Mario Prats saw 3 minors seasons with Astros, single-A

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Mario Prats 1991 Asheville Tourists baseball card

Asheville Tourists reliever Mario Prats pitched the ninth, the score tied, in this August 1991 game, but he couldn't hold it, The Asheville Citizen-Times wrote.

Prats gave up a solo home run with two outs to take the 2-1 loss, The Citizen-Times wrote.

"We've got to sit there and have the guys out of the bullpen pick us up," Asheville manager Frank Cacciatore told The Citizen-Times. "And we can't hold guys down. It's as simple as that."

Prats pitched that game in his third season as a pro. That campaign also marked his last. he topped out single-A.

Prats' career began in 1989, taken by the Astros in the 85th round of the draft out of Coral Park High School in Florida.

At Coral Park High, Prats struck out 11 batters in an April 1989 game. 

He then moved on to the pros and the rookie Gulf Coast League. That summer, he sa7 relief appearances and went 1-1, with a save and a 3.22 ERA.

Going into 1990, as the lockout dragged on, Prats' father came to see him play.  The father noted the state of the major league labor strife to The Orlando Sentinel.

"The fans are really the ones who pay the price," the father told The Sentinel.

Prats returned to the Gulf Coast League for 1990. He went 2-0 over 20 outings, one start, with a 3.16 ERA.

He then played 1991 at Asheville. He threw 2.2 innings of shutout relief for an April win. He then picked up a save in an early July contest with three innings of one-hit ball.

Overall, Prats went 4-1, with a 4.08 ERA over 33 relief outings. He also saved three. That season proved his last as a pro.

Mario Prats 1991 Asheville Tourists baseball card


1990 Minor League Tally 
Players/Coaches Featured:4,496
Made the Majors:1,428-31.8%
Never Made Majors:3,068-68.2%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:579
10+ Seasons in the Minors:357

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