Thursday, October 17, 2024

Harrison Ball hit balls hard, played single pro season

Harrison Ball 1990 Johnson City Cardinals card

Johnson City's Harrison Ball picked up a home run late in this June 1990 game, one that he indicated later he thought made up for an earlier missed homer, The Johnson City Press wrote.

"I hit one 420 feet into center field at Elizabethton Sunday night, but it was caught," Ball told The Press. "I'm happy that I hit the ball well. I think we're all getting together better now and we should start winning some games."

Ball hit that home run in his first season as a pro. That season, however, also proved to be his last season as a pro. He saw 66 games that year, the extent of his pro career.

Ball's career began and ended that year in 1990, taken by the Cardinals in the 30th round  of the draft out of Rollins College in Florida. Ball was also referred to as Harry Ball.

With the Cardinals, Ball was assigned to rookie Johnson City. That July, Ball hit another one deep, but it was caught at the wall. In the same game, he had a bases-loaded line drive caught, The Press wrote.

"I guess this is a game of inches," Ball told The Press after that game. "It's kind of how the season has gone for us and me. If I could have gotten that ball up a little higher with the bases loaded, two runs would have sored and it would have been a whole different ballgame."

Ball then picked up two hits in a late-July game. Overall, Ball got into those 66 games. He hit .200 to end his career.

Harrison Ball 1990 Johnson City Cardinals card


1990 Minor League Tally 
Players/Coaches Featured:4,439
Made the Majors:1,423-32.1
Never Made Majors:3,016-67.9%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:577
10+ Seasons in the Minors:356

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