Greg Bicknell won early pro title, played 20 years in minors

Greg Bicknell helped pitch his single-A Peninsula Pilots to the first-half championship in 1992, throwing a five-hit shutout against Durham, according to The Newport News Daily Press.

For Bicknell, he told The Daily Press he hardly knew what to say.

"This is my first championship team in the pros. This is just an exciting time in my life," Bicknell told The Daily Press. "I've never played before a crowd like that. We were pumped up. This was the championship game. You didn't want to let it get to you, but you knew it was a key game.''

For Bicknell, his time in the pros would end up being a long time. By the time he was done playing, Bicknell could count a total of 18 seasons as a pro ball player, six spent in affiliated ball.

In those six affiliated seasons, though, Bicknell, never got higher than AA, never making the majors.

Bicknell started his career in 1989, taken by the Blue Jays in the 39th round of the draft, out of Fresno City College.

With the Blue Jays, Bicknell started with short-season St. Catharines, going 6-5, with a 4.19 ERA. He moved to single-A Myrtle Beach for 1990, staying there for 1991.

For 1992, Bicknell moved to the Mariners system and high-A Peninsula. He went 10-7 in 28 starts, with a 3.12 ERA. He made AA Jacksonville for 1993, going 6-6 there, with a 4.31 mark. His final season in affiliated ball came in 1994, with the Brewers at high-A and AA. 

From there, Bicknell moved on to independent ball, playing a decade in the independent circuits. He played 1995 at Amarillo, then moved on to Lubbock in 1996.

He went 13-3 back with Amarillo in 1998, then 11-3 for Chico in 2001. After not being recorded as playing in 2002 and 2003, Bicknell returned to independent ball in 2004, with the Kansas City T-Bones, playing three seasons there.

Bicknell helped pitch Kansas City to the 2004 league playoffs, losing before the championship series. Bicknell took the clinching game loss.

"I thought I threw pretty well today," Bicknell told The Lawrence Journal-World. "My job is to get ground balls, and that is what I tried to do. They just happened to hit the ball down the line where we weren't."

Bicknell returned to Chico in 2007, then played his final season as a pro there in 2008. In August 2008, Bicknell pitched well, but it wasn't enough for his Outlaws to win.

"That's a tough one for us to lose," Bicknell told The Enterprise-Record afterward. "I just sure hope the guys don't let this one hold us back with what we've been able to do the last week or so. There was plenty to be positive about tonight."

• Newport News Daily Press, June 23, 1992: No Joke: Pilots Clinch
• Lawrence Journal-World, Sept. 16, 2004: Season ends in Game 5 vs. Flyers 
• Chico Enterprise-Record, Aug. 2, 2008: Late gaffes cost Bicknell, Outlaws

More: The 1990 Myrtle Beach Blue Jays

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,332
Made the Majors: 719 - 54.0%
Never Made Majors: 613-46.0%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 312
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 184-X

More 1990 Minor Leaguers:

 - Arnie Beyeler took quarter century, made majors coach, 10/14/13

 - Tom Beyers spent 3 decades in minors as player, manager, 9/19/20

 - Greg Biagini paid dues, made bigs as coach, passed in 2003, 11/11/11
 - Dave Bialas used baseball instincts over decades in game, 2/5/19

 - Mitch Bibb served as trainer in minors and in high school, 11/5/21 

 - Jim Bibby saw military service, back issues, then made bigs, 2/9/23

 - Cam Biberdorf got team saves record, saw 4 pro seasons, 2/14/22
 - Eric Bickhardt took competitiveness to pros, saw 4 seasons, 5/21/14
 - Greg Bicknell won early pro title, played 20 years in minors, 10/19/13

 - Bruce Bielenberg used surprises as Miami Miracle GM, 4/8/22