Greatest 21 Days Baseball Profiles

Features on each member of the 1990 San Antonio Missions, AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Antonio Missions (30) 1  -  Rafael Bournigal  played good defense, saw 7 ML seasons 2  -  Jerry Brooks  received minors praise, then saw 17 ML games 3  -  Adam Brown  felt invincible when he signed, not decade later 4  -  Kevin Campbell  saw bigs over 5 seasons, sometimes started 5  -  Ernie Carr  hit ball hard over 3 pro seasons, made AA 6  -  Braulio Castillo  worked hard to make bigs, saw 2 seasons 7  -  Dale Coleman  played 4 seasons, made AA with Dodgers 8  -  Jon Debus  showed loyalty to Dodgers over quarter century 9  -  Steve Finken  kept ML dream alive over five pro seasons 10  -  Rob Giesecke  arrived at Vero Beach with Dodgers, made home 11  -  Tom Goodwin  sped to 14 ML seasons 12 -  Jeff Ha...

Eddie Pye teammate Eric Karros calmed Pye's nerves during Pye's major league debut om 1994, Pye told The Los Angeles Times . Karros did so by pointing out the familiarity of his surroundings and he got Pye laughing in the process, Pye told The Times . "Eric said, 'This is just like (the Dodger rookie team at Great Falls),'" Pye told The Times . "I looked around, and there's Offy (Jose Offerman) and Karros, and I played three years in the minors with both of them. So I relaxed, because it wasn't like I had never played with them before." While Karros and Offerman were in the midst of lengthy careers in the majors, Pye's stay in the bigs turned out to be brief. He played seven games that year and seven the next, marking the extent of his major league career . Pye's career began in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the 10th round of the draft out of Middle Tennessee State University. Pye started with the Dodgers with Karros and...

James Wray started off his pro career in 1988 at rookie Great Falls and he started it strong, according to The Great Falls Tribune . At one point that June, the reliever struck out 12 of 15 batters he face. He also earned the description from The Tribune  of "a southpaw who pitches aggressively." Wray went on from that start to turn in a 2.04 ERA on the year. He played in four more seasons . He made AA, but not the bigs. Wray's career began that year in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the 19th round of the draft out of Troy University in Alabama. At Troy, Wray helped the school to the 1987 Division II national championship as the staff ace . He went on a streak of 36.2 scoreless innings and made first-team All-America. He won all-conference honors in 1987 and 1988. After starting with the Dodgers at Great Falls, he moved to single-A Bakersfield and AA San Antonio in 1989. He posted sub-2 ERAs at both stops, including a 1.27 ERA in 41 outings at Bakersfield. ...

Amilcar Valdez ' Bakersfield Dodgers needed a run in this May 1988 game and Valdez came through, according to The Reno Gazette-Journal . With Bakersfield tied 4-4, Valdez stepped up to the plate and knocked a solo home run, a home run that proved the difference in the game, The Gazette-Journal wrote . Valdez went on to hit six home run for Bakersfield that year, his third as a pro. He played in two more seasons. He made AA, but not the majors. Valdez' career began in 1986, signed by the Dodgers as a free agent out of his native Puerto Rico. Valdez was also credited as Mica Valdez. Valdez started with the Dodgers in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He hit .304 in 61 games. He then returned to the GCL in 1987. He hit .238 in 60 games that year. He arrived at Bakersfield for 1988. He hit .254 in 83 games. He struck out to end a July game . Valdez played 1989 at single-A Vero Beach . He also got 12 games at AA San Antonio. He went 10 for 47 at San Antonio and hit ..27...

The Dodgers had some bullpen issues in July 1991 but team brass seemed to not see AAA reliever Zak Shinall as the possible solution, according to The Los Angeles Times . Shinall seemed to understand, pointing to another player as the immediate possibility. At the same time, though, he knew he would continue to work, he told The Times . "I would be ready for the job if they promoted me," Shinall told The Times . "All that I can do now is get people out. Once I prove I can do that on a consistent basis and start dominating this league, I'll get my chance in the majors. They'll have to make a move." The Dodgers eventually did make a move, trading Shinall after the next season. But he eventually did make the majors. He did so with the Mariners in 1993 and saw a single big league outing. Shinall's career began in 1987, taken by the Dodgers in the 29th round of the draft out of El Camino College in California. Shinall started with the Dodgers in...

After seemingly finding an every-day job in the majors in 1995 and then going down with injury, Henry Rodriguez came back the next year stronger than ever, The New York Times reported . He also had success, hitting 21 home runs through early June to lead the National League and making that the 1996 All-Star game . "All I've ever wanted was an opportunity," Rodriguez told The Times that July. "I know a lot of guys who never got an opportunity to play in the big leagues. I had to wait almost four years for mine. Just getting a chance to play every day is the best thing that's ever happened to me." Rodriguez got his big opportunity with the Expos, in his fifth season in the majors. He went on to hit 36 home runs that year, after posting a previous major league high of eight. Rodriguez continued playing regularly in the majors through 2000 and hit 20 or more home runs over five-straight years. He topped 30 over two of them. Rodriguez' career ...

The Orioles were out of it by the time Jim Poole took the mound for them in relief in this late-September 1991 contest , but their opponent the Red Sox weren't. Poole entered the game with the bases loaded in the fourth inning and proceeded to knock the Red Sox back a peg as he got out of that jam and went on to set down 14 of 15 batters he faced, The Associated Press wrote . "I was pumped up to play against a team in the pennant race," Poole told The AP afterward. "The adrenaline was flowing, and I almost hyperventilated." Poole pitched that year in his second major league season. He went on to pitch in 11 big league campaigns . He also went on to pitch in an actual pennant race, in 1995 with the Indians, as well as the World Series. Poole's career began in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the ninth round of the draft out of Georgia Tech. Poole started with the Dodgers at single-A Vero Beach . He made AA San Antonio in 1990, then got his call to...

Former major leaguer Burt Hooton knew a perfect game wouldn't come every time. Not all games turn out the way a pitcher wants them to be, he told The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette in 2016 of his advice to pitchers. "That’s just the nature of professional baseball," Hooton told The Journal Gazette as he served as pitching coach for the Fort Wayne TinCaps. "The question then is what are you going to do from that point forward? No matter if you have a real good game or a real bad game, your job is to get ready for that next game, so that is what I tell them." Hooton spoke to The Journal Gazette as in the midst of his now-three-decade-long career as a coach in the minors, guiding young hurlers on to the bigs, and also in the majors with the Astros, guiding them once they arrived. He's served as a coach after a long career as a player that saw Hooton play in 15 major league seasons, hit double-digits in wins nine times and throw a no-hitter in only his ...

Mike White recalled years later his selection by the Dodgers 19th overall in the 1986 draft out of high school. He'd hit .532 in his senior campaign, along with 16 home runs and 66 RBI, according to The Knoxville News-Sentinel . "It was a weird experience," White told The News-Sentinel in January 2016. "I was drafted before Bo Jackson." White went on to play seven professional seasons , but he found himself unable to turn his experience as a first-round pick into an experience in the majors. He briefly made AAA, but no higher. White's career began that year in 1986, taken by the Dodgers out of Loudon High School in Tennessee. White started with the Dodgers at rookie Great Falls . He hit .287 in 67 games. He also picked up a home run and 26 RBI. He moved to single-A Bakersfield and Vero Beach for 1987. He hit .263 in 64 games that year. He returned to Vero Beach for all of 1988, where he hit .340 to lead the league. He also helped Vero Beac...

A list of five Dodgers pitchers, including non-roster hurler Mike Pitz , threw well on one early spring 1988 day, but Dodgers pitching coach Ron Parranoski read little into the outings, he told The Los Angeles Times later . "It can go nothing but downhill from here," Perranoski joked to The Times . "All the pitchers threw strikes, and there were some good defensive plays. A couple of balls might have gone out (for home runs) if it had been windy. But the guys looked good." Pitz made that spring going into this third season as a pro. He'd make AA that season, but he'd remain there. Pitz pitched out his career at that level. He never made AAA . Pitz' career began in 1986, taken by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the draft out of the University of the Pacific. At Pacific, Pitz played both baseball and football , all after bypassing a selection out of high school by the Giants. He won 18 games over his college career and had a 3.06 ERA in 1986...

The Dodgers took Dan Opperman eighth overall in the 1987 draft, despite elbow pain he'd suffered at the end of his high school career, The Los Angeles Times wrote . When he went to start his career, though, he immediately blew out his arm, requiring Tommy John surgery before he'd even thrown a real game pitch, The Times wrote . "I'm wondering how I'm going to do," Opperman told The Times upon his return from rehab the net spring, "and I'm sure a lot of other people are curious, too." Opperman's return would be rocky, though. He remained out that entire season, as well. He finally got to throw in a game the next year, at single-A Vero Beach . He made it as high as AAA, but his career lasted just four seasons. Opperman's career began with that selection in the 1987 draft by the Dodgers out of Valley High School in Las Vegas. The Dodgers had examined Opperman ahead of the draft and their doctor pronounced him fine . But, hours...

Mike James broke through into the majors with the Angels, but surgery, rehabs and maybe a little bit of his unusual, surfer personality led to James' release in 1999, The Los Angeles Times wrote . He soon signed on with a new team, however, and his rehabs paid off as he helped the St. Louis Cardinals into the 2000 playoffs. "If anyone had a complaint about my work, I don't know why," James told The Times in the midst of that 2000 playoff run. "But everything I'm doing with the Cardinals tastes that much sweeter and better because of what happened with the Angels. I hope they're watching now." James returned from his arm troubles to pitch in 51 games for the Cardinals that year, including four appearances in the 2000 National League Championship Series. He continued pitching in two more seasons after that, rounding out a seven-season major league career. James' career began in 1987, taken by the Dodgers in the 43rd round of the draf...

Jeff Hartsock went 12-6 at AAA for the Dodgers in 1991, then he got traded, The Louisville Courier-Journal noted three years later. The trade led him to a brief stint in the majors in 1992 with the Cubs, but little else. "A lot of things happened since then," Hartsock told The Courier-Journal after a win as a Louisville starter. "When you get traded for a player with big-league experience, you think you're going to get to make the next move, but it never materialized. You expect more, and you get a little down." Hartsock spoke to The Courier-Journal in his seventh and final season as a pro. That stint with the Cubs proved his only time in the majors. Hartsock's career began in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the seventh round of the draft out of North Carolina State. Hartsock started with the Dodgers at rookie Great Falls . Late that July, Great Falls pitching coach Goose Gregson critiqued Hartsock's pitching to The Great Falls Tribune . ...

Dodgers scouting director Ben Wade had high praise for Fresno State speedster Tom Goodwin after the Dodgers selected him 22nd overall in 1989, according to The Los Angeles Times . The club thought Goodwin to be the best college player in the country to have played regularly that year. He also compared Goodwin favorably to longtime major leaguer and Dodger Willie Davis , The Times wrote . "All he has to do is put the ball on the ground and it's a base hit," Wade told The Times of Goodwin. "I mean, he can flat out fly. He's a Willie Davis type, and we haven't had a player like that since Willie left." The comparison to Davis proved nearly accurate as Goodwin not only went on to the majors but stayed for much of 14 seasons to Davis' 18. Goodwin also ultimately stole 369 bases in the bigs to Davis' 398. But, while Davis played much of his career for Los Angeles, Goodwin didn't come into his own until he moved on from the club, with ...

Steve Finken had no idea he'd get cut by the Dodgers in spring 1992, he told The Shreveport Times later. The four-season veteran hadn't made the majors, though he'd briefly made AAA. But, he told The Times , after being cut, he knew he wanted to continue his pursuit of the bigs. "I still wanted to keep my hope and dream alive," Finken told The Times . "I wasn't ready to give up on that." It took some weeks, but Finken did continue. He signed with the Giants and was assigned to AA Shreveport. His return, however, turned out to be short-lived. He never made the bigs . Finken's career began in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the 21st round of the draft out of the University of Michigan. At Michigan, Finken won all-conference honors  in 1987 and team MVP in 1988. He hit .404 in 1988, along with 13 home runs and stole 25 bases. He started with the Dodgers at short-season Salem and rookie Great Falls. He hit .255 in 64 games on the yea...

The San Antonio Missions swept a double-header against Wichita this night in May 1991. On the front end, future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez picked up the win for the AA Dodgers squad, according to The Associated Press . On the back end, San Antonio reliever Dale Coleman came on and picked up the win in relief, The AP wrote . While Martinez went on to the majors and baseball's highest honors, Coleman's career neared its end. Coleman picked up that win in his fourth professional season. It was also his last. He never made AAA . Coleman's career began in 1988, signed by the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent out of his native Mississippi . Coleman started with the Dodgers in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He went 3-1, with a 1.12 ERA in 19 relief outings. He also saved three. He moved to single-A Vero Beach for 1989. He went 3-5 there over 45 outings, four starts. Those starts were the only starts of his career. He ended with a 2.54 ERA and five saves. Col...

Eric Karros went out and won the Dodgers starting first baseman's job in 1992. He then went out and won the National League Rookie of the Year award. For Karros, though, he knew the award meant the past. He knew he needed to focus on the future, according to The Associated Press . "It keeps you going, knowing guys come and go in this game," Karros told The AP after winning the award. "The trick is not getting there but staying, having some longevity. I've only played one year, and my goal is to play a number of years." Karros won the award with a season where he hit 20 home runs , knocked in 88 and hit .257. He then went back out in 1993 and started on his path toward realizing his goal. By the time his career ended, Karros had seen time in a total of 14 major league seasons , hit 30 or more home runs in a campaign five times and turned in a career batting average of .268. Karros' career began in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the sixth ro...

Great Falls Dodger Ernie Carr heated up against Medicine Hat pitching in June 1988, according to The Medicine Hat News . Carr went 2 for 4 with a home run in one game and 3 for 5 with another home run in the next, The News wrote . "I was 0-for-7 at the start of the year but I was hitting the ball hard," Carr told The News after the second contest. "Now they are starting to drop in for me." Enough balls dropped in for Carr to hit .333 that year in rookie ball. He went on to play in two more seasons before injury prematurely ended his career. Carr's career began that year in 1988, taken by the Dodgers in the 26th round of the draft out of Jacksonville University . Carr played his high school ball at Platt High in Meriden, Conn. A former teammate at Platt later compared Carr favorably to Jeff Bagwell as the most talented players he'd seen in person. At Jacksonville, Carr earned All-America honors in 1988. He hit .440 and recorded 32 doubles...