Auburn Astros
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The Auburn Astros were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1982 to 1995 in Auburn, New York. The team played in the New York–Penn League and was affiliated with the Houston Astros. The team played home games at Falcon Park and was owned and operated by Auburn Community Baseball.
In 1991, with John H. Graham as general manager,[1] the team set the all-time attendance record at Falcon Park.
At the end of the 1995 season, the team was renamed the Auburn Doubledays, the name under which it has operated from 1996 to the present.
Contents |
[edit] Year-by-year record
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | Notable player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 35-39 | 8th | Bob Hartsfield | ||
| 1983 | 43-31 | 4th | Bob Hartsfield | ||
| 1984 | 38-38 | 7th | Bob Hartsfield | ||
| 1985 | 47-31 | 2nd | Bob Hartsfield | Lost League Finals | |
| 1986 | 44-32 | 3rd | Keith Bodie | Lost in 1st round | |
| 1987 | 39-36 | 7th | Gary Tuck | ||
| 1988 | 42-33 | 5th | Frank Cacciatore | Luis Gonzalez, Kenny Lofton | |
| 1989 | 35-42 | 7th | Reggie Waller | Todd Jones, Kenny Lofton, Shane Reynolds | |
| 1990 | 31-46 | 11th | Ricky Peters | ||
| 1991 | 38-39 | 6th | Steve Dillard | James Mouton | |
| 1992 | 32-41 | 12th | Steve Dillard | Jamie Walker | |
| 1993 | 30-46 | 14th | Manny Acta | Billy Wagner | |
| 1994 | 45-31 | 2nd | Manny Acta | Lost League Finals | John Halama |
| 1995 | 40-34 | 5th | Manny Acta | Ramón Castro, Julio Lugo |
(from Baseball Reference)
[edit] Future Major League Baseball players
Forty-seven (47) future Major League Baseball players played for the Auburn Astros:
- Troy Afenir, 1983
- Mark Bailey, 1982
- Jeff Ball, 1990
- Ramón Castro, 1995
- Gary Cooper, 1986
- Jeff Datz, 1982, 1984
- Cameron Drew, 1985
- John Fishel, 1985
- Tom Funk, 1983
- Luis Gonzalez, 1988
- Jason Green, 1995
- Mike Grzanich, 1993
- John Halama, 1994
- Dean Hartgraves, 1987
- Chris Hatcher, 1990
- Randy Hennis, 1987
- Chris Holt, 1992
- Trent Hubbard, 1986
- Blaise Ilsley, 1985
- Chuck Jackson, 1984
- Todd Jones, 1989
- Kenny Lofton, 1988, 1989
- Julio Lugo, 1995
- Rob Mallicoat, 1984
- Dave Meads, 1984
- Brian Meyer, 1986
- Ray Montgomery, 1990
- Andy Mota, 1987, 1988
- James Mouton, 1991
- Bryant Nelson, 1994
- Al Osuna, 1987
- Shane Reynolds, 1989
- Oscar Robles, 1995
- Dave Rohde, 1986
- Sean Runyan, 1994
- Roger Samuels, 1983
- Brian Sikorski, 1995
- Mark Small, 1989
- Chris Truby, 1994
- Billy Wagner, 1993
- Jamie Walker, 1992
- Donne Wall, 1989
- Dan Walters, 1985
- Terry Wells, 1985
- Ed Whited, 1986
- Brian Williams, 1990
- Robbie Wine, 1983
(from Baseball Reference)
[edit] Future Major League Baseball staff
- Jeff Datz, an Indians, Orioles, and Mariners coach, played for the Auburn Astros in 1982 and 1984. As of 2011, Datz is the only former member of the Auburn Astros to reach MLB as both a player and a coach.
- Glenn Sherlock, a Yankees and Diamondbacks coach, played for the Auburn Astros in 1983 and 1984.
- Ken Bolek, an Indians coach in 1992 and 1993, was a coach for the 1985 Auburn Astros.
- Gary Tuck, a Yankees and Red Sox bullpen coach, was the Auburn Astros manager in 1987.
- Rick Aponte, former Nationals bullpen coach, was the Auburn Astros pitching coach in 1987.
- Ron Porterfield, head athletic trainer of the Rays, began his professional baseball career as the trainer for the 1988 Auburn Astros.
- Manny Acta, an Expos and Mets coach and then Nationals and Indians manager, managed the Auburn Astros from 1993 to 1995. He also managed the team's successor, the Auburn Doubledays, in 1996.
[edit] Front office and staff
- Steve DeSalvo was the team's general manager from 1982 to 1983.[2] He went on to a long career as a Minor League Baseball executive.[2]
- Auburn native Leslie Leary was general manager from 1984 to 1987.[3] She was one of the first female general managers in Minor League Baseball.[3]
- Baseball agent Joe Kehoskie, an Auburn native, worked for the team from 1984 to 1991.[4][1]
- Bob Neal, previously the general manager of the Watertown Pirates and Peninsula Pilots, was general manager from early 1988 to late 1989.[5][6]
- John H. Graham, previously the general manager of the Peninsula Pilots, was assistant general manager from early 1988 to early 1989;[5] business manager from early 1989 to late 1989;[6] and general manager from late 1989 to late 1991.[7][1]
- Marc Techman, an Auburn native, was assistant general manager in 1991.[1]
- Shawn Smith, currently a vice president with the NBA, was general manager from 1994 to 1995.[8][9]
- Charlie Wride was the team's public address announcer for most of the team's 14-season existence, as well as the team historian. Wride continues to work for the team's successor, the Auburn Doubledays, in a community relations capacity.[10][11]
[edit] Notes
- Jim Coveney was named manager of the Auburn Astros for 1988 but replaced Gary Tuck as manager of the Asheville Tourists in mid-season, before managing a single game for Auburn.[12]
- Rodney Windes, a pitcher for the 1988 Auburn Astros, later appeared as a contestant on Family Feud.
- Kevin Gallaher, a pitcher for the 1991 Auburn Astros, appeared on the reality show Married by America in 2003.[13][14]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d 1991 Auburn Astros Official Program. Auburn, New York. 1991.
- ^ a b "Steve DeSalvo Bio". MiLB.com. http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/about/page.jsp?ymd=20070221&content_id=180449&vkey=about_l111&fext=.jsp&sid=l111. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ a b Anderson, Shelly (20 February 1988). "Doors to the major leagues still hard to open". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ Weiman Jr., Dale (15 February 2006). "So, you want to be the next Jerry Maguire?". Westlaw. http://lawschool.westlaw.com/shared/marketInfoDisplay.asp?code=CR&id=25. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ a b 1988 Auburn Astros Official Program. Auburn, New York. 1988.
- ^ a b 1989 Auburn Astros Official Program. Auburn, New York. 1989.
- ^ 1990 Auburn Astros Official Program. Auburn, New York. 1990.
- ^ 1994 Auburn Astros Official Program. Auburn, New York. 1994.
- ^ 1995 Auburn Astros Official Program. Auburn, New York. 1995.
- ^ Tobin, Dave (20 June 2004). "Doubledays' Mr. Everything – Auburn's Baseball Club Counts on Charlie Wride". Syracuse Post-Standard. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-118428639.html. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- ^ "Auburn Baseball Wall of Fame". MiLB.com. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/team2/page.jsp?ymd=20080214&content_id=347870&vkey=team2_t458&fext=.jsp&sid=t458. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- ^ "Astros report". Houston Chronicle: p. 15. 26 May 1988. http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1988_546299/astros-report.html. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- ^ Boedeker, Hal (18 April 2003). "Still-bachelor Gallaher Says He Wasn't Jilted". Orlando Sentinel. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2003-04-18/news/0304170521_1_gallaher-nicolini-married. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- ^ Rush, George; Molloy, Joanna (9 May 2003). "Not Even 'Married,' Honeymoon's Over". New York Daily News. http://articles.nydailynews.com/2003-05-09/gossip/18218331_1_engagement-party-kevin-gallaher-sick-list. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
