Hall of Scrubs

After a three year stint in Japan, Tony Bernazard signed with the Tigers before the 1991 season in what he hoped would be a grand return to Major League Baseball.  The Tigers’ GM, Bill Lajoie, was on a roll with signing  free agents from Japan after picking up Cecil Fielder the year before, so it seemed like Tony would surely have a career season in Detroit.  At the time, I was a major Tiger fan and produced a weekly newsletter about their off-season.  It was a minor publication.  My parents were the only subscribers.  In my column, I predicted that Tony would surpass his season high home run total of 17 that he had for the Indians in 1987, and he would surpass is season high stolen base total of 23 in 1983 to become the first Tigers second baseman to have a 20-20 season.

I was wrong on both counts.  Bill Lajoie was wrong, too.  Tony was a major flop.  He had 12 at bats, hit .167 and was released in May.  It was his last season in the majors.  I had forgotten about him altogether until I recently went on a trip to Frankenmuth, Michigan.  The hotel I stayed at proudly displayed a photo of Tony that was taken at a Tigers’ Fest in 1991.  I found it rather strange that the hotel owner would find something remarkable enough about meeting Tony to put him up on his wall of fame.  Tony did have a decent major league career.  Just not for Detroit.

Prior to going to Japan, Tony did have one decent year as a starting second baseman for the Indians in 1986.  He hit .301 with 17 homers and 73 RBI.  His other years in the majors were mostly mediocre.  He did have one very bad year in 1984 for the Indians as well.  He hit .221 with an awful slugging percentage of .287.

In 1983, Tony was the starting second baseman on the White Sox, a team that was headed for the division championship, but he was traded in the middle of the season to the lowly Mariners for Julio Cruz, who was a much faster second baseman.  He spent the rest of the year playing for the Mariners before being traded to the Indians in the off-season for Gorman Thomas and Jack Perconte. 

After 3 years in Cleveland and a half-season in Oakland, Tony played for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in Japan.

Tony is currently a Vice President in the New York Mets front office and is often considered a candidate for General Manager positions in the majors.

 You can view Tony’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com

Tony’s stats

Troy Neel was a tall slugger who worked his way up slowly through the Cleveland Indians organization before being traded to the Oakland A’s for Larry Arndt.  He had great power numbers for the Athletics’ AA and AAA teams and was promoted to the majors in 1992. 

Neel was a typical minor league slugger who had no speed and very little defensive ability.  He got an opportunity to play full-time in 1993 as a designated hitter and responded nicely by hitting .290 with 19 homers.  However, his numbers dipped in 1994 and the A’s showed no patience for him.  It was his last year in the majors.

 Troy signed a deal with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan rather than accept a career as a AAA slugger in America.  He led all of Japan in homers and RBI in 1996.  Troy did try to return to America in 1998, but struggled in AAA. 

Recently, Troy made the news as a child support evader.  He was arrested in December 2008 for failing to pay about $725,000 in child support.  If convicted, he faces time in jail since he did flee the country and lived in New Zealand for a few years to avoid paying.

You can view Troy Neel’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Troy’s Stats

Sergio Valdez was a lanky, long-haired pitcher from the Dominican Republic.  Due to his appearance and crazy antics, he was often compared to Pascual Perez.  He could easily have passed for one of the infamous Perez brothers. If he and Pascual were in the WWE, they would have had a story line in which Sergio found out he was a long lost Perez brother, changed his name to Sergio Perez, and joined forces with Pascual to win the Tag Team Championship.

Sadly, Sergio never had same success as Pascual, Melido or Carlos Perez even though his talent was perhaps better.  Sergio started as a prospect in the Expos system.  He struggled in his major league debut season in 1986, posting a 6.84 ERA in 5 starts.  Montreal eventually traded him the the Braves in a deal for Zane Smith.  It was an excellent trade for the Expos.

Sergio struggled for the Braves in 1989 and 1990 and was placed on waivers.  Cleveland picked him up in 1990 and he had decent half season as a spot starter for the Indians.  He pitched 102 innings and had a 4.75 ERA.  It was his strongest year in the majors.

From 1991 thru 1995, Sergio bounced around, pitching primarily out of the bullpen for the Indians, Expos, Red Sox and Giants.  HIs last year in the majors was 1995 in which he started 11 times for the Giants and had a 4.75 ERA.

You can view Sergio Valdez’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Sergio’s Stats

Rudy Pemberton is a classic example of how a player labeled as a non-prospect never gets a fair shot in the majors no matter how well they play.

In 1995, Rudy made his major league debut with the lowly Detroit Tigers. The team was in desperate need of a youth movement and Rudy took hold of the leftfield job by hitting .300 in the first month of the season. He was well on his way to establishing himself as a major leaguer, right? Wrong. The Tigers demoted him and he never played for them again. He got only 30 at bats that year and did nothing to merit a demotion.

The Tigers let him get away as a six-year minor league free agent at the end of the year. He signed with the Rangers but was then traded to Boston for Bryan Eversgard. Rudy got a September call-up in 1996 and excited the Red Sox Nation by hitting .512 in 41 at bats. That is still a rare feat in September.

Rudy made the team out of Spring Training in 1997, but he could not keep up his hot streak. His average slipped to .238 and he was demoted. Rudy never returned to the majors.

It was a shame that he did not get a better chance. In 134 career at bats, he hit .336 and had a .515 slugging percentage. He was the best player named Rudy since Rudy Law, who played for the White Sox in the early eighties. But for some reason, a career .300 hitter with a cool name could not stick in the majors.

You can view Rudy’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Rudy’s Stats

Danny Boone played three years in the majors as a lefty middle reliever.  He was a top prospect after being  drafted by the Angels in the 2nd round in 1976.  It was the 5th time he had been drafted.  He opted not to sign the first four times.

The Angels gave up on him in 1980 and released him.  The Padres picked him up and he rewarded them with a great year out of the bullpen in 1981.  He had a 2.84 ERA and 2 saves.  Danny struggled in 1982 and the Padres traded him in mid-season to the Astros for Joe Pittman.  He finished the year with 2 saves, but had a 4.71 ERA.

Danny was back in the minors in 1983, and was out of baseball by 1984.  He came back to play in the Senior Professional Baseball League in 1989 and 1990 and impressed the major league scouts.  He got a contract with the Orioles and pitched for them in 1990 at the age 36.  He pitched in only 9 innings and had a 2.79 ERA.

Danny is also a direct descendant of the explorer Daniel Boone.  It is often reported incorrectly that the Ray/Bob/Bret/Aaron Boones were related to this explorer, too.  There is no relation.

You can view Danny’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Danny’s Stats

Joe Pittman was a weak hitting utility infielder who broke in with the Astros in 1981 after spending 6 years in the minors.   He hit .281 that year in 135 at bats.

Houston traded him to San Diego for Danny Boone in 1982.  He hit only .254 for the Padres and was demoted to AAA.

 He spent 1983 in the minors and was traded to the Giants in the off-season for Champ Summers. 

 In 1984, Joe hit .227 in his last major league year.  He finished his career with 0 homers and 16 RBI. 

Joe resurfaced in 1990 as a member of the St. Petersburg Pelicans in the Senior Professional Baseball League.   He finished that year hitting .258 with 11 RBI.  So, he did not get better with age.

 You can vie Joe’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Joe’s stats