Greatest 21 Days Baseball Profiles

Features on each member of the 1990 Bakersfield Dodgers, high-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as included in that year's team set. Bakersfield Dodgers (32) Billy Ashley  made 7 majors seasons with Dodgers, Red Sox Bryan Baar  briefly made AAA over 4 seasons with Dodgers Tim Barker  got traded for Wallach, made AAA in 10 seasons Bryan Beals  created runs in high school, saw 3 pro seasons Tom Beyers  spent 3 decades in minors as player, manager Craig Bishop  saw four pro seasons, high-A with Dodgers John Braase  helped college team, made three pro seasons Jason Brosnan  saw 14 minor league season, AAA in five Rich Crane  made College World Series, three pro seasons John Deutsch  saw 5 minors seasons with Dodgers, Cubs Gary Forrester  made contact, high-A over three seasons Mike Frame  pitched self to pros, made 2 seasons, high-A Anthony Garcia  trained across sports Tom Goodwin  sped to 14 ML seasons Goose Gregs...

A Napoleon Robinson pitch got away from him in rookie ball in 1988 and struck the batter in the eye, The Salem Statesman Journal wrote . The pitch ended the batter's career and also psychologically impacted Robinson, Dodgers pitching instructor Dave Wallace told The Statesman Journal in 1989. "I think that set him back last year," Wallace told The Statesman Journal that July as Robinson pitched at short-season Salem. "He wasn't the same guy for about 1-1 1/2 months. ... He came back this spring and was throwing well." Robinson did come back and he eventually threw well enough to make AAA by 1992. But, in a career that spanned six seasons, he never made the majors . Robinson's career began in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the 34th round of the draft out of Columbus State University in Georgia. Robinson was also credited as Nap Robinson and as Pokey Robinson. Robinson started with the Dodgers in the rookie Gulf Coast League . Despite his issues with th...

Sacramento State reliever Mike Frame suffered a spike wound in his pitching hand the week earlier, but he appeared on track to pitch again in the regionals, his coaches, head coach John Smith and pitching coach Gordon Blackwell told The Sacramento Bee . He just had to ensure the stitches didn't bother him, they told The Bee . "Gordy told me he was throwing gas in the bullpen," Smith told The Bee . "But he was having trouble with the curveball because one of his (three) stitches was poking him." Frame came back to pitch well enough to sign professionally with the Dodgers weeks later. His pro career lasted two seasons. He made high-A . Frame's career began in 1989, signed by the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent out of Sacramento State . At Sacramento State, Frame pitched as a fifth-year senior . He went 6-2 in 1989, with a 2.63 ERA. He threw three scoreless innings in a March game, then  threw a four-hitter in an April game. He started with the Dodgers a...

Sonora High scored a run in the third inning of this May 1984 game and The Los Angeles Times credited the speed of Bryan Beals . He reached on a dropped third strike, stole a base and then scored. He stole four total bases in the game, The Times wrote . "He's a creator," Sonora coach Gordon Blakeley told The Times then of Beals. "He creates runs." Beals went on to create enough runs to play in college and turn pro. His pro career consisted of three seasons. He made high-A . Beals' pro career began in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the 32nd round of the draft out of Chapman University in California. He also played at Arizona State . Beals started with the Dodgers at rookie Great Falls . He hit .256 in 31 games. He picked up four hits in one late-August game. He moved to single-A Bakersfield for 1989. He hit .223 in 39 games there. He lost time after a Bill Bene batting practice pitch broke a bone in his hand, The Times wrote . Beals returned to Bakersfie...

The High Desert Mavericks tried to mount a comeback in April 1991, but Bakersfield's Fausto Tatis came on to shut the door, according to The San Bernardino County Sun .   Down 6-2 in the ninth, High Desert scored twice, The Sun wrote . Then came Tatis. He induced a strikeout and ended the game. Tatis got that strikeout in his third season as a pro. That season also marked his last season . He made high-A, but didn't make it higher. Tatis' career began in 1989, signed as a free agent by the Dodgers out of his native Dominican Republic. Tatis started with the Dodgers in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He went 3-3, with a 2.54 ERA over 11 outings, nine starts. He then moved to high-A Bakersfield and short-season Yakima for 1990. He went 3-3 at Bakersfield, with a 5.97 ERA, and 1-4, with a 4.48 ERA over 13 starts at Yakima. He picked up one of his losses in an August game for Yakima, going four innings and giving up four runs. Tatis returned to Bakersfield for 1991....

College of Southern Idaho reliever John Braase helped save his team's season in this May 1987 playoff contest, The Twin Falls Times-News wrote . Braase came on for the starter and held his opponents as Southern Idaho came back for the win, The Times-News wrote . "You can't say enough good words about John Braase," Southern Idaho coach Jim Walker told The Times-News .  Braase went on from Southern Idaho to turn pro. His pro career lasted three seasons . He topped out at high-A. Braase's career began in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the 29th round of the draft out of Southern Idaho and the College of Idaho. At Southern Idaho, Braase had a 2.42 ERA and struck out 66 in 1987. In 1988 at the College of Idaho, Braase went 7-1, with a 2.42 ERA as he struck out 69 . In May 1988, Braase went seven innings , allowing four hits and striking out eight in a win. He started with the Dodgers at rookie Great Falls . He got into 17 games, starting seven. He went 4-0, with a 3....

Dodgers scout Joe Campbell saw young high schooler Billy Lott play seven or eight times, he told The Jackson Clarion-Ledger in June 1989. Lott impressed him enough to get the Dodgers to select Lott in the second round of the draft. "The thing I really like about Bill is his makeup," Campbell told The Clarion-Ledger . "He's the right kind of person to become a big-league player." Lott soon signed and started his career. He went on to play in nine pro campaigns . He made AAA in three of them, but he never made the majors. Lott's career began that year in 1989, taken by the Dodgers 41st overall in the draft out of Petal High School in Hattiesburg, Miss. Lott was also credited as Bill Lott. Lott started with the Dodgers in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He got into 46 games and hit .193. He moved to high-A Bakersfield and short-season Yakima for 1990. He hit .249 on the year in 103 games. He spoke to The Clarion-Ledger to start 1990 about his slow first seas...

Chris Morrow's second pro season appeared to be over early in 1989 when a dive for a fly ball in July sprained his shoulder, The Salem Statesman Journal wrote. But, after rehab at home, Morrow returned in time for the playoff push and picked up the key hit in a Salem win, The Statesman Journal wrote . "It felt a little awkward and a little stiff," Morrow told The Statesman Journal afterward. "But it's good to be back." Morrow went on to return for six more seasons. He briefly made AAA, but he never made the majors . Morrow's career began in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the 13th round of the draft out of Skyline College in California.  Morrow started with the Dodgers at rookie Great Falls . He got into 60 games there and hit .288. He then moved to single-A Bakersfield and short-season Salem for 1989. He knocked a two-run home run and got a second hit in a late-June game.  Morrow played 1990 back at Bakersfield. He hit .240 over 95 games. He hit high-...

Steve O'Donnell hit well in this August 1989 game as he went 5 for 5, scoring three for rookie Great Falls, The Great Falls Tribune wrote .  Afterward, O'Donnell credited advice from his manager, Joe Vavra, he told The Tribune . "Pulling the ball isn't my game, so I've just been trying to hit the ball up the middle," O'Donnell told The Tribune . "It's paying off." O'Donnell got that advice in his first season as a pro. He went on to take it to three more campaigns. He topped out at high-A . O'Donnell's career began that year, taken by the Dodgers in the 36th round of the draft out of La Salle University in Philadelphia. At La Salle, hit .403, with 45 home runs over his career there and continues to be tops at the school in season and career home runs, RBIs and total bases. He later made the conference 40th anniversary team in 2020, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch . With the Dodgers, O'Donnell started at Great Falls. ...

Montclair State's John Deutsch got passed over in the draft after his junior year. So, in his senior yearin 1989, he went out and had a season the scouts couldn't help but notice, his  hometown Allentown Morning Call wrote . He hit .429, with 16 home runs and 70 RBI, enough for the Dodgers to select him in the fifth round of 1989,  The Morning Call wrote . "I didn't want the same thing to happen as last year," Deutsch  told The Morning Call . "I finally got a chance. That's all I wanted, a chance. Now it's up to me." Deutsch took his chance on to five professional seasons. He made AA, but didn't make it higher . Deutsch's career began that year in 1989,  taken by the Dodgers  136th overall out of Montclair State . At Montclair, Deutsch won All-American honors three times and Division III Player of he Year honors in 1989. His work earned him the title "greatest player to wear a Montclair State uniform" and, in 2020, selection to...

Jason Brosnan took a no-hitter through five innings in this August 1989 contest for rookie Great Falls, but he told The Great Falls Tribune afterward the no-hit bid didn't impact him.      "I was aware of (the no-hitter), although I wasn't really thinking about it," Brosnan told The Tribune . "I knew I couldn't go the whole nine innings so it (the no-hitter) didn't really matter. Of course, you never like to give up hits." Brosnan made that no-hit bid in his first season as a pro. He went on to pitch in a total of 14 professional campaigns. He made it to AAA in five those years. He never made the majors . Brosnan's career began  that year in 1989, taken by the Dodgers in the eighth round of the draft out of Cal State Fresno . Brosnan started with the Dodgers at Great Falls. He went 6-2, with a 2.55 ERA over 13 starts. He then moved to high-A Bakersfield for 1990, where he went 12-4, with a 3.11 ERA. He briefly made AA San Antonio briefly in ...

Fresh off his first pro season in 1989, Garett Teel readied for an unexpected stint in fall instructional league that September, The Hackensack Record wrote .  For Teel, he believed the chance that fall would get him added experience he could use to eventually move on to the majors, according to The Record . "If I didn't think I had a shot, I wouldn't be doing it right now," Teel told The Record . "You give it your best shot. If it happens, it happens." Teel went on to see parts of five seasons in the pros, but the majors never happened. He topped out at high-A . He later went on to stay in the game, as a youth coach and instructor in his native New Jersey. Teel's pro career began in 1989, taken by the Dodgers in the 12th round of the draft out of William Paterson University of New Jersey. He played his high school ball at Ridgefield Park High in Ridgefield Park, N.J. At Ridgefield Park, Teel also played for the local American Legion team and helped...

His Salem Dodgers up 2-0, Gary Forrester helped put this June 1989 game away in the seventh as he doubled to empty the loaded bases, The Salem Statesman Journal wrote . The double also marked something else for Forrester, fresh off the draft: Professional hit No. 1, The Statesman Journal wrote . "I was just trying to make contact," Forrester explained to The Statesman Journal afterward. "It was my first hit as a Dodger, so it was pretty exciting." Forrester played that first year at rookie Salem. He went on to see time the next year at high-A Bakersfield. In all, he saw time in three pro seasons. He never saw AA . Forrester's career began that year in 1989, taken by the Dodgers in the 20th round of the draft out of UNLV .  He started with the Dodgers at Salem. He mostly played shortstop and ultimately hit .167 over 27 games. But he also got to see one game on the mound. In early July, he went 1.2 innings. He gave up two earned, including a home run, but also ...

Frank Humber's road to the pros proved long. In fact, it stretched from Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada, to Florida - with a side trip to Seoul, South Korea. Humber grew up in Newfoundland, but a Florida American Legion team visited in 1983 and Humber struck up a friendship with one of the American coaches, The Miami Herald wrote .  "He said he wanted to go to an American college and possibly playing professional baseball" the coach, John Koons, told The Herald . "I told him that was fine, but no college scouts were ever going to see him playing in Corner Brook." Soon, they worked it out with Humber's family so he could go to Florida, finish high school and play. Koons became his legal guardian, The Herald wrote . Humber went on from there to play college ball at Wake Forest  - and to get drafted into the pros. He also got to represent Canada at the 1988 Olympics. He played two pro seasons . He made high-A. Humber's pro career began in 1989, taken by ...

After seeing brief time in the previous three seasons with little chance to become a regular, Billy Ashley looked poised for a breakthrough season in 1995, The Los Angeles Times wrote that April. He put himself in that position by continuing to hit in the minors as he waited for his call, Dodgers executive vice president Fred Claire told The Times . "Certainly, he left no doubt in our minds," Claire told The Times of Ashley. "What more is there for him to prove? For a guy who has the potential to hit the way he does, they haven't invented a league he can't play in." Ashley went on that year to see the most time he would ever see in the bigs, 81 games. He then saw 71 in each of the next two campaigns. Overall, he saw time in seven seasons and hit .233 over that big league career. Ashley's career began in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the third round of the draft out of Belleville High School in Michigan. He was also credited as Bill Ashley. Ashley s...

After a surprise invite to the Olympic tryouts in 1988, Santa Rosa Junior College's Brett Magnusson didn't get to stay long. He was among the first round of cuts, The Santa Rosa Press Democrat wrote . But he did get to be among just six junior college players to get the invite and Magnusson knew that meant something, The Press Democrat wrote . "I couldn't complain," Magnusson told The Press Democrat . "I got to play as much as anyone. I hit the ball really well, so I have no regrets." Magnusson went on from the Olympic tryouts almost immediately to play at a whole different level, in the pros. His pro career lasted seven seasons and he briefly made AAA . He has since gone on to teach the game to others as an instructor. Magnusson's pro career began that year in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the 39th round of the previous year's draft out of Santa Rosa. He played his high school ball at Sonoma High in Sonoma. At Sonoma, Magnusson's coach Bob...

Brock McMurray faced setbacks early in his career. But, going into spring 1991, his fourth pro season, he held out hope that he would finally see sustained success, he told The Greenwood Commonwealth that February. "I've had some freak accidents that have plagued my professional career," McMurray told The Commonwealth . "I'd like to put together a full season and finish in AA or AAA Albuquerque by the end of the year." McMurray did put together a full season that year, at high-A Vero Beach. He played in one more campaign after that. He never made AA . McMurray's career began in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the 11th round of the draft out of Southeastern Louisiana University. He played at Mississippi Delta Community College before that. McMurray started with the Dodgers at rookie Great Falls and short-season Salem. He saw 18 games between them and hit .188. He returned for 1989. He hit an early July home run, a two-run shot to tie the game, The Salem...