1990 Winston-Salem Spirits player profiles, Chicago Cubs

Features on each member of the 1990 Winston-Salem Spirits, as included in the 1990 team set of the high-A Carolina League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

Winston-Salem Spirit (31)

1. Paul Blair knocked in runs in minors, followed dad to pros
2. Jim Bullinger switched to pitching then made 7 bigs seasons
3. Ed Caballero threw Winston-Salem one-hitter, saw six seasons
4. Dale Craig hit a rally-starting home run at high-A; Played three seasons, never made AA, 1/10/20
5. Steve DiBartolomeo liked pitching in relief, saw 3 seasons
6. Bill Earley got his major league shot as player in 1986, then helped others as coach, 2/3/20
7. John Gardner played seven seasons, then became a firefighter; Made AAA, not bigs, 1/4/20
8. John Jensen was excited to turn pro out of college; Played seven pro seasons, made AAA, 1/24/20
9. Don Johnson served as a Winston-Salem batboy, part of a long line, 2/7/20
10. Shannon Jones struck out 18 in a college game; Played four pro seasons, 1/23/20
11. Jeff Massicotte came on in tough spot at Geneva and struck out three; Played four pro seasons, 1/11/20
12. Steve Melendez worked to get to know his players as a minor league trainer, 1/31/20
13. Bill Melvin kept his teams close over eight seasons; Made AAA, not bigs, 1/21/20
14. Brad Mills went from injury-shortened playing career to long career as manager, 2/6/20
15. Tim Moore gave the pros a shot out of high school; Played three seasons, never made AA, 1/6/20
16. Jim Murphy went back to school after baseball and became an author and motivational speaker, 1/8/20
17. Matt Newsom served as minors GM and in racing, also donned a chicken suit, 1/28/20
18. Elvin Paulino hit well at Winston-Salem; Played six seasons, made AAA, 1/13/20
19. Fernando Ramsey had hardly played baseball before being drafted, 1/9/20
20. Ronnie Rasp played three pro seasons, then crushed his finger in an off-season job accident, 1/14/20
21. Kevin Roberson played in four major league seasons; Hit game-winner in 1993 off Lee Smith, 1/5/20
22. John Salles played it out and saw six pro seasons; He made AAA, not the bigs, 1/18/20
23. Gary Scott made the great achievement, he made the majors; Played with Cubs over two seasons, 1/17/20
24. Tracy Smith finished out his playing career and better opportunities presented themselves, 1/8/20
25. Lickety Split, the Holly Farms Chicken, graced his first card, then found himself - and the brand - on the way out, 1/27/20
26. Julio Strauss' services were won in Venezuela by the Cubs; He made AAA, but not the bigs, 1/4/20
27. Derek Stroud served as head coach at old high school for two decades; Played seven pro seasons, 1/11/20
28. Scott Taylor was Winston-Salem's best catcher in 1990; He briefly made AAA, but not the bigs, 1/5/20
29. Doug Welch swung the bat well at Winston-Salem, later returned there as HS coach, teacher, 1/10/20
30. Billy White moved up to AA, then stayed there over five seasons; Made AAA, not bigs, 1/15/20
31. Eddie Williams' first two pro home runs went for grand slams - a year apart; Played six seasons, 1/12/20