing a complete game. Soon, Rivera found himself moved up to AA Jacksonville, but he couldn't keep up the pace.

Slowed by injuries, Rivera's career would end a season later, without Rivera making the majors.

A native of Mexico, Rivera joined the Expos system in 1987, signed as a free agent. He played that season at the Gulf Coast League Expos, going 5-8 with a 2.70 ERA.

He wasn't credited with playing in 1988, but returned for 1989, The Sun Sentinel in April 1989 citing previous arm problems. Rivera pitched that year for single-A West Palm Beach. On the season, he went 7-3 with a stellar ERA of 1.83.

Rivera started off the year with an 11-strike-out effort against Oceola, but he was also credited with the loss.

Moved up to AA Jacksonville, Rivera got five starts, posting a non-stellar 5.33 ERA. He was one of several West Palm Beach Expos to get moved up.

"We always kept a pretty decent team here, but we started the season with a great club," West Palm Beach Manager Felipe Alou told The Sun-Sentinel at year's end.

He returned to Jacksonville for 1990, getting 18 starts. He went 6-6 with a 3.60 ERA. In early June, he went 5.1 innings, giving up one run and four hits and got the win. Soon after, he went on the disabled list with a shoulder injury, The Orlando Sentinel wrote. He came back in early July on a pitch count and pitched five innings, part of a combined three-hitter.

Rivera was cited in spring 1991 as having a sore arm. But he wouldn't return. He had played his final season in the United States, his career ending after without getting higher than AA. He is credited, though, with continuing playing in his native Mexico, last playing in 1996 with Tabasco.

• South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Sept. 3, 1989: Expos End Year On High Note
• Orlando Sentinel, July 7, 1990: Sunrays Held To 3 Hits In Expos' 5-2 Victory

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,577
Made the Majors: 770 - 48.8%
Never Made Majors: 807-51.2%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 334
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 198

Mario Brito threw shutout in AA playoffs, saw 13 pro seasons

Mario Brito hadn't done well against Orlando during the year, he'd gone 0-2. But in the Southern League playoffs in 1990, the Jacksonville starter threw a complete-game shutout, The Orlando Sentinel wrote.

"Mario has been pitching well," Jacksonville Manager Jerry Manuel told The Sentinel. "He just outpitched the other guy. Lately, Brito has been the one to stop things that were going in the other direction. He has faced the storm and turned it around for us."

Brito was in his fifth professional season in 1990, making AA for the first time that year. He'd make AAA the next year. But he would never make the majors, his career detouring to Japan, Taiwan and Mexico before it would come to a close.

Brito's career began in 1986, signed by the Expos out of his native Dominican Republic. He played that year at the rookie Gulf Coast League. He hit short-season Jamestown in 1987, then single-A Rockford and single-A West Palm Beach in 1988 and 1989.

At Rockford and West Palm Beach, Brito went 13-8 and 11-8, with ERAs around 3. He continued his winning ways at AA Jacksonville, going 9-7 with an ERA of 3.19.

Then came 1991, and the trade to the White Sox. Brito landed with Chicago with Tim Raines. Brito was looked at for a possible spot in the White Sox bullpen, according to The Chicago Tribune.

His season started late, visa problems were to blame and his season went downhill from there. He didn't make the White Sox, starting the year at AAA Vancouver. By July, Brito had an ERA that topped 7 in 13 starts. An even worse number was his record: 0-10. He finished out the year at AA Birmingham.

Brito returned to the Expos system for 1992, playing much of the year at AA Harrisburg, as a full-time reliever. He then split 1993 between Harrisburg and AAA Ottawa. After a stint with the Brewers at AAA New Orleans in 1994, Brito went to Taiwan, and his native Dominican Republic.

In the Dominican Winter League, Brito earned a league record 19 saves, and an invitation to Marlins spring training.

"He pitched great," Marlins GM Dave Dombrowski told reporters early on. "He was about as unhittable as you can become. His split-finger has made a big difference for him."

Brito, however, gave up a solo home run in his first outing of the spring. The final verdict from the Marlins, according to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, was that he fast enough for the majors.

Even with the Marlins' bullpen ailing in April, Florida sold Brito to Japan, to the Yomiuri Giants. With the Giants, Brito took the roster spot of Jeff Manto. Brito later played in Mexico, ending his career without making the majors.

Originally published Feb. 14, 2011

• Orlando Sentinel, Sept. 6, 1990: Expos Silence Sunrays, 4-0
• Spartanburg Herald-Journal, wire reports, March 2, 1996: Brantley to miss 2 months
• South Florida Sun-Sentinel, April 23, 1996: Marlins Stick With Short-handed Pen

More: The 1990 Jacksonville Expos

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,577
Made the Majors: 770 - 48.8%
Never Made Majors: 807-51.2%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 334
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 198

Steve Adkins' major league career spanned five games

Steve Adkins thought he did well the previous year. He'd picked up 15 wins at AAA Columbus, then picked up another win and a six-inning bid for a no-hitter with the big club in the Bronx.

So, in spring 1991, when he was quickly sent to minor league camp, Adkins believed the Yankees hadn't given him a fair shot. He didn't think they would ever give him a shot.

"The best way to make the rotation here is to be traded, make the rotation somewhere else and come back here as a free agent," Adkins told The South Florida Sun-Sentinel after the demotion. "If you have a bad game and aren't making $2 million a year, you can't pitch in the big leagues."

Adkins did eventually get traded, that June to the Cubs. But Adkins never got back to the Yankees, or made the majors, again.

Adkins' career began in 1986, taken by the Yankees in the 15th round of the draft, out of the University of Pennsylvania. He played that first year at short-season Oneonta, going 8-2 in 14 outings.

He played 1987 largely at single-A Prince William, then hit AA Albany-Colonie in 1989. In 16 starts at Albany, Atkins went 12-1, with a 2.07 ERA. The New York Times noted that Atkins struck out 14 in one early July 1989 outing.

"If Adkins gets his knuckle curve over, Adkins can pitch anywhere," Albany pitching coach Russ Meyer told The Times.

The next year, at Columbus, Adkins did as well. He went 15-7, with a 2.90 ERA. He also got a September call up to the majors.

Adkins debuted Sept. 12. He didn't give up a hit, but he did give up eight walks and he was pulled before the second inning was out. His knuckleball just wasn't working.

Two weeks later, though, Adkins had a more legitimate no-hit bid. He went six innings against the Brewers, before giving up a hit to Greg Vaughn.

"I really wasn't upset because I made a bad pitch and he hit it hard," Adkins told The Associated Press. "It wasn't a little squibber through the infield. There was a little relief."

Adkins' last outing came Oct. 3, against Detroit. This time, he gave up seven hits. He also gave up seven earned runs. One of those hits was Cecil Fielder's 50th home run of the year. Adkins finished with five starts and a 1-2 record. His ERA was 6.38.

While Adkins hoped for his shot to return to the majors in 1991, he didn't get it. He started at AAA Columbus, then moved to AAA Iowa after his mid-season trade. He stayed at Iowa through 1992, posting a 6.13 ERA that year with a 7-13 record.

He moved to the White Sox and Blue Jays systems in 1993, then the Orioles system in 1994. But he never got back to the majors.

Originally published July 25, 2011

• New York Times, July 26, 1989: The Yankees Who Are Virtually Unbeatable
• New York Times, Sept. 13, 1990: Wild Debut For a Yank
• Norwalk Hour, Associated Press, Sept. 29, 1990: Adkins nearly hurls no-hitter
• Gadsden Times, Associated Press, Oct. 4, 1990: Fielder finishes with 51 home runs
• South Florida Sun-Sentinel, March 21, 1991: Yanks' Adkins Demoted, Says He Wants Trade

More: The 1990 Columbus Clippers

Brian Barnes showed heart over 5 seasons with Expos, others

Brian Barnes was all of 5 feet, 9 inches tall. His height was enough to give some scouts pause, but not all, he told The South Florida Sun-Sentinel in 1991.

"I had a scout that wasn't afraid to take a chance on me because of my height," Barnes told The Sun-Sentinel that spring. "He looked past the height and velocity and looked to the heart. I have as big a heart as anybody and that's what really matters most."

That chance paid off, and quickly. Selected by the Expos in the fourth round of the 1989 draft. By September 1990, Barnes was in Montreal and he would go on to play parts of five seasons in the majors.

Barnes hit three levels his first year alone, even getting one start at AAA Indianapolis. At short-season Jamestown, Barnes went 1-0 in two starts, at single-A West Palm Beach, he went 4-3 in seven starts, but also had a 0.72 ERA. In one early August outing for West Palm Beach, Barnes struck out 15.

"I haven't had any trouble working ahead in the count or throwing my offspeed stuff for strikes," Barnes told The Sun-Sentinel of his time in West Palm Beach. "I've had good command here (and) if I can keep my walk-to-strikeout ratio down, I'll have success."

He started 1990 at AA Jacksonville, going 13-7 with a 2.77 ERA, earning a September call-up to the big club. In his major league debut, Barnes went seven innings, giving up two runs.

Barnes returned to the Expos for 1991, starting 27 games for Montreal. He went 5-8, with a 4.22 ERA. In late August, no-hit the Reds through four, then gave up five runs in the fifth for the loss.

Barnes was still a starter in 1992, going 6-6, with a 2.97 ERA for the Expos that year. In late June, Barnes got into the ninth, giving up five hits against the Pirates. That July, Barnes went into the ninth again, giving up three hits.

After the June outing, Expos Manager Felipe Alou was impressed.

"The rap in the past against Barnes was that he couldn't get his fastball over," Alou told The Associated Press. "Today he had that sinking fastball. Before, he just had a straight fastball."

For 1993, Barnes switched to largely relieving, getting into 52 games. For 1994, Barnes pitched in six games for the Indians and another five with the Dodgers, ending his major league career.

Barnes, however, went on to play in the minors through 2000, playing in five different systems in that span. He played 1996 and 1997 in the Tigers system, all of 1997 at AAA Toledo. He went 7-10 that year, with an ERA of 6.71. In May, he went six innings and struck out nine.

"A lot of guys have been picking me up and giving me confidence throughout the season," Barnes told The Toledo Blade. "No one has let anyone go down very far. I haven't been trusting my stuff and I needed to throw strikes."

Originally published March 11, 2011

• South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Aug. 20, 1989: Enter Change
• South Florida Sun-Sentinel, March 16, 1991: Small Town, Big Dreams
• Washington Observer-Reporter, Associated Press, June 29, 1992: Expos' Barnes gives Bucs sinking feeling
• Toledo Blade, May 18, 1997: Barnes, Hens bounce back

More: The 1990 Jacksonville Expos

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,577
Made the Majors: 770 - 48.8%
Never Made Majors: 807-51.2%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 334
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 198

Yorkis Perez, His Part - 1372

Yorkis Perez was nearing the end of his career in 2000. But he still could stake his claim to the plate.

Pitching against the Cardinals for Houston that April, Perez pitched Jim Edmonds inside, brushing him back. Perez then proceeded to strike Edmonds out looking, according to The Associated Press.

"I think part of the problem we're having is their hitters were too comfortable," Perez told The AP of the strong Cardinals start. "I wanted to claim my part of the plate."

Perez was in his eighth season with time in the majors that year. He got one more. By the time he was done, the career reliever had gotten into a total of 337 major league games, with a career ERA of 4.44. He also spent time in Japan.

He also returned to the majors for one final season, after losing his mother and sister in a November 2001 plane crash.

Perez' career began in 1983, signed by the Twins as an amateur free agent out of his native Dominican Republic at the age of 15.

Perez is recorded as getting his first playing time at rookie Elizabethton in 1983 and 1984, getting four outings between them. He made single-A Kenosha in 1986. He then moved to the Expos and AA Jacksonville in 1987.

Perez stayed with the Expos through 1990, making AAA Indianapolis briefly in his final season. He moved to the Braves and AAA Richmond for 1991. Late in the season, he was traded to the Cubs. He also made his major league debut.

Perez got three September appearances, giving up one earned over 4.1 innings of work. For 1992, he moved to Japan and Yomiuri. Perez got three more outings there. In 6.1 innings, he gave up five earned.

Perez returned to the majors in 1994, with the Marlins. He returned each year through 2000. In 1994, he got 44 outings, with a 3.54 ERA. In July, Perez was brought in to face David Justice. Justice lined out softly, according to The AP.

"Justice was looking for something outside, so I jammed him inside," Perez told The AP. "When he first hit it, I thought it was going to fall in."

Perez stayed with the Marlins for three seasons. He got into 69 games in 1995 and 64 games in 1996. He got nine games with the Mets in 1997, then moved to the Phillies for 1998 and 1999.

Perez moved to the Astros in a trade before the 2000 season. He got 33 outings for the Astros that year, with a 5.16 ERA. His final major league season came in 2002, 23 outings with the Orioles.

Perez came back for that final season, after losing his mother and sister Nov. 12, 2001 on American Airlines Flight 587, which crashed after takeoff from JFK in New York. It was bound for the Dominican Republic, according to The Baltimore Sun.

"I don't take a thing for granted," Perez told The Sun that July. "I lost my mother, and she was top of the line, so I don't care what happens to me. If I'm not doing my job today, that's OK. If I get released tomorrow, that's OK. Because who knows what can happen in life?"

• Tuscaloosa News, Associated Press, July 11, 1994: Break can't cure Braves' woes
• Southeast Missourian, Associated Press, April 12, 2000: Astros finally solve Edmonds, Cardinals
• Baltimore Sun, July 7, 2002: Pain, perspective balance Perez

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,577
Made the Majors: 770 - 48.8%-X
Never Made Majors: 807-51.2%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 334-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 198

Jeff Datz, Headed for Third - 678

Originally published Nov. 21, 2010; Updated March 25, 2014

A long-time coach for the Indians, Jeff Datz made the switch to third for 2006, something that paid immediate dividends.

In two early April games, Datz was aggressive, sending two runners home, both of whom were safe on close plays, MLB.com wrote.

"I like going to third," Datz told MLB.com. "There's more involved at third base than first. You have to know catchers' arms, outfielders' arms, relay guys' arms. We get an advanced scouting report once the season starts. You try to watch those guys throwing and all the plays that they make, and you have to know what our guys can do."

Datz was coaching for the Indians in just the latest stop in a baseball career that dated back to 1982, when he was drafted as a catcher by the Astros.

And, while he went to third for 2006 - and he'll be returning to third in 2011 as third base coach for the Mariners - he had trouble getting there as a player. Or even first, for that matter, something he would joke about later.

Datz' playing career was one that lasted nine seasons in the minors and one brief stint in the majors. He began at short-season Auburn in 1982, hitting .224. He didn't make AA until 1985, hitting just .193 at Columbus.

Returning to Columbus for 1986, Datz had the best run of his career, hitting .325 and earning a look at AAA Tucson.

Going into 1987, Astros manager Hal Lanier was aware of Datz, though Datz had a slow spring. ''I'm giving Datz a long, hard look," Lanier told The Orlando Sentinel. Datz didn't make it that year, he spent it back at AA Columbus. He also didn't make it the next.

It wasn't until he made it to the Tigers organization in 1989 that Datz made it to the majors. He hit .247 at Toledo, but got the September call-up to Detroit. He played in seven games for the Tigers, getting 12 plate appearances. He walked twice and got two hits, the extent of his major league playing career.

Datz returned to the minors for 1990, playing at AAA Columbus. It was his final season as a player. He returned for another go in spring 1991, but was released.

Years later, in 2008, Datz appeared to joke about his troubles at the plate as a player. On a hot day, it was suggested Datz use a newspaper as a towel. "That's what I used to use as a bat," Datz said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

His playing career over, Datz turned to coaching and managing. By 1994, Datz was managing the short-season Watertown Indians. Among the players he oversaw at Watertown was Jim Betzsold.

"We really like what we've seen from him so far, especially his power," Datz told The Los Angeles Times of Betzsold. "He's definitely got some juice in his bat. He's done a heck of a job for us, and has hit well in the clutch."

Datz moved up to managing AAA Buffalo by 1998. There, in May, he oversaw Dwight Gooden under rehab. Speaking to The New York Daily News, Datz told of what he looked for in a pitcher.

"Velocity is not the most important thing. Command, movement and velocity, for me, is the order," Datz told The Daily News. "Everybody loves to see the 95-mph fastball, but Doc's probably not going to get there. He was, what, 91, 92 last year. So if he can get back to there, that's great."

In 2002, Datz joined the Indians in Cleveland, as a coach. He stayed with Cleveland as a coach through 2009, when manager Eric Wedge was let go. After a season as a coach with the Orioles, Datz rejoined Wedge for 2011 with the Mariners.

Datz was also headed back to third.

"He does a fantastic job in putting the day together every day," Wedge told The Tacoma News Tribune Nov. 5. "He can do anything, serve any role, and he'll be a great third base coach."

In April 2013, Datz was diagnosed with skin cancer, receiving six weeks of radiation treatment, according to The Seattle Times. That July, after his treatment was complete, he told The Seattle Times his approach to getting better.

"I tried to throw BP the whole time through radiation," Datz told The Seattle Times. "I wanted to do that to say, 'Hey, cancer, you're not going to beat me.'"

• Orlando Sentinel, March 27, 1987: Lanier Still Pondering Problems
• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 16, 1994: Betzsold Bolts to Fine Start as Pro
• New York Daily News, May 8, 1998: At Triple-A Rehab, Doc Nurses Return
• MLB.com, April 5, 2006: Notes: Aggressive on the base paths
• Baltimore Sun, Oct. 30, 2009: Former Indian Jeff Datz Hired As Bench Coach
• Longview Daily News, Tacoma News Tribune, Nov. 5, 2010: Wedge fashions an eclectic coaching staff for Mariners
• Seattle Times, July 10, 2013: Mariners' Jeff Datz talks about cancer treatment