Wednesday, June 17, 2015

#441 Don Lemon and Todd Pridy

About the Front: Here's our first multi-player Marlins prospects card. The pinstripe jersey with solid white pants makes me think that Todd Pridy assumed the photographer was shooting from the waist up.

About the Back: A couple of really bright lights here. Don Lemon was already a four-year minor league veteran at this time, having started out as an undrafted free agent in the Braves organization in 1989. Pridy was a 23rd-round draft pick in 1992 out of Cal State Long Beach.

Triple Play:

1. Don pitched professionally for 16 years, including stints in Australia, Mexico, Taiwan, and Japan. He had his greatest pro success in Taiwan, compiling a 36-32 record, 2.53 ERA, and four saves in six seasons in the CPBL. While pitching for the Yakult Swallows in 2000, he became the first foreign-born player in Nippon Pro Baseball history to strike out four batters in one inning.

2. Pridy also never made it to the majors, but extended his pro career with six seasons in the independent Western League. In 1998, he batted .408/.478/.665 in 90 games with the Sonoma County Crushers, clubbing 29 doubles and 21 home runs and driving in 94.

3. After retiring as a player, Todd became a social sciences teacher and head coach of the varsity baseball team at Napa High School in California.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I've always assumed that Todd's last name was pronounced "pretty". I'm fairly sure that my friends and I made fun of his name, because we were very mature like that.

Bill James Said: Nothing from Bill on these two.

On This Date in 1993: June 17. Al Leiter two-hits the Red Sox for his first career shutout as Toronto tops Boston, 7-0. The BoSox strand the bases loaded in the fourth inning after a Mike Greenwell single and a pair of walks; their only other baserunner in the game comes via a Billy Hatcher leadoff single in the sixth. Ivan Calderon bats next, grounds into a double play, and that's that.

2 comments:

  1. So apparently simply being a prospect on an expansion team made you a "Future Star" in 1993. Hey if they're all "Future Stars" you're bound to get at least one right, aye Topps?

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  2. Andy, we'll have to keep tabs on it as the series progresses, but if I'm remembering correctly, none of the Marlins "future stars" ever made it to the majors, even for a cup of coffee.

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