Shining A Light: Mike Hill, Tyree Hayes and Greg Jones made their mark on the field and off

As part of MLB's The Nine initiative designed to honor and celebrating the historic impact of Black ballplayers, the Hudson Valley Renegades are taking a look back at three notable contributors from throughout the team's 30-year history. The three chosen players come from the first three decades of Renegades baseball, but simply scratch the surface of the contributions of black players in the Hudson Valley.

Mike Hill - 1994 Hudson Valley Renegades

Mike Hill had a short playing career, but is one of a few players who can claim to be a member of the 1993 Erie Sailors and the 1994 Renegades. Drafted in the 31st round of the 1993 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers, Hill played in 93 career MiLB games across two seasons, posting a .143/.228/.214 line in 30 games with the original Renegades.

Hill, who was the leading rusher for the Harvard football team and the captain of the baseball team in his time in Cambridge, retired after the 1994 season and joined the initial Tampa Bay Devil Rays front office in 1995. In 1999 he became the Director of Player Development for the Colorado Rockies, and departed for the Florida Marlins in 2002. He worked his way up to be Vice President, Assistant General Manager, and eventually General Manager of the Marlins. In 2013, he was promoted to President of Baseball Operations.

In 2021, Hill moved on to the role he currently holds, serving as the Senior VP of On-Field Operations for Major League Baseball, where he is one of the highest-ranking officials in the sport.

Tyree Hayes - 2008 Hudson Valley Renegades

Tyree Hayes pitched in the minor leagues for six seasons, topping out at the High-A level. As a member of the 2008 Renegades, Hayes went 5-6 with a 3.39 ERA on a team that finished 40-35 and featured that year's #1 overall pick in the draft Tim Beckham.

On August 10, eight years to the day after Doug Waechter threw his no-hitter vs. Pittsfield, Hayes took the mound at LeLacheur Park in Lowell to face a spinners lineup featuring three future Major Leaguers. He turned in a masterpiece, scattering four hits and striking out six and not walking a batter while tossing a complete game shutout in a 4-0 Renegades win.

Seventeen years later, Hayes' performance at Lowell is the most-recent 9.0-inning complete game shutout thrown by a Renegades pitcher. Only one other pitcher - Drew Thorpe in a rain-shortened 5.0 inning game on July 3, 2023 -- has thrown a complete game shutout for the Renegades since. With modern pitcher usage, it seems likely that Hayes' game at Lowell will never be matched by a Renegades pitcher.

Greg Jones - 2019 Hudson Valley Renegades

The 1st round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 out of UNC Wilmington, Greg Jones came to the Hudson Valley and electrified the crowds during the team's final season as a Rays affiliate. He hit .335/.419/.461 in 48 games while lacing 13 doubles, 4 triples and stealing 19 bases. His lightning speed helped propel him to becoming a Top 100 prospect in the sport, and eventually to making his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies on June 6, 2024.

Jones' .335 average in 2019 is the second-highest single-season average by a Renegades player in team history, behind Cliff Brumbaugh's .358 mark in 1995. He is still one of only four Renegades batters in franchise history to hit at least .330 in a season with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. Since Jones, the best a Renegades batter has hit while qualifying for the batting title was Spencer Jones in 2023, when he hit .268.