1990 Columbus Mudcats player profiles, AA Houston Astros

-
Ryan Bowan 1990 Columbus Mudcats card

Features on each member of the 1990 Columbus Mudcats, AA affiliate of the Houston Astros. Everyone who played a game and some more.

Columbus Mudcats (49)
  1. Manny Acta became trusted voice as majors coach, manager
  2. Harold Allen used his work habits to make AAA with Astros
  3. Willie Ansley impressed scouts enough for 7th overall pick
  4. Eric Anthony worked to be consistent over 9 majors seasons
  5. Jeff Baldwin played harder, saw 7 majors games with Astros
  6. Peter Bauer learned screwball change, saw 6 seasons, AA
  7. Daven Bond saw 7 pro seasons, then turned softball coach
  8. Ryan Bowen earned reputation as hard-luck majors pitcher
  9. Mike Browning's playing career spanned fifteen years
  10. Jose Cano pitched in 6 ML games, home run derby to son
  11. Tim Casey did his best over 8 pro seasons, made AAA
  12. Andujar Cedeno got hits in 7 ML seasons, died in 2000 crash
  13. Gary Cooper played to win for decade, saw 9 majors games
  14. Fred Costello played decade in pros, made AAA, Taiwan
  15. Todd Credeur played 5 seasons in Astros system, made AA
  16. Glenn Davis got help, went from tough youth to ML star
  17. Diamond Jim Devitt served in Vietnam, worked in Ga. media
  18. Dave Eichhorn made AAA, returned from freak fan accident
  19. Tony Eusebio hit over 9 majors seasons, all with Astros
  20. Luis Gonzalez had good years, swing over 19 ML seasons
  21. Rusty Harris hit minors double off Valenzuela, made AAA
  22. Dean Hartgraves kept hope, made majors in ninth season
  23. Trenidad Hubbard dreamed, made bigs over 10 seasons
  24. Bert Hunter found wooden bats big adjustment, made AAA
  25. Blaise Ilsley pitched well, made bigs as player, coach
  26. Bernie Jenkins made AA, knew he'd see disappointment
  27. Jeff Juden proved a unique player over eight majors seasons
  28. Belinda Kay earned fans at Columbus, Georgia's South 106
  29. Steve Lombardozzi helped Twins to title, saw 6 ML seasons
  30. Tom Madison, as Mason Dixon, Georgia radio personality
  31. Scott Makarewicz thought big things at AA, saw 10 seasons
  32. Joe Mikulik recorded 1,000th pro hit in 1992, missed ML
  33. Andy Mota worked hard, made 27 ML games, turned agent
  34. Guy Normand saw 6 pro seasons, went to Mexico, made AAA
  35. Dan Nyssen played 4 seasons, grew frustrated with progress
  36. Joe Ortiz made AAA after others' injuries, missed bigs
  37. Al Osuna established himself enough for 6 majors seasons
  38. Ed Ponte made AA, then wanted to get back, saw 9 seasons
  39. Ron Porterfield couldn't play, chose training, made bigs
  40. Edinson Renteria went from street vender tp pro baseball
  41. Jerry Reuss played over 22 ML seasons, threw no-hitter
  42. Shane Reynolds flat-out pitched over 13 majors seasons
  43. Bob Robertson played decade in majors, coached in minors
  44. John Sheehan played over 6 pro seasons, briefly made AA
  45. Rich Simon responded to challenge at AA, missed majors
  46. Rick Sweet saw ML as player, had minors manager mentality
  47. Dennis Tafoya showed dedication, saw seven seasons, AA
  48. Charley Taylor got players to bigs, then he got there
  49. Wally Trice found screwball variation, saw 7 seasons, AA

Browse By:

-Player Name
-Player Team
-Date Featured

Players A to Z

Popular posts from this blog

Road Trip: Trenton Thunder

-
Image
Blue Jays catching coordinator Sal Fasano, right, at the batting cage before a game at Trenton's Arm & Hammer Park in June 2014. (G21D Photo) When my wife and I were in Baltimore in 2005, the Red Sox were in town playing the Orioles. At one point during the game, the Red Sox player walked up to the plate and tapped the catcher on the shoulder in a gesture of recognition. I remember telling my wife about it later. The two players were Johnny Damon and Sal Fasano . Both players came up in the Royals system and played together there. I found it cool and interesting, especially because I'd seen Fasano play years before, when my dad and I frequented Cedar Rapids Kernels games in 1994. Fasano played that year for the Rockford Royals , winning the league's MVP . I mention all this because I had the opportunity to cross paths with Fasano again unexpectedly this past weekend. Fasano, with his distinctive mustache, served as the fill-in manager for the New Hampshir...
Read more

Chris Sparrow came back from slump with home run at Utica; Played two pro seasons

-
Image
Chris Sparrow had his first big game in a while in this July 1990 contest for Utica as he went 2 for 4, with a home run, The Elmira Star-Gazette wrote . "I just haven't been in a groove," Sparrow explained to The Star-Gazette afterward. "I hurt my right knee earlier and after coming back, I've been 0-for-12. But maybe this will get me out of the slump." Sparrow ended up coming back to hit .281 on the year, but it wasn't enough. That year marked his second pro season, but also his last . He topped out at short-season. Sparrow's career began in 1989, signed by the Braves as a free agent out of the University of North Carolina-Asheville. Sparrow played summer 1989 with the American Legion team in his hometown of Kernersville. He hit a three-run home run in an August game.  With the Braves, Sparrow played at rookie Idaho Falls . That July, he hit a fastball out for a home run off Salt Lake starter Tom Studstill, The Salt Lake Tribune wrote . "Th...
Read more

Willie Canate made one ML season, also saw World Series

-
Image
New Blue Jay Willie Canate wasn't expecting to play in this July 1993 game, but, in the end, he helped his team win, The Associated Press wrote . Canate came off the bench due to injury to tie the game with a single early and then hit his first major league home run to win the game late, The AP wrote . "I was happy because the start wasn't anticipated," Canate told The AP , through an interpreter. "I'm just thrilled to death to be able to help the team win. Hopefully this will lead to more opportunities to play." Canate did get some more opportunities to play, including one brief appearance later that year in the World Series. But his major league career proved confined to that single season. Canate's career began in 1989, signed by the Indians as a free agent out of his native Venezuela . Canate started with the Indians in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He moved to short-season Watertown for 1990 and then single-A Columbus and high-A Kinston in 1...
Read more

A to Z: 1990 Minor League Players, Baseball Profiles

-
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 alphabetically.  Every player has a story. With the help of contemporaneous newspaper articles, find that story here. Most recent players added Aug. 16, 2025 List of 1990 minor league players featured, in alphabetical order: Total: 4,457 A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z A  -  Bill Abare  got big hit at Dunedin, saw three pro seasons, 10/31/13  -  Glenn Abbott  saw bigs over decade, later turned coach, 7/27/14  -  Kurt Abbott 's first ML hit went for homer, saw 9 seasons, 3/22/15  -  Kyle Abbott  saw time in four major league seasons, Japan, 10/4/17  -  Paul Abbott  returned from injuries, made 11 ML seasons, 5/23/11 ...
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 July 13 ,  2025 Features in order of when the y appeared: July 2025 Trenidad Hubbard  dreamed, made bigs over 10 seasons,  7/13/25 Glenn Davis  got help, went from tough youth to ML star, 7/12/25 Matt Rambo   had jitters early, saw 5 seasons, AA, injury, 7/9/25 Bryan Foster  improved enough for 5 pro seasons, high-A, 7/6/25 T.J. Lucin  hoped to be FMLBBP, saw 2 seasons, single-A, 7/5/25 Edwin Valentin  saw 3 seasons, single-A, from Puerto Rico, 7/1/25 June 2025 Perry Berry  saw 4 seasons, high-A, went into education , 6/30/25 Jorge Pineda  made perfect throw, played one pr...
Read more

Julio Valera made 5 bigs seasons with 'dastardly dip' slider

-
Image
Once a Mets starting prospect, Julio Valera now found himself with the Angels. He also found himself thrust into a game, unsure exactly how to handle relief duties. "After the first pitch," Valera told The Los Angeles Times in April 1992, "I said to myself, 'This is just another game. Go right at them.' After that, I got my fastball over and all my pitches over." Valera had just been traded to the Angels earlier that month by a Mets team that had grown wary of his arm . Signed by the Mets in 1986 as a free agent out of Puerto Rico, Valera developed, by one account , a slider with a "dastardly dip." Three seasons in the low minors gave way in 1989 to promotion to AA Jackson and a taste of AAA Tidewater. He returned to Tidewater for 1990, making his Mets debut as a September call-up. In six innings, Valera gave up five hits and three runs, a quality start that had the Mets impressed, according to the New York Times . ''...
Read more

1990 Wichita Wranglers player profiles, AA San Diego

-
Image
Features on each member of the 1990 Wichita Wranglers, AA affiliate of the San Diego Padres, as included in that year's team set. Wichita Wranglers (28) Andy Benes  made the Olympics, then bigs over 14 seasons Ricky Bones  used luck, opportunity over 11 majors seasons Doug Brocail  saw 15 major league campaigns, later coached Rafael Chaves  made AA as player, bigs as coach, cried Brian Cisarik  hit well in college, played 5 pro seasons Wichita Wranglers mascot  Cookie  had versatile performers Greg David  learned pro realities over 8 seasons, made AA Todd Hansen  knew he had to pitch well in 1987 start; Saw pros over seven seasons, made AA , 10/20/20 Jeremy Hernandez  moved from starting to relief and then made the bigs over five seasons , 3/30/20 Charlie Hillemann  made AAA, later decided to quit baseball, go home and be a dad , 11/2/20 Rich Holsman  liked to play the game, did so over five seasons; Made AA , 10/30/20 Mike Hum...
Read more