Mudcats Shine In 2014 MLB Postseason
Zebulon, N.C. - 2015 will mark the 25th anniversary for the Carolina Mudcats baseball team in the Triangle. Over the past 24 years, the club has been affiliated with storied MLB franchises like the Indians, Reds and Pirates among others. That trend will continue with a PDC agreement with the Atlanta Braves starting next summer.
Over the years, the Mudcats have fostered over 250 Major League players. 11 of those are members of clubs in the 2014 MLB postseason. Below is a look at those former Mudcats stars.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Holliday (2002). The Stillwater, Oklahoma, native was originally selected by the Colorado Rockies in the seventh round of the 1998 draft. After spending two years in the Carolina League with the Salem Avalanche, Holliday debuted with the Mudcats for his fifth year in professional baseball. He played in 130 games for the then Double-A affiliate of the Rockies, launching 10 home runs and collecting 64 RBI. He finished the campaign with a .276 average.
Holliday made his Major League debut with Colorado at the age of 24. He spent 2004-2008 with the Rockies before being dealt to the Oakland Athletics for Huston Street, Greg Smith and Carlos Gonzalez. In July of 2009, the A's sent Holliday to the Cardinals for Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortensen and Shane Peterson. In 11 years in the Big Leagues, Holliday has amassed 271 home runs and over 1800 hits and 1000 RBI. He won the NL batting (.340) and RBI titles (137) in 2007 with the Rockies and has earned six All-Star selections. Holliday won his first World Series title with the Cardinals in 2011.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Juan Uribe (2001). The talented Dominican shortstop had a short stay in Zebulon, playing in just three games for the Mudcats. Uribe opened his fourth season professional season at Five County Stadium, but his talents quickly earned him a promotion to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
Uribe earned his MLB debut that same summer with the Rockies at the age of 22. He hit .300 in 30 games that first year. Since then, Uribe has played for three different clubs. Coincidentally, Uribe searches for his third World Series title with his third different team. He won World Series rings with the White Sox (2005) and Giants (2010).
Adrian Gonzalez (2003). Gonzalez was the Number One overall pick by the Florida Marlins in 2000 out of San Diego, California. The first baseman played in 36 games with the Mudcats, owning a .307 average, before the Marlins traded him to the Texas Rangers.
The Californian made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2004. In 2006, Gonzalez was involved in a six-player trade that sent him to the San Diego Padres. The Boston Red Sox swapped for Gonzalez in 2010, sending future stars Casey Kelly and Anthony Rizzo to San Diego. Gonzalez, again, found himself in a blockbuster deal in 2012, going with Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to the Dodgers.
On the field, Gonzalez earned four consecutive All-Star Game selections from 2008-2011 and finished 2014 as the NL RBI champion with 116.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Clint Barmes (2002). Another product of the Mudcats' affiliation with the Rockies from 1999-2002, Barmes wore the uniform for 103 games. Rising to Double-A in just his third year, the Vincennes, Indiana, standout hit .272 with 15 dingers and drove in 60 runs. His Major League debut came the following year with the Rockies at 24 years old. After eight seasons at Coors Field, the Rockies traded Barmes to the Astros in 2010. He signed a free agent deal with the Pirates the following year.
Gaby Sanchez (2008). The Florida Marlins chose the Miami Hurricanes star in the fourth round of the 2005 draft and the infielder made his Mudcats debut in 2008. Sanchez helped the Mudcats to their lastplayoff appearance in the Southern League that summer, owning a .314 batting average that complemented 17 homers and 92 RBI. His 42doubles that year are a club record that stands today. The performance earned him the Southern League MVP award.
Sanchez got his first taste of the majors in September of 2008 as well. After spending five years in Florida, the Marlins traded Sanchez to the Pirates for Gorkys Hernandez. 2010 remains his best season in which Sanchez cracked 19 home runs, plated 85 runs and finished with a .273 average. He earned his first All-Star nod in 2011 by matching his 2010 home run total and collecting 78 RBI.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Kansas City Royals
Josh Willingham (2003-04). A native of Florence, Alabama, Willingham garnered the Marlins' attention while playing for the University of North Alabama. He was chosen in the 17th round of the 2000 draft. Willingham has played in 144 games with the Mudcats. He spent parts of 2003 and 2004 in Zebulon while moving his way up to the Big Leagues and made a pair of rehabilitation appearances in 2006 and 2008. The slugger launched 29 home runs and totaled 95 RBI in a Mudcats uniform.
His Major League debut came with the Marlins in 2004, but Willingham did not see regular playing time until 2006. Largely playing the outfield, Willingham has spent 11 years in the Majors, playing for the Marlins, Nationals, Athletics, Twins and Royals. While with the Nationals in 2009, he became the 13th Major League player to hit two grand slams in a single game.
Jason Vargas (2005). Using their second round pick in the 2004 draft, the Marlins signed Vargas out of Long Beach State. Thanks to a meteoric rise through the Minors, Vargas pitched in only three games with Carolina in 2005. He went 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 19 innings. He became the fourth member of the 2005 Mudcats pitching staff to pitch in the Big Leagues when he made his debut on July 14 that year.
Vargas shuffled from one organization to the next before landing with the Royals. The Marlins traded him to the New York Mets in a four-player deal in November 2006. The left-hander was part of a three-team, seven-player trade in 2008 that sent him to the Seattle Mariners. Vargas joined the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2012 through another trade.
In nine years, Vargas has had two winning seasons. He won 14 games with the Mariners in 2012. His 2014 season with Kansas City was one of his best with an 11-10 record and a 3.71 ERA.
Baltimore Orioles
Alejandro De Aza (2006). A speedy outfielder, De Aza played in 69 games for Carolina in 2006. He stole 27 bases, scored 40 times and hit .278. De Aza surprised many when the Marlins named him their starting center fielder entering 2007, but an injury derailed his season. He spent five games with the Mudcats while trying to return that year. The White Sox claimed De Aza off waivers in 2009 and he spent parts of five seasons in Chicago before being traded to the Orioles in late August.
Andrew Miller (2008). Miller was originally drafted by Detroit with the sixth overall pick in 2006, but the Marlins landed the left-hander through a trade one year later. Miller made one start for the Mudcats in 2008, allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings. The former University of North Carolina Tarheel made 21 appearances in the majors for the Tigers and pitched three seasons for the Marlins before a deal moved him to Boston in 2010. After battling injuries and shuttling between MLB and Triple-A, the Red Sox traded Miller to the Orioles on July 31.
Detroit Tigers
Miguel Cabrera (2003). Perhaps the headliner of former Mudcats continues to be Miguel Cabrera. "Miggy" burst onto the scene in Carolina in 2003 and terrorized Southern League pitchers with 29 doubles, 10 home runs and 59 RBI in only 69 games. His batting average was a robust .365 when the Marlins called him up to the majors.
The Venezuelan made an immediate impact for the big club as he cracked a walk-off home run in his first game. Ultimately, Cabrera led the Marlins to the 2003 World Series Championship. He finished his rookie season in Florida with 12 home runs and a .268 batting average.
In December 2007, Cabrera went to the Tigers in an eight-player trade. His career in Detroit has been the stuff of legend, winning the American League MVP award in consecutive years (2012-2013) and capturing the Triple Crown in 2012 (44 HR, 139 RBI, .330 avg.). Cabrera has hit 25 home runs or more in 11 consecutive seasons and has over 1300 RBI for his career. He has led the AL in doubles, home runs or RBI on two occasions and owned the best batting average three times. His play has earned him nine All-Star selections.
Anibal Sanchez (2006). Sanchez made his way to Zebulon in 2006 after the Boston Red Sox traded the Venezuelan and three others to the Marlins for three players that included Josh Beckett. The right-hander made 15 starts for the Mudcats and threw two complete games. He went 3-6 with a 3.15 ERA. Sanchez also made a pair of rehab starts with Carolina in 2008.
Like Cabrera, Sanchez went straight the majors from Five County Stadium. He finished a great inaugural campaign with a 10-3 record and a 2.83 ERA. On September 6, 2006, he tossed a no-hitter against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He won 13 games with the Marlins in 2010 before a trade sent him to Detroit. Sanchez was victorious in 14 games in 2013 and led the AL with a 2.57 ERA.
Additionally, the Mudcats' all-time winningest manager David Bell serves as the assistant hitting coach for the Cardinals. Bell skippered the Mudcats for three seasons from 2009-2011. Bell won 176 games during his time in Zebulon. He has since served as manager of the Triple-A Louisville Bats and third base coach for the Chicago Cubs.
Make sure and follow the Mudcats on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with their progress as the postseason continues to roll towards the 2014 World Series!