The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, then and now.

[Tobywan]

Esteban Yan-#43-RHP



Esteban Luis Yan was born on June 22, 1975 in Campiña del Seibo, Dominican Republic and attended Escuela Hicayagua de Guaymate High School, he came from a large family as one of 10 children.

On November 21, 1990 he signed with the Atlanta Braves as an amateur free agent at the age of 15. He started out as an outfielder and catcher , but was being converted to a pitcher, in 1991 with the DSL Braves he went 4-1 with a 3.63 ERA. As a full time pitcher in 1992 he was 12-3 with a 1.32 ERA finishing 4th in the Dominican Summer League in ERA that year.



He was brought to the US and assigned to the Rookie class Danville Braves in the Appalachian League for 1993. He had 14 starts going 4-7 with a 3.03 ERA and pitched 71.1 innings. He was moved up in 1994 to Class A with the Macon Braves in the SAL, he got the most starts of his minor league career with 28, pitched 170.2 innings posting a 11-12 record with 4 complete games, 3 shut outs, a 3.27 ERA and walking just 34, he was just 19.


He was traded along with Roberto Kelly and Tony Tarasco to the Montreal Expos for Marquis Grissom in what was reported to be a fire sale on April 6, 1995. They sent him to the Class A+ West Palm Beach Expos of the FSL. He went 6-8 recording one save with a .307 ERA in 137.2 innings of work. On April 6, 1996 the Expos sent him to the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations.

He started the 1996 season with Double A Bowie Baysox in the EL, made 9 appearances with one start before being promoted to make his major league debut on May 20th, he threw a scoreless 9th inning in a game that was started by David Wells, who had only let up one run. The first batter he faced was Garret Anderson who grounded out, he got Randy Valarde to strike out looking and then Don Slaught to pop out to end the 13 -1 victory for the Orioles. His reward was being sent to Triple- A Rochester Red Wings in the IL, but went back up on August 25th making 3 more appearances. For the Red Wings he went 5-4 with a 4.27 in 22 games (10 starts) in 71.2 innings. He spent 1997 mostly with Rochester going 11-5 with a 3.10 ERA in 12 starts (34 appearances) and 119 innings. The Red Wings would be the International League champions in 1997. He made 2 starts and one other appearance with Baltimore, in just 9.2 innings his ERA exploded to 15.83.




He was selected as the 9th pick by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the November 18, 1997 expansion draft.





He made his first appearance as a Devil Ray on April 2, 1998 pitching 3 innings in relief of Tony Saunders, the game was tied 1-1 when Yan came into the game in the 7th, He gave up no hits, no runs, 2 walks and struck out 5 batters. The Rays scored 6 runs in the 7th as Yan got the win. He was the youngest member of the 1998 Inaugural team. He would finish 5-4 with a 3.86 ERA going 88.2 innings in 64 games.


In the 1997-1998 Dominican Winter League seasons, Yan had a 3-2 record, 4 saves and a 2.85 ERA, walking only 9 in 41 innings for Juego de las Estrellas.



As the 1999 spring training season was getting underway Yan turned down a final offer on a new contract so the club exercised its option. He went down for about a month with right shoulder inflammation from mid-June to mid-July and spent time rehabbing with the St. Pete Devil Rays in the FSL He appeared in 50 games going 3-4 with a 5.90 ERA in 61.0 innings pitched. In order to rest his shoulder he would forgo playing in the winter league for the first time in six seasons, he never complained of pain. He signed a new one year deal on March 3, 2000, once again quibbling over the amount.




Yan w/ Bubba Trammell, Wade Boggs, Jim Morris, Miguel Cairo and Roberto Hernandez visiting a local hospital, January 2000.



By May 20th the Devil Rays were already fighting for last place of the entire league and on a six game losing streak. They were on a west road trip that involved a three game set with the Seattle Mariners, they had lost the night before in a close game. Yan was taking the start, usually a quick worker the M's hitters were making a habit of stepping out out of the batter's box. The Rays were leading 4-2 in the 7th inning, Mark McLemore was leading off, he called time and stepped out of the box Yan was in the middle of his wind up when time was granted by umpire Bruce Froemming and Yan trying to not completely stop the momentum, threw the pitch away but unfortunately a little too close to McLemore's legs. Mark took exception by charging the mound, benches cleared. Yan would emerge from the scrum half dressed. No surprise that McLemore was ejected, what was shocking, Yan was not as Froemming sided with Esteban that the throw was not intentional. With angry protests coming from the home dugout, manager Larry Rothschild decided it would be better if he lifted Yan. McLemore received a five game suspension that was later reduced to four. The Rays did end up winning the game 4-3.




Mark McLemore tackles Yan as Fred McGriff and M's catcher Tom Lampkin reach the mound.




Seattle Manager Lou Piniella tries to get his players under control as P Rick White tries to get Yan away from the angry horde.


Yan's pitching though would not be the buzz this season, though he would split his time between starting and relief. He was scheduled to start during an Interleague game on June 4th against the New York Mets. In the top of the 2nd, Mets pitcher Todd Jones gave up a home run to Felix Martinez as Esteban stood on deck. On the very first pitch he saw in his very first major league at bat Yan launched the ball into the left field stands at Shea Stadium. He was the 77th major leaguer to homer in his first at-bat and the first AL pitcher to do so since Don Rose of the 1972 California Angels. He was the 14th player in history, 8th AL player and 5th AL pitcher to homer on the first pitch of his first at bat. Most of the scoring came in the last three innings as they Rays took the game decidedly 15-5, they had lost 15 of the last 20 games. As a pitcher he went 7-8 with a 6.21 ERA in 43 games starting 20 with 137.2 innings of work.



Rays win! Yan and Steve Cox

With the departure of Roberto Hernandez during the off season, Yan was put into more of a closer role in 2001, he went to the disabled list on June 22nd with right shoulder inflammation. He had a couple rehab starts for the Orlando Rays and was activated on July 12th. By August he was leading the league with 8 blown saves, there were grumblings but manager Hal McRae continued to stick with Esteban, there really wasn't much choice. Yan finished by going 4-6 collecting 22 saves of 31 opportunities with a 3.90 ERA. He ended up with 9 blown saves which matched a major league high. His average of 1.59 walks per nine innings was fifth-best among AL relievers.


He went back to pitch for Estrellas in the Dominican league in 2001 going 1-1 with 6 saves.




On February 15, 2002 he and the Rays went to arbitration, Yan wanted $2.4 M the Rays offer was $1.5M, Yan lost. The first of many arbitration cases the Rays would win over the years. He went 7-8, posting a 4.30 ERA with 19 saves. The Rays did not tender his contract after the season and he was granted free agency on December 21st. He was the last member of the inaugural roster to leave the Rays.
He currently holds the team record for games pitched at 266, 5th in saves and 2nd in games finished.


On December 26, 2002 he signed with the Texas Rangers.

In an episode of The Simpsons named "C.E. D'oh" that aired on March 16, 2003 he would be immortalized in is a scene about baseball, the characters Bart and Milhouse are quoted....
Bart: “I’m Tomokazu Ohko of the Montreal Expos.” Millhouse: “And I’m Esteban Yan of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.”

He went 0-1 with a 6.94 ERA in 15 appearances with 23.1 innings pitched before he was designated for assignment then promptly traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Rick Asadoorian (minors) on May 27th, 2003. He made 39 appearances for the Cardinals going 2-0 in 43.1 innings with a 6.03 ERA before being released on August 23rd.














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[Tobywan]

He signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers on January 20, 2004 with an invite to spring camp. He was designated and accepted heading to Triple-A Toledo Mudhens, but his contract was purchased on April 2nd. He went 3-6 with a 3.83 ERA appearing in 69 games collecting 7 saves in 87 innings. He was a free agent on October 28th.




On December 14, 2004 he signed a 2-year deal worth $2.25 M with the Los Angeles Angels. His first season as an Angel he went 1-1 with a 4.59 ER appearing in 49 games with 66.2 innings pitched. As the Angels won their division, Yan didn't pitch in the division series which they won defeating the Yankees. When Bartolo Colon got injured he was added to the ALCS roster. He got into Game 4, starting pitcher Ervin Santana only went 4.1 innings as he put the Angels in a quick hole, Scot Shields and Brendan Donnelly stopped the bleeding. The Angels were down 6-2 when he came in to start the 8th inning then he gave up 3 hits, 2 runs, a walk while striking out 2 batters as Chicago's Freddy Garcia pitched a complete game and didn't let up a run after the 4th inning as he defeated the Angels 8-2. The next game they were eliminated 4-1.




He also pitched in the winter Dominican League from 2003-2005. Earned their pitcher of the year award in 2003.

In 2006 he made just 13 appearances for the Angels before being designated, then he was sent along with cash to the Cincinnati Reds for Kyle Edens (minors) on May 30th, he made 14 appearances went 1-0 before being released on July 24th.



He then signed with the Kansas City Royals on July 27th to a minor league contract spending the rest of the season with their Triple-A Omaha Royals of the PCL. He pitched in 11 games going 0-1 with a 7.32 ERA. He was granted free agency on October 15th.



He played the 2007 season for the Hanshin Tigers in the Japan Central League, going 6-5 with a 4.66 ERA with 21 starts in 104.1 innings pitched.
On August 21, 2007, Yan set the Nippon Pro Baseball record with his 12th balk of the season. He followed by hitting Shinichi Takeuchi with a pitch, earning him an ejection. Manager Atsuya Furuta was furious over the hit-by-pitch.

On February 1, 2008 he signed with the Baltimore Orioles, he was assigned to the Triple A Norfolk Tides of the IL , he went 1-2 with a 5.70 ERA in 37 games and 47.1 innings pitched. He was released on July 20th.








He got on with the SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization to finish the year.



He would never get back to the Major Leagues, his last appearance was July 6, 2006 with the Cincinnati Reds, he was 31.

In parts of 11 seasons with seven teams he posted a 33-39 record with 51 saves, 553 strike outs and a 5.14 ERA in 472 games played with 695.3 innings pitched. He also holds a 1.000 batting average and a 2.500 slugging percentage.

He signed on with the independent Bidgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League for 2009, on August 12th he signed a minor league contract with the Florida Marlins with an assignment with the New Orleans Zephyrs but when he failed the physical he went back to the Bluefish.





He went 11-6 with a 3.29 ERA in 2009, he was third in the Atlantic League in ERA behind Jim Magrane and Troy Cate. He pitched for them through the 2011 season while also pitching with Sultanes de Monterrey in 2009, Diablos Rojos del Mexico in 2010 where he went 12-3 with a 3.77 ERA (2nd in wins for that season) he was traded to the Vaqueros Laguna in the off season for Alexis Gomez. Played in 2011 for Los Gigantes del Cibao. He played for the Saraperos de Saltillo in 2012 where he started 22 games and went 7-5 era 4.64 132 innings.









Esteban and his wife Joselyn (nee de los Santos) have 2 children Artagracia and Darel. They have homes in the Tampa Bay area and in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.

[Tobywan]

Now for the rest of the 25 -man roster in alphabetical order.........

Rich Butler #10- Outfielder





Rich and big brother Rob.

Richard Dwight Butler was born on May 1, 1973 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He and his brother Rob (also a major league ball player) grew up in East York, Ontario and attending the high school and played baseball for the East York Trojans.






Rich was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays as an 17-year old undrafted free agent on September 24, 1990, his brother Rob was signed the same day. He was picked to be a member of the Ontario National team winning gold at the 1990 Canadian Championships. He spent 1991 playing for the Rookie class Gulf Coast League Port Charlotte Blue Jays, he was promoted to the A class Myrtle Beach Hurricanes of the SAL in 1992, he played in 130 games, got 100 hits, helping to lead them to the South Atlantic League Championship.





In an interview he described the minor league experience as pretty similar to the depiction in the film "Bull Durham", with all the different characters and some of the mischievous deeds they would commit. He tells a tale of how he and team mates Alex Gonzalez and Chris Stynes snuck into their home stadium in Myrtle Beach removing the field tarp during a storm so they could do their own version of slip and slide. Someone called the cops and they ran when they heard the sirens. He spent the majority of the 1993 season with the A+ class Dunedin Blue Jays in the FSL and started the FSL All-Star Game in St. Petersburg, Florida. Late in the season he moved up to the Double A Knoxville Smokies of the SOUL, collecting 138 hits and 11 home runs bringing his average up to .297 for the season and was voted "most exciting player" of the year by Baseball America.



While he was in the minors the Blue Jays won back to back World Series, his brother Rob would be with the big club during the second run. He was back with the Smokies in 1994, but was promoted to the Triple A Syracuse SkyChiefs of the IL. He had 129 hits, 6 homers. He played in the Arizona Fall League with the Sun Cities Solar Sox in 1994.




He split 1995 between the 2 clubs, he was doing well with Knoxville, but was nursing a sore shoulder while with Syracuse batting just .161 in 69 games and missed almost all of 1996 playing just 10 games in Dunedin. He played for the Sydney Blues of the Australian League at the end of the year taking the MVP. He came back strong in '97, he had hit just 25 homers in 6 minor league seasons, but that year he hit 24,161 hits and 87 RBIs. He was named the SkyChiefs MVP and became just the third 20-20 man in their history. He got a call up and made his debut on September 6th, becoming the ninth Canadian to play for the Blue Jays. He got the start at left batting 7th. He struck
out looking in his first at bat, going 0-3 but the Jays won 2-1. He got his first ML hit off Angel's Ken Hill on September 9th. He appeared in seven games with his locker next to Roger Clemens who always called him "son".




He was left unprotected and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays made him their 5th pick in the November 18th expansion draft.



He made his first appearance for the Devil Rays as a pinch hitter in the 1998 season opener against the Detroit Tigers replacing Miguel Cairo with the Tigers up 11-2 he singled to right field to bring in a run, but the Rays lost 11-6. In his first start on April 1st he went 2-4 with a walk and scoring 2 runs. One of the hits was his first home run, a solo shot to deep left. He recorded his first hit and home run off the same relief pitcher Bryce Florie. His first homer was the second for the D-Rays, the first was one of Rich's baseball hero and locker mate Wade Boggs, hit the night before in the inaugural opening. While he appreciated the opportunity the Rays were providing, it had always been his dream to play for his home team in Toronto and had wished to have had a longer major league career with them. He developed a leg infection that sidelined him a few games during the second
week of the season then on May 10th he went on the disabled list with a fracture in his right hand, missing a little over a month. He ended up splitting time between the Rays and Durham, but did manage to play in 72 ML games.



Rich is greeted by third base coach Greg Riddoch

Rich got to camp in 1999 feeling much better and hoping he could prove to the Rays he should once again be added to the 25 man roster, he re-signed a year deal on March 1st. The next morning he was having breakfast at a Bob Evans, while reading the paper he saw a headline "Ex-major-leaguer dies in car crash", he looked through the article to see a photo of someone he recognized, then he read the name of his former minor-league roommate with the Jays and close friend, Ken Robinson, who was killed in a February 28th car wreck in Arizona. He had to report to the training complex, but he couldn't keep his mind on working out, he went home to a ringing phone, his mother was calling with news that his uncle had passed away from a heart attack at just 53. He and brother Rob (training in Dunedin with the Jays) sharing a house for the spring got permission from both teams to leave and headed to the airport after throwing a few things in a bag. When they got to Toronto there was more bad news, their grandmother had suffered a blood clot and a ruptured aneurysm, it was touch and go, but she pulled through. After a few days his father told him to go back to St Pete and focus on his job. He started the season on the DL with a sore right Achilles' tendon. Unfortunately, for Rich the Devil Rays had a plethora of outfielders and he lost out on regular play.



He spent most of the season at Durham and spent another stint on the DL from June 30-July 22 with a left hamstring injury. He got only 20 at bats in 7 games hitting just .150 with the big club. The Rays designated him on September 20th and he was released after the season ended. He was granted free agency on October 15th.


On November 17th he signed with the Seattle Mariners, in 2000 he bounced between their AA affiliate New Haven Ravens in the EL and the Triple A Tacoma Rainiers in the PCL. He played just 58 games before being released.

He signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers playing with the Triple A Oklahoma RedHawks of the PCL, but he quickly went on the disabled list with a hamstring injury on August 9th. He was a free agent.


He never got back to the majors, his last appearance was August 4, 1999 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at 26 years old.

In only three seasons he played 86 games, collected 56 hits, 30 runs, 7 homers, 22 RBIs, 19 walks with a .223 ERA.

In 2001 he played for the Canadian National Team mainly as the DH, went to the World Cup but they were eliminated before the quarterfinals in Taiwan, he also played with the Toronto Maple Leafs Inter-county. In 2002 he helped the Toronto Maple Leafs Inter-county take the League Championship.

He played in 2003 for the Niagara Stars of the Canadian Baseball League hit the first home run in club history. and went again to the World Cup in Cuba with Team Canada along with his brother Rob, but once again they were eliminated before the quarterfinals.



In 2003 he and Rob became instructors and began operating the Home Run Baseball Academy in Ajax, Ontario and are currently still there.



He played again for the Maple Leafs in 2005 garnering the MVP with 2nd highest average in league history (.481)

In 2009 he became the hitting and outfielding coach for the Canadian Youth Baseball Team.

In the summer of 2012 he established a baseball camp in Upper Island Cove, Newfoundland called the Butler Baseball Elite Camp. UIC is his wife 's home town near Conception Bay North which has a small community named Butlerville, his father's birthplace.




On August 12, 2013 Rich and Rob were part of a MLBPAA clinic, the "Legends of Youth" at Dan Lang Field on the campus of the University of Toronto along with Greg O'Halloran and Mike Remlinger, teaching the basics of
proper throwing, infield duties, catching fly balls in the outfield and hitting balls out of the park.

Rich is also the Head Coach of the Ontario Prospects 18U Elite Baseball Team.





Rich and his wife Jackie were married in 2003, they reside in the Toronto area they have one daughter Carrie Daisy, they are very involved in supporting her hockey team.

[Tobywan]

Mike DiFelice #8-Catcher

Michael William DiFelice was born on May 28, 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up mostly in Athens, Georgia. When Mike and his three brothers got into sports his mother Louise made sure the boys got to all their practices and games, in spring it was baseball in the fall it was football. The family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee just before he was to start high school where he was a standout pitcher (he also played third base) at Bearden High School for the Bulldogs he also set school records for home runs and RBIs in a season, graduating in 1987. He received a full baseball scholarship to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where he was a team mate of Joe Randa becoming an ALL-SEC catcher after making the move from pitching in his junior year. He pledged to the sigma chi fraternity and graduated with degrees in marketing, business, advertising and psychology (finishing them in the off seasons) in 1993.




He was selected in the 11th round of the June 3, 1991 amateur draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, signing three days later. He was first assigned to the Hamilton Redbirds in the NYPL, the A minor affiliate of the Cards. He split time between the Redbirds and the High A St Petersburg Cardinals in the FSL in 1992. He also split time in 1993 between ST Pete and the Single A Springfield Cardinals of the ML. He spent all of 1994 in the Texas League with the Double A class Arkansas Travelers. He started 1995 with the Travelers before being promoted to Triple A with the Louisville Redbirds of the American Association. He would be back with Louisville for 1996, getting the call up to St Louis on September 1st making his debut in the game as a defensive move in the 9th, when the Cardinals were already up by the winning score 15-6, catching for Rick Honeycutt who retired the side. He got in just 3 more games and was not included in the Cardinals post season roster after they won the division. They swept the Padres in the division series but were eliminated in the conference series by the Braves 4-3.



Former Vols-Bubba Trammell, DiFelice, Todd Helton and Scott Vieira

He played in 93 games with 289 plate appearances the most of his career. He played in just a game each that year with Louisville and Arkansas. The Cardinals pitchers had a 3.68 ERA with Mike behind the plate, third-best in the NL. He threw out 35 percent of base stealers and made 81 starts, the most of any rookie catcher for the season. He finished 5th in double plays turned by a catcher but first in passed balls in the National League. On April 17, 1997, he recorded his first stolen base with a steal of home against Florida Marlin's pitcher Kevin Brown who threw a wild pitch out the only run for the Cardinals in a 2-1 loss. St Louis didn't make a return trip to the play-offs.




The Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected him as the 10th pick in the first round during the November 18, 1997 expansion draft.

As soon as he got to spring camp the St. Pete Times discovered that ever since he had been in the game his name has been depicted incorrectly with a lower case "f" and it is spelled that way in almost all stats sites and publications, but Mike confirmed to the local sports writers that it is indeed "DiFelice".




He made his first start with Tampa Bay on April 2, 1998 batting 8th, catching Tony Saunders. In his first at bat he led off the 3rd inning by grounding out to shortstop, but went 2 for 4, with 3 RBIs, a run scored and struck out once. His 3 RBIs came off a triple in the 7th inning. Helping them win 7-1. His official role was the back up of John Flaherty though they split the majority of games and Mike got more time when Flaherty became injured late in the season.



Mike's way of handling pitchers was almost a polar opposite of starter John Flaherty's way of a calm, cool and even tempered approach. Mike was feisty, vocal and even at times rash not just with the pitchers he handled but, opponents and umpires as well. He provided some good entertainment through a dismal time. The staff was somewhat split down the middle on who they preferred, Tony Saunders and Rolando Arrojo were just a couple that seemed to respond better to DiFelice's fire, one of the reasons he was behind the plate in Tony's first game of the season. He and Flaherty received quite a bit of credit, despite the multitude of injuries that plagued the pitching staff in the inaugural season, they finished fourth in the American League with a 4.35 ERA, the highest finish of any expansion team. In the American League he placed third in assists by a catcher with 52, first in double plays with 8, fourth in caught stealing % 39.5.




Mike and Larry Rothschild congratulate Fred McGriff

Though his wife, Tish (nee Benner) attended the rival high school Farragut to his Bearden they didn't meet until sometime in the mid-90's a few years after they both graduated. At the end of 1998 they welcomed their first daughter. On March 3, 1999 he re-signed with the Devil Rays to a one-year contract. During a road trip in late May the Rays were playing in Seattle, on May 20th a brawl had taken place in the 7th inning when the M's Mark McLemore took issue with Rays pitcher Esteban Yan after he threw a pitch as McLemore had been granted time out and stepped out of the batter's box. Things got hairy again in the 8th when Mike squared to bunt and Mariner's reliever Jose Paniagua threw a pitch high and tight. The ball struck DiFelice on his thumb as he attempted to bunt and he took several steps toward the mound. Benches emptied again, but order was quickly restored. Jose Paniagua was in the Devil Rays camp when he was picked off waivers by Seattle on March 26, 1998.

Mike's quick temper got him in hot water quite often he was even ejected from a game while he was warming up a pitcher in between innings as John Flaherty was putting his gear back on after he had just batted. DiFelice was chirping at the ump about a call in the previous inning. 1999 was his best season with the Rays, when he hit .307/.346/.469 over 179 ABs. He came in 4th in the AL in caught stealing % 42.5. He only got into 51 games as a starter while John Flaherty also had one of the best seasons of his career. On May 28th the Rays would come together for a huge win against the Mariners, they would rack up their second biggest score of the season with a 14-4 and set a franchise record for runs score in one inning with 11 in the 8th. Mike had three hits himself including the 3-3 tie breaking lead off home run in to start the onslaught in the 8th, there would be 16 hitters in the inning. When Mike batted the second time P Jose Mesa was ejected for throwing a couple pitches too close to Mike's head. It was also his 31st birthday.



Mike is greeted at the dugout by Steve Cox, right and others after his tie-breaking homer in the eighth.


In 2000 Mike ended up getting more starts when he took over as the main starting catcher when Flaherty began to struggle. He got 57 starts, he batted .240 and had a 33% caught stealing percentage. Near the end of spring in 2001 he and Tish welcomed a second daughter. Mike struggled through 48 games hitting just .208 when the Rays were thinking of bringing up their big catching prospect Toby Hall.




Mike w/ Alan Hirschbeck June 2001

They decided they preferred to have Flaherty be Hall's mentor so on July 25, 2001 DiFelice was traded along with Albie Lopez to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Nick Bierbrodt and Jason Conti and cash considerations. Mike became the backup as Rod Barajas was sent back down to Triple-A Tucson as well as suffering injuries to the pitching staff with Todd Stottlemyre, Brian Anderson and Armando Reynoso all went down, Anderson had only just recently returned. This deal turned out to be mostly a disaster for both clubs.



Less than a month after the trade the Pittsburgh Pirates came to town in the 2nd inning on August 14th, Pirate Kevin Young was gunned down at he plate on a throw to DiFelice by Steve Finley. The players became entangled, pushing and shoving commenced, benches cleared, brawl ensued. Young and DiFelice were ejected.The D-Backs ended up winning the game 4-3 in extra innings.



Albie Lopez tries to hold back DiFelice during a tense moment against the Pittsburgh Pirates

Just a week later the Diamondbacks traveled to Pittsburgh and Mike's temper would get him into trouble off the field. After the first game Mike went out to the Area 51 nightclub, according to accounts he got grabby with a 28 year old woman. Reportedly, the woman was a body builder and Mike was complimenting her arms as he caressed them, she told him to stop and he grabbed her behind. Another woman about 35, reportedly a friend attempted to intervene, she claimed DiFelice burned her on her rump with a lighter. He then punched the younger woman in the face when she tried to push him away. Club security tried to subdue him but he broke away and began hitting the woman again while she was on the ground. He was forcibly ejected (one officer said he had to be carried out) from the club when DiFelice got to his feet he punched a parking valet and about 1:30 a.m. he was arrested by non-uniformed city officers working an off-duty security detail at the club. When he was informed he was under arrest he swore at club security and threatened them. He was taken to the the Allegheny County Jail
on two counts of simple assault and single counts of indecent assault, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. During the daylight hours he was arraigned by the City Magistrate, who set bail at $6,000 and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Aug. 31. He was ordered to undergo an examination by the Allegheny County Behavior Clinic at the jail, routine in that county for anyone charged with a crime of a sexual nature. That same day he was informed of a two game suspension by Major League Baseball for the incident with Kevin Young, but appealed and was in uniform at PNC Park that night with the rest of the team. He did not play. Of course both he and the team were vague about statements during the initial incident.


With Arizona fans already not happy with his 1-for-21, .048 average and 10 strikeouts since being traded this incident outraged the public and media in Phoenix while dampening the feel good moment of being in contention for a play-off run. He was promptly optioned to Triple A Tuscon, which because he was now a 5 year veteran had to voluntarily accept within 24 hours. Arizona recalled catcher Rod Barajas, he took over Mike's locker in the clubhouse. DiFelice decided to take his time in accepting the demotion, ousting Barajas from his space and dressed for the game. He didn't play, the DBacks lost 2 of the games in that series and split the following 4 games in Philadelphia. He did agree to the demotion on the condition that he could have a few days off to smooth things over at home before reporting to Tuscon. He and Young had also been fined for the earlier incident.

He spent just seven games with the Tucson Sidewinders before being recalled on September 4th, but he was left off the Diamondbacks playoff roster. The D-Backs went on to take the NL pennant and win an exciting Game 7 in the World Series against the New York Yankees. Arizona became the fastest expansion club to win it all, placing even more pressure and scrutiny on the the Tampa Bay Devil Rays franchise to start performing like a real major league contender.
By year's end all the charges were dropped when out of court settlements were reached with two of the victims. There were rumors that he was denied a WS ring and the small cash considerations for the team's championship, but there doesn't seem to be anything that substantiates that, reportedly all involved in this trade benefited from the World Series run. However, on his resume page for Linkedin it doesn't list a World Series ring among his honors/awards.

His antics off the field won him the “Doofus Award” from the Phoenix New Times in January 2002.

On November 20, 2002 he re-signed with the St Louis Cardinals for a one year deal with an option for 2003.

There was another police incident involving the DiFelice household, but this time Mike had nothing to do with it as he was in spring camp with the Cards. A babysitter for the family was scared out of her wits when Pinellas County deputies showed up at the house, yelling at her and handcuffing her. Tish DiFelice had picked the sitter up after collecting her children from school, dropping them off at the house so she could head to a a physical therapy appointment. The alarm on the house was going off when she arrived, she canceled it figuring it was an accident, but forgot to call the security company. They couldn't get a hold of her and dispatched sheriffs to their Palm Harbor home, a police dispatcher called the house, the young girl answered, she explained she was the babysitter so the dispatcher told her to go to the door and let the officers know. She did, only to walk out to guns drawn and yells for her to drop the phone and get on the ground. She tried to tell them she was just babysitting, but no one listened. Finally, she told them to call Mrs. DiFelice giving them the number and once they got confirmation, let her go. The girl was upset, her father was upset, the dispatcher was upset, Tish was upset as well as the Sheriff's Office, leading to a few policy changes and a formal apology to both families.



Mike collides with Brad Ausmus

He was the back up to Mike Matheny and managed to get 70 appearances starting 51 as St. Louis won the central division. He did not play in the division series when they swept Arizona and only got one at bat in Game 3 of the NLCS, he grounded out in the only game they won. They were eliminated 4-1 by the SF Giants. The Cardinals declined his option and paid the $50,000 buy out. He was granted free agency on November 1st. On December 7th the Cards declined to offer him salary arbitration.




He signed with the Kansas City Royals as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training on December 7, 2002, he was assigned to triple A Omaha but his contract was purchased on March 27th when he made the 25-man opening day roster.



Mike tags out Omar Vizquel


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[Tobywan]

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DiFelice received criticism at the end of July during a series against the White Sox when his Royals were being pummeled 15-4, he fussed at the opposing catcher Miguel Olivo for still swinging hard during an at bat, it almost got ugly, but didn't get to brawl status, then Mike made comments to the effect that something might happen to Miguel the next game, Chicago press had a field day with him.




Then on August 16th he lost his cool during the first inning of a game at home against the Twins when he was blocking the plate as Torri Hunter collided with him and even though he held onto the ball Hunter was ruled safe. He protested, so home plate umpire Jerry Layne quickly ejected Mike. He went ballistic, he threw the ball to the ground, his glove into the stands that hit a kid, moments later two water coolers and a trash can came flying out of the dugout. He did apologize to the kid sending a bat out to him, the kid gave the glove back. Starting catcher Brent Mayne who was to have the day off ended up taking over. He was suspended for two days and fined. He played n 62 games with a .254 BA and collected 16 doubles. He stayed with the team the entire season, but was once again a free agent on October 26th.




On December 18, 2003 he signed with the Detroit Tigers to a one-year deal. He spent spring with them, but they didn't need him when they signed Pudge Rodriguez during the spring, he was designated and refused, he was released on April 3, 2004. Ten days later he agreed to a minor league deal in the hopes he could play well enough to get onto another club and was sent to the Toledo Mud Hens of the IL, his contract was purchased on June 27th when back up catcher/third baseman Brandon Inge got injured, Mike was optioned back on August 7th. On the 31st he was sent to the Chicago Cubs for a PTBNL. He played in just 13 games batting .136 for Detroit and 4 games with the Cubs. He refused assignment becoming a free agent on October 12th.

He signed a minor league contract with the Florida Marlins on December 24, 2004, he was vying for the back up spot but the 2 big spots went to Paul LoDuca and Mike Redmond and they chose Matt Treanor as the third catcher so he was given his release on March 27th when he was not added to the 40 man roster.

On April 15, 2005 he signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets, once again he was in competition for the back up spot against Paul LoDuca, this time behind Mike Piazza. He started the season with the Triple A Norfolk Tides of the IL. He was recalled on May 16th when catcher Ramon Castro got injured, when Castro returned Mike was designated on June 3rd. He cleared waivers and reported back to Triple A. He returned on August 21st when Mike Piazza wound up on the DL and he finished the season with them. He ended up getting into just 11 games batting .118. He was granted free agency on October 31st.




He signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals on February 19, 2006, but he had to battle Robert Fick and Wiki Gonzalez for a back up spot. It is rumored that he was released on the final week of spring training due to negative feedback from the press and public as there were several news pieces done on him each week about his past and anger issues.





He re-signed a minor league contract on May 30th with the Mets who sent him to Double A Binghamton, he was hitting .277 when he was sent to Norfolk, played one game for them and was up with the Mets on August 4th until the end of the season. He had only played in 15 games with a .080 BA in 25 at bats. The Mets won their division, but Mike was left off the play-off roster as New York swept the wild card Dodgers in the NLDS but were eliminated by the Cardinals in the NLCS 4-3.




Mike was inducted into the Tennessee Baseball Hall of Fame during the annual University of Tennessee banquet on Jan. 29, 2007 at Knoxville Marriott.


He signed on for another season with the Mets on January 9, 2007, he was sent to the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs of the PCL, Mike's contract was purchased when the Mets designated Sandy Alomar Jr. on July 29th. Just a few days later he was designated, then out-righted back to Triple-A. He would be recalled on the 12th when Paul LoDuca went down with a strained hamstring. He got 40 at bats finishing with a .250 BA. The Mets still declined to offer salary arbitration to DiFelice he became a free agent on October 30th.



He re-signed on January 6, 2008 with the Tampa Bay Rays to a minor league deal with an invite to camp. He wanted the chance to work close to home again. He had a very good spring, but the Rays had Dioner Navarro and Shawn Riggans as the possible 1 and 2 catchers. So, the Rays put Mike down in the minors in a mentor role, not as close to home as he had hoped. He informed everyone at Durham that under no circumstances was anyone to call him "Crash", so of course his wife called him that everyday he was with the Bulls. At 39 he seemed finally okay with being the teacher instead of the guy trying to make the big club and as with a majority of players he loved the game and wasn't ready to go. He was up for about 10 days in April and made 6 starts, now using "Walking On The Moon" as his walk up music, before heading back to Durham. He actually pitched a game where he let up 3 runs on 2 hits (one was a homer) and hit a batter and threw a wild pitch all in one inning. When the Rays called up catcher John Jaso for the final month of the season, Mike felt he was ready to go and requested an early release, the Rays obliged. He thought about his options throughout the off season and on February 6, 2009 he announced his retirement.



Mike confers with Jason Hammel



Tagging out Edgar Renteria


His final major league game was April 18, 2008 with the Tampa Bay Rays, he is only one of two players that wore all three versions of the franchise uniforms.

Mike played 13 ML seasons with 8 different teams, in 550 games and 1,715 plate appearances he collected 368 hits, 83 doubles, 28 home runs, 167 RBIs,101 walks with a .236 batting average and a career .991 fielding percentage.

On March 16, 2009 he was named the Manager for the Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League. He was included on the Rays 40-man roster in the baseball video game MLB 09 The Show, even though he had been released by the team the previous September. The K-Mets finished with a 30-35 record and 6th place, he managed them in 2010 finishing with a 28-39 record in 9th place. He did not return the following year.

He is now a medical devices sales rep for Arthrex in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area, been there since 2011. While his wife Tish became the owner of Tate and Tilly's boutique in the Carrollwood area. Mike enjoys hunting, fishing and golf in his spare time as well as catching up with former Rays that still reside in the Tampa Bay area, his family and an occasional local get away with Tish, their favorite is close to home at the Safety Harbor Resort.





Mike and Tish reside in Tampa, Florida they have 3 daughters Grace, Hannah and Delaney.



Is slated to take part in January 4th - 9th 2015 camp held at Oceola county complex with a multitude of ex Rays as part of the Tampa Bay Stars Coaches.

[Tobywan]

Aaron Ledesma #4- Infielder

Aaron David Ledesma was born on June 3, 1971 in Union City, California (near San Francisco). He grew up playing little league, his father very involved in his sports activities. He attended James Logan High School (Union City) playing for the Colts and graduating in 1989. He went on to Chabot College in Hayward where playing for the Gladiators, he earned Junior College All-American honors in 1990.

He was selected in the 2nd round of the June 4, 1990 draft by the New York Mets signing the next day. While Aaron was just thrilled to be picked, his father was a little disappointed that it wasn't the Giants. Scouts kept telling him he was too big to play the short stop position, he thought, well, it didn't hurt Cal Ripken.

He was sent to the Rookie class Kingsport Mets of the AL. He collected 81 hits in 66 games, batting .333. He was moved up to the class A Columbia Mets in the the SAL in '91, but he was injured most of the season, playing in just 33 games. He was still promoted to the advanced A St. Lucie Mets down in the FSL. He could make contact but never had a lot of power. He spent 1993 with the Double A Binghamton Mets in the EL, playing just half the season as he was injured again. He moved up to the Triple A Norfolk Tides in the IL where he had 118 hits in 119 games, 3 were home runs.






Despite the battle with injuries the Mets kept moving him right along due to his consistency of contact and fielding and while his position was primarily at short he got a bit of experience at all infield positions. He started 1995 back with the Tides but was called up to make his major league debut on July 2nd at Shea Stadium, of course his first call was to Dad. The Mets were behind the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 as they went into the the 8th, Aaron entered as a pinch hitter for P Eric Gunderson. With Tim Bogar on first he singled to left on a pitch from John Smiley. He was erased with a force out at second on a grounder hit by Brett Butler and was replaced in the next inning. The Mets lost by the 4-1 score. He was mainly used as a pinch hitter, he only made 4 starts before being optioned back to Norfolk for the rest of the season.




He played in the Arizona Fall League for the Tempe Rafters 1995.


On January 18, 1996 he was traded to the California Angels for Kevin Flora. Ledesma knew he wouldn't get much playing time with the Mets as they had recent Cuban defector Rey Ordonez coming up. He didn't get playing time with the Angels either as he spent the entire season with the Triple A Vancouver Canadians in the PCL , he got a minor league career high 134 hits and 27 doubles while batting .305 He became a free agent on October 15th.

He signed with the Baltimore Orioles on January 17, 1997, starting the season with the Triple A Rochester Red Wings in the IL. He was called up on July 16th while batting .325 when Pete Incaviglia was designated for assignment and spent the rest of the season with them. He felt it took awhile before fans and team mates warmed to him as "Inky" had been so popular. He hit .352 in 43 games (.937 OPS) for the Orioles and played all four infield positions mostly at second base. He would get his first AL hit when he entered a game on July 20th replacing Cal Ripken. He enjoyed his time playing with Ripken, Raphael Palmeiro and Mike Mussina, but he got especially close to Erik Davis. His locker neighbor though was Randy Myers who was a prankster and his favorite target became Aaron.




The O's won the division, Ledesma joined the roster throughout their postseason, Manager Mike Hargrove decided to carry him instead of another pitcher. The O's defeated the Mainers in the division series 3-1, but were eliminated in the ALCS 4-2 by the Indians, Aaron never got into a single game. He only hit 2 home runs in his career both came with the Orioles, his first off of Angels' Allen Watson on August 17th and his second in Milwaukee against Al Reyes on September 26th.

He was selected in the 3rd round as the 31st pick by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the November 18, 1997 expansion draft. At first he found it exciting to be one of the 25 guys picked to be a part of a brand new team, with high hopes of establishing himself. He soon found out that there were many others that felt the same way, he personally didn't think the team made up of half players at the end of their career and half newbies was a very good combination for success. He also thinks it was a mistake being thrown into the toughest division with that formula from the start. His two pals that season were Roberto Henandez and Mike DiFelice. He played well, a team leading .324 BA, mainly at short, he even got some at bats as the DH, he also had a 16 game hitting streak second longest at the time, currently tied for 4th on the team list. He managed to get into 95 games with 72 starts as the infield back up bench rider playing all four infield positions. When he replaced the injured Kevin Stocker for the final month, he hit .303, though he committed 6 errors.



He signed another one year deal with the Rays on March 3, 1999 and once again made the 25 man opening day roster but once again on the bench. Aaron and his wife Kerstin (nee Fichtenkamm) had settled into a nice town home in Tierra Verde (near St. Pete) , they had a new a baby boy named Samuel. Aaron liked living on the water and even bought a small boat for fishing. During the last exhibition game of the spring Aaron dislocated his thumb and had to start the season on the DL. He was gone for a little over a month, his rehab was playing two games each for Durham and St Pete before rejoining the team on May 12th. He would get 77 starts (93 appearances) again playing all infield spots including one start at DH, but his BA dropped to .265.







Arron and Cal Ripken Jr take turns sliding into one another.

The Rays started a spending and trading spree at the end of 1999, on December 13th Aaron was traded along with Rolando Arrojo to the Colorado Rockies for Vinny Castilla. He was disappointed, he played hard for the Rays and all things considered played very well. The Rockies had no plan for him, he was basically a throw in for the deal. He described the best thing of his Colorado experience was discovering sushi. He started the season with the big club but made just 32 appearances, mainly as a pinch hitter, he played the field in just 8 games and started only 3. He was sent down on June 10th to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, the Rox Triple A affiliate in the PCL. He was playing pretty well, but suffered a back injury. He became a free agent on October 2nd. His back kept nagging him through the off season and required surgery in spring of 2001.

He tried coming back playing a season in Independent ball with the Long Island Ducks in the Atlantic League. He played mainly at third though he did get a little time in the outfield, he played in 109 games batting .315, but his back was still hurting and he left the game. The pain aside, he considers that his favorite time in the game as there was no money, no pressure, no politics, just having fun playing the game.

Making his last MLB game June 10, 2000 for the Colorado Rockies, he was 29 years old.

He played for five seasons in 284 games with a .296 BA, 2 home runs, 76 RBIs, 223 hits, 44 walks, 38 doubles, 4 triples and 11 stolen bases and a fielding percentage .974.

Someone recommended he try yoga for his back ailment so he attended the Bikram Yoga College of India, studying under Bikram Choudhury himself to learn hot yoga. He loved it so much he got certified to teach it as well. In 2003 teams were still calling and he even got invitations to spring training, he just didn't think his body could take it anymore so he chose yoga. By 2005 he was teaching at a local studio, he and Kerstin had divorced by this time and he met his current wife Karen (nee Ashby) when she became a student. He converted her from Ashtanga yoga to his Bikram style. In 2006 he co-founded a sports agent business called "Game" and started work as a real estate investor/agent. In 2007 he and Karen were married.

Life was good, he was in business, he loved Karen and yoga but his first love, baseball, was calling him back. He became the hitting coach for the Single A Tampa Yankees of the FSL in 2008, then in 2009 and 2010 he was an infield coach for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in the International League being reunited with ex-Ray Scott Aldred (pitching coach). They went to the Governors’ Cup championship series for the second time in 2009 when they posted an 81-60 record but were defeated by the Durham Bulls. In 2010 they finished with a 87-56 record, they made the play-offs but were eliminated in the semi-finals.



SWB Yankees Greg Golson is congratulated by third-base coach Aaron Ledesma after Golson blasted a solo home run.




He was inducted into the James Logan High School Hall of Fame in 2009, he held a baseball clinic there during the week of induction ceremony. He made Cabot College's Team of the Decade for 1990-2000, his 1990 season numbers were .444 BA- 76-Hits, 27-2b’s, 6-HR’s, 64-RBI’s, 26-SB’s, 68-Runs. As of the time he was was honored in 2009 his 27 doubles are the all time record, his RBIs was 4th and his ERA was 5th on the all time list.


On January 31, 2011 he was named the Manager for the Charleston RiverDogs of the South Atlantic League where they finished 55-85 in 13th place. He and his wife loved the town, but it was short lived.

He became director of player development and instructor for "Pro Bound USA" in 2011, and he co owns "Yoga 365" in Clearwater with his wife Karen which opened in November 2012. Now at peace with his life and becoming a devote Christian he says his only regret was not having God earlier in his life. He also coaches his son's little league team.




From the time he was a coach in the minors he wanted to have a job in the majors in some capacity, though he didn't feel he had much success at the coaching /managing thing. So, the opportunity came for him to combine his two loves of baseball and yoga, helping local athletes learn the benefits of his techniques he started "Yoga For Athletes" in January 2013.

He remains in contact with other ex-Rays that live in the area, he and DiFelice still pal around together once in awhile.





Aaron and Karen live in Dunedin, Florida still running their yoga business, Kerstin also still lives in the St Pete area they share custody of their son Samuel.

[Tobywan]

Bobby Smith #9-Infielder

Robert Eugene Smith was born on May 10, 1974 in Oakland, California. Bobby's father was a baseball coach which probably helped him to become a 6 time Bambino Baseball League All-Star and help his team to win a Bambino Baseball League World Series Championship. He attended Fremont High School where he was a starter for the Tigers on both the Varsity baseball and basketball teams for three seasons as well as earning the Oakland Athletic League Athlete of the Year in 1992. He was awarded a full athletic scholarship (basketball) from California University, Berkeley in 1992 where he would have played with childhood friend Jason Kidd. When he was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 11th round of the June 1, 1992 draft, he signed on the 5th giving up his scholarship to pursue his dream of being a major league player.


He was assigned to the Rookie class GCL Braves. He moved up into Single A with the Macon Braves of the SAL in '93 and Advanced A Durham Bulls of the Carolina League in '94, where he tripled his home run total to 12, but almost doubled his strike outs. He went on to the Double A Greenville Braves in the SOUL where he scored 75 runs in 1995. He was named the Braves Organization's Most Inspirational Player and Organization Player of the Year in AA for '95. He spent 1996 and 1997 with the Triple A Richmond Braves of the IL. He had been exclusively a third baseman until he got to Richmond, then he split time between 3B and SS in '96, in 1997 he spent the entire season at short. He was Organization Player of the Year in AAA in '96 with Richmond. He hit 27 doubles three straight seasons, 1994-96. He developed a superstition that he never allows pitchers to touch his bats.

He played during Arizona Fall League in 1995 with the Sun Cities Solar Sox losing the championship to the Mesa Saguaros. He played for them again in 1996 and for the Grand Canyon Rafters in 1997 who lost the championship that season to the Peoria Javelinas.

He was selected 6th in the November 18, 1997 expansion draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.



He impressed well enough in spring camp to make the 25- man roster, he made his major league debut as a pinch hitter in the inaugural opener on March 31, 1998. He entered the game in the ninth replacing Dave Martinez, singled and then later scored on a line drive from Rich Butler in a losing effort to the Detroit Tigers 11-6. He missed a couple of weeks in May with a right hamstring strain. He put on a strong defensive performance, making nine errors in 81 starts and batted .276 with 11 homers and 55 RBI, mostly from the No. 3 spot. However, he struck out 110 times in 117 games. He was primarily the back up for Wade Boggs, though he got a handful of games at SS, 2B and at the DH slot. He was a unanimous selection to the 1998 Topps All-Star Rookie team as a third baseman.



He re-signed a year deal on March 3, 1999 and played well enough in spring to once again make the 25- man opening day roster. He got off to a bad start and was sent down in mid-May, he was called back up in late July, but never gained any consistency. He finished the season batting .181 as opposed to .333 in the minors.



By the end of spring in 2000 it looked like his tenure with the Rays might be over, he was designated on the morning of Opening Day, he cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Durham. He was determined to get back, spending most of his time with the Bulls at 2B. He was playing very well, hitting .293 with 17 homers and a league-high 56 RBI when he was recalled in mid-June, he had lost some weight and colored his locks blond. On July 1st Bobby got a hit that endeared him to all Ray's fans and it wasn't one he collected with his bat. The Yankees were in town, it was a a Saturday night, just under 38,000 at the Trop, Bobby had gotten the start batting 5th and playing second base. When the Yankees came to bat in the 7th they were ahead by just 2-1, but had sored 3 runs off a double from Tino Martinez. Smith had gotten 2 hits, one was a homer giving them the only run off starter Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez before leading off the 7th facing reliever Jeff Nelson. He struck out, but as he was heading to the dugout, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada got up to throw around the bases, they bumped, Posada then shoved Bobby, Smith shoved back and punched Jorge sending him down on the plate. Benches cleared, the melee erupted and both men were sent to the showers. The Rays managed just a single and a walk the rest of the game, the Yanks scored an extra run to win 6-1. Bobby and Jorge were suspended one game each and fined.




Jose Guilen tries to get Bobby out from the clutches of the Yankees.



Larry Rothschild and Randy Winn try to calm Bobby down.


Just a week later on the 6th Smith tore the MCL in his right knee during a collision with Robert Fick (who separated his shoulder) at first base. He was trying to beat out a grounder when he went into first awkwardly and his knee hit Fick in the side of his chest. He was only out a little over a month, doctors thought it would be 2 months if he were lucky, he rehabbed in Durham but came back in August to finish the season with the Rays. Smith served his suspension for the Posada fight when he returned to the team. He made 47 starts for the Rays that season, striking out 30 times in a 59 at-bat stretch and a .234 BA.




In spring of 2001 he played well enough to make the opening roster as the starting second baseman but when he hit just .105 after 6 games he lost his spot and it looked like he lost his job as he was designated on April 9th, he cleared waivers and accepted his assignment so he was out-righted to Durham on April 16th. That move along with other incidents sparked the eventual firing of Manager Larry Rothschild. He spent the rest of the season with the Bulls where he batted .301 with 22 homers, playing all seven infield and outfield positions.



Just before spring training in 2002 he was inducted into the Oakland Babe Ruth Baseball League Hall of Fame, along with Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Drese and some coaches and sponsors.

On March 1, 2002 he and the Rays came to terms on a contract, he started the season with the team but once again got off to a slow start batting .175 after 18 games and on May 8th he was released.





Opening Day 2002 home plate umpire Dale Scott, Tigers catcher Mike Rivera and Bobby.





He signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on May 28, 2002, he spent the rest of the season with their Triple A affliate the Indianapolis Indians of the IL. He finished the season batting .239. On October 15th was granted free agency.

On March 30, 2003 he signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees. He spent the season with Triple A Columbus Clippers in the IL. He hit 36 doubles and batted .282. Earned hitter of the week in the IL in June when he hit .560 (14-for-25) with nine runs, five doubles, one homer, eight RBIs and a .880 slugging percentage. On October 15th he was granted free agency.

On December 29th he signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox. He played the entire 2004 season for the AAA Charlotte Knights of the IL, collecting career highs of 134 games, 138 hits, 37 doubles, 28 home runs, 89 RBIs, a .272 BA but also strike outs with 117, the main plague of both his minor and major careers. On October 15th he was granted free agency.


He signed with the Oakland Athletics on January 12, 2005 and was assigned to their Triple A Sacramento River Cats of the Pacific Coast League finishing with a .286 and 13 home runs. He earned player of the month honors in August. On October 15th he was granted free agency.

He re-signed a minor league contract with the White Sox on June 7, 2006 once again playing for the Charlotte Knights, earning player of the week honors in August. He only played in 59 games batting .259.



Under manager Razor Shines the team finished with a 79-62 record that season and made it to the IL play-offs but lost in the first round to Toledo (3-1). He was once again a free agent on October 15th.


He never got back to the majors and decided to retire making his last MLB game May 6, 2002 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

In parts of 5 seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays he had 914 plate appearances in 258 games collecting 192 hits, 29 doubles, 21 homers, 107 RBI, 70 walks with a .232 BA, with 268 strike outs. He spent 14 years in the minors.

He became an instructor for In The Zone Sports Training Center located just outside of Houston, Texas.

In 2011 he became a hitting coach for the White Sox affiliate South Bend Silver Hawks, that season they went 67-72 and finished in 7th place, he stayed with them for 2012 when they finished 67-73, finishing in 7th place.



Athletic trainer Kevin Burroughs,pitching coach Wellington Cepeda, hitting coach Bobby Smith, hitting coach Bobby Smith and manger Mark Haley.


He became the hitting coach for their Rookie Visalia Rawhide for 2013, they finished 77-63 making it to the play-offs but lost in the semi-finals, he was slated to fill the same role for 2014 after signing on for 2 more years in September but abruptly left the team just before spring camp.

Was unable to obtain much information on his personal life. He last resided in Katy, Texas, it was reported that he got married sometime at the end of 2001 while he was under contract with the D-Rays.

[Tobywan]

Bubba Trammell #21-Outfielder


Thomas Bubba Trammell was born on November 6, 1971 in Knoxville, Tennessee. His father Clarence L. “Buddy” Trammell and mother Brenda gave him his middle name after former University of Tennessee quarterback Bubba Wyche, brother of former Bengals coach Sam Wyche, Bubba had one older sister named Kimberly Diane. Clarence Trammell was a teacher and basketball coach at Carter High School. Bubba started carrying a bat around at age two, they put a batting cage in the back yard when he was a young teen, he wanted to practice for hours a day so his Dad got a ball feeder. Trammell attended Central High School in Knoxville, where he played baseball and golf. When he was a freshman he was just 5'5" and fibbed by telling people he was 150 lbs, afraid he would be considered too underweight to play sports. He kept growing through high school and in 1990 with a slugging percentage over 1.000 and nine of the team's 17 home runs he led the Bobcats to the Class AAA State Championship team that finished 31-0 along with teammate Colorado Rockies slugger Todd Helton.



He went on to attend Roane State and play baseball for the Raiders on scholarship then transferred to Cleveland State Community College playing with the Cougars, he was selected in the 16th round of the 1992 June 1st draft by the Baltimore Orioles, but he did not sign. He transferred to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (where he was reunited with Helton), in 1993 as a junior he earned First Team All-SEC honors after leading the team with a .383 batting average and 12 home runs. His batting average ranked fourth in the league that season, and he was second in the conference with a .679 slugging percentage. He started 51 games before having his season cut short in early May with a season-ending broken ankle, he was leading the team with 27 multi-hit games, homers and RBIs at the time of his injury. In 1994 he won a second-team All-America status (NCBWA) during Tennessee's 1994 SEC Championship season. He hit .354 with 53 RBI and 10 home runs while starting all 56 games for the Vols in the outfield in his final season.




He was selected in the 11th round of the June 2, 1994 MLB amateur draft by the Detroit Tigers and this time, he did sign a contract on June 7th. He was assigned to the Minor A Jamestown Jammers of the NYPL. He was now 6' 2" and 220 pounds and no longer had to fib. He was sent to the High A Lakeland Tigers in the FSL for 1995 and batted .284 with 32 doubles and 16 home runs making the FSL All-Star team. In 1996 he went to the Double A Jacksonville Suns in the SOUL (was an All-Star again) where he hit 27 home runs, batting .328 before being promoted to their Triple A affiliate the Toledo Mudhens in the IL. He finished the
season with 33 homers, a .316 ERA and .996 OPS. He was named the Tigers' minor-league player of the year. That year Bubba and his wife Melissa welcomed their first child, a daughter.




He played in Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas in 1996 earning the MVP after he led in RBIs while hitting .328 with seven homers in 47 games, the Tigers' rewarded him by giving him a spot on their 40-man winter roster.

One Trammell had exited but another would enter, Alan Trammell had retired at the end of 1996 after 20 years in a Tiger uniform. In spring of 1997 another Trammell was in camp, but Bubba is no relation to the beloved shortstop. He won a starting position on the opening day roster making his MLB debut on April 1st as the DH, in his first at bat he grounded out to short, he went 0-3, with a walk and grounded into a double play. He got his first hit on April 3rd and first home run on the 10th after he was honored in a pre-game ceremony by the Jamestown Jammers when they retired his #22 jersey, both of those hits came off of Minnesota Twins P Scott Aldred.




Bubba Trammell W/ Jamestown Jammers general manager Mike Ferguson and director of public and media relations Marnie Tyler.


He hit 4 home runs in April but when his BA dropped to .238 in May he was optioned back to the Mudhens. On August 9, 1997 he and his wife took a shopping trip when the subject of possibly buying a new tuck in the future came up, Bubba jokingly told his wife Melissa they could get one if he hit 4 homers in the game that night. He hit 2 homers early in the game, but the Hens were down 8-10 against the Richmond Braves going into the bottom of the 9th inning. With one out, he hit a two run shot to tie the game, the game went into extra innings and in the 13th he launched the fourth homer run, a solo blast for the walk off 11-10 win. While his BA dropped a bit and he struck out a lot he did hit 28 home runs and 75 RBIs for Toledo earning him a September call up.




He was left unprotected an was selected as the 11th pick in the first round of the November 18, 1997 expansion draft.

While not thrilled to learn he had been made available for the draft, he wamed to the idea of being with a new team " starting from the ground floor.'' He was also excited to be working with Fred McGriff and Wade Boggs and he became the teammate to the pitcher that had given him his first key hits, Scott Aldred. He made the opening day roster as a bench player and made his first appearance as a Devil Ray during the Inaugural season opener on March 31, 1998 as a pinch hitter for Kevin Stocker in the 9th inning with the Rays down 11-2. He drew a walk then later scored on a bases loaded walk to Wade Boggs, but they couldn't come back losing 11-6. By mid- April he was batting just .176 and was sent back down to Durham, he hit .290 with 16 HRs in 57 games before returning to the Rays in July. He finished the season with 12 HRs, 35 RBIs and a .286 average in 59 games.




A season ticket hiolder named Ted Flemming too a shine to Bubba right from spring training, Bubba was very generous to fans with his time and his hard nose playing style endeared him to many. Flemming who perched himself in the front row of section 142 near the right field foul pole rooted loud for all the players but started a Bubba chant that became a signature ritual during the time Bubba was with the team. The Trammell's welcomed their second child, a son that year as well.




On March 3, 1999 he re-signed with the Rays to a one-year deal, but once again the Rays had a boon of outfielders and he tis time didn't make the opening day roster. He was sent to Durham but when the team suffered many injuries and poor play he was re-called on June 14th. He played in 82 games hitting a solid .290 with 14 HRs, 19 doubles and 39 RBIs, finishing the season with the big club. The makeshift fan club in section 142 grew, they even developed a name the "142 Crew" and by the end of the year they had gotten not only the entire section cheering him on but the entire stadium. Bubba embraced the attention even timing his entry into the batter's box for the "BUBBA!" chant the PA system would even go quiet for the new ritual. Flemming would even do the Bubba chant on the road, opposing fans would join him once they saw Bubba acknowledge him after the first at bat. It was fitting that the Trop faithful would choose a bench player to cheer, Bubba was the first, but he certainly would not be the last.



In 2000 he made the opening day roster, he was batting .275 with just seven homers near the end of July. One of those homers was a pinch hit 3 run bomb in a 15-5 romp of the Mets at Shea Stadium, a game where teammate P Esteban Yan hit a homer off the first pitch he saw in the majors.





The Rays again battling injuries wanted to bring up some other promising outfielders so on July 28th they traded Trammell (one of the few players who had trade value at the time) to the New York Mets along with P Rick White for Jason Tyner (another outfielder) and Paul Wilson. He got into his first game with the Mets just 2 days later and he would make an impression with an ironic twist. While he had the chant in TB it would be NY that would lure Bubba to accept his first curtain call. Before the game the Mets held a pre-game ceremony in celebration of the greatest moments in Mets history. Bubba was thrilled, he got to see Willie Mays in person. In his first at bat as a Met, Bubba would launch an 0-2 fastball off the Cardinals' Garrett Stephenson in the second inning that landed in the the visitors’ bullpen in left for a three-run homer. He became the seventh player to hit a home run in his first Mets at-bat. Before the start of the Cardinals 3rd a clamor arose from the Mets crowd, shouting his name, his new teammates pushed him toward the dugout steps to the adoring fans then he waved his helmet much to the delight of the 45,000 plus at Shea Stadium. The Mets won 4-2 completing a three game sweep. Trammell's father Buddy was listening at his Knoxville home with Bubba' aunt, whooping and hollering, Bubba's mom was at work.



Adam Thompson and Bubba at the 2000 Bobby Valentine Foundation Charity Event

[Tobywan]

He made 36 appearances, starting just 8 games but he stayed with the team through their bid for a wild card spot, a record of 94-68 was good enough. With just a .232 batting average, Bubba was left off the division series roster. The Mets would move on beating the Giants 3-1. They would face the Cardinals in the NLCS, with Timo Perez and Benny Agbayani both nursing hamstring issues they added Trammell to the second round, but he would get just 3 at bats as a pinch hitter going 0-3 striking out twice. The Mets would advance taking the National League pennant from the St Louis Cardinals 4-1. He would get only 5 at bats in the World Series against the New York Yankees, a much touted Subway Series was surely to be an exciting display, there was controversy when Mets slugging catcher Mike Piazza shattered his bat off a Roger Clemens pitch and it appeared that the pitcher purposely threw a piece at Mike. Bubba would come in as a pitch hitter in Game 1, the Mets down 2-0 in the 7th, he singled to left off Andy Pettite sending Benny Agbayani and Jay Payton to the plate for the tie. Mike Piazza followed but flew out to deep center. The Yanks ended up winning that game. In game 3 he pinch hit in the 8th, the Mets had just gone ahead 3-2, he hit a sac fly to
score Joe McEwing, the Mets won 4-2, their only win. They Yankees came out victorious in the series 4-1.



Bubba lifts Benny Agbyani as the Mets celebrate.


On December 11th he was traded to the San Diego Padres for Donnie Wall. In 2001 he played in a career high 142 games, he hit 25 HRs with 20 doubles and 92 RBIs, batting .261. Even missing a few days with a hamstring injury. He received their "Favorite San Padres" award that season. After making just $335,000, he was rewarded in 2002 for his production with a multi-year contract $9 M plus extension with an option for 2005.





He enjoyed having Tony Gywnn as a teammate and picked his brain at every opportunity. When his numbers dipped in 2002 he and his contract were shipped off to the New York Yankees along with Mark Phillips (minors) and cash for Rondell White on March 19, 2003, as rumors swirled that the Padres were cost cutting as they entered into a new era with a brand new stadium.




Suddenly, Trammell's world seemed to be crashing around him. When he had been taken by the Rays he had uprooted his young family from his hometown of Knoxville and settled in Clearwater. Melissa stayed in the home there, they now had three children, the youngest just an infant. Seems there may have been trouble brewing for awhile that might have explained the drop off in 2002 and his miserable play for the Yanks, in 22 appearances he was batting just .200 by late June. He also received the heartbreaking news that both his mother and his sister had been diagnosed with cancer as well as other family members (including his 90 year old grandfather) with health issues. Then suddenly on June 29th he just went AWOL not showing up to Yankee Stadium for the start of a series against the Mets. He had his agent Len Hardison call Yankees GM Brian Cashman to inform him Trammell would be unavailable for "personal reasons". Reports stated teammates suggested he was unhappy and angry at Joe Torre about the lack of playing time, but Bubba would later say he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and was suffering from depression due to the problems in his marriage on top of the illnesses inflicting his family. The Yanks felt he should be put on the restricted list without paid and his contract voided, Trammell felt he should be on the disabled list. He would later recount that he went home to Florida to try to save his marriage. The Yankees placed him on the restricted list on June 30th.

By September, Melissa was seriously thinking of filing for divorce, someone described by her as a platonic male friend had helped her move out, there are indications it was his home she was staying. She and the friend attended a ball game on the 6th and according to accounts Bubba confronted them in a supermarket parking lot threatening the friend's life. At first the man chalked it up to tough talk from an angry husband, but when Melissa told him that Bubba was grilling family members trying to find out his last name the friend filed a police report. When Bubba was served with a restraining order he served the friend with a subpoena to testify in the Trammells' divorce, when the man dropped the order, Bubba dropped the subpoena, supposedly the friend and Melissa then severed contact. It appears there was an attempt to reconcile. His relationship with the Yankees was also strained, they released him on October 7th refused to honor any of his contract so he filed a grievance. His agent and the MLBPA were able to get a settlement in December. Bubba has insisted his departure from NY had nothing to do with baseball, he has had nothing but positive things to say about the team, the city and former manager Joe Torre even with the grievance issue over his contract, that was just business.

Things were stable enough that he went back to work, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on January 5, 2004, mainly to replace Mike Kinkade he was sold to the Hanshin Tigers of Japan's Central League with an $800,000 one-year contract.





Unfortunately, that same month he lost his beloved grandfather, he had been one of the family members who's health had been declining. Then, at the end of January the team was sold to the McCourt family, they shook some things up, wanting more versatility especially in the bench roles.





Bubba congratulates Juan Encarnacion during a spring game.


He was vying for a spot mosty against Olmedo Saenz, but when LA acquired Jason Grabowski and Jayson Werth the last week of spring Bubba became
obsolete and was released on April 2nd, he got a lot of calls, but decided to accept the offer from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to be closer to home and re-signed with them on the 10th. He was sent to Durham, in 46 at bats he was hitting .366, the Rays were close to bringing him back to the majors when his home life went south again and he asked for released, he was granted minor league free agency on October 15th.




For the next 2 1/2 years he spent time trying to make the divorce as easy as he could for their three children, making sure their homes were close enough for convenient visitation. During the time off though, he put on weight. He called an old friend that had once been a hitting coach in the Brewers minor leagues to get him back into shape, he lost 40 pounds and by the end of 2006 he felt he was ready to try a comeback. On December 15th, 2006 he signed with the Baltimore Orioles, he was going to be assigned to the Double-A Bowie Baysox but he tore his meniscus during spring camp in Sarasota. He was confident he could get healthy again and was ready to take any role, he enjoyed being around the younger men especially when he was assigned to Minor A Aberdeen IronBirds of the NYPL, the team owned by Cal Ripken. He was the "old vet" now and like helping them and answering their questions, he also had no regrets that he chose his family first for those few years. Rehab didn't go as he had hoped, he struggled with timing and had trouble seeing curve balls, playing from June 19- July 1, he batted just .143 in 28 at bats so one July 2nd, he announced he was retiring.

His last MLB game was June 22, 2003 with the New York Yankees, he was 31 years old.

In seven seasons with 5 teams he batted .261, with 469 hits, 82 HRs, 96 doubles, 7 triples, 285 RBIs, 210 walks and 325 strike outs, with 2,034 plate appearances in 584 games as well as a fielding percentage of .986.





He became a hitting instructor at The Baseball Mission in 2007 as well as holding summer baseball camps for the Yard Baseball Academy.



He would be named to the University of Tennessee's "All-Century Team" in 2009.

Just a couple of weeks after that nice honor he got into a domestic situation when he was arrested on 2 counts of aggravated assault, domestic assault and indecent exposure. According to reports two Knoxville police officers responded to call from his home from a report of domestic violence, he allegedly pushed a family member and began breaking items in the home, exposed himself to a female family member and then attempted to run down the officers as they tried to keep him from fleeing the scene. Trammell then came back and he was taken into custody.






Bubba recalls his 2 Opening Day starts, when he made his debut with the Tigers and was a part of the Devil Rays first Opening Day, the home run in his first Mets at bat and of course the opportunity to play in a World Series as being among his proudest moments in baseball.

Bubba maintains a home in Knoxville, Tennessee and a condo in St. Petersburg. Melissa remarried, they have three children, Madison Rebecca, Brandon Allen and Bryson.


He is expected to be part of the Tampa Bay Stars Coaches January 4th - 9th 2015 camp held at Oceola county complex along with many other former Devil Rays.

[Tobywan]

Scott Aldred #37 (#30) -LHP


Scott Phillip Aldred was born on June 12, 1968 in Flint, Michigan though he grew up in Montrose, a rural town just north of his birthplace. He was an All-State pitcher and a two-time All-State quarterback with the Rams at Hill-McCloy High School graduating in 1986.





His stellar performances he caught the eye of Detroit Tiger's scout Bill Schudlich and he was selected in the 16th round of the June 2nd draft. He was offered a baseball scholarship at Michigan, so he took a little time to think about, but decided to sign on August 21st and start his baseball career. In 1987 he was assigned to the Single-A Fayetteville Generals in the SALL finishing the season with a 8-7 record, a 3.57 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 110 innings. He was promoted to the Single A Lakeland Tigers of the FSL where he struck out 102 batters in 131 1⁄3 innings in1988 and was considered one of the best pitching prospects in their
farm system. In 1989 he finished with a 10-6 record, a 3.84 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 122 inniings pitched as a member of the Eastern League's Double-A London Tigers, even though he lost a brief time with a hand injury. In 1990 he went 6-15, his ERA elevated to 4.90 with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, he ranked third in the IL with 133 strikeouts (in 158 innings) and would get a call up making his ML debut on September 9, 1990.




He joined the team in Milwaukee making the start in front of 22,561 at County Stadium on a Sunday afternoon. The first batter he faced was Paul Molitor who walked on 4 straight pitches. He gave up a total of 5 walks and 4 hits, but the Brewers remained scoreless, Scott was relieved after 5 innings by Ed Nunez, he kept the Brewers in check and the Tigers won 5-0.





He split time between the Tigers and the Mudhens in '91, in spring of 1992, he was the first injury when he twisted his ankle during workouts though he recovered to make his spring starts. He would end up splitting his season again between the Tigers and Hens, but his ERA kept ballooning and they left him unprotected for the November 17, 1992 expansion draft and he was selected as the 15th pick by the Colorado Rockies.




He started the 1993 Inaugural season with them, it appears mostly because he was out of options, but he had pitched just 6.2 innings in 5 appearances, when his ERA exploded to 10.80, he was placed on waivers. He was claimed by the Montreal Expos on April 29, 1993 making just 3 appearances before suffering an elbow injury in mid-May that required Tommy John surgery. He was released on September 11th and missed all of the 1994 season.

He was ready to return for the 1995 season, though the league was still in the midst of the strike that prematurely ended the previous season. Many teams were looking for replacement players, but when the Tigers pursued him once again he made it clear he had no interest in being or playing with replacement players, he re-signed with them on February 19th. When the season resumed he went to Lakeland then was promoted to the Jacksonville Suns. He pitched just 79.2 innings during the season so to get more work he called around trying to get a spot on a team in the Venezuelan Winter League, he got an invite from Rueben Amaro who ran Maricaibo. He would recall some interesting experiences like the time his team was on the way to Caracas when the bus caught fire twice, the bus driver used a fire extinguisher to put it out and they went on their way. Once during a game as he was on the mound, a fan was shot in the stands, setting off pandemonium as 20,000 people started jumping down from the stands some injuring their legs as they tried to get to the field. They threw bottles at the umpire and as he walked out to the mound Aldred was also under fire as the ump got closer to him. He pitched well though and it did as he had hoped it caught the attention of the Tigers.




They gave him the honor of taking the ball during the home opener on April 9, 1996, but he gave up seven runs on 5 hits (2 HRs) and 3 walks and struck out 2 in 3.2 innings. Somehow, after falling behind 4-7 the Tiger's pulled the game out winning 10-9, Scott got a no decision. He made 8 more starts inflating his ERA to 9.35, before being designated and picked up off waivers by the Minnesota Twins on May 28th.






He went 6-5 in 17 starts (25 apppearances) with an ERA of 5.09 for the rest of the '96 season. He had a disastrous 1997 when he went just 2-10 with a 7.68 ERA before being sent down after he started the first interleague game at the Metrodome on June 17th against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he got hammered. This outing gave him the league leads in losses (10) homers given up (20) and earned runs (66), his breaking ball wasn't breaking, his curve was hanging, nothing was working. He had worn out his welcome with Twins fans and the patience of the coaching staff. He was assigned to the Triple- A Salt Lake Buzz in the PSL making seven starts. He became a free agent on October 8th.

He signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on December 19th, but didn't make the Opening Day roster and was assigned to the Durham Bulls, making seven starts with a 2-4 record. He was recalled on May 16th, 1998 when injuries started to cut down the staff and made his first appearance for the Rays against the Baltimore Orioles. He would enter the game in relief of Rolando Arrojo in the 6th after Rolando had given up a lead off double, the Rays were leading 4-1. Scott gave up a walk to B.J. Surhoff, then got Harold Baines to ground into a double play before finally getting Rafael Palmeiro to flyout ending the inning, he was awarded a hold in the 5-2 win. Even though he had been used as a starter throughout most of his career including Durham the Rays used him strictly as a reliever that season, making 48 appearances and took the major league record for most appearances in a single season without a decision, a mark not broken until 2007.





He made the Opening Day roster for the 1999 season with a spot in the bull pen. He made 37 appearances with a 3-2 record and a 5.18 ERA when he was sent to the Philadelphia Phillies to complete the deal made on July 20th for Marty Barnett (minors). He earned his first career save on September 24th against the New York Mets. He pitched 32.1 innings for the Phils finishing with a 1-1 record and a 3.90 ERA. He re-signed a one year deal on January 11, 2000, he pitched just 20.1 innings going 1-3 with a 5.75 ERA. On May 29 he came into the game in relief, he had allowed one hit and retired one batter, when he felt pain and was removed. He was assessed and placed on the disabled list, he had surgery on a torn labrum 8 days later. He was activated on October 1st and released. He was granted free agency on October 14th.


He signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians on December 20th, but with an over abundance of pitchers in camp he was released on March 26, 2001. He signed a minor league contract with the NY Yankees at the end of July and was assigned to their Double-A affiliate Norwich Navigators of the Eastern League. He only pitched in 11 games before he needed hip surgery which ended his season.

He signed a minor league deal with the LA Dodgers on January 20, 2002 he was sent to Triple A Las Vegas 51s of the PCL until July 18th.

He signed on with the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball to begin the 2003 season, he had a 3-1 record with a 1.85 ERA and 28 strikeouts in over 24 innings pitched in a team high 20 games pitched with seven saves before being signed by the Boston Red Sox to a minor league deal on June 20th. He was first assigned to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox then spent the final month with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs replacing Anastacio Martinez as the closer. He started the 2004 season with them until his elbow went out again in July ending his season and his career.




His final MLB game was May 29, 2000 for the Philadelphia Phillies at 32 years old.

He played nine seasons in the majors for 6 different teams finishing with a 20-39 record, a 6.02 ERA, 312 strike outs, 230 walks, in 229 games and 499.2 innings pitched.

Immediately after retirement he stayed busy by offering private pitching lessons through Fenton’s Premier Indoor Sports. He enjoyed teaching so much he thought he might be able to to do it at a higher level. He has gone on to have a lengthy and successful post playing career as a pitching coach in the minor league system of the New York Yankees, he was first named to the staff of the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs of the South Atlantic League, they finished the 2006 season with the second best team ERA with 3.20. He was with the Double-A Trenton Thunder as they led the Eastern League in ERA for both 2007 and 2008 as well as EL titles in both seasons.




He joined the coaching staff of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees of the International League for the 2009 season (reunited with ex-Ray Aaron Ledesma as infield coach), once again his pitchers would lead the league posting a team ERA of 3.32. They made the play-offs with an 81-60 record losing the Championship game to the Durham Bulls.

On December 5, 2009 he was inducted into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame during a banquet at the Genesys Health Club.

In 2010 his SWB staff would finish third in ERA with 3.78 and once again make the post season going 87-56, but were eliminated in the semi-finals. During the off season the NY Yankees were looking for a replacement for their pitching coach Dave Eiland, Aldred was one of the finalist considered for the position with all of his experience working with many of the pitchers that were now with the big club, but they ended up giving the job to former D-Rays manager, Larry Rothschild. He continued with SWB for the 2011 season, they would finish in 7th place going 73-69.




Their stadium needed renovations so they relocated for the 2012 season and changed their operating name to Empire State Yankees for promotional reasons, they decided to vacate for the year so the face lift could be finished in one year instead of being spread out over two or three off seasons. Their home games were spread out over 6 different sites. Despite all the rearranging, the team went 84–60, finishing first and once again headed to the post season, but would be eliminated in the Semi-finals. In 2013 with renovations done the team changed hands and became the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders but they would go just 68-76 ending up in 5th place.

One thing he enjoys as a coach of the minors more then when he played is that many of the newer stadiums and fields are nice and kept in better condition than his playing days.

In mid-November 2013 Aldred was under consideration as a new pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks to replace Charles Nagy, but they decided to stay in house giving the job to another former Devil Ray, Dan Carlson.

He is currently still in his position of pitching coach for the 2014 RailRiders. .




In the off season Scott resides in Fenton, Michigan with his wife Stacy (nee Woodruff), they have three daughters Lindsey, Courtney and Kiley. Scott still gives lessons in the off season at Fenton's Premier Indoor Sports.





Scott with his daughter Kiley during a road trip at Victory Field home of the Indianapolis Indians May 2014.

[Tobywan]

Mike Duvall #47 -LHP


Michael Alan Duvall was born on October 11, 1974 in Warrenton, Virginia. He attended Fauquier High School playing for the Falcons graduating in 1993 .He attended Potomac State College (Keyser, West Virginia) pitching the 1994 and 1995 seasons for the Catamounts. In 1995 he set a school record for single season strikeouts with 101 that stood until 2006, set the single season innings pitched with 81 1/3 that held up until 2000, is third in ERA with 0.936. He is second in career wins with 17, first in strikeouts with 189, first for innings pitched with 150.2 and fourth in complete games with 8.


On June 1, 1995 he was selected in the 19th round of the amateur draft by the Florida Marlins, he signed on June 6th. He was sent to the rookie GCL Marlins where he posted a 5-0 record and 1 save in 16 appearances (just 1 start). He pitched for the Single-A Kane County Cougars of the MIDW going 4-1, with a 2.06 ERA, 8 saves in 48.0 innings pitched. He started the 1997 season with the A+ Brevard County Manatees in the FSL, 6 saves in 11 games finished with a ERA of 0.73, then was sent to Double A Portland Sea Dogs in the EL, he went 4-6 with 18 saves. Even with some impressive numbers the Marlins didn't call him up as they got a post season berth by taking the NL wild card. They swept the Giants in the division series and eliminated the Braves 4-2 and won the World Series in an exciting Game 7 against the Cleveland Indians.

They left him unprotected and he was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with the 16th pick in the second round of the November 18, 1997 expansion draft.

He was doing well during spring but he started to have inflammation and ended up starting the 1998 season on the DL, he pitched a couple of games for the St Pete Devil Rays before heading up to the Triple-A Durham Bulls, spending the rest of the season with them, he went 5-3, made 32 appearances (9 starts) even pitching a complete game and got a late call up making his debut on September 22nd against the Boston Red Sox. He came into the game after starter Julio Santana and reliever Brad Pennington. The Rays were down 3-0 to start the 3rd inning, Santana gave up 2 more runs before being lifted for Pennington who gave up 2 more runs. Duvall was sent in to try to stop the onslaught with the bases loaded to face Mike Benjamin getting him to ground into a double play. In the fourth he retired the side but in the 5th he gave up a lead off triple to Nomar Garciaparra which fueled a 3 run inning. He pitched 2.2 innings along with 3 runs he gave up 2 hits and 2 walks. In just a brief sampling he pitched 4 innings, with 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks and 6.75 ERA.



In parts of four minor league seasons he was 19-10 with a 2.32 ERA and 33 saves while moving through the system. After the season he rested it completely for about 6 weeks the went to Venezuela to pitch in winter league, he was still struggling with speed but gradually gained it back.

He came back to spring camp in 1999 optimistic that he could show the Rays he was in good enough shape for a shot on the roster, he had even developed a change up. He had a good spring and made the 25 man roster. He pitched 40 innings in 40 games, starting none, he spent 6 weeks on the DL with a right side strain finishing with a 4.05 ERA.

He was optioned to Durham during the second round of cuts during spring 2000. He only pitched in 2 games that season for the Devil Rays at the beginning of August, he spent the rest in Durham, He went 6-2 with a 4.59 ERA in 30 appearances with 80.1 IP and just 8 starts.


He was in spring camp with the Rays, he was assigned to minor league camp on March 7th and released on March 22, 2001. He signed with the Minnesota Twins on March 28th an assigned to the Triple-A Edmonton Trappers of the PCL.





He pitched in 55 games (0 starts) going 2-2 with 3 saves, a 4.45 ERA in 62.2 IP. His contract was purchased by the Twins on September 1st, he pitched just 4.2 innings in 8 appearances with a 7.71 ERA. On January 15, 2002 he re-signed with the Twins, while pitching practice during the early spring workouts he felt a sharp pain in his elbow on the last pitch.





He immediately informed the trainer and Twin's doctors took an MRI, they thought he just aggravated a previous injury, he put on rest and then rehabbed for seven weeks, but the pain returned. He was sent to a specialist in Alabama who found a torn ulna collateral nerve and he had Tommy John surgery on April 30th. He had a very quick recovery, though he felt disappointment that he was not able to be with the team as they landed in first place going into August despite the hype surrounding the possibility that the team was in serious consideration for contraction.He had only been with them a brief time, but really enjoyed his teammates and how the organization had taken care of of him through his surgery.





They ended up winning their division and the first round of the postseason by defeating the West Divsion champion
Oakland Athletics, but thier run ended when they ran into the Red October of the Anaheim Angels (4-1) on their way to a magical WS championship. He was released on October 21st, but re-signed on November 5th. He played the entire 2003 season with the Triple A Rochester Red Wings of the IL, he finished 1-4 in 24 games ( 6 starts), with a 5.48 ERA in 44.1 IP, but never got another call up and was released on August 4, 2003.




He retired after the season making his last Major League game October 4, 2001, he was 28 years old.

In four MLB seasons he finished with a career 1-1 record with a 4.76 ERA, 23 strikeouts in 53 games and 51 IP.


After his baseball career he became a distributor for JJ Taylor's he is mainly in charge of craft beers for the company even taking part in judging and tasting events in the Southwest Florida Region and has also hosted celebrity events that benefit youth sports.


Mike resides in Ft Myers, Florida with his wife Cammy they have two sons and a daughter. Mike coaches in a youth league (including many championships) one star athlete was his oldest son Donovan, who now plays baseball as a freshman at Canterbury High School in Ft. Myers.

[Tobywan]

Dave Eiland # 48-RHP

David William Eiland was born on July 5, 1966 in Dade City, Florida to a local police chief William R. Eiland and June Clarice (Arnot) Eiland, the family resided in nearby Zephyrhills, Dave has an older sister named Beth.




circa 1971


He attended Zephyrhills High School graduating in 1984, the same high school his parents attended, he was a four sport athlete playing baseball, football, golf and basketball, all of them very well. He was an All-Conference quarterback and wide receiver for the Bulldogs in 1983. As a senior on the baseball team Eiland batted .451 with six home runs while going 10-5 with 108 strikeouts and 17 walks. His high school career numbers were a 24-12 with four saves, 326 strikeouts and 68 walks in 233 innings. Bill Eiland was very involved in his son's athletics, the town and the school, he helped fund raise for a new ball field at the high school.



He signed a letter of intent to play football at the University of Florida in Gainesville with an athletic scholarship to play for the Gators in February of 1984. As a sophomore he suffered a shoulder injury, coaches recommended surgery but Dave thought it might affect his pitching so he transferred to the University of South Florida in Tampa, to play baseball for the Bulls. He earned All-Sun Belt and All-American honors as a junior.

He was selected by the New York Yankees in the 7th round of the June 2, 1987 amateur draft and signed on June 4th giving up his senior year at USF, he split the rest of the season with the Minor-A Oneonta Yankees of the NYPL and Single-A Fort Lauderdale Yankees of the FSL as a member of their Championship team. Eiland recalls the life as a low minor league player, being one of four guys crammed into a 2 bedroom apartment, sustaining themselves on 59 cent cans of spaghetti and meatballs, grabbing extra rolls of toilet paper from the hotels on road trips to take home. That is the minor league life of guys not taken high in the drafts with huge signing bonuses.

Between the two clubs he finished with a 9-3 record, 1.87 ERA in 13 starts, he pitched 4 complete games and one shut out. He would start the 1988 season in Double A with the Albany-Colonie Yankees in the EL, after going 9-5 in 18 starts, posting an ERA of 2,56 with 7 complete games and 2 shutouts in 119.1 IP when he was called up to the Yankees. He made his ML debut on August 3rd getting the start against the Milwaukee Brewers. The first batter he faced was Paul Molitor who hit a home run. Then he gave up a walk to Jim Gantner, but would settle down giving up just 2 more hits, but only that one run, 2 walks, striking out 3 in 7 innings. He was replaced for the 8th with Dave Righetti, Yankees were leading 5-1, Righetti and then Cecilio Guante let up 5 runs giving the Brewers a 6-5 lead, the Yanks failed to score ruining Eiland's day. He was up for just a few weeks, he started a total of 3 games, let up 15 hits, 9 runs, 6 home runs, 4 walks and hit 2 batters in 12.2 IP with a 6.39 ERA. Another memorable moment was striking out Bo Jackson during a series against Kansas City. He was optioned to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers of the International League, making just 4 starts. In 1989 he started the season with the Clippers and was called up to the Yanks from June 17-July 14, for Columbus he went 9-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 18 starts with 2 complete games in 103 IP and for the Yanks he went 6-6, with a 5.77 ERA in 34.1 innings of work.




He spent 1990 with the Clippers, had his best season in the minors going 16-5, with a 2.87 ERA with 11 complete games and 3 shutouts and earned the IL Pitcher of the Year and tied the IL record for most wins with Bob Kammeyer who won 16 games in 1979. Baseball America placed him ninth on their major league prospect list. He earned a call up on September 10th going 2-1 in 5 starts with a 3.56 ERA for the rest of the season.



He spent the 1991 season up with the Yankees though he injured his right foot at the end of May not returning until mid-July.
He rehabbed in Columbus going 6-1 in 9 starts with 2 complete games, but finished the season in the bigs going 2-5 in 18 games (13 starts) with a 5.33 ERA in 72.2 IP. In those early years he would train in the off season with the Zephyrhills Bulldogs to get ready for spring training.


During the off season Dave married Sandra Tuscano on November 9th, 1991. Dave's sister Beth was married to Sandra's brother Carl Tuscano Jr., Zephyrhills is a very small town, Dave and Sandra both attended Zephyrhills High School though she graduated in 1980, four years before him.




Eiland was with the Yankees at the end of one their longest post season droughts. He was released on January 9, 1992. He was a bit put off at the time stating he had pitched through being hurt and did everything they asked him to, he would later admit he took it personally and that his anger was more out of disappointment. He learned how to deal with the business side of the game from that experience.


He signed with the San Diego Padres on January 27th he made the Opening Day roster as a member of the starting rotation and in a game against the Dodgers he got to bat for the first time. On April 10th at Jack Murphy Stadium, he hit a home run off of off Bob Ojeda in the 2nd inning becoming the the first player in Major League baseball history to give up a home run to the first batter he ever faced and hit a home run in his very first at-bat.





He was sent to the DL on May 5th with back spasms, returning on June 29th from rehab with the AAA Las Vegas Stars in the PSL, but a week later he suffered a contusion on his ankle while sliding. He was reactivated on September 1st, but finished the season back at Las Vegas. With the Pads he went 0-2 in 7 starts and with the Stars he was 4-5 in 14 starts. He was granted free agency on December 7th. He re-signed with the team on February 28, 1993. He made 9 starts going 0-3 when he was placed on waivers, cleared, was assigned to Las Vegas, refused, was released and became a free agent on May 28th. He signed two days later with the Cleveland Indians. He made just 8 starts going 1-3 with their Triple A affiliate Charlotte Knights of the IL and was traded on August 4th to the Texas Rangers for Gerald Alexander and Allan Anderson. He spent the rest of the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers in the AA going 3-1 in 7 starts and one complete game. He became a free agent on October 15th.


He went back to the Yankees re-signing with them on March 12, 1994, but spent the entire season with the Clippers, he pitched 140.2 innings, going 9-6 in 26 starts with a 3.58 ERA. In 1995 he only spent a month with the big club from July 21-August 21, with 4 appearances, 1 start and a 1- 1 record with a 6.30 ERA, he spent the rest of the time at Columbus going 8-7 in 18 starts with a 3.14 ERA and completely missed the brief post season when the Yankees took the AL wild card spot the first year of extended play offs. They were eliminated in the ALDS by Seattle 3-2. He was granted free agency on October 3rd. Dave and Sandra had their first daughter in 1994.



He signed with the St Louis Cardinals on December 6th, 1995, when the Cardinals broke camp in St. Petersburg, FL, Dave was assigned to the Double- A Louisville Redbirds, he invited his father to go with him. Dave's father Bill had retired a few months before as Police Chief of Zephyrhills after 34 years and had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Tragically, Bill suffered a heart attack the first week they were in Louisville, he drifted into a coma and was placed on life support, by the next day they knew he wasn't going to get better. Dave was to pitch on Sunday, it was Easter, knowing his father he decided to go and do his job, he got through the first couple of innings fine, but then fell apart allowing 9 runs. His father passed away that night on April 7th, 1996. In the town of Zephyrhills there is a small square that houses the Bill Eiland Memorial Bandstand and a section of State Route 54 that runs through the town was renamed Eiland Boulevard in his honor. Dave made just 6 starts (8 appearances) with a 0-1 record and a 5.55 ERA, he was released on June 15th.

He was re-signed by the Yankees on June 18th spending the rest of the season with the Clippers as they took the International League Championship. Sometime during the season Dave and Sandra welcomed their second daughter though he wasn't able to leave the team for the birth, his sister and brother in-law also had an addition to the family.

He once again missed being a part of the post season when the Yankees won the division, the pennant and the World Series. He was a free agent on October 15th but re-signed on December 23rd. He spent all of 1997 in the minors, a couple games with rookie GCL Yankees, a few with High-A Tampa Yankees of the Florida State League, but the majority of time with Columbus. The Yankees took the wild card once again, but were eliminated in the ALDS by Cleveland. . He finished 5-3 with a 6.42 ERA in 15 starts and 81.1 innings pitched. He became a free agent again on October 15th.

He signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on December 19th. He didn't make the 25-man roster and was assigned to the Durham Bulls. He went 13-5 with a 2.99 ERA in 28 starts, 2 complete games and one shut out. After, the Bulls International League play-off run was over, he was called up by the Rays and made one start on September 25th, he let up 6 runs on 6 hits and walked 3 getting pulled after 2.2 innings. He was granted free agency on October 15th and re-signed on November 28th. His reward for his season at Durham was an invite to spring training.



During his time with the Devil Rays, Eiland acted as a body double for Kevin Costner, in the 1999 film For Love of the Game. He went to New York for three weeks of filming. He never saw the movie in the theater opting to wait until it came out on video.

He started the 1999 season in Durham after being assigned to minor league camp on March 17th during spring training, going 5-3 in 10 starts, was called up on May 28th, he started to get lower back stiffness and went on the DL on June 9th. He had a very nice game against Pedro Martinez and the Boston Red Sox on July 7th, Pedro had one of hs best seasons but Dave and the Devil Rays won 3-2.




Dave tries to shake off a three-run homer he just gave up to Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz at Turner Field on June 7, 1999



He sprained his ankle in mid- July that kept him unavailable for a couple of days and then went back to the DL at the end of August with inflammation in his hip. He also was day-to-day when his right ring finger was struck by a ball on September 27th. With Tampa Bay in between injuries he made 15 starts (21 appearances) finishing with 4-8 record and a 5.60 ERA. He was designated for assignment on November 20th, accepted and was outrighted to Durham on the 25th.



He would make the 25-man roster for 2000 when his contract was purchased from Durham on April 2nd, but he would have another season riddled with injuries.



On April 23, 2000 Eiland threw 100 pitches giving the Rays their third shut during the first month as they defeated the Anaheim Angels 1-0.



He developed left thigh stiffness in his quad though avoided the DL in May, then at the end of the month he had inflammation due to bursitis in his left hip and ended up on the 60-day DL and was activated on August 9th, his season ended on September 11th when he hyper-extended his right knee. He had several rehab games between both Orlando and Durham during his DL stint in July and in between injuries he pitched in 17 games(10 starts) for the D-Rays while his ERA ballooned to 7.24. He was cleared from injury on October 2nd, he was sent outright to Durham, he refused assignment and given his release on the 12th.

[Tobywan]

He signed with the Oakland Athletics on December 6th. He was assigned to their minor league camp on March 18th, he suffered a torn Flexor tendon during a spring game, even though he decided to end his pitching career, he opted to have a second Tommy John surgery on April 1st so that he could still swing a golf club at his leisure and throw BP in hopes of getting a coaching job. He had kind of taken the roll on while he was pitching, helping younger teammates as he was pitching in the minors.

He made his last MLB appearance on September 10, 2000 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, he was 33 years old.

In parts of 10 seasons he finished with a 12-27 record, a 5.74 ERA in 373 IP, with 152 strikeouts, he pitched in 92 games with 70 starts


While he was in the Yankees system he had been told by Mark Newman (head of the Yankee's farm system) that the yanks were in having him coach, so in 2003 they gave him a job with the Gulf Coast Yankee, they went 26-31 finishing in third place. He went to the Staten Island Yankees of the NYPL in 2004 under manager Tommy John, the team finished in 6th place with a 28-44 record. In 2005 he was with the Trenton Thunder of the Eastern League who finished in 2nd place going 74-68 making the play-offs but lost in the semi-finals. In 2006 Trenton finished in 1st place with a 80-62 record losing in the first round of the post season. He spent 2007 with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in the IL, they finished 1st but lost in the semi-finals.



During his tenure in the Yankees farm system, Eiland oversaw the development of prospects including Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy. He joined the ML coaching staff after the minor league season was over when rosters and staffs expanded. During his time with Scranton he observed that pitchers seemed more worried about who was being called up by the big club and who wasn't so he had a meeting and chew his staff out in front of Nardi Contreras, the Yankees' roving pitching instructor. That kind of take charge attitude likely led to his promotion as the Yankees pitching coach when it came time for a replacement of Ron Guidry as well as his knowledge of many of the pitchers now pitching at the major league level. One of his first jobs was to convince a struggling veteran pitcher that he needed to change a few things, he tried to explain to Mike Mussina how he could make some adjustments after starting the season 1-3. Mike wasn't interested until it was made clear to him, change or you're out of the rotation, Moose finished with a career high 20- 9 record for his last hurrah.




Eiland with Joe Girardi


The Yankees failed to make the postseason after thirteen straight appearances. There was improvement though as the pitching staff ERA dropped from 4.49 in 2007 to 4.28 in 2008. They would make the post season in 2009 defeating the Minnesota Twins 3-0 in the ALDS, the LA Angels of Anaheim 4-2 and taking the World Series from the reigning Champion Philadelphia Phillies 4-2. The team ERA down to 4.26, recording 1,260 strikeouts, the second-most ever by a Yankees staff, they fell just six strikeouts shy of the club mark of 1,266 accomplished in 2001.



Eiland with CC Sabathia




He took a personal leave of absence on June 4, 2010 when he returned on June 29th rumors began swirling that such a long leave had to be due to something more salacious than just a "private family matter" as had been the reason given. Talk of alcoholism or infidelity was bantered about but mostly on blogs and fan forums, there was no confirmation of any kind of impropriety from the team or Eiland.




Eiland with David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays and Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins before the 81st MLB All-Star game at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California on July 13, 2010. .


The Yankees once again made the play-offs by virtue of the wild card, team ERA was 4.06, they swept Minnesota just as they had last season, but were eliminated by the Texas Rangers 4-2 in the ALCS. However, harsh accusations were thrown at him again when his contract was not renewed after the season. Depending on which papers you read he was not asked back because GM Brian Cashman wanted to make changes or he was flat out fired due to the team not making the play-offs coupled with whatever problems occurred that went back to his leave of absence. Some of the rumors were that he had a drinking problem, that it began interfering with his job, that the black eye that AJ Burnett sported in mid-September was from a blow he received from Eiland when AJ confronted him.




Eiland with AJ Burnett

The amusing thing is many bloggers accused him of bad mouthing the Yankees every chance he got yet amazingly there are no credible news peices or interviews of any such mud slinging, just the infamous "unnamed sources". In fact the opposite, Eiland had praised the organization especially his good rapport with Girardi both before and after the leave, his comments were much harsher when he played for them in the beginning of his playing career. Unnamed sources also eluded to GM Cashman sniping at Eiland's statement of not really knowing specifically why he was not asked back with “He knows why he was let go“, said Cashman. “He was given conditions that needed to be followed. So he knows why.” Yet Cashman himself praised Eiland in interviews and stated the decision to not renew his contract was made even before the Yankees were eliminated from the post season. Eiland's final two staffs in 2009 and 2010 held opponents to a .251 and .249 batting average, respectively, the second and third best totals for a Yankees club since 1982. He was replaced by former Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild.

Zephyrhills High school retired Dave's No. 14 jersey in a pre-football game ceremony on November 14, 2009.

He joined the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010 as a special assistant to Executive VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, which brought even more ire from Yankees fans and more finger pointing that he was a bad pitching coach because the Rays didn't hire him for that, the Rays were not looking to fill that role as pitching coach Jim Hickey had been in place for quite a while. His job was to rank high school and college pitchers in preparation for the amateur draft the following June and to evaluate the major league pitchers for potential trades and free agent signings as well as the pitchers in spring camp.

The Kansas City Royals came calling when they wanted to make changes and decided not to retain their pitching coach Bob McClure for the 2012 season, Dave jumped at the chance to be on the field again. On October 25, 2011 he was named the pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals where he currently holds that position.



Was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in Columbus,Ohio on June 7, 2012. His International League career record is 82-42 with a 3.44 ERA. He amassed the most wins, strikeouts, and complete games in the 90's. Eiland played on three Governor’s Cup teams. On July 1st he lost his beloved mother June at the age of 85.


In 2012 Kansas City recorded a franchise-best 535 strikeouts, which set an American League record for strikeouts by a bullpen, surpassing the previous record of 527 by the 2001 Cleveland Indians.

In 2013 the Royals pitching staff led the American League with a 3.45 ERA, Kansas City's first ERA title since 1986, it was the club's best season ERA total since a 3.44 mark in 1978. The 2013 Royals' bullpen posted a franchise-best 2.55 ERA, easily surpassing previous low of 2.80, set in 1981, during the strike-shortened season, it was the lowest bullpen ERA by an American League club since Oakland's 2.35 mark in 1990. KC also recorded a franchise-record 1,208 strikeouts during the 2013 season, including 491 in 461.1 innings by its bullpen.



Eiland with the most recent "Bachelor" Juan Pablo Galavis in April 2014.



insert Eiland and Eric Hosmer look on as C Salvador Perez chats with P Aaron Crow during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays May 30, 2014


Dave and his wife, Sandra, reside in Wesley Chapel, Florida (not very far from Zephyrhills), they have two daughters Nicole Marie and Natalie Clarice.
He is very active in charity work, most especially with the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Sandra works as an office manager at a florist shop in Carrollwood area of Tampa.




Dave with Natalie

[Tobywan]

Eddie Gaillard #28 -RHP


Julian Edward Gaillard was born August 13, 1970, in Camden, New Jersey, but grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida. He attended Forest Hill Community High School. He went on to Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL and pitched for the Moccasins. Then won the Seventeen Sunshine State Conference Championship in 1992. He was selected in the 50th round by the Detroit Tigers but did not sign. He was First Team All-American and All-Conference First Team in 1993. He was also their MVP in 1993 with a 16-8 record.


He was selected in the 13th round of the June 3, 1993 draft by the Detroit Tigers and signed on June 5th. He was first sent to their A- affiliate Niagara Falls Rapids in the NYPL, he made just 3 starts before being moved to the Single-A Fayetteville Generals of the SALL. He made a total of 14 starts going 6-4 with a 4.01 ERA. He was promoted to the A + Lakeland Tigers of the Florida State League in 1994 making 30 appearances with just 9 starts, a 6-1 record with a 2.84 ERA in 92 innings pitched.



He started 1995 in Lakeland, but was sent to the Double-A Jacksonville Suns in the SOUL but he was strictly used in relief and mainly as closer. He made 51 appearances with 40 GF, 25 saves, a 2-5 record and a 1.86 ERA. He would spent all of 1996 with the Suns, in 56 games he was mainly used in middle relief. He finished just 24 games with one save and a 9-6 record as the Suns made the play-offs taking the South Atlantic league Championship defeating the Chattanooga Lookouts 3-1 in the final. He would be assigned to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens of the International League in 1997 mainly in the closer role again, with 28 saves and a 4.25 ERA. He was called up to make his ML debut on August 11th in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Kevin Jarvis started the game. Heading into the 6th the Tigers were down 2-1 Jarvis started off the inning by giving up back to back home runs to Joe Carter and Carlos Delgado before giving way to Gaillard. Eddie gave up a single to Ed Sprague, but struck out Shawn Green before retiring Benito Santiago and Alex Gonzalez to end the inning. The Jays beat the Tigers 8-2. He would finish the season with the Tigers going 1-0 in 16 appearances, 5 GF, one save and a 5.31 ERA.



He pitched in the Arizona Fall League for the Grand Canyon Rafters, they played in the championship game losing to the Peoria Javelinas.


He spent the spring with Detroit but was placed on waivers being selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on April 2, 1998.

He did not make the Opening Day roster and was assigned to Durham, he was called up along with Jason Johnson on April 21st when Wade Boggs
and Rick Gorecki were placed on the disabled list. On May 20th he suffered an elbow strain going on the DL, was then transferred to the 60-day and returned to action on August 25th. He moved around a lot that year with the team playing for the GCL Rays then St Pete and Durham, he went 2-0 in 21 games, 3 starts with a 5.88 ERA.



On February 6, 1999 he and the Rays came to terms on a new deal, but he was among many that were sent to minor league camp during the third
week of cuts in spring training. He was called up on May 4th when Tony Saunders was demoted after some rough starts. He wasn't up long and was sent back to the Bulls, but came back to the Rays on September 22nd. He was designated for assignment on November 20th and selected off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds on November 25, 1999, though he was released on April 4, 2000.


He signed with the Chunichi Dragons of the Japan Central League taking over the closer role after Korean pitcher Sun Dong-Yeol retired. He
led the league in 2000 with 35 saves and appeared in the All-Star game. He led the league in saves in 2002 with a 1.52 ERA. In April 2003, he recorded his 100th save in only his 148th appearance, the fastest in the history of Japanese baseball.







When the Dragons began using Akinori Otsuka as their closer, he started to complain about his lack of play and was put on waivers. He was picked up by the Yokohama BayStars and finished out the season with them. Gaillard was ready to accept a multi-year contract on the premise he would
be the closer, but when they signed Kazuhiro Sasaka, he knew he would be relugated to relief work and opted to sign just a year deal. He got injured in June and went back to the US for surgery.



He collected a total of 120 saves in his 5 seasons in Japan. He enjoyed his time in Japan, enjoyed the money (the equivalent of $15 million U.S. over those 5 years) and the attention from fans who treat every player like a full fledged star, he even learned to speak the language.


On January 25, 2005 he signed with the Colorado Rockies, he was thrilled to be given a shot with the Rox especially since Morrison, a suburb of Denver, had become his home nine years ago when his bride Tami attended graduate school at the University of Colorado. He even worked out at Coors Field before the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Tami stayed there with their young children while he played in Japan, he felt it was time for him to stay closer to home and was in a position to afford taking the lesser pay. Unfortunately, things didn't work out with the Rockies he battled some minor injuries that kept him from making a solid showing, they released him on April 7th when the Rox gave the closing position to Brian Fuentes. He took the rest of the season off then signed a minor league contract with the Florida Marlins on February 6, 2006, he was assigned to minor league camp on March 21st.




He was sent to their Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes in the PCL, but he got injured on May 25th and announced his retirement on June 21st.

His last MLB appearance was October 3, 1999 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, he was 29 years old.

In 3 ML seasons he went 2-0 with a 4.66 ERA, 7 games finished with one save and 24 strikeouts in 30 games with 36.2 IP.

The Gaillards packed up and resettled near where Eddie grew up on the East coast of Florida. He started working for Sundance Marine in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida selling luxury fishing boats.




He began coaching in youth baseball for the Jupiter Tequesta Athletic Association including his son Dakota. His team the 12U Jupiter Hammerheads won the 2nd Annual Jupiter Holiday Wood Bat Tournament by defeating Easton 11-7.



He has taken part in the anual Joe Neikro Pro Golf Tournament held at the FSC campus.



Now resides in Jupiter, Florida with Tami they have a son, Dakota, and daughter, Peyton. Peyton has won competitions with the CATS Gymnastics of Jupiter.

[Tobywan]

Jason Johnson # 41 -RHP

Jason Michael Johnson was born on October 27, 1973 in Santa Barbara, California though his parents John and Deanna Johnson moved the family to Florence, Kentucky when Jason was little. When Jason was 11 years old he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, he was very active, a star on his youth baseball team and worried that it might prevent him from playing baseball and basketball, his two favorite things. Diabetes ran in the family as his father's sister had died due to complications of the disease. With support from his parents and advice from doctors they assured him he could do anything he wanted, he just had to keep up proper treatment to prevent any problems.

Jason's older brother Jeremy had been invited to a tryout with the Cincinnati Reds, tragically he didn't get the opportunity as he was killed in a car accident in July 1989, he was just 17. In an effort to console his grieving mother Jason (15) told her he would get to to the big leagues. Jason played both baseball and basketball for the Cougars at Conner High School in Hebron,(Burlington) KY. He passed on a basketball scholarship at Moorehead State to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an undrafted free agent on July 21,1992 after a scout Steve Demeter liked what he saw. He was assigned
to the Rookie Gulf Coast League Pirates, he went 2-0 in 5 appearances. He started the 1993 season in the GCL making 9 starts before being sent to the A- Welland Pirates of the NYPL going 2-9 in 15 starts with a 3.24 ERA. In 1994 he was promoted to the Single-A Augusta Green Jackets in the SALL, making 9 starts going 2-12 with a 4.03 ERA and one complete game. He split the 1995 season between Augusta and the A+ Lynchburg Hillcats of the Carolina League going 4-9 with 21 starts, one complete game and a 4.64 ERA. He pitched for both minor league clubs in 1996 going 5-8 in a career high 29 games with 19 starts, one complete game and 4.28 ERA in 128.1 IP.

Tragedy struck again during the off season, in December Jason was driving alone in his jeep in a storm when it hydroplaned, crashing into a telephone pole. When rescue workers showed up he wasn't breathing. He had a fractured skull, internal injuries and was on a respirator when his folks arrived at the hospital. He had to have his jaw wired shut, doctors warned him he may never get back to the same pitcher he had been.


When he finally returned to play during the 1997 season he started at Lynchburg then moved up to Double-A Carolina Mudcats in the Southern League, he was 11-7 with 26 starts, one complete game, a 3.85 ERA and a career 156.2 IP when he was called up on August 27th, he made his debut that night against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Steve Cooke was the starter but got yanked after two batters in the 2nd inning, he had already given up 3 runs in the first and let two on in the 2nd when Johnson came in to relieve. The first batter he faced was Mike Piazza who launched a bomb out to deep left center, making the score 6-0. He then gave up a single to Eric Karros who then got caught stealing while Raul Mondesi stuck out. Then he gave up back to back singles to Todd Zielle and Garey Ingram before Juan Castro grounded out to end the inning. The Pirates used 4 more pitchers losing 9-5. He made just 2 more appearances, pitching just 6 innings with 6.00 ERA.

He was selected as the 14th pick of the November 18, 1997 expansion draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.



He did not make the opening day roster but was called up on April 21st along with Eddie Gaillard from the Triple-A Durham Bulls, when Rick Gorecki and Wade Boggs went on the disabled list. He made his first appearance for the Rays on April 23rd, it was his first major league start after just three relief appearances in with the Pirates in 1997. Facing the Texas Rangers he went 5.1 innings, letting up 2 runs on 5 hits and 5 walks with 2 strike outs getting the win as the Rays defeated the Rangers 12-5. His proud mother was at Arlington Ballpark to witness it, she and Jason couldn't help but think about Jeremy, Jason would relate that he could feel his brother was watching over him that day.



He made 12 more starts going 2-5 with a 5.70 ERA before suffering back stiffness that ended his season. He moved a lot that season starting with the GCL Rays then St Pete and Durham, he went 2-0 in 21 games, 3 starts with a 5.88 ERA,

He played for the Grand Canyon Rafters in Arizona Fall League after months of rehabilitation , they went to finals but were defeated by Sun Cities Solar Sox in 1998.




He re-signed a year deal with the Rays on Februrary 19, 1999 just after coming to spring camp and put himself in contention for a rotation spot, but ended up being sent to minor league camp. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on March 29th for Danny Clyburn and a player to be named later. The Orioles sent Angel Bolivar Volquez (minors) on April 22nd to the Devil Rays to complete the trade. He was first assigned to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings in the IL, he was 4-2 after 8 starts with a 3.65 ERA when he was promoted to the Orioles on May 20th, he finished the season 8-7 with a 5.46 ERA in 21 starts. He started the 2000 season at Triple-A going 3-1 in 8 starts with a complete game and a 1.42 ERA before being called up near the end of April, he was sent back to the minors and recalled on August 2nd, he made 25 appearances (13 starts) finishing the season with a 1-10 record and a 7.02 ERA with the Orioles.



In 2001 he received the Tony Conigliaro Award. He would also get his first full season in the majors when he made the Opening Day roster, he was given 32 starts going 10-12 with 2 complete games and a 4.09 ERA in 196 innings pitched.

Johnson was feeling discouraged and always fretful when he would feel fatigued while pitching, constantly having to check his blood levels between every inning, his wife Stacey starting doing some research and talked him into trying an insulin pump. It changed his life, he became a big advocate for it whenever he spoke about the disease. He also became an avid runner, weightlifter and with he urging of his wife a fan of yoga, they would attend classes regularly near their home in Tampa.





Jason warms up as Mike Mussina heads to the opposing bull pen.

In 2002 he avoided arbitration when Baltimore offered him a 2 year deal worth $4.7M, he once again made the opening roster but fracture a finger on his right hand on April 25th. Johnson was practicing on the mound about an hour before a game and hit his hand on the ground during his follow through. He played one rehab game for the Bowie Baysox in the EL before returning on June 7th, but suffered inflammation from tendonitis and went back to the DL on July 23rd. He returned on August 9th. He went 5-14 in 22 strats with a 4.59 ERA.

Jason was disappointed in his season he believed he was too easily distracted while he was pitching by the crowds, hitter's movements just about everything, felt he just couldn't keep his mind on just pitching so he spent the off season working with a focus coach.

During spring in 2003 he had a diabetic episode that he blamed on not eating and drinking enough on a hot a day, he remained healthy the rest of the year but still a bit wild, he went 10-10 (best record of any Orioles starter that season) in 32 starts with a 4.82 ERA in 189.2 IP, allowing 216 hits while striking out 118.



Johnson is carried off the field during spring training 2003

Baltimore did not offer him a new contract by the deadline and he became a free agent on December 21st.

On December 30th he signed a 2 year $7M contract with the Detroit Tigers. A little more than 2 years before, he had started using an insulin pump that he would wear most of the time except when he was on the mound. During the spring of 2004 Tiger's trainer Kevin Rand talked him into asking MLB if he could be allowed to wear it during games, the worst they could do was say no. He petitioned, made his case and after a trial run in spring training showed the device was not a distraction to hitters, was granted permission, making history in the process.




He wore it on the back of his belt attached to a catheter placed under his skin. It improved his endurance and cut down on the frequency of having to check his blood glucose levels, but most of all it gave him peace of mind. For Detroit he started 33 games in both seasons, going 8-15 in 2004 with a 5.13 ERA and 8-13 in 2005 with a 4.54 ERA.




Johnson and Ivan Rodriguez take a time out at Comerica Park on September 9, 2004 during a 26-5 rout at the hands of the Kansas City Royals, in the first game of a double header.





On June 8, 2005 Jason became the first Tiger's pitcher to hit a home run in a regular season game since Les Cain did it in 1971. His homer came off Jeff Weaver of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. He was not offered a new contract and became a free agent on October 28th.