Greatest 21 Days Baseball Profiles

Rich Buonantony 's father pledged to retire if his son ever made the majors, according to The New York Times in 1983. That's because Buonantony's father worked in a Las Vegas sports book and the gambling connection to a major leaguer would be awkward , to say the least. "To me, that's absolutely incredible because it is his livelihood, he's been doing it so long and it's a part of his life,'' Buonantony said of his father, according to The Times . "Imagine, if I'd ever get to the big leagues, he couldn't even ask me how I feel because of his position, he'd be finding out some information he wasn't supposed to know and some information I wasn't supposed to tell him." Whenever Buonantony's father retired isn't clear. What is clear is that the end of the father's career didn't come with his son making the majors. Buonantony played as a pro for a dozen seasons , but he never made the bigs. Buona...

Floyd Youmans ' season in 1986 was a bit unexpected. That's something his manager with the Expos Buck Rodgers noted to The Montreal Gazette after Youmans notched his 11th win in early August. "In spring training he was ticketed for AAA," Rodgers told The Gazette , "but he's been steadily getting better." The 22-year-old Youmans ended that year with a record of 13-12 and a 3.53 ERA. But he couldn't continue that improvement. First he was slowed by drug issues, finally his major league career ended just three seasons after that 1986 campaign with shoulder surgery. Youmans' career began in 1982, taken by the Mets in the second round of the draft out of Fontana High School in California. Youmans also attended Hillsbourough High School in Florida with another future major leaguer, Dwight Gooden. Youmans started at rookie Kingsport in 1982. He then made it to AA Jackson in his third season with the Mets. For 1985, Youmans moved to the Exp...

Cliff Brantley 's major league debut didn't turn out like he'd hoped. That's because the Phillies starter gave up four earned runs over four innings and took the loss . His manager Jim Fregosi, though, was understanding after that September 1991 contest, according to The Allentown Morning Call . "Brantley threw the ball well, but he was just nervous," Fregosi told The Morning Call . "Heck, that's a natural thing. Everyone gets like that when they play their first game in the big leagues." Brantley improved over his next few outings, ending that six-outing stint for the Phillies at 2-2. He then came back in 1992 for another 28 appearances with the club, but his final major league game came sooner than he'd hoped. It came just over a year after his debut . Brantley's career began in 1986, taken by the Phillies in the second round of the draft out of Port Richmond High School on Staten Island. Brantley played his first year at...

Features on each member of the 1990 Reading Phillies, AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Players featured are as included in that year's team set. Click on the player's name to read more. Interview (1)   1 - Sal Agostinelli, Got Close   Sal Agostinelli did everything he could to make bigs. He's now looking for others that could make it.   Reading Phillies (29) 1  -  Sal Agostinelli  saw 10 seasons, AAA, later scouted, more 2  -  Gary Alexander  turned high school coach after 7 pro seasons 3  -  Andy Ashby 's big league career spanned 14 seasons 4  -  Ramon Aviles  made majors as player, turned minors manager 5  -  Bob Ayrault  made bigs over 2 seasons with Phillies, Mariners 6  -  Kim Batiste brought big bat to 1993 NLCS, saw 5 ML seasons 7  -  Frank Bellino  liked to play every day, saw 8 pro seasons 8  -  Eric Boudreaux  played 6 sea...

Having spent his first six seasons in the Phillies organization and never getting above AA, Rod Robertson was optimistic about his move to the Tigers for 1992, according to The Reading Eagle . "It's a new scenery," Robertson told The Eagle . "New people are interested in me. Maybe I still have a chance to make it to the big leagues." Robertson made AAA for the first time that year at Toledo. He went on to play through 1995, but he never made the bigs . Robertson's career began in 1986, taken by the Phillies in the third round of the draft out of West Orange-Stark High School in Texas. Robertson started with the Phillies at short-season Bend. He hit .242 in 65 games. He moved to single-A Spartanburg for 1987 and returned there in 1988 . After a slow start to 1988, the switch-hitter Robertson tried hitting solely right-handed, according to The Spartanburg Herald-Journal . "I just wasn't feeling comfortable," Robertson told The Her...

George Culver had been to the big leagues before as a player and he was fine with a return as a coach . It was just the manager of the AA Reading Phillies wasn't focusing on that, he told The Reading Eagl e in 1986. "My goal is to do the best I can in the situation I'm in," Culver told The Eagle that July. "If that's managing a Double A club or a Rookie club, or a Triple A club, or being a pitching coach in the big leagues, it's all the same to me." In a coaching career that spanned more than 15 years , Culver never did return to the majors. In his playing career, though, Culver spent nine seasons there. On one night in 1968, he was one of the best in the game, pitching a no-hitter for the Cincinnati Reds. Culver's career in baseball began in 1963, signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent out of Bakersfield College in California. Culver started at single-A Shelby and Greensboro. He moved to the Indians for 1964, making A...

It was a bad night for Spartanburg shortstop Marty Foley and he couldn't help but know it . In this July 1986 contest, Foley racked up a total of five errors, one away from the league record, according to The Spartanburg Herald-Journal . "There are no excuses," Foley told The Herald-Journal . "I just tightened up and I was in a hurry. It was just one of those nights." Foley, thankfully, had other nights in which to prove himself . He ended up playing in four more seasons after that first one. He never could prove himself enough to make the majors. Foley's career began in 1986, taken by the Phillies in the 16th round of the draft out of Grambling State University. Foley is also sometimes credited by his formal name, Martin Foley. With the Phillies, Foley started with single-A Spartanburg . He got 50 games there, as well as two at short-season Bend. He hit just .145 between them. Foley split 1987 between Spartanburg and Bend again. This time, h...

Reading Phillies manager Don McCormack assessed his young catcher Mike Lieberthal in 1992 and he saw the former first-round pick progressing well . "He's going in the right direction to the majors," McCormack told Knight Ridder . "Already, this kid is an accomplished catcher." Lieberthal went on to make the majors two years later. He then stayed for 14 seasons. McCormack was once a minor league catcher himself, en route to the majors . McCormack's stay, though, consisted of just two short stays, five total games. But he almost played a role in deciding a divisional race. McCormack then went on to a long career as a manager in the minors, as well as in independent ball. McCormack's career in baseball began in 1974, taken by the Phillies in the fourth round of the draft out of Omak High School in Omak, Wash. McCormack started at rookie Pulaski. He then spent the next three seasons at short-season or single-A. He made AA Reading and then...

John McLarnan had to get ready quickly in this June 1988 game, according to The Toledo Blade . That's because his Maine Guide starter went down with injury. He went on to pitch the next six innings and pick up the win, The Blade wrote . "That's the second time this year that something like that has happened," McLarnan told The Blade afterward. "I just try to go at it like any other outing. I try to go right at the hitters and throw strikes." McLarnan played that year in his sixth season as a pro. He ended up missing the next season and playing again in 1990. He didn't make the majors . McLarnan's career began in 1983, taken by the Phillies in the 20th round of the draft out of San Jose State. McLarnan started with the Phillies at short-season Bend. He went 3-5 in 15 outings, six starts, with a 4.02 ERA. He picked up one of those losses in a two-inning performance where he gave up two unearned runs . He moved to single-A Spartanburg ...

Reading Phillies starter Chuck Malone picked up his fifth-straight win in this May 1988 game. He credited his fielders, including Vince Holyfield , with helping him get it, according to The Reading Eagle . "They played good ball behind me," Malone told The Eagle , "and that helped a lot. Holyfield made a couple of real good plays in left field." Holyfield made those plays in his fourth pro season . He went on to make plays in two more. He never got the chance to make them in the bigs. Holyfield's career began in 1985, taken by the Phillies in the third round of the draft out of Southern Arkansas University. With the Phillies, Holyfield started at short-season Bend. In 71 games, he hit .248, with eight home runs. He moved to single-A Spartanburg for 1986, hitting .218 there, with 22 stolen bases . Holyfield returned to Spartanburg for 1987 and had a career-high average of .292 and another career-high in home runs, 18. He also swiped a career-high 56 ...

Warren Magee impressed in his first full season at AA Reading. In 42 outings, 11 starts, the 22-year-old posted a 3.73 ERA, picked up six wins to six losses and threw two complete game shutouts. He pitched well enough to get the notice of the top brass in Philadelphia as they placed Magee on the club's 40-man winter roster that November. Magee, though, couldn't keep it up. He pitched in two more seasons at Reading. He never made AAA or the majors. Magee's career began in 1986, signed by the Phillies as an undrafted free agent out of Ferrum College in Virginia. Magee started with the Phillies at short-season Utica. In 24 relief outings, Magee had a 4.12 ERA. In one early game, Magee threw 5.1 innings of relief and stuck out eight in a Utica win. Magee split 1987 between single-A Clearwater and AA Reading. Between the two levels, he went 10-9, with a 4.07 ERA. He then kept returning to Reading. He played the next three seasons there . In 1988, he had t...

In the midst of a deep post-season run in May 2009, Freedom High School baseball coach Gary Alexander credited his team's skills for getting them to that point, according to MaxPreps.com . "I mean we've got good pitching, good team speed, good defense and great hitting," Alexander told MaxPreps . "The bottom line is we're a well-rounded team with lots of depth." That post-season run for the Oakley, Ca., school has been one of several for Alexander in his long high school coaching career. He started that career after one as a player. He played seven seasons as a player, making AAA in three seasons. He never made the majors . Alexander's playing career began in 1987, taken by the Rangers in the 8th round of the draft out of the University of Arizona. Alexander played his first season between single-A Gastonia and AA Tulsa. The infielder hit .289 between them. He moved to Tulsa full-time for 1988 and 1989. In 1988, he hit .265, with 17 ho...

Amalio Carreno 's manager at AA Albany saw a possible major leaguer in Carreno in 1988, according to The Albany Times-Union . Carreno just had to work on a particular pitch to make it, manager Tommy Jones told The Times-Union . "I compare him a lot to (Cecilio) Guante," Jones told The Times-Union . "The forkball is his pitch. It will be his pitch for him to have a legitimate shot at becoming a major- league pitcher. He has to throw it for a strike." Carreno did eventually make the major leagues. His stay, though, was brief. Three tough relief outings in 1991 for the Phillies marked the extent of his big league career . Carreno's professional career began in 1983, signed by the Yankees as as free agent out of his native Venezuela . Carreno first hit the field for the Yankees in 1984, in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He played parts of three seasons in the GCL. His first time above that level came in 1986 at single-A Fort Lauderdale. In 1987,...

Named the head baseball coach at Louisiana's Sterlington High School in 2013, Mark Sims didn't need introducing, according to The Bastrop Daily Enterprise . Sims was already the school's pitching coach, taking that job after serving as a head coach elsewhere, The Daily Enterprise wrote . "Mark's a proven winner. He's won everywhere he's been," school athletic director Jason Thompson told The Daily Enterprise . "He's already familiar with the program and the kids." Sims went on to his coaching career after a playing career that lasted eight seasons . He made AAA, but he never made the majors. Sims' playing career began in 1986, taken by the Phillies in the 32nd round of the draft out of Ouachita Christian School in Louisiana. Sims started with the Phillies at short-season Utica . In 14 starts there, the hurler ended with  a 1-10 record and a 4.25 ERA. He moved to single-A Spartanburg for 1987, improving his record to 7-...

Fred Christopher started this July 1986 game for short-season Bend poorly, but he settled down, according to The Bend Bulletin . At one point, he set down 10 in a row on his way to the win . "I've been working hard on my control," Christopher told The Bulletin afterward, "and it's starting to pay off. I feel real comfortable. I feel fine now." That work paid off in Christopher's first season as a pro . He got into four more seasons, but his work never paid off with a trip to the majors. Christopher's career began that year in 1986, signed by the Phillies as amateur free agent out of the University of Texas-Arlington . At Bend in 1986, Christopher went 4-6, with a 4.23 ERA. He pitched into the seventh in an early July game, giving up two earned for the win. He picked up his fourth win in mid-July, pitching into the ninth. Christopher moved to single-A Spartanburg for 1987. He went 9-11 there, with a 3.74 ERA. He played 1988 at sing...