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Thursday, April 1, 2010

1990 Kansas City Royals minor leaguers


Features on each member of the 1990 Kansas City Royals farm system

Complete:

  • AAA - Omaha Royals (29)
  • AA - Memphis Chicks (28)
  • Single-A - Appleton Foxes (29)
  • Short-Season - Eugene Emeralds (30)
To Come
  • High-A - Baseball City Royals


1990 Omaha Royals (29)
1 - Jay Baller, Made Adjustments
Jay Baller came back from a mysterious illness to return to the majors. He played in six major league seasons.
2 - Kevin Burrell, A Passion
Kevin Burrell relaxed, hit a minors game-winner. He later became a scout. 
3 - Ray Chadwick, Without a Win
Ray Chadwick got seven major league starts for the Angels in 1986. He lost five of them, won none of them. He never got back.
4 - Dera Clark, Good Job
Dera Clark's pro career spanned a decade, including seven seasons in the Royals system. He never made the majors.
5 - Luis de los Santos, Every Night
Luis de los Santos thought about getting back to the majors every night. He made it back.
6 - Rich Dubee, Four Aces
Rich Dubee knew even with a top Phillies pitching staff, they still had to pitch.

7 - Luis Encarnacion, Down Hill
Luis Encarnacion made it to the majors in 1990 with the Royals. He was there for only four appearances.
8 - Tony Ferreira, Tight Spin
Tony Ferreira helped David Cone get extra major league time. He also helped himself to two major league appearances.
9 - Pete Filson, Liked to Play
Pete Filson returned to the minors in 1989 for another shot at the majors. He made it back.
10 - Bob Hamelin, Mentally Prepared
Bob Hamelin won Rookie of the Year honors in 1994 with the Royals. He couldn't repeat that success.
11 - Jim LeMasters, Trouble Spot
Jim LeMasters worked as a starter and reliever in the pros. He never got the chance to do either in the majors.
12 - Mike Loggins, Learned French
Mike Loggins learned how to play the Arkansas outfield wall. He then played as a pro for seven seasons. He never made the majors.
13 - Mike Magnante, Numbers Man
Mike Magnante tore up his knee playing basketball. He then came back to make the majors - and teach math.
14 - Chito Martinez, Wrapped Up
Chito Martinez played in parts of three seasons with the Orioles. A season-starting slump soon ended his major league career.
15 - Andy McGaffigan, More Work
Andy McGaffigan hoped to get more work after trades. He finally got it with the Expos.
16 - Bobby Meacham, Developing Consistency
Bobby Meacham continued to be with the Yankees in 1987 and the next year. He ended with six seasons in the bigs.
17 - Russ Morman, Bigger Thrill
Russ Morman picked up two hits in one inning - in his major league debut.
18 - Bill Pecota, Big Lift
Bill Pecota wanted a regular major league role, but a utility one suited him.
19 - Tom Poquette, Learning Task
Tom Poquette's coaching career spanned nearly two decades, including time as Royals hitting coach.
20 - Harvey Pulliam, Kept Running
Harvey Pulliam hit eight home runs in his major league career, two of them came in one game.
21 - Thad Reece, Losing Some
Thad Reese played a decade in the minors, he never made the majors.
22 - Sal Rende, Us Guys
Sal Rende sent players on to the majors. He never got there himself.
23 - Jeff Schulz, Better Feeling
Jeff Schulz played three seasons in the majors, then found a better feeling coaching kids in high school.
24 - Tim Spehr, Don't Break It
Tim Spehr wasn't a home run hitter. He ended up hitting 19 in 363 big league games over eight seasons.
25 - Mel Stottlemyre, Jr., Waited For
Mel Stottlemyre, Jr., waited into his sixth pro season to get his call to the majors.
26 - Gary Thurman, Hurricane Tested
Gary Thurman waited out a hurricane, then went on to play in nine major league seasons.
27 - Mike Tresemer, Inherited Runners
Mike Tresemer inherited runners, then picked up the win. He played five seasons, but not in the bigs.
28 - Bill Wilkinson, Felt Good
Bill Wilkinson got a long-relief win for the Mariners in 1988. He got into three major league seasons.
29 - Paul Zuvella, Relaxed Aggression
Paul Zuvella knew he could play with major leaguers. He eventually played as one in nine seasons.



Memphis Chicks (28)
1 - Pete Alborano, Grand Slam
Pete Alborano played seven seasons in the pros, never made the majors.
2 - Sean Berry, Good Player
Sean Berry knew what his abilities were, enough to see time in 11 major league seasons.
3 - Jim Campbell, High Pitches
Jim Campbell struggled in his first major league start, did better in his second. He never got another.
4 - Scott Centala, Could Throw
Scott Centala took advantage of opportunity to pitch at AA, never had opportunity to pitch in the bigs.
5 - Stu Cole, Paid Off
Stu Cole speaks from experience as both a player and a manager. He went on to speak as a Rockies coach in Colorado.
6 - Victor Cole, Was Relaxed
Victor Cole threw strikes and went after hitters. He did so in eight major league games.
7 - Jeff Conine, Ground Floor
Jeff Conine got in on the ground floor. He then became Mr. Marlin.
8 - Jeff Cox, More Practice
Jeff Cox had plenty of practice, both as a player and as a third base coach.
9 - Andres Cruz, Five Innings
Andres Cruz made the Royals system after a deal with a Mexican club. He played two seasons at AA, never made Kansas City.
10 - Tommy Dunbar, Bad Break
Tommy Dunbar got sent back down. He responded by just trying to show he could play, and get back.
11 - Greg Everson, Big Pitch
Greg Everson couldn't get himself closer to the bigs than AAA. He did get his AAA Royals closer to the 1990 title.
12 - Guy Hansen, How Interested
As a scout, Guy Hansen got the Royals to draft Bret Saberhagen. He later became Royals major league pitching coach.
13 - David Howard, Stay Healthy
David Howard tried to stay healthy, played in nine major league seasons.
14 - Joel Johnston, Did It
Joel Johnston came back from a rough start in 1993 to return to the bigs. He made it there in five seasons.
15 - Kevin Koslofski, Took Off
Kevin Koslofski finally got the concept of hitting at AA. He soon took off to Kansas City.
16 - Frank Laureano, Singular Goal
Frank Laureano just wanted to make the big leagues. He never realized that goal in six seasons as a pro.
17 - Richie LeBlanc, Groundball Pitcher
Richie LeBlanc was a groundball pitcher. He couldn't take that style to a long career in the pros.
18 - Mike Leon, Trainer's Ring
Mike Leon got his World Series ring in 1997 as a AAA trainer with the Marlins.
19 - Carlos Maldonado, Fifth Outing
Carlos Maldonado made the bigs in three seasons with the Royals and Brewers, part of a nine-season pro career.
20 - Brent Mayne, Amateur Psychologist
Brent Mayne practiced his own amateur psychology in 15 major league seasons.
21 - Brian McCormack, In It
Brian McCormack kept his short-season team in the game. He later couldn't get himself in the majors.
22 - Brian McRae, Relaxed and Confident
Brian McRae couldn't hear the crowd after his first hit, his heart was pumping too loud.
23 - Bobby Moore, Next Level
Bobby Moore works in the minors to get players to the next level. He has continued that work.
24 - Jorge Pedre, Pretty Consistent
Jorge Pedre was consistent enough to make the bigs, but not enough to stick.
25 - Brian Peterson, Not Unlike 
Brian Peterson coached for more than a decade, played for four seasons, never made majors.
26 - Kyle Reese, Greate Combination
Kyle Reese has helmed a high school baseball program after a pro career that lasted eight seasons. He never made the bigs.
27 - Doug Nelson, Young Pitcher
Doug Nelson did OK in 1989 with 12 wins. His career soon ended, though, short of the majors.
28 - Hector Wagner, First Win
Hector Wagner got his first major league win in his sixth start. It ended up being his only major league win.


Appleton Foxes (29)
1 - Brian Ahern, Broken Bat
Brian Ahern broke a bat in college - an aluminum bat. He did it with a pitch. He played seven seasons, never made the bigs.
2 - Francisco Baez, Sterling Night
Francisco Baez had a sterling night at Eugene. He played five seasons, never made AA.
3 - Kirk Baldwin, First Outing
Kirk Baldwin picked up Eugene's first win of the year. It was his only win.  
4 - Joe Breeden, Most Important
Joe Breeden learned the fundamentals of catching over a career that's lasted three decades.
5 - Gray Caraballo, Very Strong
Gary Caraballo did his job in eight pro seasons. He later lost, then regained his eyesight.  
6 - John Conner, More Confidence
John Conner hit his pitch limit in single-A game, then got taken out - in the middle of a no-hitter.  
7 - Francisco Garcia, Lead Off
Francisco Garcia did what a lead-off hitter should at single-A. He played just two seasons.
8 - John Gilcrist, Tried Everything
John Gilcrist's team tried everything to break losing streak. Whatever he tried, Gilcrist never made AA.  
9 - Grant Griesser, Some Tools
Grant Griesser had the tools for a short playing career, long coaching career.  
10 - John Gross, Eluded Him
John Gross pitched over five seasons, but a spot at AA or higher eluded him.
11 - Arned Hernandez, Home Run 
Arned Hernandez played in three professionals seasons. He never made it out of single-A.  
12 - Jake Jacobs, First Start
Jake Jacobs was nervous for his first pro start. He played three seasons, never made AA.
13 - Mike Jirschele, That Uniform
Mike Jirschele waited 37 years to make the majors. He finally made it as a coach with the Royals.  
14 - Matt Karchner, Own Luck
Matt Karchner made his own luck and he played in six major league seasons.
15 - David King, Get Started
David King wanted to go out and start his career. His pro career lasted just three seasons.
16 - Herb Milton, Youth Coach
Herb Milton played three professional seasons. He later became a youth coach.
17 - Geovany Miranda, No Rest
Geovany Miranda came to the U.S. for baseball. Years later, he hoped game would keep him here
18 - Kerwin Moore, Away from Home
Kerwin Moore got out of inner city Detroit and made the majors for 22 games.
19 - Andre Rabouin, Part Of
Andre Rabouin has spent four decades in the game. He's now a coach with Gallaudet.
20 - Fred Russell, Hitting Now
Fred Russell hit well at Eugene. He never hit well enough to make AA.
21 - Colin Ryan, Baseball Mind
Colin Ryan had a good baseball mind at Maine. He took that to three pro seasons.
22 - Chris Schaefer, Everybody's Goal
Chris Schaefer's goal was like everybody's: to move up. He played in just three pro seasons.
23 - Steve Shifflett, Hard Game
Steve Shifflett got one season with the Royals. He worked to get back, but he didn't make it.
24 - David Solseth, Could Hit
David Solseth had a .303 average his first season. It couldn't take him to the bigs.
25 - Rod Stillwell, To Instill
Rod Stillwell worked hard and played two seasons as pro. He later became a high school coach.
26 - Louis Talbert, Finished Early
Louis Talbert helped Eugene to victory with his slider. He only played three seasons.
27 - Rich Tunison, Toughest Thing
Rich Tunison was a pure switch hitter. But he couldn't hit himself to the majors.
28 - Pedro Vazquez, Career High 
Pedro Vazquez picked up a career-high 4 RBIs in a 1991 high-A game. He never made the bigs.
29 - Skip Wiley, Phenomenal Ratio
Skip Wiley kept runners off base at Eugene. He played five seasons, but he never made AA.


Eugene Emeralds (30)
1 - Javier Alvarez, Tough Night, 9/22/18
2 - Francisco Baez, Sterling Night, 7/16/18
3 - Ramy Brooks, Promised Himself, 8/24/18
4 - Jay Carballo, Little Things, 9/23/18
5 - Scott Davis, Three Bats, 9/24/18
6 - Weddison Ebanks, Brief Stay, 9/9/18
7 - Charles Frederick, Little Mistake, 9/25/18
8 - Sean Franceschi, Tough Start, 8/7/18
9 - Harry Guanchez, Home Run, 9/28/18
10 - Rafael Gutierrez, Crowd Size, 9/29/18
11 - David Haber, Big Game, 10/6/18
12 - Donny Harrel, Best Thing, 7/19/18
13 - Doug Harris, His Job, 10/10/18
14 - Phil Hiatt, On Numbers, 7/30/18
15 - Dave Hierholzer, Vulture Wins, 8/31/18
16 - Brad Holman, High Points, 9/1/18
17 - Darron Johnson, Grand Slam, 9/2/18
18 - Tony Long, Went After, 9/3/18
19 - Geovany Miranda, No Rest, 7/17/18
20 - Ricky Moser, Two Hits, 8/7/18
21 - Doug Peters, Good Control, 7/20/18
22 - Gabriel Pineda, Stepped In, 10/7/18
23 - Damon Pollard, Big Win, 9/10/18
24 - Shayne Rea, How Much, 7/24/18
25 - David Rolls, Fit In, 9/17/18
26 - Arnie Sambel, His Heart, 8/12/18
27 - Doug Shields, Played Hard, 10/13/18
28 - Vernon Slater, Playing Better, 8/9/18
29 - Brady Stewart, Any Way, 8/11/18
30 - Shannon Strong, Loved It, 10/16/18

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