1990 New York Yankees minor leaguers

Features on each of the 1990 New York Yankees minor leaguers

Complete:

• AAA - Columbus Clippers (31)
• AA - Albany-Colonie Yankees (33)
• High-A Prince William Cannons (30)
• High-A Fort Lauderdale Yankees (27)
• Single-A Greensboro Hornets (31)
• Short-Season Oneonta Yankees (30)
• Rookie - Gulf Coast League Yankees (37)

1990 Columbus Clippers (32)
1- Steve Adkins, Best Way
Steve Adkins believed he didn't get a fair shot in spring 1991. After five major league starts, he never got another one.
2 - Oscar Azocar, Free-Swinger
Oscar Azocar was a free-swinger. He also started as a pitcher. He passed away in 2010.
3 - Clete Boyer, Most Perceptive
Clete Boyer was the most perceptive baseball man Stump Merrill ever knew.
4 - Darrin Chapin, First Pitch
Darrin Chapin always tried to go after hitters. He eventually did so enough to make the bigs for four games.
5 - Jeff Datz, Headed for Third
Jeff Datz made the majors as a coach with the Indians and the Mariners. He barely made it there as a player with the Tigers.
6 - Bobby Davidson, Rain-Shortened
The game that night in 1989 was shortened by rain. Bobby Davidson's career was also shortened by rain.
7 - Brian Dorsett, Hung Around
Brian Dorsett believed he'd get a regular spot in the majors. In 1994, he got it.
8 - Dave Eiland, Part of the Game
Dave Eiland lost out on his first major league win, but shrugged it off. He went on to coach the same team, the Yankees.
9 - John Fishel, Anything Asked
John Fishel did what was asked of him, and played in 19 major league games. He later did so, with unintended results.
10 - John Habyan, Valuable Role
John Habyan proved valuable for the Yankees in 1992. He played in 11 major league seasons.
11 - Mike Heifferon, Hometown Trainer
Mike Heifferon made the 1986 Eastern League All-Star game as a trainer.
12 - Trey Hillman, Adapt and Adjust
Trey Hillman couldn't do with the Royals what he did managing in Japan.

13 - Jimmy Jones, Halfway Decent
Jimmy Jones threw a complete-game shutout in his major league debut. His family was there.
14 - Mark Leiter, Got There
Mark Leiter came back from 3 lost seasons to injury and played in majors for decade.
15 - Jim Leyritz, Second Chances
Jim Leyritz got second chance in 1996 to hit crucial home run. He got a different kind of second chance in 2011.
16 - Jason Maas, Tight Situations
Jason Maas helped Yankees teams in the minors, couldn't in majors, even with his brother there.
17 - Kevin Maas, High Expectations
Kevin Maas prompted early comparisons to Yankee greats. He never really lived up, played just 5 seasons.
18 - Carl "Stump" Merrill, Help for Hitters
Stump Merrill made AAA as a player, later made the majors as a manager with the Yankees.
19 - Kevin Mmahat, Much Fun
Kevin Mmahat's first major league start wasn't much fun. He only got four total appearances.
20 - Rich Monteleone, Building Confidence
Rich Monteleone built confidence with the Yankees early in 1992. He played in 10 major league seasons.
21 - Hensley Meulens, Physical Ability
Hensley Meulens tried to let his physical ability take over. Now he's trying to get others to do same as a Giants coach.

22 - Clay Parker impressed the Yankees on strong scouting reports; Saw four ML campaigns
23 - Hipolito Pena, All the Same
Hipolito Pena wasn't nervous for his first major league appearance. He appeared in three major league seasons.
24 - Ken Rowe, Lot of Knowledge
The Orioles traded for Ken Rowe, later made him their pitching coach. He passed away in 2012.
25 - Dave Sax, Open Some Eyes
Dave Sax looked for chance to impress someone in 1987, didn't get many more.
26 - Rob Sepanek, Played For
Rob Sepanek thought the Braves didn't give him enough time. He later made AAA with the Yankees, but never made the bigs.
27 - Willie Smith, Turning Point
Willie Smith's 1991 season was cut short by surgery to remove abscess on his brain. He played four pro seasons.
28 - Van Snider, Full Outfield
Van Snider made it back to the majors in 1989, but for just eight games, the last of his brief major league career.
29 - Andy Stankiewicz, Helped Them
Andy Stankiewicz hoped he wasn't an insurance policy in 1993. He played in seven major league seasons.
30 - Ricky Torres, Long Reliever
Ricky Torres shut them down in a AA start. He never got the chance to do that in the majors. He played eight seasons.
31 - Jim Walewander, Free Spirit
Jim Walewander was memorable, but he wasn't sure the reason why was best for his career.
32 - Mark Wasinger, Extra Base
Mark Wasinger's first major league hit was a home run. The same day, he got three more hits, all extra base hits.

1990 Albany Yankees (33)

1 - Darrin Chapin served as Albany-Colonie closer in 1990; Made bigs for four games
2 - Royal Clayton pitched well at Albany-Colonie, missed bigs; Later turned coach
3 - Andy Cook showed enough good stuff to make the majors
4 - Bobby DeJardin showed maturity his first pro year; Saw eight seasons, made AAA
5 - Bobby Dickerson credited his minors manager with helping him improve
6 - Rick Down, Hands On
7 - Doug Gogolewski, Closed for Mariano
8 - Freddie Hailey, Stayed Pumped
9 - Chris Howard, Good Chance
10 - Scott Kamieniecki, Good Things
11 - Pat Kelly, World Stage
12 - Joe Lefebvre, Play Ball
13 - Mitch Lyden, Couldn't Script
14 - Ramon Manon, Few Adjustments
15 - Billy Masse, Proved Himself
16 - Russ "Monk" Meyer, Solid Guy
17 - Tom Newell, Good Arm
18 - Vince Phillips, Four Years
19 - John Ramos, Be Ready
20 - Carlos Rodriguez, Extended Stay
21 - Jerry Rub, Tough Situation
22 - Glenn Sherlock, Good People
23 - Mark Shiflett, Strong Pitching
24 - Andy Skeels used his leadership skills over a decade as a pro; Later as minors manager
25 - Willie Smith, Turning Point
26 - Don Sparks, Program Credit
27 - Greg Sparks, Pressure Situations
28 - Don Stanford, Setup Man
29 - Wade Taylor, Showed Confidence
30 - Ricky Torres, Long Reliever
31 - Tim Weston, Professional Manner
32 - Bernie Williams, Fans Know
33 - Bob Zeihen, Took Advantage

Prince William Cannons (30)

1. Sammy Arena started as clubhouse manager, then became club general manager, 12/26/22
2. Brad Ausmus maintained his skills over 18 major league seasons; Then managed Tigers, Angels, 12/14/22
3. Jason Bridges just wanted to play baseball; Did over three seasons, made high-A, 12/16/22
4. Mike Brown showed his back was healthy, then saw time in six ML seasons, coached, scouted, 12/22/22
5. Art Canestro played five seasons, made high-A; Elbow injury ended career, 11/18/22
6. Russ Davis dreamed about playing in big leagues; Made it over eight seasons, with three teams, 12/25/22
7. Gary Denbo knew Jeter's swing better than anyone; Served as player, coach, in Jeter's front office, 12/6/22
8. Herb Erhardt believed as long as he played, he had a chance; Saw four seasons, made high-A, 11/20/22
9. Mike Gardella's confidence improved watching big leaguers; Saw seven pro seasons, made AAA, 12/5/22
10. Cullen Hartzog became among Yankees' top prospects, then got injured; Saw five pro seasons, made AA, 12/8/22
11. Kiki Hernandez worked hard mentally and physically over decade in pros; Topped out at AAA, 12/1/22
12. David Howell helped carry college team's offense; Saw five pro seasons, made AA, 12/10/22
13. Darren London handled scary incident first year as trainer, then spent three decades in organization, 12/17/22
14. Bob Mariano did pretty much everything over his long career in baseball; Had passion to teach, 12/19/22
15. Ed Martel made AAA with the Yankees, but injuries slowed career; Later studied injuries; Passed in 2018, 11/13/22
16. James Moody received praise at Oneonta and Prince William; Saw two pro seasons, made high-A, 12/2/22
17. Jerry Nielsen got ML debut out of way without nerves; Saw two ML seasons with Yankees, Angels, 11/13/22
18. Sherman Obando hoped for regular big league time, got it with Expos - then in Japan, 11/12/22
19. Paul Oster set short-term goals early on; Saw seven pro campaigns, made AA, 11/11/22
20. Rich Polak adjusted to pros and new pitching role; Saw six seasons, made AA, 11/12/22
21. Bruce Prybylinski came back from bad arm to make AA; Saw six pro seasons, missed bigs, 11/15/22
22. Curtis Ralph felt confident in himself, then saw eight pro seasons; Made AAA, 11/10/22
23. Andres Rodriguez had solid night for Fort Lauderdale in 1992; Saw four pro seasons, made high-A, 12/21/22
24. Frank Seminara pitched well-controlled over three major league seasons, then went into financial advising, 12/10/22
25. Dave Silvestri played baseball in the Olympics and in bigs: Saw time in eight ML seasons, 12/3/22
26. J.T. Snow took pride in his defense; Saw 16 ML seasons, won six Gold Gloves, 11/29/22
27. John Viera saw college career imperiled by miscommunication; Saw four pro seasons, made AAA, 11/11/22
28. Tom Weeks played with Deion at Fort Lauderdale; Saw four pro seasons, made high-A, 11/17/22
29. Jim Wiley threw strong innings at high-A; Saw six pro seasons, topped out at AA, 11/27/22
30. Mauricio Zazueta started in the Yankees system, then made a career in his native Mexico, 12/20/22

Fort Lauderdale Yankees (27)

1. Rich Barnwell felt comfortable at the plate enough to see seven pro seasons; Made AAA, 4/4/21
2. Frank Brubaker played two pro seasons, made high-A; His son has played seven, made bigs, 5/3/21
3. Hernan Cortes had rocky start to pro career; Came back to see for pro seasons, made AA, 5/5/21
4. Todd Devereaux liked to hit enough to make Division 1, turn pro; Saw two seasons, made high-A, 8/6/21
5. Mike Draper got shifted from starting to relief, then made the bigs with another shift, to the Mets, 8/10/21
6. Kirk Dulom buckled down, got back on college field and turned pro; Played single pro campaign, 2/4/21
7. Rod Ehrhard didn't mind position switches, as long as he got to play; Saw four pro seasons, made high-A, 8/13/21
8. Victor Garcia Jr. improved at AA Albany-Colonie; Made AAA, missed bigs, 5/2/21
9. Kenny Greer made ML debut in game's 17th inning, got win; Saw nine total ML outings, 8/7/21
10. Mike Hart spent enough time in the game, more than three decades, as player, coach, 7/28/21
11. Jeff Johnson got his slider going for the Yankees; Saw three major league seasons, 8/4/21
12. Jay Knoblauh played to win over seven pro seasons; Made AAA, missed bigs, 8/2/21
13. Jeff Livesey received praise in high school, later played eight minors seasons, coached in minors, bigs, 3/29/21
14. Skip Nelloms got discouraged at beginning, played three seasons, made high-A, 2/5/21
15. Tom Newell started as outfielder, then turned to pitching; He then made bigs for two outings, 3/20/21
16. Rey Noriega worked hard in college, turned pro as late-round pick; Saw five seasons, made AAA, 6/29/21
17. Mark Ohlms showed his competitiveness on the field; Played seven seasons, made AAA, 3/23/21
18. Ed Pimentel proved a leader in college; Saw two pro seasons, made high-A, 3/19/21
19. Tom Popplewell took simple formula to nine pro seasons; Made AAA, 5/4/21
20. Dave Schuler concentrated as a pitcher, later worked with young pitchers to do same, 3/15/21
21. Larry Stanford had right pitches to make bigs, but elbow injury left him short of majors, 3/16/21
22. Rob Thomson has earned trust of his players as majors coach with Yankees, Phillies, 8/9/21
23. Dave Turgeon has gained close connections over 30-plus years in game; Played, then coached, 7/31/21
24. Hector Vargas worked to make double plays at AA; Played more than decade, made AAA, 3/18/21
25. Adam Wagner served as trainer in high-A All-Star game and in Venezuela; Minors career proved brief, 7/30/21
26. Gerald Williams got plenty of playing time over 14 seasons in the bigs, 3/21/21
27. Mark Zettelmeyer loved baseball, had exciting career with Yankees with help of cousin, 5/6/21

Oneonta Yankees (30)

1 - Juan Blackwell got his chance, played 5 seasons, made AA

2 - Jovino Carvajal played decade, ran with hall of famer

3 - Bob Deller saw four seasons in Yankees system, high-A

4 - Doug Demetre played catcher at Gonzaga, saw 1 pro season

5 - Ken Dominguez set goals as college coach, minors coach
6 - Matt Dunbar played decade in pros, made eight ML games
7 - Robert Eenhoorn went from Netherlands to 4 ML seasons

8 - Brian Faw saw 5 pro seasons, AA, nearly threw no-hitter
9 - Ron Frazier pitched big games over 13 seasons,  made AAA
10 - Luis Gallardo made pros out of Venezuela, saw 5 seasons
11 - Mike Hankins had fun over five pro seasons, made AAA
12 - Trey Hillman adapted in U.S. and Japan, managed Royals
13 - Darren Hodges understood pitching in 5 seasons, made AA
14 - Kevin Jordan hit with Phillies over seven majors seasons
15 - Rick Lantrip worked to hit over 3 seasons, made single-A
16 - Jalal Leach made majors for 8 games, in 12th pro season
17 - Adin Lohry signed easily, saw 6 pro seasons, made AA
18 - Todd Malone played over six pro seasons, made high-A
19 - Sam Militello made bigs over short-term, saw two seasons
20 - Brian Milner made bigs as player, then scouted, coached
21 - Pat Morphy saw three pro seasons with Yankees, high-A

22 - Kirt Ojala made majors with Marlins over three seasons
23 - Cesar Perez played 7 pro seasons, made AA with Indians
24 - Stevie Perry, drafted out of high school, saw 3 seasons
25 - Rafael Quirico made majors for one start with Phillies
26 - Scott Romano improved hitting over 10 seasons, made AAA
27 - Mark Shiflett played, made AA, then coached over decade
28 - Bo Siberz changed approach, saw 2 pro seasons, single-A
29 - Ricky Strickland saw 4 pro seasons with Yankees, made AA

30 - Brian Turner played eight pro seasons in minors, made AA

GCL Yankees (37)
1 - Rich Arena coached in minora, and at Tampa Catholic

2 - Howard 'Hop' Cassady coached Yankees, won Heisman

3 - Rick Cerone saw 18 major league seasons, exciting 1980

4 - Tim Cooper sealed independent win, saw 13 pro seasons

5 - Abdiel Cumberbatch did his part over five pro seasons

6 - Tim Demerson used speed over 5 pro seasons, made high-A

7 - Matt Dunbar played decade in pros, made eight ML games

8 - Ryan Eberly played 1 season, managed hometown Clarinda
9 - Carl Everett played hard over 14 major league seasons
10 - Brian Faw saw 5 pro seasons, AA, nearly threw no-hitter
11 - Nathanael Felix signed out of Dominican, played 1 season

12 - Mike Figga went a long way to time in three ML seasons
13 - Brent Gilbert pitched over 3 pro seasons, made high-A
14 - Adolfo Harris made pros with Yankees, saw single season
15 - Jimmy Hayes played 4 pro seasons with 3 organizations
16 - Richard Hines located over eight pro seasons, made AAA

17 - Scott Kindell kept in shape, returned, saw 5 pro seasons
18 - Frank Laviano played over 3 pro seasons, made single-A

19 - Ricky Ledee played aggressively over 10 majors seasons

20 - Johnny Leon took his chance to two pro seasons, high-A
21 - Jeff Motuzas played in minors, turned ML bullpen catcher
22 - Mariano Rivera got out of tough situations, into the HOF
23 - Mark Rose played in minors, turned coach, instructor
24 - Tim Rumer realized lifelong dream in pros, saw 8 seasons

25 - Edwin Salcedo showed ability over 6 pro seasons, made AA

26 - Daniel Sanchez worked to help teams over 3 pro seasons
27 - Alexis Santaella impressed over 4 seasons, made single-A
28 - Sandi Santiago saw 8 pro seasons, made high-A, Taiwan

29 - Tate Seefried drew comparisons, saw 9 pro seasons, AAA
30 - Keith Seiler realized pro dream, saw 5 seasons,  AAA
31 - Glenn Sherlock played, coached decades in minors, majors
32 - Sean Smith returned from Guillain-Barré syndrome to pros

33 - Tommy Smith got big hit at Greensboro, saw 1 pro season
34 - Shane Spencer saw spectacular start, 7 majors seasons

35 - Russ Springer improved enough to see 18 majors seasons
36 - John Thibert helped high school to win, saw 5 pro seasons

37 - Rich Turrentine gave pros best shot over 9 seasons, AAA