A good portion of Casey Waller's minor league career was spent in Pennsylvania in the Phillies' system. Here, he's starting his first of three years bouncing between AA Reading and AAA Scranton. He never made it to Philadelphia, but for the past few years the Virginia-native has been with another Pennsylvania team, managing a high school squad outside Williamsport.Waller was drafted by the Phillies in the 11th round of the 1989 draft, the same round that the Reds took Trevor Hoffman. By 1990, the third baseman was with Reading. He never hit higher than .261 for a season. In 1993, his final year with the Phillies, he hit just .218.
The next year he was with the fledgling North Central League with the Brainerd Bears. He would return to the league in 1995, as a player-coach for the Minnesota Skeeters, playing 19 games before the league folded. But before that, he returned briefly to affiliated ball, playing 14 games for the Marlins' AA team the Portland Sea Dogs.
Waller played out 1995 and into 1996 with the Northern League's Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks. These days, he's a high school coach, taking his team to its first Pennsylvania state title in its class in 2008 and winning himself local coach of the year honors.
"They understand their roles," Waller told a high school writer then. "Different guys stepped up each day and when you have a pitching staff like we do you're going to stay in most ball games. It was a total team effort."
Here he is after a game in June 2009:
1990 CMC Tally
Cards Reviewed: 15/880
Major Leaguers: 7
Never Made the Majors: 8
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 2
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 7
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