Joe Turek, How Hard - 18

Joe Turek learned he'd been drafted in an unusual way, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer: It was shouted to him across a baseball field at a game.

Once drafted, though, the 10th-round pick told The Inquirer he knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"I'm not kidding myself," Turek told The Inquirer in June 1987. "I know how hard it is to make it. But the thing about baseball is that once you get in, you do get a chance to prove yourself. I know how hard I've worked, and I know how hard I'll keep working."

Turek ended up working in the pros for seven seasons. That work got him to AAA, but he never made the majors.

Turek's career began that year in 1987, taken by the Reds out of West Chester University of Pennsylvania. He played his high school ball at West Chester East.

By April 1984, Turek was a high school standout, playing both outfield and pitcher. He was hitting .344 and had a 2.79 ERA that year.

With the Reds, Turek started at rookie Billings and in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He had a 3.62 ERA overall on the year.

He moved to single-A Greensboro for 1988, where he went 10-3 over 19 outings, 17 starts. He also had a 2.75 ERA. Turek pitched into the eighth inning of a May game, giving up one unearned run. He picked up an August win with six innings of work.

Turek then played both 1989 and 1990 at single-A Cedar Rapids. He got 25 starts each year, recording nine wins in 1989 and 13 in 1990. His 13-6 record in 1990 came with a 2.34 ERA.

Turek impressed enough to be taken by the Athletics in the minor league draft that December. He didn't stick with the club, returning to the Reds for what ended up being his most successful season advancement-wise.

Turek got into 24 starts in 1991, but he got them at AA Chattanooga and at AAA Nashville. He went 3-6 in 14 starts at Nashville. He had a 4.99 ERA.

Turek then found himself involved in a major league trade. Turek went to the Indians with major leaguers Jack Armstrong and Scott Scudder for Greg Swindell. Turek was assigned to AA Canton-Akron.

He got 14 starts for the AA Indians that year and three the next. They ended up being his final two seasons as a pro.

• Philadelphia Inquirer, June 14, 1987: Pitcher Gets To First Base With The Reds

1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 2,069
Made the Majors: 906-43.8%
Never Made Majors:1,163-56.2%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 386
10+ Seasons in the Minors:222