Michael Irwin took good college ERA to pros, one season

-
Michael Irwin 1990 Auburn Astros baseball card
Michael Irwin's 1989 ERA at the University of Portland was low.

The 1.91 mark came in as the lowest ERA on his team and is still the seventh lowest ERA in school history, according to the Portland media guide. His 27 appearances the next season still rank ninth all-time at the school.

Irwin took his pitching from Portland to the pros. His pro career, though, was brief. He saw a single season, 22 outings.

Irwin's career began and ended that year, taken by the Astros in the 31st round of the draft out of Portland. Irwin is sometimes credited as Mickey Irwin or Mick Irwin.

At Portland, Irwin also used his bat. He knocked a ninth-inning single, unsuccessfully trying to kick off a ninth-inning rally in a May 1987 game. He also had an RBI single in a March 1988 game.

With the Astros, Irwin played the year at short-season Auburn. He got into 22 games, one start as a pitcher. He picked up one win to six losses.

He also gave up 42 earned runs over 44.2 innings of work for an 8.46 ERA. He didn't return for a second season.
Originally published Jan. 19, 2016

Browse By:

-Player Name
-Player Team
-Date Featured

Players A to Z

Popular posts from this blog

Jorge Pineda made perfect throw, played one pro season

-
Image
The Asheville Tourists had a tough inning in this June 1990 game, but left fielder Jorge Pineda helped stop the bleeding, according to The Asheville Times . After a single sent the ball his way to left, Pineda "made a perfect throw" to his catcher to cut down a runner trying to score, The Times wrote . Pineda made that throw in his first season as a pro. It also proved his last. He played one season , at single-A Asheville. Pineda's career began and ended that year signed by the Astros as a free agent. His school or home  country are not included in records. Pineda arrived at Asheville in mid-June, described as from extended spring training .  Pineda picked up an RBI triple  and an RBI single in two other June games. He then singled and scored in a July game. A Pineda sacrifice in a late-August game led to a run. Overall, Pineda got into 37 games on the year. He hit .198, with two home runs and nine RBI to mark the extent of his pro career . Asheville Times, June 24, ...
Read more

Steve McCumiskey went from college catching to pros

-
Image
Rhode Island catcher Steve McCumiskey seemingly tried to be polite with when the opposing pitcher Ed Therrien came to bat after a designated hitter switch issue in this April 1989 game, according to The Bangor Daily News . "There was no way I was going to get a hit," Therrien told The Daily News then. "Their catcher (McCumiskey) asked me what I wanted their pitcher to throw me, but I told him it didn't matter, I wasn't going to hit it anyway." McCumiskey's more usual work as a catcher at Rhode Island ultimately got him a shot at the pros. His pro time ended up lasting a single season , spent at short-season Auburn. McCumiskey's career began and ended in 1990, taken by the Astros in the 42nd round of the draft out of the University of Rhode Island. At Rhode Island, McCumiskey was photographed catching a high throw and pulling it down to get a tag out in an April 1989 game. He picked up a double in an April 1990 game. With the Astros, he was assig...
Read more

Edwin Valentin saw 3 seasons, single-A, from Puerto Rico

-
Image
Edwin Valentin had a good night in this early April 1990 game, according to The Asheville Times .  Valentin went 3 for 5 and knocked in two runs in the 19-6 Asheville win, The Times wrote . Valentin had that night at the outset of his third pro season . It also proved to be his last. He topped out at single-A. Valentin's career began in 1988, signed by the Astros as a free agent out of his native Puerto Rico . Valentin was also credited as Ed Valentin. Valentin started with the Astros in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He saw nine games and hit .292. He moved to short-season Auburn for 1989. He got into 57 games there and hit .214. He also had 12 RBI and seven stolen bases. For 1990, he started at single-A Asheville. He singled and scored in a mid-April game. He ended up getting into 15 games by early May. He went 11 for 45, a .244 average. He then got his release . That season marked his last as a pro . Asheville Times, April 8, 1990: Tourists Rip Rainbows More:  The 1990 ...
Read more

Perry Berry saw 4 seasons, high-A, went into education

-
Image
Picked by the Astros in the fourth round of the draft, University of Southwestern Louisiana product Perry Berry found the contract negotiations tougher than he'd thought, The Lafayette Daily Advertiser wrote . "I thought I had some bargaining power because I could always go back to USL and work on my degree," Berry told The Daily Advertiser , "but apparently they didn't see it that way." Berry eventually did sign. His career, though, likely wasn't as he'd hoped. He played four seasons and made high-A. But Berry did go back to school - and he's continued going back. Berry became a teacher, coach, and district superintendent. Berry's  pro career began in 1990, taken by the Astros in the fourth round out of Southwestern Louisiana.  In college, Berry earned Collegiate Baseball's national Player of the Week honors in February 1990 after he hit six home runs early in the season, with a .421 average, The Daily Advertiser wrote . "Berry...
Read more

Features from the 1990 minor league sets (By Date)

-
Image
What happened to your favorite minor league team in 1990? Find out here. Since late 2009, the players of 1990 have been featured at Greatest21Days.com, one at a time. Here, they've been ordered here by the date published, newest first.  Every player has a story. With the help of contemporaneous newspaper articles, find that story here. Most recent players added June 20 ,  2025 Features in order of when the y appeared: June 2025 Mark Stiteler  threw well in college, saw 3 pro outings , 6/29/25 Steve McCumiskey  went from college catching to pros , 6/28/25 Jason Wall  gave solid college relief, saw 1 pro season , 6/25/25 Dennis Reed  turned to pitching, then pros, saw 3 seasons , 6/22/25 Brian Williams  strove for best over nine majors seasons , 6/22/25 Louie Martinez , from Virgin Islands to Austin to pros , 6/21/25 Julio Linares  has coached, scouted, more over 4 decades , 6/18/25 John Vandemark  gained new focus, saw 9 seasons, high-A , 6...
Read more

Mark Stiteler threw well in college, saw 3 pro outings

-
Image
Blue Mountain Community College starter Mark Stiteler threw a two-hitter this day in April 1987, while striking out six, The Pendleton East Oregonian wrote . Two of those strikeouts cane looking, in successive innings with runners in scoring position, The East Oregonian wrote . "Stiteler threw an excellent ball game," Blue Mountain coach Larry Bartee told the paper . Stiteler went on from Blue Mountain ultimately to the University of Eastern Washington, Point Park College of Pittsburgh - and to the pros. His pro career lasted a single season, just three appearances .  Stiteler's career began and ended in 1990, signed by the Astros as an undrafted free agent out of Point Park College. At Blue Mountain, Stiteler threw a two-hit shutout in an April 1988 game. He then went on to Eastern Washington and then to Point Park College. He picked up his fifth win of 1990 to no defeats for Point Park in an April game. In a May contest, he struck out five in two innings . With the ...
Read more

Mike Frauenhoffer helped his college to three NAIA World Series appearances; Saw single pro season

-
Image
The 1990 season underway, The Great Falls Tribune asked the rookie league Dodgers, including Mike Frauenhoffer , about their greatest thrill. Frauenhoffer looked to his college accomplishments for his: "Three NAIA World Series appearances," his Tribune entry read . While he appeared in those three series for the College of St. Francis, Frauenhoffer's professional appearances proved limited. He played that one season at Great Falls and got into 41 games , marking the extent of his pro career. Frauenhoffer's pro career began and ended that year in 1990, signed by the Dodgers out of the the College of St. Francis in Illinois. At St. Francis, Frauenhoffer helped his school to those NAIA appearances and helped them in the appearances.  He hit .375 in 1989 and helped eliminate IUPUI with an 11th inning single. In the 1990 tournament, he led the field with 20 assists. He also knocked in two runs in one series win and three in another off a tripl...
Read more