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Thursday, April 1, 2010

1990 Detroit Tigers minor leaguers


Features on each member of the 1990 Detroit Tigers farm system

Complete:

  • AAA - Toledo Mud Hens (27)
  • AA - London Tigers (21)
  • High-A - Lakeland Tigers (28)
  • Single-A - Fayetteville Generals (26)
  • Short-Season - Niagara Falls Rapids (34)
  • Rookie - Bristol Tigers (33)

Toledo Mud Hens (27)

1 - Scott Aldred, Left-Handed Longevity
Scott Aldred returned to the majors in 1996 after a two-year hiatus. He played until 2000.
2 - Dennis Burtt, His Chance
Dennis Burtt just tried to do well and take advantage of his chances. He got them in two seasons with the Twins.
3 - Phil Clark, Bat Took Him
Phil Clark's bat took him to the majors for five seasons, and to Japan.
4 - Milt Cuyler, Ran Into
Milt Cuyler ran into third in 1991 Rookie of the Year vote. He played in eight major league seasons.
5 - Dean Decillis, Being Drafted
Dean Decillis saw being drafted as a dream. He played eight seasons as a pro, but never made the other dream, the bigs.
6 - Lavel Freeman, Tough Decision
Lavel Freeman wanted to contribute to the Brewers in any way he could. He did for just two games, the extent of his major league career.
7 - Travis Fryman, Blue Collar
Travis Fryman had strength and fast hands, enough for 13 seasons in the majors.
8 - Tom Gamboa, On The Field
Tom Gamboa was happiest on the field. He was there as a manager and a coach. He was also on the field in 2002 with the Royals.
9 - Shawn Hare, Big Year
Shawn Hare tried to put up big numbers in his 1994 to return to the majors.
10 - Shawn Holman, Warm Feeling
Shawn Holman debuted with the Tigers in his eighth pro season. He got just five games.
11 - Jeff Jones, Basic Things
Jeff Jones worked with many pitchers in his two decades as a coach, including in the majors with the Tigers.
12 - Matt Kinzer, Last Chance
Matt Kinzer played for both the baseball Tigers and the football Lions. He played in the majors for nine games.
13 - Jim Lindeman, Hoped For
Jim Lindeman was in the right place for the Cardinals. By 1990, he was still looking for a regular major league place.
14 - Scott Livingstone, Would Hit
Scott Livingstone was ecstatic about his 1994 move to the Padres. He played in eight major league seasons.
15 - Torey Lovullo, Be Consistent
Torey Lovullo tried to avoid slow major league starts. He eventually made the bigs in eight seasons and later as a coach.
16 - Scott Lusader, Took It
Scott Lusader dreamed about hitting a home run in a big game. He then did it.
17 - Steve McInerney, Athletic Director
Steve McInerney started as a minor league trainer, later became a high school athletic director.
18 - Domingo Michel, Dodger Relative
Domingo Michel followed his cousin Pedro Guerrero into pro ball. He couldn't follow him to the majors.
19 - Randy Nosek, Needed Confidence
Randy Nosek did well in his first major league start. His second was a nightmare.
20 - Phil Ouellette, Two Home Runs
Phil Ouellette hit 52 home runs in a decade as a pro. On one night in 1990, he hit two. He got 10 games in the bigs.
21 - Jose Ramos, Big Positive
Jose Ramos' first save at AAA was a big positive. He never got the chance to save a game in the majors.
22 - Kevin Ritz, Strong Kid
Kevin Ritz was a strong pitcher who played in nine major league seasons.
23 - Aurelio Rodriguez, Super Fielder
Aurelio Rodriguez played 17 seasons for the Tigers and Yankees. He died in an accident at the age of 52.
24 - Mike Schwabe, Big Pitch
Mike Schwabe's family rushed to see his first major league start. He only had three more.
25 - Steve Searcy, Positive Attitude
Steve Searcy believed he would make the Orioles in 1993. He didn't make it, but did play in five major league seasons.
26 - Eric Stone, Locked Down
Eric Stone helped the Tigers in spring 1990. He never could help a major league team in the regular season.
27 - Don Vesling, Too Fine
Don Vesling did well enough in 1989 to stick in AAA for another year. He didn't do well enough to make the Tigers.


1990 London Tigers (21)
1 - Tom Aldrich, Unbelievably Excited
Tom Aldrich was unbelievably excited when he was drafted out of Bowdoin College. He played three seasons as pro.
2 - Chris Alvarez, His Best
Chris Alvarez knew he had work to do in the field, thought his best was as a hitter. Never made the majors.
3 - Arnie Beyeler, Was Speechless
Arnie Beyeler made the majors for 2013 as a coach, after a quarter century in the game. It left him speechless.
4 - Rico Brogna, He Belonged
Rico Brogna felt like part of the team with the Mets. He played in nine major league seasons.
5 - Basilio Cabrera, Came Around
Basilio Cabrera has helped young hitters as a coach and manager. He was once a young player himself.
6 - Lou Frazier, Pitcher Watching
Lou Frazier knew he could steal bases. He just needed the opportunities.
7 - Luis Galindo, Three Hits
Luis Galindo had three hits in a 1989 game, played five seasons as pro. He never made the bigs.
8 - Steve Green, Four Hits
Steve Green played well one night for AA London. He played in six seasons, never made the bigs.
9 - David Haas, Remember Most
David Haas wasn't totally satisfied with his win in his first major league start. That's because he got pulled mid-inning.
10 - Riccardo Ingram, His Will
Riccardo Ingram knew the odds didn't mean much. He made the bigs, then survived cancer.
11 - John Kiely, Some Innings
John Keily helped the Tigers with his sinker in 1992. He played in three major league seasons.
12 - Tim Leiper, Long Wait
Tim Leiper had a long wait in the minors with the Tigers, never made majors. For 2013, he was an adviser with the Blue Jays.
13 - Mike Lumley, Hometown Player
Mike Lumley pitched for his hometown team in London, Ont. He never got to pitch in the majors.
14 - Rusty Meacham, Not Afraid
Rusty Meacham showed by the way he pitched that he wasn't afraid of anyone.
15 - Steve Pegues, Raw Talent
For one night in 1995, Steve Pegues was a home run hitter.
16 - Dave Richards, More Aggressive
Dave Richards tried being more aggressive, then extended career in independent ball.
17 - Ron Rightnowar, Ever Leave
Ron Rightnowar finally made the majors, but it wasn't the experience he thought it would be.
18 - Rich Rowland, Pursued It
Somebody told Rich Rowland he had baseball ability, he then pursued it all the way to the majors.
19 - John Toale, Played Professionally
John Toale knew not making the majors didn't mean he was a bad player. He played professionally.
20 - Mike Wilkins, Every Time
Mike Wilkins almost threw a no-hitter for AA London. He never got the chance to in the majors.
21 - Ken Williams, Complete Game
Ken Williams got a complete game at single-A, never got to try in the majors.


Lakeland Tigers (28)

  1. Eric Albright didn't play every day, felt it impacted his game; Saw four seasons, made high-A, 8/19/21
  2. Doyle Balthazar played nine pro seasons as catcher, helped out pitchers, 8/24/21
  3. Hector Berrios, Real Serious, 6/25/16
  4. Doug Carpenter worked hard, hoped to be noticed, made AA; Later worked noticing others as coach, scout, 9/13/21
  5. Mark Cole caught a new pro chance at Reno; Played six seasons, made AA, 9/1/21
  6. Ron Cook played five pro seasons, made AA; Did something he'd always hoped to do, 9/18/21
  7. Ivan Cruz knew he had to be realistic; Eventually saw four ML seasons, Japan, 9/16/21
  8. John Doherty just wanted to play baseball; Played it in the bigs over five seasons, 9/4/21
  9. John DeSilva showed he could pitch in the bigs; Did so over two seasons, six games, 9/21/21
  10. Mark Ettles proved aggressive enough to make bigs; Made it out of native Australia, 9/3/21
  11. Ed Ferm tested his arm at Lakeland; Played four pro seasons, made high-A, 9/7/21
  12. Greg Gohr got his chance at the bigs, saw majors over four seasons, 9/14/21
  13. Jeff Goodale worked hard, got drafted out of high school; Waited for college, saw three pro seasons, made high-A, 8/27/21
  14. Darren Hursey pitched into tired arm, worked on rhythm; Saw six pro seasons, made AA, 8/22/21
  15. Jody Hurst first passed on pros, then slept on it, signed; Saw five seasons, made AAA, 8/20/21
  16. Keith Kimberlin played five seasons, made AAA; Believed injury helped restore game's fun, 9/5/21
  17. Kurt Knudsen expressed confidence in high school, went on to see bigs over three seasons, 8/21/21
  18. Todd Krumm played both football and baseball in college; He made the NFL, but missed the majors, 9/6/21
  19. Johnny Lipon felt good and enjoyed the game over five decades as player, then manager, 8/29/21
  20. Ron Marigny did his job as a player over six seasons, made AA; Has done it since as a scout, 8/14/21
  21. Darryl Martin turned pro out of high school, called himself really happy; Saw six pro seasons, made high-A, 8/16/21
  22. Dan Raley relaxed in college, played as pro over three seasons; Later turned coach, 8/30/21
  23. Bob Reimink credited a local baseball man with his pro career; Saw five seasons, made AAA, 9/19/21
  24. Lino Rivera has been a person in baseball for more than three decades; First as player, then as manager, 9/11/21
  25. Terry Smith served as a AA All-Star trainer, as trainer in Tigers and Red Sox systems, 8/25/21
  26. Tookie Spann used his baseball skills to see six pro seasons, made AA, 9/10/21
  27. Mickey Tresh followed family into pros, but couldn't follow to bigs; Wasn't disappointed, 8/15/21
  28. Marty Willis set his sights on pro baseball; Got there, saw five seasons, made AA, 8/21/21


Fayetteville Generals (26)
1 - Jeff Braley, Threw Sidearm, 3/6/16
2 - Arturo Caines, Started Strong, 3/1/16
3 - Brian Cornelius, Proper Mechanics, 3/25/16
4 - Mike Garcia, His Way, 3/7/16
5 - Mike Gillette, Baseball Syndrome, 3/14/16
6 - Frank Gonzales, Video Tapes, 3/5/16
7 - Jose Guzman, Other Member, 3/12/16
8 - Tim Herrmann, College Win, 3/4/16
9 - Hunter Hoffman, Signed With, 3/13/16
10 - Ron Howard, Hoped To, 3/3/16
11 - Linty Ingram, Pitching Chance, 3/3/16
12 - Mike Koller, Arm Location, 3/8/16
13 - Randy Marshall, Every Time, 3/19/16
14 - Kasey McKeon, Taught Him, 3/22/16
15 - Don Pedersen, Open Options, 3/21/16
16 - Rudy Pemberton, Whole Career, 3/20/16
17 - Pat Pesavento, Beat Them, 3/4/16
18 - Mike Rendina, Waited For, 3/26/16
19 - Gene Roof, Good Days, 3/8/16
20 - Brian Rountree, Real Calm, 3/19/16
21 - Mac Seibert, Professional Level, 3/11/16
22 - Rick Sellers, Awesome Thing, 3/23/16
23 - Marino Stefany, Outstanding Pitching, 3/9/16
24 - Gino Tagliaferri, Lost Confidence, 3/18/16 
25 - Freddy Torres, Top Prospect, 3/5/16
26 - Leo Torres, Long Save, 3/6/16


Niagara Falls Rapids (34)
  1. Francisco Alcantara proved a workhorse in second pro season, also his last pro season, 4/5/20
  2. Greg Coppeta made his college's Hall of Fame; Played four pro seasons, topped out at AA, 4/3/20
  3. Genaro DeBrand played at three stops over his first season; He didn't come back for a second, 5/9/20
  4. Joe Decker only knew how to pitch one way, to have command; Saw nine ML seasons, briefly coached, 4/8/20
  5. Joe DeDario performed at Niagara Falls Rapids games because he loved it, 3/27/20
  6. Dinger the Duck had some competition in Niagara Falls as mascot; He and team stayed five seasons, 4/22/20
  7. Tom Drell got off to a good start at high-A, then he walked away; He no longer found joy playing, 5/10/20
  8. Rob Fazekas pitched better than his record in college; Played two seasons as a pro, 4/20/20
  9. Fielder's Choice Baseball Cards sponsored the 1990 Niagara Falls Rapids card set; Neither remains in Niagara Falls, 4/13/20
  10. Kevin Keon helped his college team to a win in relief; Played two pro campaigns, 4/30/20
  11. Doug Kimbler played eight seasons, then retired, he enjoyed coaching more; Later took over at NYU, 5/1/20
  12. Tim Kirt hit well in Legion ball, then made college and pros; Pro career lasted single season, 4/28/20
  13. Eric Leimeister wasn't sure he'd have a pro career after final college starts; Made pros, saw two seasons, 5/7/20
  14. Juan Lopez played 11 seasons at AAA, never made bigs; Later coached in Tigers, Mets organizations, 5/5/20
  15. Doug Marcero felt he hit the big time in college game; Made pros over three seasons, hit high-A, 4/21/20
  16. Dave Mastropietro was ready to play baseball; Played it professionally over a single season, 4/16/20
  17. Denny McNamara started to hit the ball well in first pro season; Saw three in all, made high-A, 5/9/20
  18. Kirk Mendenhall woke up a AAA crowd with a single, stolen base; Saw six seasons, never made bigs, 4/26/20
  19. Mario Moccia left college to turn pro; Played two pro seasons, later returned to old college as AD, 5/4/20
  20. Brian Nelson played with future Royals GM in college; Later played three seasons in pros, 4/24/20
  21. Kelley O'Neal signed as a pro out of high school, performed over six seasons, made AA, 4/24/20
  22. Gregg Radachowsky worked way to pro prospect as catcher; Saw two pro seasons, topped out at high-A, 4/9/20
  23. Eddy Rodriguez finished a 1990 game strong in rookie ball; Played four pro seasons, made high-A, 4/10/20
  24. Chris Rogaliner joined the Niagara Falls Rapids as a trainer while still in college, 3/28/20
  25. Danny Rogers dominated in college, played two seasons as a pro; Later played softball, 4/15/20
  26. Sean Sadler showed confidence with 1990 draft; Played two pro seasons, 4/14/20
  27. Brian Saltzgaber experienced the great feeling of playing as a pro; Saw five seasons, made AA, 4/1/20
  28. Warren Sawkiw played nine pro seasons, briefly made AAA; Later turned Blue Jays radio announcer, 4/19/20
  29. Brian Schubert pitched well in college, started six pro games; Returned to his HS as coach and AD, 4/11/20
  30. Gino Tagliaferri played two pro seasons, lost confidence, then called it quits; Topped out at single-A, 4/22/20
  31. Art Thigpen played three pro seasons, then became a minors umpire, 3/29/20
  32. Bob Undorf moved on to pros without pressure; Played four seasons, made AA, 4/26/20
  33. Mike Weinberg played two pro seasons, later turned New York City firefighter; Died in Sept. 11 terror attacks, 9/11/18
  34. Steve Wolf lost bid for second-straight shutout at AA late in game; Saw four pro seasons, made AAA, 4/7/20

Bristol Tigers (33)
1 - Jimmy Alder, Crushed It, 10/22/16
2 - Ruben Amaro, Sr., Most Improved, 10/27/16
3 - Danny Bautista, Tested Him, 9/18/16
4 - Vince Bradford, Went Back, 10/30/16
5 - Tony Clark, Did Improve, 10/18/16
6 - Boyce Cox, Hard Work, 8/3/18
7 - Daniel Cruz, Two Positions, 10/7/16
8 - Kenn Cunningham, Leadership Added, 10/31/16
9 - Brian DuBose, Looked Forward, 10/8/16
10 - Carlos Fermin, Game Winner, 9/9/16
11 - Mike Guilfoyle, That Feeling, 10/16/16
12 - Greg Haeger, Second Transition, 10/2/16
13 - Chris Hall, Two Honors, 9/20/16
14 - Rich Henning, Fundamentals Stressed, 10/28/16
15 - Jimmy Henry, His Resume, 10/23/16
16 - Luis Hernandez, Didn't Move, 9/14/16
17 - Adrian Jordan, Quick Start, 9/10/16
18 - Dave Keating, Deciding Factor, 7/13/18
19 - Jose Lima, His Time, 9/25/16
20 - Felipe Lira, Good Game, 10/15/16
21 - Bub Maietta, Door Opened, 9/25/16
22 - Michael Mauro, Most Rewarding, 7/22/18
23 - Kevin Miller, Greatest Joy, 9/17/16
24 - Paul Reinisch, Good Run, 11/6/16
25 - Bob Riker, Career Continued, 10/5/16
26 - Keith Roberts, Extended Lead, 9/10/16
27 - Luis Salazar, Brief Career, 10/9/16
28 - Randy Stokes, One Place, 7/28/18
29 - Alex Ubina, Late Selection, 9/22/16
30 - Brian Warren, Find Out, 10/29/16
31 - Steve Weber, Other Breaks, 8/1/18
32 - Brad Wilson, Home Runs, 10/22/16
33 - Shannon Withem, His Choice, 10/3/16

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