Mike Czarnetzki helped Santa Barbara, saw one pro season

UC Santa Barbara came back from two poor seasons to clinch second place in their conference in 1990 and The Los Angeles Times cited Mike Czarnetzki as a key reason why.

Czarnetzki had a .387 average to that point, had knocked in 44 runs and stolen 37 bases. The senior Czarnetzki spread the credit to his teammates, according to The Times.

"It was just a matter of young guys maturing," Czarnetzki told The Times. "It's all coming together now."

For Czarnetzki, it all came together that year for him to turn pro. His pro career, though, proved brief. He played a single season.

Czarnetzki's pro career began and ended that year in 1990 signed by independent Salt Lake City out of UC Santa Barbara.

At UC Santa Barbara in April 1990, Czarnetzki hit a three-run game-winning home run.

In the pros, he played at rookie independent Salt Lake City and was credited with one appearance with high-A Miami without an at bat.

The Salt Lake Tribune noted Czarnetzki arrived with "impressive base stealing credentials," having ended with 37 stolen bases in his college season.

Overall, Czarnetzki saw 17 games for Salt Lake City that year. He hit .185 and didn't steal a base. That season proved his only season as a pro.

• Los Angeles Times, May 18, 1990: Czarnetzki Proves to Be a Cut Above for UCSB
• Salt Lake Tribune, June 20, 1990: Speedier Outfield Highlights '90 Trappers

More: The 1990 Salt Lake City Trappers

1990 Minor League Tally 

Players/Coaches Featured:4,477
Made the Majors:1,426-31.9
Never Made Majors:3,051-68.1%-X

5+ Seasons in the Majors:577

10+ Seasons in the Minors:357

Geno Mirabella worked on concentration, saw 3 seasons

The Salt Lake City Trappers' Geno Mirabella opened the 1991 season with a rough start, giving up four runs without getting out of the third inning, The Deseret News wrote.

Mirabella looked to his concentration, The News wrote. 

"If I get through the first three innings without a run, I'm OK," Mirabella told The News. "My mechanics are fine. When I'm going bad, it's not my arm, it's my concentration. Don't let a second go by without thinking."

Mirabella ultimately worked on his concentration over three pro seasons. He spent all three in rookie ball.

Mirabella's career began in 1989, taken by the Indians in the 39th round of the draft out of Brookdale Community College. Mirabella was also credited as Gene Mirabella.

At Brookdale, Mirabella helped the team to the National Junior College World Series. He lost a lead in one game, but righted the ship on midgame advice from his coach for the win, The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel wrote.  

"During warm-ups after the sixth, Coach (Paul) MacLaughlin said to come over the top more with my delivery," Mirabella told The Daily Sentinel. "I noticed right away my pitches became more effective."

Mirabella started with the Indians in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He went 5-5, with a 4.48 ERA. That season marked his only one with the Indians.

He signed for 1990 with rookie Salt Lake City. That June, he threw a three-hitter in a Salt Lake City win over Idaho Falls, The Salt Lake Tribune wrote.

"(Mirabella) pitched a heck of a game, and you're going to run into that every now and then," Idaho Falls manager Steve Curry told The Tribune.

Mirabella went 7-5 for Salt Lake City in 1990, with a 3.93 ERA in 14 starts. He then returned for 1991. He saw seven starts that year.  He went 1-1, with a 6.67 ERA to end his career.

Mirabella has since turned to coaching. He served as pitching coach at Brookdale, then coached at New Brunswick High School. He's since become an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham, a job he continues in 2025.

• Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, May 29, 1989: Pitcher's stand keeps Blues alive
• Salt Lake Tribune, June 22, 1990: Traps Silence Braves With Three-Hitter
• Deseret News, June 22, 1991:  'K' king Mirabella back with Trappers

More: The 1990 Salt Lake City Trappers

1990 Minor League Tally 

Players/Coaches Featured:4,476
Made the Majors:1,426-31.9
Never Made Majors:3,050-68.1%-X

5+ Seasons in the Majors:577

10+ Seasons in the Minors:357

Brian Biggers got big hits in Salt Lake clinching game

The Salt Lake City Trappers clinched the division title in this 1990 game, led by infielder Brian Biggers, The Salt Lake Tribune wrote.

Biggers scored twice, knocked in two and went 3 for 4 on the night, The Tribune wrote.

"It's nice to go 3-for-4 in a game you'll remember for the rest of your life," Biggers told The Tribune afterward.

That season marked Biggers' first season as a pro. He played in one more. He spent both at independent rookie Salt Lake City.

Biggers' career began in 1990, signed by Salt Lake City as a free agent out of Texas State University.

At Texas State, Biggers hit a game-winning grand slam in an April 1990 win.

He then signed with Salt Lake City. He went 2 for 5 in a June win. Overall, he saw 38 games and hit .296.

Biggers returned to Salt Lake City for 1991. He picked up three hits in a July game. He saw 49 games that year and hit .257 to end his career.

Biggers later became an assistant coach at Connors State and at Lamar University. 

• Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 30, 1990: Trappers Clinch South Title

More: The 1990 Salt Lake City Trappers

1990 Minor League Tally 

Players/Coaches Featured:4,475
Made the Majors:1,426-31.9
Never Made Majors:3,049-68.1%-X

5+ Seasons in the Majors:577

10+ Seasons in the Minors:357

Willie Ambos saw 4 seasons, 3 memorable with Salt Lake

At age 25 and in rookie ball, Salt Lake City Trapper Willie Ambos knew he was likely done in 1990, he told The Daily Utah Chronicle that July. 

So, the pitcher chose to use his time just  to play - and work with younger players, he told The Chronicle.

"I'm trying to let the younger guys, who're just starting out, know that I'm here to help them and answer questions for them," Ambos told The Chronicle. "I want them to know they've got a guy on the team who's been through it and can give some advice."

Ambos did play out that season. But he also did return for Salt Lake City the next year, as a player/coach. Later, he even became the club's manager. 

Overall, Ambos played over four seasons. He topped out at single-A. He spent three of those seasons with Salt Lake City and was later described as one of the club's "most memorable characters."

Ambos's career began in 1988, signed by independent Salt Lake City as a free agent out of the New York Institute of Technology.

With Salt Lake City in 1988, Ambos saw 15 outings, 14 starts. He went 9-2, with a 4.58 ERA. His work was enough to get picked up by the Mariners and assigned to single-A San Bernardino for 1989.

Ambos saw 33 total outings with San Bernardino, six starts. He went 6-1, with a 2.95 ERA. He also got a few team fines along the way with minor antics of the dress code variety, The Deseret News wrote, speculating those might have contributed to his release.

Instead, he found himself back with Salt Lake City for 1990, and the team was glad to have him, antics and all, The News wrote.

"Ambos is kinda the guy who keeps everyone loose. I appreciate that," Trapper pitching coach Mark Brewer told The News then.

Ambos eventually saw 14 outings, 12 starts for Salt Lake City that year. He went 7-3, with a 2.57 ERA.

He then returned for 1991 as a player/coach. He went 7-4 over 14 starts, with a 4.18 ERA to end his playing career.

The Trapper franchise soon moved to Ogden and became the Raptors. In 1994, after Ambos had turned coach for a local high school in Salt Lake City, The Raptors hired him as manager. He stayed two seasons.

"It certainly helps that Willie is one of the most memorable characters from the Trappers," team president Dave Baggott told The Associated Press of the hire. "If you mention Trappers players, you mention Willie."

• Deseret News, June 20, 1990: Ambos' return will 'loosen' things up
• Utah Daily Chronicle, July 19, 1990: Aging 'Bull' leads Traps, intimidates rookie foes
• Havre Daily News, Associated Press: Top pitcher new field manager

More: The 1990 Salt Lake City Trappers

1990 Minor League Tally 

Players/Coaches Featured:4,474
Made the Majors:1,426-31.9
Never Made Majors:3,048-68.1%-X

5+ Seasons in the Majors:577

10+ Seasons in the Minors:357

Ken Whitworth pumped strikes over 2 seasons, made high-A

The Salt Lake City Trappers took this July 1990 game by a score of 16-1 and Trappers starter Ken Whitworth took the win, The Salt Lake Tribune wrote.

"It makes it a little easier when you have a big lead like that," Whitworth told The Tribune afterward. "All you have to do is pump strikes and let the hitters get themselves out."

Whitworth worked to pump strikes that year for independent Salt Lake City, in his first season as a pro. He went on to see time in just one more campaign. He made high-A.

Whitworth's career began that year in 1990, taken in the 10th round of the draft by the independent Miami Miracle out of the University of California, Irvine.

At Irvine, Whitworth threw a six-hit shutout in a March 1990 game against rival Fullerton, part of a run of success that went back to the previous season, his pitching coach Robin Dreizler told The Los Angeles Times.

"Through the first half of last season, he was just doing OK," Dreizler told The Times. "Midway through the season, something clicked and he hasn't stopped since."

That June, he was drafted by Miami and optioned to rookie Salt Lake City. There, he saw 13 outings, 12 starts. He went 7-2, with a 3.32 ERA.

In July, he beat Billings in a complete game 5-1 win, The Billings Gazette wrote.

"I was keeping ahead of the hitters on curve balls early in the game," Whitworth told The Gazette afterward. "The last couple guys I think were looking for those curve balls and I got them with fast balls. The ball was jumping well across the strike zone tonight."

Whitworth moved to high-A Miami for 1991. He saw 20 outings, 7 starts there. He went 1-7, with a 3.75 ERA to end his career.

• Los Angeles Times, March 14, 1990: Whitworth Enjoys Playing with a Winner This Season
• Salt Lake Tribune, July 21, 1990: Traps Pummel Pioneers, Win 6th Straight
• Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 1, 1990: Ponies cling to lead

More: The 1990 Salt Lake City Trappers

1990 Minor League Tally 

Players/Coaches Featured:4,473
Made the Majors:1,426-31.9
Never Made Majors:3,047-68.1%-X

5+ Seasons in the Majors:577

10+ Seasons in the Minors:357

John Urcioli played hard over 3 seasons for independents

The Miami Miracle's John Urcioli had played across three infield positions by July 1991. He also DH'd, his hometown Staten Island Advance wrote.

Regardless of where he played, Urcioli knew what to do, he told The Advance.

"I just go out and play hard," Urcioli told The Advance. "Growing up on Staten Island's fields, playing Little League, Babe Ruth, Federation, Legion and at Tottenville (High), I never knew any other way."

Urcioli spoke in his second pro season. He played hard enough to see one more campaign. He spent all three seasons with independent teams. He topped out at high-A.

Urcioli's career began in 1990, taken by the independent Miami Miracle in the 15th round of the draft out of the New York Institute of Technology, New York Tech.

"His best asset is his fielding," Urcioli's coach at New York Tech Bob Hirschfield told The Advance after Urcioli was drafted. "He has a nice glove, a strong arm and a lot of range. All that, and his ability to hit, certainly caught the eye of the team's owner."

Urcioli ended up playing that season with independent Salt Lake City. He saw 63 games and hit .258.

He then moved back to Miami for 1991. He saw 73 games there, and ended with a .233 average.

For 1992, Urcioli stayed with the Miracle as the club moved to Fort Myers. He also got off to a slow start before he hit a two-run, 10th-inning game-winning double a May game, The Fort Myers News-Press wrote.

"I've been struggling since the beginning of the season," Urcioli told The News-Press afterward. "Just lately I've been hitting the ball well, and I just tried to make contact that last time up."

Urcioli saw 47 games in all for Fort Myers and hit .199. That season proved his last as a pro.

• Staten Island Advance, June 8, 1990: Minor league team drafts Urcioli
• Staten Island Advance, July 18, 1991: Urcioli living a minor Miracle in Miami
• Fort Myers News-Press, May 10, 1992: Miracle rally trips Expos 7-6 in 10

More: The 1990 Salt Lake City Trappers

1990 Minor League Tally 

Players/Coaches Featured:4,472
Made the Majors:1,426-31.9
Never Made Majors:3,046-68.1%-X

5+ Seasons in the Majors:577

10+ Seasons in the Minors:357

Pat Sweet went to Alaska then made pros at Salt Lake

Passed over in that year's draft, Texas A&M product Pat Sweet did his best at showing his capabilities in June 1990, fresh off the plane to Alaska, The Anchorage Daily News wrote.

Handed the ball for his Alaska Summer League Peninsula team shortly after landing, Sweet went out and pitched seven innings of four-hit, one-run ball for the win, The Daily News wrote. 

"I just got him off the plane at noon," an astonished Peninsula manager Bo Hall told The Daily News afterward. "I told him I was going to send him back home and bring him back in four days and take him off the plane again."

Sweet showed enough of what he could do at Peninsula to eventually sign a pro contract, with the independent Salt Lake City Trappers. His pro career ended up lasting four appearances.

Sweet's pro career began and ended that year at Salt Lake City, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M. He transferred to Texas A&M from Cerritos Junior College. He was also credited as Patrick Sweet.

At Texas A&M, Sweet received praise as he took a two-hitter into the ninth inning of a 3-2 March 1989 win, The Brian-College Station Eagle wrote. 

"He would have been tough for anybody to beat today," Texas A&M coach Mark Johnson told The Eagle. "I don't know if we could ask him to be any better than he was today."

But his work at Texas A&M wasn't enough to get him drafted, or signed. Instead, he went to Alaska to the Alaska Baseball League and the Peninsula Oilers.

That July, The Peninsula Clarion tracked his route to Alaska. Peninsula's Hall needed to convince Sweet to come, arguing scouts would get one more look at him.

"At first I told Coach Hall I needed a couple days to talk it over with my parents, then I thought hey, maybe if I give myself one more shot," Sweet told The Clarion.

Sweet's shot then paid off with Salt Lake City. He joined that squad in mid-August and soon won his first game in relief. 

Overall, Sweet saw those four outings. He gave up three earned in 8 innings of work for a 3.38 ERA to mark the extent of his pro career.

• Brian-College Station Eagle, March 4, 1989: Aggies win 16th straight, 3-2
• Anchorage Daily News, July 14, 1990: Texas A&M pitcher proves only wimps get jet lag
• Peninsula Clarion, July 27, 1990: Sweet faces career's final inning

More: The 1990 Salt Lake City Trappers

1990 Minor League Tally 

Players/Coaches Featured:4,471
Made the Majors:1,426-31.9
Never Made Majors:3,045-68.1%-X

5+ Seasons in the Majors:577

10+ Seasons in the Minors:357