St. Louis Cardinals hurler Tom Urbani worked his way to the majors. He just wanted to stay there - and for the club to believe he should be there, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote in July 1995.
"All I've ever wanted since I've been here was that when I pitch, whether it's out of the bullpen or in the starting rotation, is for people to have confidence in me," Urbani told The Post-Dispatch. "I wanted to feel that I don't have to look back over my shoulder when I was having a bad outing."
Urbani spoke that year in his third season with time in the majors. He saw one more, for 81 total major league appearances over his career.
Urbani's career began in 1990, taken by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the draft out of Cal State Long Beach.
Urbani went to Long Beach out of Harbor High School in Santa Cruz. There, he both pitched and hit. He spoke to The Santa Cruz Sentinel in 1986 about pressure situations.
"I want to be in control," Urbani told The Sentinel. "When you're pitching, you're in control. When you're up to bat, the ball's in your corner. You have to do something, and I like that. I like to take control and get the job done myself."
Urbani started with the Cardinals at rookie Johnson City and short-season Hamilton. He went 4-7 between them, with a 4.34 ERA.
He made high-A St. Petersburg in 1991, then AA Arkansas and AAA Louisville in 1992. Then, in April 1993, he made St. Louis.
When he arrived, he recounted to The Post-Dispatch how his father had prepared him as a youth, about how few kids who want to make the majors actually do.
"It was a pleasure talking to my dad on the phone last night," the newly minted major leaguer told The Post-Dispatch.
Urbani saw nine outings, two starts, with the Cardinals that year. He went 1-3, with a 4.65 ERA. He then returned for 20 more outings, 10 starts, in 1994. He went 3-7, with a 5.15 ERA.
Urbani saw time in two more seasons - 24 outings, 13 starts with the Cardinals in 1995 and 19 outings, 4 starts between the Cardinals and Tigers in 1996. He ended with a career record of 10-17.
He continued playing two more seasons in the minors, and in Italy. He saw AAA with the Expos and Rangers in 1997 and back with the Cardinals and independent Reno in 1998 to end his career.
Urbani then turned his attention to coaching local youth as an instructor, according to The Sentinel in 2001.
"First of all, I love baseball," Urbani told The Sentinel that June. "I also love helping kids get better. I can be totally down, but if you see me after four hours of lessons, I'm uplifted. I feed off the kids."
Urbani passed away in 2022 at the age of 54.
- Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 15, 1986: Doing it all
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 22, 1993: From Early Age, Urbani Played His Cards Just Right
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 9, 1995: Earning Respect
- Santa Cruz Sentinel, June 13, 2001: Spotlight
Made the Majors:1,420-32.1-X
Never Made Majors:3,008-67.9%
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