Mateo Ozuna proved bright spot at single-A, saw 6 seasons

Mateo Ozuna and his speed were seen as bright spots for the Cardinals at single-A in July 1990, according to The Tulsa World.

That's because Ozuna had 42 stolen bases by then, on his way to 66 on the year. Two of those later stolen bases came in an August inning.

Ozuna went on to steal even more bases at single-A Springfield in 1991 - 78. Ozuna went on to play in two more full seasons after that. He couldn't run himself to AA.

Ozuna's career began in 1989, signed by the Cardinals as a free agent out of his native Dominican Republic.

Ozuna played his first two seasons at Savannah. He played 1989 largely at second base. He hit .208 on the year and stole 24 bases. He went 2 for 4 in an early April game. One of those hits was a run-scoring infield single.

He improved his average a little to .236 for 1990. He also increased those stolen bases to 66. In 1991 at Springfield, Ozuna stole 78 while hitting .252.

Ozuna split 1992 between high-A St. Petersburgh and Savannah. His stolen base total dropped to 44. He hit .226 overall that year.

His last full season came in the Reds system in 1993. He played at high-A Winston-Salem. He hit .306 and stole 32 bases. He then returned two years later for a brief stint with independent Albany. He got into seven games there, ending his career.

• Tulsa World, July 14, 1990: Organization's problems run deeper than St. Louis

More: The 1990 Savannah Cardinals

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured: 2,080
Made the Majors: 909-43.7%
Never Made Majors:1,171-56.3%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 387
10+ Seasons in the Minors:223