John Graves, Save Earned - 2517

Read the April 2016 interview: John Graves, That Chance

John Graves earned the save on this night in April 1990.

He worked the eighth and ninth innings for single-A Gastonia. He gave up a single hit and no runs, preserving a 5-4 Gastonia win, according to The Sumter Item.

Graves saved that game in his second season as a pro. It would also be his final season as a pro. He didn't return for a third.

Graves' brief career began in 1989, taken by the Rangers in the 39th round of the draft out of Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma.

Graves started with the Rangers at rookie Butte. In 26 appearances, one start, he went 4-3, with a 2.96 ERA. He also saved four games. In a July game for Butte, Graves helped finish off a shutout, Butte beating Salt Lake 5-0.

Graves moved to Gastonia for 1990. That May, he and his teammates had to deal with the passing of fellow relief pitcher Ronaldo Romero.

"I've lost a good friend, but God has his ways of dealing with things," Graves told The Oklahoman after Romero's passing. "I guess it was just his time to go see Him."

In 33 relief outings that year, Graves went 3-5 and had a good 2.01 ERA. He also saved 14. Despite the numbers, it was Graves' final season as a pro.

Read the April 2016 interview: John Graves, That Chance 

• Sumter Item, April 26, 1990: 2-run 7th boosts Rangers by Braves
• The Oklahoman, May 20, 1990: Pitcher's Death Shocks Team

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,658
Made the Majors: 799 - 48.2%
Never Made Majors: 859-51.8%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 347
10+ Seasons in the Minors:202

Orlando Gomez, Stayed Young - 2536

Speaking to The Wilmington Star-News in 2012, Orlando Gomez had a simple assessment of his career to that point.

"Baseball has really been my life,'' Gomez told The Star-News. "I do it because I try and stay young.''

By that time, Gomez had stayed young for nearly five decades.  Gomez' life in baseball began back in 1964, as an 18-year-old signed as a catcher out of his native Puerto Rico.

He went on to play professionally for 13 seasons. He made AAA, but never made the majors.

His coaching career started soon after, Gomez serving as a manager in rookie ball in 1977. It's continued ever since. Along the way, he served as a major league coach for three different organizations, then as a bullpen catcher.

For 2014, he's back managing in rookie ball, helming the Orioles Gulf Coast League entry.

Gomez the player started with the Yankees in the Sarasota Rookie League. He moved to the Reds' system in 1966 and the Athletics for 1967. He then stayed with the Athletics through the end of his playing career in 1976.

By 1977, Gomez was managing in the Oakland system at rookie Medicine Hat. He then briefly turned to scouting.

It was as a scout for the Rangers that Gomez signed Jose Guzman, according to The Associated Press. Gomez then followed Guzman's progress after his return to managing, becoming like a father figure to Guzman, The AP wrote.

In 1991, Gomez as Rangers bullpen coach, he told The AP about encouraging Guzman back after surgery and then being released.

"He was disappointed," Gomez told The AP that June. "We talked about it a lot. He grew up in this organization."

Gomez also signed Ruben Sierra. Gomez returned to managing by 1983, taking over single-A Burlington. He moved to AA Tulsa in 1984, then AAA Buffalo in 1987. He arrived at single-A Gastonia in 1988, staying there for three seasons.

Gomez finally made the majors in 1991, serving as bench coach for the Rangers. He stayed there for two seasons. By 1993, he was back managing in the minors in the Mariners system.

In 1996, Gomez was at AA Port City, watching over a young Raul Ibanez.

"I think Raul was born to hit," Gomez told The Star-News that April. "He's going to be a great hitter. He needs to quit fighting himself so much. He wants to be perfect every time."

Gomez returned to the majors in 1998, serving as bullpen coach for the Devil Rays. He stayed there for three seasons. He later was bullpen coach for the Mariners for 2003 to 2004. From 2005 to 2007, Gomez served as Orioles bullpen catcher.

He has remained with the Orioles system through 2014, managing back in the minors starting in 2008. In 2011, managing high-A Frederick, Gomez spoke to MASNSports.com about his team.

"The pitching has been good, but another key is our defense,"Gomez told MASNSports that September. "We've played great defense. We probably have 65 or so fewer errors than last year. We are making some plays where we had trouble with last year. When you make routine plays and do the little things, it can help a lot."

• Hendersonville Times-News, Associated Press, June 19, 1991: Guzman battles back with the help of the bullpen coach
• Wilmington Star-News, April 26, 1996: Ibanez giving Roosters most of their punch
• MASNSports.com, Sept. 7, 2011: Checking in with Frederick manager Orlando Gomez  
• Wilmington Star-News, May 16, 2012: Roosters' leader still rolling on in baseball

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,657
Made the Majors: 799 - 48.2%-X
Never Made Majors: 858-51.8%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 347
10+ Seasons in the Minors:202

Dave Jacas proved dynamic at AA; Played eight seasons, made AAA

By June 1991, the El Paso Diablos were about as hot as their name would imply. At their new park, they scored 7.6 runs per game and were 26-5, The Los Angeles Times wrote.

Helping them along was outfielder Dave Jacas, who in the off-season worked as an accountant. As a player, though, he would finish the year with 53 RBIs and 27 stolen bases.

"It's a real dynamic bunch," Jacas told The Times of his team's efforts. "But I can't explain it."

Jacas was in his sixth season as a professional, playing for the Brewers' AA El Paso team. He'd played the previous year at AAA in the Twins' system. But Jacas only had one more season left as a pro, his career ending after 1992, short of the majors.

Jacas' professional career began in 1986, taken by the Twins in the 14th round of the draft out of the University of San Diego. At San Diego that year, Jacas helped his team in March, going 3-5 in one game, with a stolen base that helped him score the winning run. He went 3-4 in another game. The previous summer, Jacas played in Alaska.

With the Twins, Jacas started at single-A Kenosha, hitting .275 and stealing 10 bases. He split 1987 between Kenosha and single-A Visalia, hitting .253 between them.

Jacas didn't get his first look at AA until 1989, at Orlando. He started the year at Visalia, filling in for the trainer with laundry duty, The Times wrote. Jacas also hit .307 at Visalia, getting called up to Orlando in June.

With Orlando in 1989, Jacas got into 56 games, hitting .300 and stealing 14 bases. In late August, Jacas was 24 for his last 52, The Orlando Sentinel wrote. On Aug. 24, Jacas went 4 for 5. A week earlier, on Aug. 15, Jacas went 5 for 6.

Promoted to AAA Portland for 1990, Jacas hit just .231. It was his final season in the Twins organization. He finished out his career with one season in the Brewers system in 1991 and one more with the Athletics system in 1992, both seasons spent at AA.

Originally published June 11, 2011

• Los Angeles Times, Aug. 13, 1989: Field of Dreams
• Los Angeles Times, June 19, 1991: Jacas' Numbers Quickly Adding Up

More: The 1990 Portland Beavers

John Burkett stayed relaxed, became reliable majors pitcher

John Burkett became one of the most reliable pitchers in the majors by 1998, his hometown Beaver County Times wrote.

Burkett attributed much of that to his personality, he told The Times.

"I'm the kind of guy who doesn't get excited about very much," Burkett told The Times that May. "I've always been able to stay calm on the mound and I think that's why I've pitched well in big games. I've always been able to keep my cool. I guess you could call it relaxed aggressiveness."

Burkett was in his 10th season with time in the majors that year. He started at least 30 games in eight of those. He then continued to pitch through 2003, getting two more 30-start campaigns and one with 29.

Over his total 15 big league campaigns, Burkett amassed 166 wins, a career ERA of 4.31, two All-Star nods. By far his best season was 1993, where he went 22-7 and came in fourth in the NL Cy Young balloting.

Burkett's career began in 1983, taken by the Giants in the sixth round of the draft out of Beaver High School in Pennsylvania.

He started in rookie Great Falls. He moved to single-A Clinton in 1984, then AA Shreveport in 1986. Burkett then got his first look at San Francisco in September 1987.

Burkett got into three games in relief for the Giants that year, giving up three earned in six innings of work. He returned to the minors for two more seasons, then returned to the majors for good in 1990.

His 1990 campaign was his first 30-start season. He started 32 games, going 14-7, with a 3.79 ERA. He also came in fourth in the Rookie of the Year balloting.

That May, Burkett returned to his hometown of Pittsburgh for the first time, pitching against the team he rooted for growing up.

"I can't treat it differently, though," Burkett told The Times before the game. "I can't get away from the fact that it's just one game. I've just got to go out and pitch like I normally do."

Burkett picked up 12 wins in 1991, then 13 in 1992. Then came his 22-win season in 1993, and his first All-Star appearance. That August, he picked up a win while giving up just four hits in a 6-0 win over the Reds. He didn't give up a hit until the sixth.

Burkett stayed with the Giants through 1994. He then moved to the Marlins, picking up another 14 wins in 1995. Going into 1996, Marlins manager Rene Lachemann told The Times about Burkett's durability.

"You can mark him down for a minimum of 200 innings right now," Lachemann told The Times. "He's durable. He takes care of himself and his arm. He always wants the ball. And he's not just giving you innings, he's giving you quality innings. He's not only durable but he's a good pitcher."

Burkett continued to start games with frequency. He won 11 games total in 1996, moving mid-year to the Rangers. Even with his durability, he didn't get double-digit wins again until 2000.

In 2001, though, he was back to form. Pitching for Atlanta, he got his second All-Star nod, won 12 games and ended with a 3.04 ERA.

"I think it's just been my ability to execute," Burkett told The Rome News-Tribune that July of his success. "I think that has made a difference this year.  I'm keeping the ball down better and have been more consistent than I ever have, and I'm mixing pitches up and they've all seemed to come together."

Burkett moved to the Red Sox for 2002. He won 13 games there that year and 12 there the next. His 2003 season was his 15th and final in the majors.

• Beaver County Times, May 24, 1990: Going Home, Part 2
• Kentucky New Era, Associated Press, Aug. 12, 1993: Burkett 4-hits Cincy
• Beaver County Times, April 1, 1996: Workhorse, Part 2 
• Beaver County Times, May 17, 1998: Burkett hopes rocky road's turned smooth, Part 2
• Rome News-Tribune, July 1, 2001: Braves' best kept secret

More: The 1990 Phoenix Firebirds

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,656
Made the Majors: 798 - 48.2%-X
Never Made Majors: 858-51.8%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 347-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors:202

Erik Johnson, Greatest Influence - 19

Erik Johnson played a decade as a professional, making the majors twice with the Giants.

When that career was done, Johnson went in a new direction, but he stayed involved in the game. He became a youth instructor.

"The greatest influence I can have is how I communicate with the kids," Johnson told The Contra Costa Times in 2008. "It's more than being a coach. It's being a mentor."

Johnson's involvement in the pro ranks began in 1987, taken by the Giants in the 18th round of the draft out of the University of California Santa Barbara.

With UCSB, Johnson hit a home run in a May 1986 regional win.

Johnson started with the Giants in 1987, playing between rookie Pocatello and AA Shreveport. He hit .264 in 43 games a Pocatello. He knocked in a run on a single in a June game.

Johnson moved to single-A Clinton and San Jose for 1988, then back to Shreveport for 1989. He hit .228 over 87 games at Shreveport.

He briefly made Phoenix for 1990, playing the rest of the year back at Shreveport. He split time between the two levels again in 1991, then left Shreveport behind.

Johnson played all of 1992 at Phoenix, then started 1993 there. That July, he made San Francisco.

Johnson debuted for the Giants July 8. He got into four games, had five plate appearances and two hits. He spent the rest of the year at Phoenix.

He returned to the Giants for five more games in 1994, getting two hits in 13 at bats. That was the extent of his major league career.

Johnson played two more years in the minors, 1995 with Pittsburgh at AAA Calgary and 1996 with the Marlins at AAA Charlotte, ending his career.

His playing career over, Johnson returned to his native Danville, Ca., and founded EJ Sports with his wife. He is now director of baseball operations. He runs youth clinics, gives instruction and coaches.

• Contra Costa Times, June 30, 2008: Former youth star passing along pro skills

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,655
Made the Majors: 797 - 48.2%-X
Never Made Majors: 858-51.8%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 346
10+ Seasons in the Minors:202

Jimmy Williams, Its Fullest - 179

Originally published Sept. 18, 2012

Jimmy Williams was all set to go to the University of Alabama, The Newport News Daily Press wrote years later.

Then the Dodgers came calling, taking him in the 10th round, offering a $28,000 signing bonus, which Williams accepted, The Daily Press wrote.

"Growing up, we never had a lot of money," Williams told The Daily Press. "The scout who signed me said, `You won't be in the minors for long. You'll be in the majors in three years.' Guess he lied."

Williams spoke to The Daily Press 12 years after he signed. He had yet to make the majors. And, in a career that saw time in 18 professional seasons, he never would.

Williams' professional career began back in 1984, when he accepted that offer from the Dodgers.

Williams started that year in rookie ball, making single-A Vero Beach in 1986. After moving to the Twins system for 1987, Williams first made AA in 1989, at Orlando.

Williams also got 16 games in 1989 at AAA Portland, posting a 4.18 ERA in 23.2 innings of work. Williams returned to Portland for all of 1990, posting a 5.04 ERA and never made Minnesota.

The longtime reliever turned starter for 1991, moving to the Giants system at AAA Phoenix. He went 7-9 in 28 starts.

After going through the Cubs and Expos systems, Williams arrived with the Mets for 1995. He went 11-4 at AAA Norfolk before moving late-season to the Orioles and Rochester.

Williams is credited as playing in Japan in 1997, then one more season in affiliated ball in 1998. Williams, though, continued playing in independent ball into 2003.

In 2002, he continued playing, to honor his mother, who passed away the year before.

"My mother always said," Williams told The Camden Courier-Post in May 2002, "'You have a God-given talent, you have to use it to its fullest.' I'm here because I want to play, and more so, my mother wants me to play.''

Williams played his last games as a pro in 2003, in Mexico, ending his 18-season professional career.

• Newport News Daily Press, Aug. 13, 1995: A Study In Perseverance
• Camden Courier-Post, May 19, 2002: With every save, Williams points to the sky

Marvin White, School Career - 2538

Marvin White was practically unhittable in high school. Actually, he was literally unhittable.

Throughout his high school career at Asher High School in Midwest City, Okla., White threw a total of 11 no-hitters, according to the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association.

White went on from Asher to Southeastern Oklahoma State and to the pros. His pro career, though, was brief. It was also limited to coaching. He never played professionally.

White's stint in baseball began at Asher. He played there from 1976 to 1979. He went 24-1 in the 1978-1979 season. He won 48 games over his career.

From Asher, White is credited as going on to Seminole State College, then to Southeastern Oklahoma State. He was at Southeastern from 1982 to 1983.

In 1981, White was drafted by the Phillies in the 11th round of the January draft. He did not sign. He's not listed as being drafted again.

White went on to Texas Tech as a coach, according to his ProCards card. By 1989, he was with the Rangers, serving as pitching coach at rookie Butte.

He moved to single-A Gastonia for 1990, serving as pitching coach there. That May, one of White's pitchers, Ronaldo Romero, passed away due to a heart condition.

"When someone dies you always try to find something good to say about them, but this kid was unique," White told his hometown Oklahoman newspaper. "He was unique in the fact that he would come to the park every day with a smile on his face."

White apparently stayed with the Rangers system through 1994, when his contract was not renewed.

• Oklahoman, May 20, 1990: Pitcher's Death Shocks Team
• Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association: High School State Records

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,654
Made the Majors: 796 - 48.1%
Never Made Majors: 858-51.9%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 346
10+ Seasons in the Minors:202

Timber Mead, Big League Name - 10

Originally published Jan. 3, 2011

Timber Mead was going into his third professional season in 1987 when his team, the Giants traded him to the Reds.

The main players in the deal were others, Eddie Milner to the Giants and Frank Williams to the Reds. Mead and fellow former Giant Mike Villa were sent along to even the deal.

"We got two good prospects," Reds GM Bill Bergesch told The Associated Press after the January 1987 deal was complete. "and another good man for our pitching staff."

Williams went on to pitch two seasons for the Reds, Milner played one for the Giants. Mead and his fellow prospect, never lived up to that prospect status, never making the majors.

Mead was selected by the Giants in the sixth round of the 1985 draft. He spent that season at short-season Everett, going 7-5 with a 4.58 ERA.

With Everett that June, Mead one-hit Spokane for the first five innings, but Everett eventually lost. For 1986, he moved on to single-A Clinton, lowering his ERA to 3.57 and posting a record of 9-6. Then the Giants shipped him to the Reds.

Mead played 1987, his first year with the Reds, at single-A Tampa. He went 5-7 with a 5.00 ERA. One of his losses came in an August game against Daytona Beach, walking in a run. It was a loss that was perhaps understandable, given the circumstances.

Mead made AA for the first time in 1988 at Chattanooga. He would stay there through 1989. He went 9-10 with a 3.09 ERA his first season there, then 5-11 with a 4.98 ERA his second.

In July 1988, Mead pitched 6.2 innings, giving up four hits and walking one, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

Along the way, he was named Southern League Player of the Week in April 1989. The Los Angeles Times also noted Mead's name, "a big league name." He went 2-0 that week, going 13 innings and giving up just one run, The Sentinel wrote.

Despite his poor record in 1989, Mead did have success against one team, Birmingham. He shut them out 2-0 that summer, The Sentinel wrote. The Sentinel also noted Mead's first name, "a major-league first name." Mead was the only pitcher to shut Birmingham out by late July.

Mead returned to the Giants system for 1990, dividing it between AAA Phoenix and AA Shreveport, with a short stint at high-A San Jose. He started at AAA, had his stint at San Jose then ended at AA Shreveport.

Used mainly as a reliever, Mead posted an ERA at AAA of 5.23. It was his final year in affiliated ball. He returned for 1991, going 13-7 as a starter for independent Reno, ending his career.

Meads loss in that August 1987 game might have been understandable. He was probably distracted. He became a father days later, with son Tyler Mead born.

Tyler Mead would go on to a brief baseball career of his own, selected by the Padres in the 17th round of the 2006 draft. Tyler Mead's career has been briefer than his fathers. He played three seasons in the San Diego system, getting to short-season Eugene.

• Spokane Chronicle, June 29, 1985: Indians make big noise with late-booming bats
• Harlan Daily Enterprise, Associated Press, Jan. 9, 1987: Reds Trade Milner For Pitcher Williams
• MadFriars.com, Feb. 22, 2007: Tyler Mead ready for next step

Interview Part 3: Rob Leary, Fortunate Man

Sun Life Stadium in 2011. Rob Leary worked to get players there from 1995 to 2001 as a minors coordinator and director for the Marlins. He's now Marlins bench coach. (G21D Photo)

Part 1: Great Decision | Part 2: His Potential 
Part 3: Fortunate Man

Note: Special thanks to former Marlins minor league coach Randy Hennis for making this interview with 2014 Miami Marlins bench coach Rob Leary possible.
 

Rob Leary has been involved in baseball now for nearly three decades.

Along the way, he served as a catcher in the minors, then as a coach. He's been a coordinator, director and a manager.

But it wasn't until 2010 that he finally took a different role, that of assistant coach in the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox. For 2013 and 2014, Leary's role has been as bench coach for the Miami Marlins.

"I hope people have always known that, with hard work and with dedication and commitment, that people can realize their dreams," Leary told The Greatest 21 Days recently. "I've realized mine."

"I didn't do it as a player, but to be in this situation, as a major league coach and working for and with a person I have the utmost respect for and many others, also - I'm an extremely fortunate man, both in the game and outside the game."

A pitching change at West Palm Beach in 2011. Rob Leary played and managed at West Palm Beach's old Municipal Stadium. (G21D Photo)

Leary spoke to The Greatest 21 Days by phone recently from San Diego, where the Marlins were taking on the Padres.

He spoke about his beginnings in the game as a youth south of San Francisco, working his way up through college and then into the pros. He also spoke of his turn to coaching, and his eventual arrival in the bigs.

Leary's early coaching career was spent as a minor league manager in system of the team that once drafted him, the Expos. He managed at single-A Rockford and then high-A West Palm Beach.

The trick, he said, both then and now, is relating to his players.

"I tried back then and it is still a daily process - 'I'm here for you. What do you need? What else can we do? Is there something else?'

"That's the thing that I really like, those personal relationships, those personal-professional relationships, in trying to help each player to get to that next level when I was in the minor leagues or now, ultimately being here in the major leagues."

The former Thomas J. White Stadium in St. Lucie, Fla. Rob Leary managed there in 1993 and 1994 with visiting West Palm Beach. (G21D Photo)

Leary stayed with the Expos through 1994. He then moved to the Marlins and his first stint there. There, he served as minor league catching instructor and later minor league field coordinator and director of field operations.

He was also there for the 1997 championship season. It was the first of three times Leary's organizations won championships. He later served as minor league field coordinator for the Red Sox for their 2004 and 2007 championships.

As a field coordinator, Leary had a hand in the entire organization at multiple levels starting in spring training. He recalled his first major league spring camp being 1995.

Once he became field coordinator, he started working major league spring training, then with players from AAA, down to the Latin American summer leagues.

"I've had such wonderful experiences meeting, working, working for people from all over the world," Leary said. "To me, I feel so fortunate that I've been afforded some of these opportunities and that I've earned some of these opportunities. I've tried to make the best of each and every one of them."

Championship banners at Sun Life Stadium in 2011. Rob Leary served as Marlins minor league field coordinator for 1997. (G21D Photo)

One of the people Leary worked with in the Marlins organization was Randy Hennis. Hennis joined the Marlins the same year Leary did, spending his time as a minor league pitching coach. In 1999 and 2000, Hennis coached at AAA Calgary.

Hennis recalled Leary doing both jobs, catching coordinator and field coordinator, "extremely well."

"Field coordinator can be a very under-appreciated and difficult job to do," Hennis recalled in an e-mail, "but Rob did it with as much energy and class as could be done and we were ecstatic he got promoted to director of operations."

"On a personal level," Hennis added later, "he is also a great human being, true friend and has a great family."

Leary and his wife Candace have been married for 19 years. They have two sons.

Fenway Park in July 2004. Rob Leary served as Red Sox minors field coordinator that year. He later served as assistant major league coach there. (G21D Photo)

Leary joined the Red Sox in 2002 and he stayed with them for a decade. He started as catching instructor, then moved to field coordinator.
In 2010, he got his first big league job, as an assistant coach in Boston. He called that a "huge thrill and a great learning experience." He helped run spring training and he worked with the major league players.

"It was a good experience for me personally and professionally," Leary said. "It was something I believe helped me out exponentially to be ready for this role that I have as bench coach."

Leary arrived with the Marlins as bench coach for 2013, after spending a season with the Indians as minor league field coordinator. He served as a Red Sox assistant coach from 2010 to 2011.

As Marlins bench coach, Leary runs all of spring training. He puts workout schedules together. He does that with many winter conversations with manager Mike Redmond and the rest of the coaches. They talk about who needs what work and how much.

The Marlins celebrating their 2003 World Championship at Yankee Stadium. Rob Leary worked with Marlins minor leaguers from 1995 to 2001.

"I actually put it down on paper and make sure we run a real organized and efficient spring training," Leary said.

This year, they had about 67 or 68 players in camp. Last year it was 72 or 73.

Leary also coaches the major league catchers. For 2014, he's working with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jeff Mathis. He helps them with drill work, handling the pitching staff. He also throws batting practice and helps other coaches.

"Then it's helping Mike Redmond put lineups together," Leary said. "Ultimately, when the game starts, it's helping Mike run the game."

He also prepares charts with matchup numbers for that night's game.

Leary praised Redmond, saying he's always prepared. But he also seeks out the opinions of his staff. Then Redmond makes the final decisions. "He does a tremendous job using the resources around him," Leary said.

As for being where he is now, Leary said "it means the world." He credited the many people he's worked with along the way with making him into the coach he is today.

Marlins Park under construction in 2011. Rob Leary now works there as the Marlins' major league bench coach. (G21D Photo)

He credited his family, getting their constant support, knowing the time he'll be away. He credited John Boles and Gary Hughes, both constant figures in his career. There is also Redmond, who wanted Leary on his staff.

"I don't think I could truly express the feeling, the amount of respect that I have for those people," Leary said, "not because of getting this job or that opportunity, but just because of the way people have treated me and afforded me opportunities."

"I really do have a difficult time trying to express exactly what these people have meant to me and my career, and more importantly to my life."

Leary also looks back to his youth, growing up in the San Francisco Bay area. It was there that Leary learned his work ethic. His teachers were his parents.

"I think I've carried that over to my life on and off the field," Leary said.

Read Part 1 of the Rob Leary interview: Rob Leary, Great Decision

Part 1: Great Decision | Part 2: His Potential 
Part 3: Fortunate Man

Interview Part 2: Rob Leary, His Potential

Community Field in Burlington, Ia., in 2010. Rob Leary played at Community Field in 1988 with the visiting Rockford Expos. (G21D Photo)

Part 1: Great Decision | Part 2: His Potential
Part 3: Fortunate Man

Note: Special thanks to former Marlins minor league coach Randy Hennis for making this interview with 2014 Miami Marlins bench coach Rob Leary possible.

Early on in his playing career, it seemed club officials saw him as something other than a player, Rob Leary recalled recently.

Playing at single-A Rockford in 1988, it was Leary whom club brass asked to help another player transition from the infield to behind the plate, he recalled.

"So, I kind of hand an inkling that, at some point, that they would be interested in me coaching," Leary recalled.

Leary was then in his third season as a pro. He ended up getting just one more before the coaching offer came. When it came, Leary took time to think about it, and he took it.

He's been a coach in one capacity or another ever since. He continues in 2014, serving as a bench coach in the major leagues, with the Miami Marlins.

Leary spoke to The Greatest 21 Days by phone recently from San Diego, where the Marlins were taking on the Padres.

He spoke about his beginnings in the game as a youth south of San Francisco, working his way up through college and then into the pros. He also spoke of his turn to coaching, and his eventual arrival in the bigs.

Olympic Stadium in Montreal in March 2014. Rob Leary worked in the minors, hoping to play there. He later helped send other players there. (G21D Photo)

Leary's professional playing career began in 1986, after the Expos selected him in the 12th round out of Louisiana State University.

His first stop was the rookie Gulf Coast League.

"It was certainly different," Leary said of the transition from college to the pros. "It was baseball everyday."

Leary recalled the move from aluminum bats to wood bats as a challenge. But he got to play four to five times a week, something he said was great.

He also got to see the minor leagues. In that first season, Leary got to play at three different levels. He played most of his time in the GCL, but he also got brief time at single-A West Palm Beach and AA Jacksonville.

He recalled getting to meet many future teammates and coaches with the moves, as well as just play at higher levels.

A St. Lucie Met behind the plate at the former Thomas J. White Stadium in 2011. Rob Leary played and later coached in the Florida State League. (G21D Photo)

"I really got to experience what life as a minor leaguer is," Leary said. "You can be in one city one day and be in another city the next day playing for a different team with players you don't know, coaches you may not know.

"That's really how the game is," Leary added. "Everything can change over night for various reasons, so many of them that aren't under your control."

Leary got some stability in 1987, playing exclusively at West Palm Beach. He moved to single-A Rockford for 1988. One of his teammates that year, the one he helped transition to catcher, was Greg Colbrunn.

For 1989, Leary moved up to AA Jacksonville. He got into 48 games there, as well as nine back at West Palm Beach. He never really hit well, at Jacksonville he hit .212. But he could catch.

Throughout those years, Leary recalled, he always thought he had a chance to be a major league player.

"I wasn't a big bonus baby, a major prospect or anything like that," Leary said. "But I always believed that I had the skills and I certainly had the will to win and to advance from one level to the next."

Burlington Bees at the dugout rail at Community Field in 2010. Rob Leary played and later managed there with visiting Rockford. (G21D Photo)

That year in Jacksonville, Leary said, had him believing all the more.

"I truly believed that I was on my way," Leary said. "I think the biggest thing is I didn't put up and just never hit as well as I could have to be able to advance to those next levels."

Then came spring 1990. Leary knew he hadn't had the greatest year offensively in 1989, but he was hoping to continue playing.

Soon, though, the Expos' new farm director John Boles took Leary aside and laid out for him Leary's playing prospects in the organization, as well as his prospects in another capacity, coaching.

"He was very respectful and it was a great conversation," Leary said. "I had the utmost respect for Jon and the organization to come in and tell me very directly how they felt."

If Leary didn't want the position, he was told, he'd be battling for a position at the AA level. But they thought his future was in coaching. He had some leadership qualities they liked. He could become a solid coach, they told him.

A Tampa Yankee catching at West Palm Beach in 2011. Rob Leary played and later coached at West Palm Beach's old Municipal Stadium. (G21D Photo)

After talking with his family and considering his options, Leary accepted the coaching position.

With that, though, he still got to play some. Leary served as a player-coach back at Rockford. He got into 34 games there and hit .243. At the end of the season, he even got to move up to AAA. He got two at bats there, picking up a double.

With season's end, Boles returned to Leary. This time he had a full-time managing position for 1991 in the Gulf Coast League. By mid-season, Leary was managing at Rockford.

The 27-year-old was managing single-A instructing players only a few years younger than him.  But Leary made it work. He had good coaches around him, he recalled. He also made it clear to his players that he would show them respect from the first day.

"With my personality and experience, I think it was actually a benefit to me," Leary said of the small age difference between him and his players. "Because being close in age, having an understanding o what these guys were going through, the ones that are succeeding and the ones that are having difficult times.

At Montreal's Olympic Stadium in March 2014. In 1990, Rob Leary turned from trying to get to Montreal to helping others get there. (G21D Photo)

"I certainly had my difficult times as a player and as a person," Leary said.

Leary said he believes players then and players today understand what kind of coach and what kind of a person he is and that works to his benefit.

"I understood at the early stages of my coaching career that it's not about me, it's all about the players and the organization," he said, "and trying to help each player that walks through the door to realize their potential and their dreams."

From those early stages as a coach, Leary went on to build a career that helped himself realize his potential - as a major league coach.

Part 1: Great Decision | Part 2: His Potential
Part 3: Fortunate Man

Go to Part 3: Rob Leary, Fortunate Man

Interview Part 1: Rob Leary, Great Decision

Marlins catcher John Buck behind the plate at Sun Life Stadium in 2011. Rob Leary is now coaching Marlins catchers in 2014 as Miami's major league bench coach. (G21D Photo)

Part 1: Great Decision | Part 2: His Potential 
Part 3: Fortunate Man

Note: Special thanks to former Marlins minor league coach Randy Hennis for making this interview with 2014 Miami Marlins bench coach Rob Leary possible.

Rob Leary remembered the conversation as a difficult one.

It came in spring 1990 and the message was a tough one to hear: The Expos didn't see Leary as a major league player.

What the team saw him as was a coach.

"I thought about it for a few days and I decided to take the position," Leary recalled recently. "As much as I still believed in my abilities (as a player), I think it was a great decision for me."

With that decision, Leary put aside his original goal of making the majors as a player. But that decision also put him on course to make to the majors all the same, just in a different capacity.

After years serving in multiple capacities in the minors, Leary finally made it to the majors in 2010 as an assistant coach with the Red Sox. And he's still in the majors in 2014, serving as bench coach for the Miami Marlins under manager Mike Redmond.

Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., before a game in 2011. Rob Leary helped Marlins minor leaguers make it to Miami in the late 1990s. (G21D Photo)

Leary spoke to The Greatest 21 Days by phone recently from San Diego, where the Marlins were taking on the Padres.

He spoke about his beginnings in the game as a youth south of San Francisco, working his way up through college and then into the pros. He also spoke of his turn to coaching, and his eventual arrival in the bigs.

Leary grew up in San Carlos City, Ca., about five miles south of San Mateo. He came from an athletic family. His two brothers played baseball, his two sisters played softball. His father Bob coached locally.

When Leary was old enough, he was a bat boy for his father's team. He played in Little League and the local Catholic school league. He also played basketball and some football.

"I don't know how my parents did it all the time, getting all five of us to our activities," Leary said. "But they did a great job of helping us, supporting us and giving us the opportunity to play."

Marlins Park under construction in 2011. Rob Leary now works at Marlins park as Miami's bench coach. (G21D Photo)

It was in youth baseball that Leary got to regularly see a major league player up close. One of Leary's teammates was none other than a young Barry Bonds. Bonds' father Bobby Bonds often came to games.

Leary recalled drawing some inspiration from getting to meet and know a major league player in Bobby Bonds.

As for becoming a professional player, and even a major league player, himself, Leary said it was something he thought about.

"I certainly dreamed about it, but I also knew it would be a lot of hard work to be able to achieve it," Leary said.

Leary graduated from Serra High School in San Mateo, then went to college locally at the College of San Mateo. It was during his freshman year that he started to get the attention of scouts. 

Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha in 2010. Leary played at Rosenblatt in 1986 with LSU at the College World Series. (G21D Photo)

He got enough attention to be taken in the January 1983 draft by the Dodgers, in the eighth round. Leary wasn't expecting to be drafted, though he had talked to the Dodgers scout. He didn't sign.

If they'd made a strong offer, he might have signed, he recalled. But he believed it was best for him to stay in school and continue playing there.

"Physically I don't think I was strong enough," Leary said. "I thought that I needed a lot more work and a lot more playing time and experience in college before I was ready to go out and try to play professional baseball."

His education was also important to him and is family.

From San Mateo, Leary moved on to Louisiana State University, getting an opportunity to win the starting job right away with a full scholarship. In 1986, Leary helped the team to its first of many College World Series appearances.

Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium in 2010. It was in Omaha, during the 1986 College World Series, that Rob Leary learned he'd been drafted by the Expos and where he signed. (G21D Photo)

LSU went out early in that first appearance, getting eliminated in its third game. But it was during that appearance that Leary got word that he'd been drafted again. This time, it was the Expos who came calling, taking him in the 12th round.

"I was thrilled, I was extremely happy," Leary said of getting drafted.

He was also taken by a club whose scouting director was a man he now considers a lifelong friend, Gary Hughes. Hughes had even went to the same high school as Leary did.

Leary's mother was at the College World Series with him. Once LSU got eliminated, their attention turned to the Expos.

"The next morning, I sat down with the Expos, with my mother, and we came to an agreement on a contract," Leary recalled. "I get to go home for a week and then I started out my professional baseball career."

Part 1: Great Decision | Part 2: His Potential 
Part 3: Fortunate Man
Go to Part 2: Rob Leary, His Potential

Mike Arner hit his spots, made AAA with Rangers

Mike Arner pitched well for the first five innings of this July 1990 game, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune wrote. He also only gave up two hits. But, in the sixth, he gave up four consecutive hits, losing a 3-0 lead on the Baseball City Royals.

"I don't know what happened," Arner's Charlotte Manager Bobby Jones told The Herald-Tribune afterward. "I don't know if he (Arner) got tired out there or not. But he was hitting spots and he pitched pretty well."

Arner was in his second professional season in 1990, playing at high-A Charlotte. He went on to see time at AA Tulsa and AAA Oklahoma City in 1992. But Arner would never see time in the majors.

Arner's career began in 1989, taken in the 13th round by the Rangers out of high school. He played that season at the Rangers' rookie league team in the Gulf Coast League. He also went 7-0 with a 1.71 ERA.

The next year, Arner moved to single-A Gastonia. In 14 starts there, Arner went 8-2 with an ERA of 2.03. He also earned a promotion to high-A Charlotte. At Charlotte, Arner went 3-3 with a 2.97 ERA, including a no-decision in that Baseball City game.

Arner returned to Charlotte for 1991, Arner went 8-8 with a 3.17 ERA. He got one of his losses in an April game. Arner went four innings, giving up two runs before hitting his pitch count, The Herald Tribune wrote.

"He walked the leadoff man in two innings, and fell behind a number of hitters," Charlotte Manager Bobby Molinaro told The Herald-Tribune, "but they didn't hit him at all."

Arner got another one of his losses in an August game, giving up three runs in two innings. By 1992, the starter was now a reliever. He was also moving up. At Charlotte in May, Arner got a win in relief with 3.2 innings of one-hit ball.

He also made AA Tulsa and AAA Oklahoma City that year. At Tulsa, he posted a 3.54 ERA in 15 appearances. At Oklahoma City, Arner appeared in four games, starting three. He went 2-1 with a 6.55 ERA.

Arner returned to Tulsa for 1993, his last year in affiliated ball. In 1997, he was playing at independent Canton.

At Canton, Arner had a performance remembered by The Washington (Pa.) Observer-Reporter. In the Frontier League playoffs, Arner pitched a complete-game shutout, over 14 innings.

Since 1997, Arner has coached with the independent Sioux Falls Canaries and for the Rockies at single-A Asheville. In 2009, Arner was still coaching, but in high school at Tampa's Plant High.

Originally published Jan. 25, 2011

• Sarasota Herald-Tribune, July 4, 1990: Rangers Hang On To Beat Royals 4-3
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune, April 13, 1991: Molinaro, Rangers Manage A Split, Part 2

More: The 1990 Gastonia Rangers

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,653
Made the Majors: 796 - 48.2%
Never Made Majors: 857-51.8%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 346
10+ Seasons in the Minors:202

Randy McCament, All the Confidence - 8

Originally published June 6, 2011

Randy McCament hadn't won in more than a month in 1985, but it wasn't for lack of good outings.

But he saved his best outing - a complete game with two earned runs - for when it was needed most: The Northwest League championship game, The Eugene Register-Guard wrote. He was even carried off the field in celebration for his efforts.

"I had all the confidence in the world in him," Everett Manager Alan Marr told The Register-Guard. "The paper said he lost his last three starts, but it failed to mention he lost 'em by three unearned runs."

It was McCament's only year as a starter. Moved to relieve the next year, though, McCament began his steady climb to the majors. McCament made San Francisco in 1989, got into 25 ball games that year and three the next, marking the extent of his big league career.

McCament's career began that year in 1985, selected by the Giants in the 15 round of the draft out of Grand Canyon University. That first year at Everett, as a starter, McCament went 7-3, with a 2.90 ERA in 14 starts.

The next year, as a reliever, McCament played largely at single-A Fresno, posting an ERA of 2.49. He also moved to the closer role, saving 19 contests. His 10th save came in early June, a 1-2-3 outing against Modesto.

McCament's efforts at Fresno earned him eight games at AA Shreveport, where he gave up six earned runs in 19.1 innings of work and picked up two more saves.

McCament returned to Shreveport for all of 1987, posting an even-better ERA of 2.38. It was in 1988 that McCament got his first look at AAA Phoenix, a 19-game stint with a not-so-good 7.56 ERA.

He made his major league debut in 1989, in late June. In 25 outings, McCament went 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA. He got that win July 17, throwing 3.1 innings of two-hit ball against the Cardinals.

His loss came in his next outing, July 20 against the Cubs. In the 11th inning, McCament gave up the winning hit to a pinch-hitting pitcher, Les Lancaster, a hit that was later credited as a turning point in the Cubs' season. He gave up a three-run home run to Andre Dawson in a July 23 game.

Arguably his worst outing came Aug. 7, giving up three earned runs in a third of an inning against the Reds.

Returning to San Francisco for three games in 1990, McCament pitched just six innings, giving up two earned runs. His final game came May 21.

McCament played the rest of the year at AAA Phoenix. In 1991, he moved to the Padres system at AAA Las Vegas. He returned to the Giants system in 1992, his final year as a professional, dividing 17 games between high-A San Jose and AA Shreveport, ending his career.

• Eugene Register-Guard, Sept. 3, 1985: Giant hurler's luck returns, Part 2