Marcos Betances threw rookie ball no-hitter, saw 3 seasons

-
Marcos Betances 1990 Hamilton Redbirds card
Marcos Betances got a bonus this day in July 1988 and it was well-earned.

That's because Betances went out for the Bristol Tigers of the rookie Appalachian League and threw a no-hitter.

To show his appreciation, according to The Bristol Herald-Courier, Tigers farm director Joe McDonald dug into his wallet while still in the dugout and handed Betances a $100 bill.

Betances' success ended up being short-lived. That was his first season as a pro. He got into just two more. He never made AA.

Betances' career began that year, signed by the Tigers as a free agent out of his native Dominican Republic.

Betances played his first year at rookie Bristol. Over 13 starts that year, he posted a 4.24 ERA and went 5-3.

He started his 1989 season at single-A Fayetteville and his season didn't start well. In mid-April, he apparently punched a wall with his pitching hand in frustration, according to The Fayetteville Observer. His hand swelled up and he needed a cast. He was expected to be out up to six weeks.

Betances got five starts at Fayetteville, with a 5.49 ERA. In mid-June, he was sent down to short-season Niagara Falls. He also saw time that year at Bristol. Overall, he got into 18 games, 15 starts. He had a 6.62 ERA.

That December, Betances was included in a trade to the Cardinals. He played 1990 at single-A Savannah and short-season Hamilton. He went 0-4 at Savannah, with a 5.79 ERA. At Hamilton, he was 4-7, with a 3.70 ERA. It was Betances' final season as a pro.
Originally published June 25, 2015
1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 2,531
Made the Majors:1,014-40.1%
Never Made Majors:1,517-59.9%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 421
10+ Seasons in the Minors:259

Browse By:

-Player Name
-Player Team
-Date Featured

Players A to Z

Popular posts from this blog

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 Dec. 1, 2024 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

Peter Bauer learned screwball change, saw 6 seasons, AA

-
Image
Jackson reliever Pete Bauer developed a unique pitch in the minors, first in the Mets system and then continuing with the Astros, The Jackson Clarion Ledger wrote in July 1991. The pitch, dubbed "The Freak," was described by The Clarion Ledger as a screwball changeup that usually broke down and away. "I'll throw it any time, preferably when I'm ahead," Bauer told The Clarion-Ledger then. "Hopefully, when I got two strikes, I can make the hitter chase it." For Bauer, though, that pitch wasn't enough. That season marked his sixth season as a pro, and also his last. He topped out at AA. Bauer's career began in 1986, taken by the Mets in the eighth round of the draft out of the University of Minnesota . He was also credited as Peter Bauer. At Minnesota, Bauer went six innings in a win, working out of early trouble, The St. Cloud Times wrote . "I wasn't getting a lot on the ball early," Bauer told The Times afterward. "...
Read more

David Nix learned as pro, then injury, passed in 2018

-
Image
Having just signed his pro contract with the Astros in June 1990, David Nix spoke to his hometown Evansville Courier and Press about his next steps. "My job is to learn and do the best job I can," Nix told The Courier and Press then. "So far, Houston's been great for me. We didn't argue over money one bit." Nix went on from there to see two pro seasons. He spent both in the rookie Gulf Coast League before an injury ultimately ended his career. Nix' career began that year in 1990, taken by the Astros in the seventh round of the draft out of Harrison High School in Evansville, Indiana. Nix started with the Astros in the rookie Gulf Coast League. The pitcher saw 13 outings , four starts. He went 2-1, with one save. Going into 1991, Nix spoke to The Courier and Press about success he had that spring, and one instance where he even got to pitch in front of the Astros major league pitching coach Bob Cluck. "That was a great feeling, throwing for the...
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 Dec. 1 ,  2024 Features in order of when the y appeared: February 2025  -  Doug Bair  did his job in major leagues over 15 seasons , 2/23/25  -  Nick Belmonte  played, managed, broadcast Florida games , 2/22/25  -  Mark Brewer  amassed coaching experience over long career , 2/21/25  -  Dan Shwam  had long independent league managerial career , 2/15/25  -  Jim Schifman  dreamed of pros, made it for eight games , 2/11/25  -  Steve Keighley  worked to hit over 4 seasons, made high-A , 2/9/25  -  Jim Doyle  helped Sal...
Read more

Rob Mallicoat worked hard to make majors, then get back

-
Image
Selected by the Astros that past January in 1984, Rob Mallicoat signed in May to  start his pro career . "This has been my goal all through baseball," Mallicoat told his hometown Hermiston Herald then. "It's going to be hard work, but I think it's going to be a good experience." For Mallicoat, it would be hard work, both on the field and off it. He made the majors . Then, after a series of injuries, he made it back. Mallicoat's career began that year, taken by the Astros in the first round of the January draft out of Taft College in California. Mallicoat started at short-season Auburn and single-A Asheville . He went 3-4, with a 4.02 ERA over 12 starts. He moved to single-A Osceola for 1985, then AA Columbus and AAA Tucson in 1986. He then played 1987 largely at Columbus, but got a call to Houston that September. With the Astros, Mallicoat got into four games, starting one. He gave up five earned in 6.2 innings of work. He spoke to The Pendleton Eas...
Read more

Jim Voutour spent brief time in pros, career in policing

-
Image
Playing for SUNY Brockport in western New York, Jim Voutour had his sights set on the pros. And, if the pros didn't work out, business finance, he told The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in April 1987. "That's the dream for anybody," Voutour told The Democrat and Chronicle then of pro baseball. "But I'm not depending on dropping out and going professional." Voutour ended up realizing, if briefly, his goal of playing pro baseball . But his post-playing career ended up not being in business finance. It ended up being in law enforcement. Voutour ultimately became a sheriff's deputy in Niagara County, New York, where he grew up. By 2008, he'd risen through the ranks to run for the top job himself, Niagara County Sheriff. And he won. Voutour's brief pro career began and ended in 1990, signed by the Tigers as an undrafted free agent out of Brockport. At Brockport, Voutour hit 20 home runs and nine triples, longtime school records. He also had...
Read more

Guillermo Sabino saw just 10 pro games in rookie ball

-
Image
Guillermo Sabino started off OK with his rookie Gulf Coast League Astros in 1990. In his first three at bats with the club, the infielder picked up one hit. He also stole a base, according to The Houston Post . By the time he was 10 games in, though, his average had slid to .179. Those 10 games proved to be the extent of his pro career . Sabino's career began and ended that year in 1990, signed by the Astros as a free agent. His college or home country is not included at either Baseball Reference or The Baseball Cube. By early August, Sabino had seen 13 at bats and three total hits , dropping his average to .231. He'd also stolen four more bases. By season's end, Sabino had recorded 28 at bats overall to 35 plate appearances. He notched five hits, one a triple, and stole those four bases. His average ended at .179, ending his career . More:  The 1990 Gulf Coast League Astros 1990 Minor League Tally   Players/Coaches Featured: 4,533 Made the Majors: 1,433-31.6% Never Made...
Read more