The All-PBL Team
By Jim McCurdy, Former PBL President and Commissioner
By Jim McCurdy, Former PBL President and Commissioner
Welcome to the 85th anniversary season of the Pioneer Baseball League. And meet the PBL 85th Anniversary Team. It is perhaps strange to begin by talking of players who are not chosen as members of the team, but there are multiples of the 30 players selected who merit recognition. Eighty-five years is a long time with a lot of players.
I am particularly distressed that Gil McDougald, all-star second baseman for the Idaho Falls Yankees in 1948, is not on the roster as he hit .340 and was the American League Rookie of the Year three years later with the Yankees. But, as we will see, there are others with even better numbers, especially Gary Redus of the Billings Mustangs.
Selections for the 30-player roster are made purely on the basis of numbers, quality of season or seasons in the PBL, analytic attempts to correlate the full-season (Class C and Class A—1939-1963) stats to the Short-Season results (1964-2020), and reflections on careers.
Players who are currently playing are not deemed eligible, thus Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, Paul Goldschmidt, Joey Votto, Corey Seager and Salvador Perez do not appear on the roster. Also, players who played in the 3rd Era—MLB Partner League (2021-present) are not considered.
You may feel that an unlisted player belongs on the team, or you are a former player who claims a spot, or you are a family member of a player, but all of this is for fun and celebration of 85 years of the PBL. It is noteworthy that after the MLB change of its player development model and end of affiliation for short-season leagues, only the Pioneer Baseball League as a former affiliate remains standing as a professional baseball league. The PBL currently is comprised of twelve teams with two clubs residing in California.
CATCHER
Let's start with Catchers. The obvious choice is Gus Triandos, 1948, 1949 Twin Falls Cowboys. At 17 years old, Triandos hit .323 with 18 home runs and a .552 slugging percentage in 1948. The following season, he hit .435, 10 home runs, and an .835 slugging percentage in only 28 games to start the season before being promoted to the next level. Triandos was a slugging all-star catcher who caught a no-hitter in both the American and National Leagues. Interestingly, he competed with fellow PBL 85th Anniversary team member Dick Stuart in episode 15 of the popular TV show, Home Run Derby, in 1960.
The back-up catcher position is a bit harder choice. The ribbon goes to Bob Uecker of the 1956 Boise Braves. He had a .312 batting average with 13 home runs and a slugging percentage of .647 in 173 at bats. He played from 1962 through 1967 in the major leagues and hit home runs off Sandy Koufax, Gaylord Perry, and Ferguson Jenkins. Actually, he was a member of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals club in 1964. Uecker is, of course, widely known for his broadcasting career, as a TV host and comedian, and various acting roles. Many do not know he was a wrestling announcer. He was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame with the 2003 Ford Frick Award recognizing his contributions to the broadcasting field among other honors.
FIRST BASE
The First Baseman choice comes easily. Tony Robello is a legend due to his Pioneer League exploits and his role as a career "baseball man." Prior to his entry into the league, he played two very short stints at second base for the Cincinnati Reds in 1933 and 1934. By 1939, he was the Player-Manager for Branch Rickey's farm club in Pocatello. Tony Robello set the major single season hitting records for the Class C (and 1963 Class A) era, except the batting average (.404) title which he surrendered during the last week of the 1939 season to Pete Hughes (.409). His single season records include:
- 58 Home Runs
- 179 RBI
- 205 Hits
- 168 Runs
- 426 Total Bases
- 98 Extra Base Hits
He was a Pioneer League All-Star in 1939, 1940, and 1942 and managed the Pocatello Cardinals in 1939, the Salt Lake Bees in 1940 and 1941, and the Twin Falls Cowboys in 1942 before going into military service for World War II. In 1941, Tony was injured for most of the season. He collapsed at the plate during one game trying to play through it. Just the year before coming to the Pioneer League, he hurt his right arm and learned to throw lefthanded in order to continue playing. Tony Robello became a "super" scout after the War. He signed Don Larsen for the St. Louis Browns and brought a farm club to Pocatello. He is noted for putting Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" together. Tony Robello is reputed as the only scout to view Johnny Bench as a catcher and not a pitcher.
The backup first base position can be assumed by the designated hitters and probably some infielders and outfielders that are members of the team. The primary role is awarded to Greg Morrison, a Medicine Hat native who played with the Medicine Hat Blue Jays in 1997 and was honored as the PBL MVP. He had previously played for the Great Falls Dodgers in 1995 and put up good numbers (.323/.366/.433), but nothing like his Triple Crown stats of his MVP season. He batted .448 with 23 home runs and 88 RBIs and an OPS of 1.299. His 23 home runs stand as the PBL short-season era record. Greg Morrison continued to play in the Blue Jays organization and Indy ball through the 2006 season. He is a sports therapist in Medicine Hat and remains active in the baseball world.
DESIGNATED HITTER
All DH roster members can play 1B, so we will consider them here. Cecil Fielder, 1982 Butte Copper Kings is the starting DH. His "moonshots" are still talked about in the PBL. Fielder hit 20 homers during the season with 28 doubles and an OPS of 1.062. He continued his slugging exploits in the major leagues as an All-Star in 1990, 1991, and 1993 with the Detroit Tigers. In 1990, he hit 51 home runs to be the first since George Foster in 1977 and the first in the American League since Mantle and Maris in 1961. He was a member of the 1996 World Champion New York Yankees and received the Babe Ruth Award for outstanding play in the postseason.
Perhaps this is fun, but the first backup is Prince Fielder, 2002 Ogden Raptors, and son of Cecil. As Cecil bats righthanded and Prince lefthanded, let's platoon them. In 41 games, he batted in 40 runs, hit 10 home runs, clubbed 12 doubles, and walked a whopping 37 times. He hit for a .390 average, .531 on base percentage, and .678 slugging stat for an OPS of 1.209. Prince was a six-time MLB All Star who won the Home Run Derby for both the National and American Leagues. He played twelve seasons in the major leagues and retired after the 2016 season due to a neck injury.
In 2007, he hit 50 home runs for the Brewers to join Cecil as the only father-son duo to hit 50 home runs in a major league season. Now, Cecil and Prince are the only father-son duo to be named to an 85th Anniversary Team. Really, you can look it up.
Billy Butler deserves a roster spot. He played with the Idaho Falls Chukars in 2004, batting .373 with a .488 OBP. He hit 10 home runs with 22 doubles and 3 triples for a .596 slugging average. Billy was a mainstay with the Kansas City Royals and played with the Oakland A's and New York Yankees. He hit 21 home runs and 51 doubles for the Royals in 2009, but 2012 was his best year as he was selected for the American League All-Star team and received the Silver Slugger Award for designated hitters. He returned to the Idaho Falls Chukars in 2021 to serve as hitting coach.
SECOND BASE
The starting Second Baseman is Gary Redus, an easy choice. The 1978 Billings Mustang set the PBL short season record with a .462 batting average which is also an American professional baseball record. His bat is on display at the Hall of Fame. He hit 17 home runs with 62 RBIs, stole 42 bases, scored a single season record 100 runs, and walked 62 times. His OPS was a staggering 1.346. Gary joined the Cincinnati Reds at the end of the 1982 season and played for various major league clubs until his retirement with the Texas Rangers after the 1994 season. He reached 5 home runs and 15 stolen bases faster than any other MLB player. He led all batters through the first six games of the 1992 NLCS with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Perhaps we will send Gary Redus to leftfield in the late innings for defensive purposes and bring in Johnny Temple, Ogden Reds, to take over 2B. Temple led the Pioneer League in hitting with a .400 batting average in 1949. He was a major league second baseman from 1952 to 1964 and was selected as an All Star four times. An outstanding leadoff hitter with good speed, he walked 648 times during his career while having only 338 strikeouts and excelled defensively. Temple makes the team.
SHORT STOP
Gary Sheffield, 1986 Helena Brewers, is our starting shortstop. The seventeen year-old hit .365 with 15 home runs and led the PBL with 71 RBIs in 57 games. His teammates Daryl Hamilton led the Pioneer League in hitting with a .391 average and Greg Vaughn was the home run champion with 16, one more than Gary. He was raised with his uncle, four years older, Dwight Gooden, the star pitcher. As a major leaguer, Gary produced 509 home runs, 2,689 hits, 1,676 RBIs, and was walked 1,475 times. He won the National League batting title in 1992, was a 9-time All- Star, and was a member of the 1987 World Champion Florida Marlins.
THIRD BASE
The starting third baseman is Dick Allen of the Magic Valley Cowboys. I have departed here from my customary rule of placing players at the position they played in the PBL. Dick played second base for the Cowboys in 1961. The previous year, he had been a shortstop. He didn't play third base until Gene Mauch of the Philadelphia Phillies moved him there. But I want his bat in the lineup. He hit 21 home runs and knocked in 94 runs while batting .317 with a .401 on base percentage. Dick was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1964, American League MVP in 1972, and a 7-time All Star. He retired with a .534 slugging percentage and a career batting average of .292. Dick joins his brother Hank Allen as members of the 85th PBL Anniversary team.
INFIELDERS
The backup infielders include two Hall of Fame members, George Brett, Billings Mustangs, and Ryne Sandberg, Helena Phillies. George Brett was a shortstop with the Billings Mustangs in 1971. He hit .291 with a .370 OBP. While his PBL numbers do not jump off the page, he exhibited his raw ability that enabled him to star for 21 years in the majors with a career batting average of .305 and 3,154 hits. He was the American League MVP in 1985 and AL batting champion in 1976, 1980 and 1990—that's three decades—and a 13-time All Star.
Ryne Sandberg played shortstop for the Helena club and throughout his minor league tenure. He moved to third base and then second base with the Chicago Cubs and his stellar 16-season career. He hit .311 with a .390 OBP in his 1978 PBL season. "Ryno" was the National League MVP in 1984, a 10-time All Star, and led the National League in home runs with 40. He won nine consecutive gold glove designations.
I am also keeping Steve Garvey on the roster as an infielder. For Tommy Lasorda's 1968 PL Champion Ogden Dodgers, he batted .338, with 20 HRs. He had not moved to 1B as Bill Buckner was entrenched there. The club also included Pioneer League MVP Bobby Valentine and hard-hitting outfielder, Tom Paciorek. Steve played from 1972-1987 with the L. A. Dodgers and S. D. Padres. He was the National League MVP in 1974, a 10-time All-Star, 2-time NLCS MVP, and won 4 Gold Gloves at 1B.
Other infielders who did not make the cut deserve mention. The New York Yankees' farm clubs had Billy Martin and Gil McDougald in Idaho Falls, followed by Woody Held in Twin Falls. Many will remember Jose Offerman hitting .331 for the Great Falls club in 1988, and Rey Sanchez hit .365 with the Butte Copper Kings in 1987. Interestingly. Trevor Hoffman was a shortstop with the Billings Mustangs before being converted to a Hall of Fame relief pitcher. Mike Marshall, originally a .314 hitting shortstop with the Twin Falls Cowboys, was also converted to a relief pitcher and won the National League Cy Young Award with the L. A. Dodgers in 1974.
OUTFIELD
The Outfield starts with another Hall of Famer, Frank Robinson, 1953 Ogden Reds. In 72 games, Robinson's stat sheet showed a .348 batting average, 17 home runs, and 83 RBIs. He was the National League Rookie of the Year three seasons later in 1956. He was named MVP in both the National and American Leagues. The 14-time All-Star hit 586 home runs with 2,943 hits in his 21-year career. He was the first African American manager in Major League Baseball. The last two decades of Frank Robinson's career were spent in various capacities in the Office of the Commissioner.
Centerfield is occupied by Oscar Sardinas, 1953 Great Falls Electrics, who set the PBL full-season record with a .416 batting average. He had a .416 OBP and .616 slugging percentage, with 43 doubles, 16 triples, and 6 home runs. The "Tiny Mite" continued to play in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization, reaching AAA in 1956. He also played in the Mexican League and Cuban leagues where Oscar was traded for Larry Doby twice.
Dick Stuart, Billings Mustangs, will start in leftfield. In 1952, the Pioneer League All-Star led the league with 31 home runs and 121 RBIs, batting .313. He spent 1953 and 1954 in the service of the U. S. Army. Upon returning to the Billings Mustangs in 1955, Stuart hit 32 home runs with a .309 average. He was a 2-time All-Star in his 10-year major league career, played first base for the World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates, and led the American League in RBIs in 1963.
In 1940, Chuck Henson began his career by playing 25 games with the Salt Lake Bees and experiencing moderate success. In 1941, he returned to play 129 games and claim the Pioneer League batting title with a .339 average. After serving with the U. S. Navy in World War II, he won his second League batting championship with the Bees in 1946, hitting .363 with 35 doubles, 17 triples, 10 home runs and 114 RBIs.
Our primary backup outfielder, Hank Allen, actually had better numbers than his brother, Dick Allen, the starting 3B on the 85th Anniversary Team. In 1962, he won the triple crown hitting .346, 37 home runs, and 140 RBIs for the Magic Valley Cowboys. He played in the major leagues from 1966-1973 with the Washington Senators, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago White Sox.
A final roster spot for a position player is awarded to Bobby Valentine, 1968 Ogden Dodgers and Pioneer League MVP. His multi-dimensional talent prior to his injury with the California Angels enables him to play anywhere on the field. Most do not know that Bobby played catcher for the Seattle Mariners in 1979. If we are in trouble with catcher injuries, we will put him there. He also served as Manager for the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and took the New York Mets to the World Series in 2000.
PITCHERS
Larry Jansen at 19-years of age starred for the Salt Lake Bees in 1940. He posted a 20-7 mark and led the league with an ERA of 2.19. After superb performances in the PCL before and after World War II, he debuted as a rookie with the New York Giants in 1947, winning 21 of 26 decisions to lead the National League in winning percentage (.808). Larry finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Jackie Robinson. In 1953, he won 23 games and was the winning pitcher in the game that featured the "Shot Heard Round the World," the Bobby Thomson home run off Ralph Branca. He served as the pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants for eleven seasons and the Chicago Cubs for two.
In 1958, Jim Kaat won 16 games with the Missoula Timberjacks and led the league with a 2.99 ERA and 245 strike outs. A year later he joined the Washington Senators to begin a 25-year major league career, playing in four decades. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2021. Jim Kaat led the American League in wins in 1966 with 25 and complete games at 19. The 3-time All-Star received 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards for excellence in fielding. He is also known for his longstanding award-winning broadcast career.
Pedro Martinez was a member of the Great Falls Dodgers stellar pitching staff in 1990, striking out 82 batters in 77 innings with a 3.62 ERA and an 8-3 record. He was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers by 1992 but began to star after being traded to the Montreal Expos and then playing with the Red Sox as a starting pitcher. His marks are legion as he was an 8-time All- Star, 5-time MLB ERA leader, 3-time American League strikeout leader, and won the Cy Young Award 3 times. His personality was as magnificent as his accomplishments. Pedro was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015 on the first ballot.
After serving in the amphibious force escorting tanks and troops into hot spots during World War II, Harry Perkowski joined the Ogden Reds as a lefthanded starter in 1946. He led the league in wins with a 23-6 record and shutouts with six. His ERA of 2.09 was second in the league and he had 15 consecutive wins with 4 straight shutouts. Harry pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 7 seasons and one year with the Chicago Cubs. He was utilized as a pinch hitter as well.
On August 12, 1951, Ken Kimball of the Idaho Falls Russets pitched the first perfect game in Pioneer League history. He struck out 13 of the 27 batters faced. In 1952, he returned to the Idaho Falls club to tie the league record of 26 wins while losing only 8 games. Ken led the league with 208 strike outs while pitching 31 complete games. He continued to pitch for Sacramento and Edmonton through 1954 in the years before the minor leagues became dominated by Major League farm clubs oriented toward player development.
Ricardo Rodriguez, Great Falls Dodgers, won the pitching triple crown in 2000, with a 10-3 record, 1.88 ERA, and 129 strike outs in 92.2 innings. His WHIP as a starting pitcher was a dominating 0.93. He played parts of four seasons with the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers as a relief pitcher.
Gerald Staley tried out for the Boise Pilots in the team's 1941 Spring Training. He not only made the team but led them to the Pioneer League championship, leading the league in wins with a 22-8 record games at 39, and 261 innings pitched. In 1942, he had a record of 20-10 with a 2.73 ERA. After serving in the Army Medical Corps during World War II, the St. Louis Cardinals signed Staley to a contract and by 1948 he was a member of the pitching staff. He was a National League All-Star as a starting pitcher in 1952 and 1953. He shifted to the bullpen in 1957 with the Chicago White Sox and was the club's stellar reliever in winning the American League pennant in 1959. He was an American League All-Star in 1960 and led the American League in relief wins with 13.
A middle relief role is awarded to Vladimir Nunez, the Cuban pitcher signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks and farmed to the Lethbridge Mounties in 1996. He matched the national excitement surrounding the signing by winning the triple crown of pitching in the league. He led the league with 10 games won, a 2.22 ERA, and 93 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched. He pitched for the Diamondbacks, Marlins, Rockies, and Braves from 1998-2009. He is a pitching coach in the Atlanta Braves organization.
Our closer is Tim Peters, 1987 Salt Lake Trappers star. He posted a 9-3 record with 11 saves and a 2.10 ERA for the Trappers club that won 29 consecutive games to set an all-time American professional baseball record and gain a display in the Hall of Fame. He subsequently played in the Montreal Expos and Cleveland Indians system, making it to Spring Training with the Expos. One thing we know from Tim's performance during the 29-win stretch is that he excels under pressure.
COACHING STAFF
Manager—Tommy Lasorda, Ogden Dodgers, 1966-1968
Bench Coach—Jack McKeon, Missoula Timberjacks, 1956-1958
Hitting Coach—Svend "Red" Jessen, Idaho Falls Russets, 1951-1953, Salt Lake City Bees, 1955
Pitching Coach—Larry Shepard, Billings Mustangs, 1949-1951
1B Coach—Tom Kotchman, Provo Angels, 2001-2004, Orem Owlz, 2005-2012
3B Coach—Ernie Rodriguez, Pocatello Chiefs, 1964, Great Falls Giants, 1975-1982, Butte Copper Kings, 1987-1989, Pocatello Posse, 1993
Bullpen Coach—P. J. Carey, Helena Phillies, 1983, Billings Mustangs, 1991, Casper Rockies, 2001, 2003-2006
FINAL NOTE
The 30 players chosen for the PBL 85th Anniversary Team represent all of the PBL players who could perform well for this club. Some have been mentioned, many have not. Despite the tough roster decisions, this team is ready to go. PLAY BALL!
By Jim McCurdy, Former PBL President and Commissioner
*Jim McCurdy served as President of the Pioneer Baseball League for 27 years and as Commissioner for 2 years. He was the General Counsel for the League during his tenure. Jim McCurdy mediated a restructure of Minor League Baseball in 1992 and represented Minor League Baseball on the Professional Baseball Executive Council. He was the CEO and operator of the Butte Copper Kings in the PBL and managing partner of the Yakima Bears of the Northwest League. He is a distinguished scholar and professor of Sports Law, with a casebook in its 10th edition.