Blast from the Past: 1992

My wife and I just moved, and while I was packing boxes I came across a bunch of great baseball stuff I’d forgotten I had — a baseball autographed by the (1980?) Dodgers (Tommy Lasorda, Steve Garvey, Bill Russell, Dusty Baker [amazingly, not a single Teddy Martinez!]); an unopened set of 1988 Triple-A All-Star baseball cards (thanks, Dan); and a few old Street & Smith’s, Mazeroski, and Sporting News Baseball Yearbooks.

So of course I immediately, to my wife’s dismay, began reading some of those old magazines. I started leafing through the 1992 Mazeroski, and quickly worked my way back to the good ol’ “Farm Report.” Some of the names they were touting with just rookie ball experience — Alex Gonzalez, Alex Ochoa, Frank Rodriguez (as a shortstop!), Justin Thompson, Derek Lowe, Benji Gil, Scott Ruffcorn, Dmitri Young — eventually made it to the big leagues. Many more, of course (from uberprospect Brien Taylor to virtual unknowns Chad Schoenvogel and Derrick Bottoms — there’s got to be a “Spinal Tap” joke in there somewhere) never even came close.

After flipping through the organizational reports, I came to the hallowed “Maz’s Gold List.” Mazeroski used to publish two lists, one for propects who were expected to make an immediate impact, and another for those who would contribute a bit further down the road. For your enjoyment (and mine) I now present those two lists in all their glory.

Their Future Is Now

  1. Roger Salkeld, RHP, Seattle
  2. Kenny Lofton, OF, Cleveland
  3. Lance Dickson, LHP, Cubs
  4. Todd Hundley, C, Mets
  5. Derek Bell, OF, Toronto
  6. Mark Wohlers, RHP, Atlanta
  7. Cal Eldred, RHP, Milwaukee
  8. Wilfredo Cordero, SS, Montreal
  9. Hector Fajardo, RHP, Texas
  10. Eddie Zosky, SS, Toronto
  11. Lee Stevens, 1B, California
  12. Jim Thome, 3B, Cleveland
  13. Denny Neagle, LHP, Minnesota
  14. Tino Martinez, 1B, Seattle
  15. Kirk Dressendorfer, RHP, Oakland

Seven pitchers, eight position players. Of the seven pitchers, Wohlers and Neagle have become stars, while Eldred has put together a solid, if unspectacular, career. The others all saw time in the big leagues.

Dickson’s career was cut short by injuries. In 1991, as a 21-year-old, he posted a fine 3.11 ERA at Triple-A Iowa. In the five seasons that followed, he worked a total of 90 2/3 innings before hanging up his spikes in 1995.

Salkeld and Dressendorfer had arm miseries that severely reduced their effectiveness. Salkeld, still only 27, currently sports a 9.33 ERA for the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans. The 29-year-old Dressendorfer, once one of the A’s fabled “four aces,” last pitched in 1997 for Albuquerque, the Dodgers’ Triple-A club.

Fajardo, having reached the majors at the age of 20, posted a 6.95 ERA over 30 major league games spanning parts of four seasons before retiring in 1995.

Of the position players, Lofton, Hundley, Thome, and Martinez have become stars. Bell, Cordero, and Stevens are major league regulars. Zosky has had glimpses of the Show, but has never been able to stick.

Some of the comments are interesting as well, my favorite being “Hundley doesn’t have an imposing bat, but could hit .250 with occasional power.” It seems kind of weird now, when he’s hit 41 and 30 homers over the past two seasons, but for a time it looked like he’d never learn to hit. His first two full seasons he hit .209/.256/.316 and .228/.269/.357. OPS of 572 and 626 hardly seem inspiring. They’re almost Manwaring-esque…until you realize that Kirt the Killer put up OPS of 646 and 695 in his first two full seasons. Granted, he was 3 years older than Hundley, but still…

Their Future Is Near

  1. Todd Van Poppel, RHP, Oakland
  2. Arthur Rhodes, LHP, Baltimore
  3. Pedro Martinez, RHP, Los Angeles
  4. Brian Williams, RHP, Houston
  5. Donovan Osborne, LHP, St. Louis
  6. Royce Clayton, SS, San Francisco
  7. Willie Banks, RHP, Minnesota
  8. Reggie Sanders, OF, Cincinnati
  9. Dave Nilsson, C, Milwaukee
  10. Greg Gohr, RHP, Detroit

Again, seven pitchers, but this time only three position players. All seven pitchers reached the big leagues. Martinez has become a superstar, while Rhodes and Osborne have had careers. Van Poppel has been dubbed “Van Floppel” which tells you all you need to know about him. Brian Williams, Willie Banks, and Greg Gohr have done very little to distinguish themselves, although Gohr was once traded to the Angels for second baseman Damion Easley. Gohr promptly retired, while Easley established himself as one of the game’s best at his position.

It’s now hard to imagine Arthur Rhodes as “the next Vida Blue,” although he’s turned out to be quite a good relief pitcher; Brian Williams as “a modern-day Bob Gibson” seems downright laughable, as does the thought of Dave Nilsson behind the dish.

Here are a couple more fun lists.

Top College Prospects

  1. Jeff Hammonds, OF, Stanford
  2. Charles Johnson, C, Miami (Florida)
  3. Michael Moore, OF, UCLA
  4. John Burke, RHP, Florida
  5. Paul Shuey, RHP, North Carolina
  6. Calvin Murray, OF, Texas
  7. Michael Tucker, SS, Longwood (Virginia)
  8. Chris Roberts, LHP/OF, Florida State
  9. Derek Wallace, RHP, Pepperdine
  10. Doug Mirabelli, C, Wichita State
  11. Chad McConnell, OF, Creighton
  12. Chris Gomez, SS, Long Beach State

Others to watch: Jason Giambi, 3B, Long Beach State; Doug Hecker, RHP/1B, Tennessee; Scott Klingenbeck, RHP, Ohio State; Dan Melendez, 1B, Pepperdine; Phil Nevin, 3B, Cal State Fullerton.

Hammonds, Johnson, Tucker, Gomez, and Giambi have all become major league regulars (though it’s hard to imagine Michael Tucker playing shortstop, or Chris Gomez being considered a better prospect than Jason Giambi!).

Moore, former pro football player Ahmad Rashad’s nephew, was the Dodgers’ first round pick in the 1992 draft. He has struggled mightily with the strike zone since he turned pro, and in seven minor league seasons playing for three different organizations he’s accumulated only 83 at bats above Double-A. He’s currently back at Class A, this time in the Mariners organization, where at his peak age of 27 he’s hitting .196, with a 25/23 strikeout/total bases ratio, for Lancaster in the hitter-friendly California League.

Burke has struggled in the Colorado system, occasionally surfacing with the big club.

Murray, now 26 years old, has been shuttling back and forth from Double-A Shreveport to Triple-A Phoenix (and now Fresno) ever since he signed with the Giants back in 1993. In 668 minor league games he’s stolen 192 bases, but his OPS is an anemic 694.

Roberts was drafted in the first round of the 1992 draft as a pitcher by the Mets. He put up pretty good numbers until he reached Triple-A, in 1995. The following year he blew out his arm, and he’s been trying to work his way back up ever since. The 27-year-old southpaw has now moved on to the Athletics, where he is working as a swingman for the Edmonton Trappers in the Triple-A PCL.

McConnell stalled out after four seasons in the Phillies organization, the last three of which were spent at Double-A Reading of the Eastern League.
Hecker, a two-way player, started out in the Red Sox system as a first baseman and showed flashes of power but absolutely no command of the strike zone. Midway through the 1995 season he switched to pitching and worked mostly out of the bullpen, with limited success. He was last seen pitching for the Brewers’ Class-A affiliate in Stockton in 1997, at the age of 26.

Melendez ended up with the Dodgers and hasn’t hit for average or for power. His career OPS over six minor league seasons is 702, pitiful for a first baseman.

Shuey and Wallace have been plagued by injuries ever since they turned pro. Each has enjoyed some success at the major league level.
I always thought Mirabelli (who succeeded Tyler Houston as the catcher at Valley High School in Las Vegas, alma mater of a pretty decent pitcher named Greg something-or-other) deserved a shot, but save for a few cups of coffee it never happened.

Klingenbeck likewise pops up every season or two for mop-up duty.

Nevin, of course, was the first player taken in the 1992 draft, and for a long time it looked like he might not make it. But a little maturity and a move to catcher worked wonders for his career.

Top High School Prospects

  1. Johnny Damon, OF, Dr. Phillips HS, Orlando, Florida
  2. Ryan Luzinski, C, Holy Cross HS, Delran, New Jersey
  3. Chris Smith, SS, Vallejo (California) HS
  4. David Spykstra, RHP, Cherry Creek HS, Englewood, Colorado
  5. Derek Jeter, SS, Central HS, Kalamazoo, Michigan
  6. Trey Beamon, OF, W.T. White HS, Dallas
  7. Chad Alexander, OF, Lufkin (Texas) HS
  8. A.J. Hinch, C, Midwest City (Oklahoma) HS

Damon and Jeter have both established themselves as solid major-league regulars and are still young enough to develop into stars.

Luzinski, as high school catchers often do, has struggled as a pro. After spending five years in the Dodgers system, he moved to the Orioles, where he is currently posting a 465 OPS as a 24 year old at Double-A Bowie in the Eastern League. Not good.

If anyone has information about Smith, I’d love to hear it. Judging from his career record, I’m guessing there’s an interesting story here. He came up through the Angels system, played well for a while (even making it to Double-A Midland at age 20). Then he missed the 1995 season and carved up the California League for half of 1996 before completely disappearing.

Spykstra worked 292 innings over five minor league seasons in the Dodgers organization (not counting 1995, which he missed entirely). He has never worked more than 100 innings in a single season and has never made it past A-ball. Last year, at age 23, he posted a 5.91 ERA in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. He hasn’t pitched this year.

Beamon has had his chances with a few teams and is now toiling in the Tigers organization.

Alexander’s offensive game has been slow to develop, but he’s finally starting to put things together at Double-A Jackson in the Houston system, though it may be too late for him to be anything more than a reserve player at this point.

Hinch, of course, went to Stanford and was the third round draft choice of the Oakland Athletics in the 1996 draft. Although he doesn’t look like star material, Hinch should have a reasonably productive career.

Well, that about does it for now. Hope it was as fun for you to look back at 1992 as it was for me. Next time we’ll take a look at 1993.

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