USBA: 35 years of online history

[HerbD]

The United States Baseball Association (USBA) is entering its 35th season as an Out of the Park online league spanning over ten real years. As one of the original owners
in the USBA I can tell you that it has become a big part of my life and has always been "that one league" that I could never walk away from no matter how hard I would try.

I have developed my own rating system to rank the USBA franchises over the first 34 seasons and plan to list that ranking along with some historical commentary.

Please feel free to post your own comments or virtual memories from the USBA universe at any time. I hope to complete the entire league before our 35th season is complete.

[HerbD]

Las Vegas Scorpions

Seasons:                     34
Record:                      2555-2955(.464)
Average Record:              75-87
Championships:               NONE
Pennants:                    1(2002)
Divisions:                   1(1989)
Wild Cards:                  3(1987, 2002, 2003)
Most Wins:                   95(1987)
Most Losses:                 113(1995)
Silver Sluggers:             NONE
Bronze Arms                  1
2010 Aric Buering            18-7, 1.86 ERA, 406 K
Platinum Rookies:            3
1988  RF Lawrence Ohlson     .317 BA, 53 XBH, 117 RBI
2004  LF Juanito Diaz        .279 BA, 59 XBH, 105 RBI
2018  SS Javier Paredes      .309 BA, 55 XBH,  81 RBI
Hall of Famers:              2
1B Jason McDaniel
C  Tim Youngblood

As one of only seven USBA franchises without a championship Scorpion fans have not had a lot to cheer about over the past 34 years. Only ten .500 or better seasons and one losing appearance in the USBA Championship way back in 2002. The luck of this franchise is so bad that when it posted the best win total in it's history with 95 wins back in 1987 it only tied them for the division lead with LA. The subsequent one game playoff loss to the Crazed Natives pushed Las Vegas to the Wild Card where it was then eliminated by the same LA team in five games.

Two seasons later they won the only division crown in team history with 90 wins but blew a 2-1 lead in the division series to Boston. In 2002 and 2003 the team would take back to back Freedom League Wildcard spots and lose both years after leading a series 2-1. 2002 was especially heartbreaking as it occured during the team's only USBA Championship appearance against the Fort Wayne Wizards, which ironically is still that franchises only USBA Championship. It has now been 15 long seasons since the fans of Las Vegas have experienced playoff baseball.

The Scorpions have seen a few great players pass through the home team dugout but so far only two are wearing Las Vegas caps in the Hall of Fame. 1B Jason McDaniel was a seven time all-star while C Tim Youngblood made the team four times. They both were part of the 1985 dispersal draft and were already into their prime when the USBA played its first game. McDaniel was 27 and a fierce hitter still ranking in the top ten all time for batting average. Youngblood was already 31 when the league started but he put up some monster numbers before hanging them up after the 1990 season with just six seasons of USBA stats on his baseball card. Both players were elected to the Hall of Fame by the veterans committee.

1B Jason McDaniel(6845 AB, .344 BA, 2355 Hits, 691 XBH, 1045 RBI, 1146 RS)
C Tim Youngblood(3371 AB, .291 BA, 1008 Hits, 445 XBH, 663 RBI, 595 RS)

[HerbD]

Wichita Gamblers

Seasons:                     34
Record:                      2618-2891(.475)
Average Record:              77-85
Championships:               NONE
Pennants:                    NONE
Divisions:                   1(2008)
Wild Cards:                  2(1989 & 2010)
Most Wins:                   97(1989)
Most Losses:                 102(1996 & 2018)
Silver Sluggers:             2
1986  Joseph Martin          .327 BA, 93 XBH, 125 RBI
2002  Donatello Marrero      .298 BA, 77 XBH, 119 RBI
Bronze Arms                  0
Platinum Rookies:            3
1989  CF Lamont Rivera       .326 BA, 45 XBH, 91 RS
2004  1B Ken Bankhead        .319 BA, 76 XBH, 87 RBI
2018  1B Matthew Prohphet    .325 BA, 36 XBH,  77 RBI
Hall of Famers:              2
MR Margarito Solorzano
SP Ty Thrasher

The Gamblers are one of only three USBA franchises to never make it to the USBA Championship Series notching just two wild card spots and one division title in the team's 34 year existence. The Gamblers manage to sneak past Las Vegas as the worst franchise in the USBA by virtue of a significantly better winning percentage. Known as the Whatchamacallits in the early days, the Wichita franchise has experienced some tough luck throughout it's history.

Twice the franchise won over 90 games only to finish second in the division to New Orleans. 1989 saw the Whachamacallits win 96 games only to tie Houston for the wild card and force a one game playoff. After winning the playoff the team still finished an astounding 11.5 games behind the 108 win New Orleans team. In 2009 the team won 92 games but lost the division by two games to New Orleans and the Liberty League Wildcard by four games to Detroit.

When the team finally did make the playoffs they didn't do a whole lot to get the fans excited losing in the USBA Division Series each time. A three game sweep at the hands of the Memphis Riversharks in 1989 was a crushing blow to the 97 win Wichita team and it took them ten seasons to return to the post season.

Up until Wayne Marshall broke team records for homers(54) and RBI(156) Joseph Martin was the best hitter the franchise had seen. Problem is Martin played just five seasons in Wichita from '85~'89 and retired from baseball after the 1990 season at the age of 36. Only two pitchers have ever won 100+ games in a Wichita uniform and the two that wear Gamblers' hats in the Hall of Fame only played a combined 11 seasons in Wichita. Seems no one wants to hang around this town for whatever reason.

The two previously mentioned Hall of Famers were USBA journeymen who just happened to be pretty good. Margarito Solorzano is the only primary middle reliever in the USBA Hall of Fame. He played for four different teams, no more than five seasons for any one team, and had arguably his three best seasons in Wichita from '91~'93. During that span Solorzano pitched in over 300 games and almost 360 innings while posting earned run averages of 2.45, 2.30, and 2.20 respectively.

Ty Thrasher was starting pitcher that played his first seven seasons for the Wichita club. He posted six consecutive winning seasons from '92~'97(84-57) while the team never won more than 79 games and as few as 60. His career ERA in over 1440 innings pitched in a Wichita uniform was a remarkable 2.82. He went on to play for three other teams and pitched to no-hitters while playing for San Diego.




MR Margarito Solorzano(1 AS, 1373 IP, 2.94 ERA, 82-57-115, .94 WHIP)
SP Ty Thrasher(7 AS, 3102 IP, 3.10 ERA, 185-146, .91 WHIP, 3509 K)

[brandocamandosm]

can already tell this is gonna be good. Cant wait to read more

[udbacker58]

Las Vegas Scorpions
Vegas hasn't had much luck since 2002, but Aric Buering, with nearly 4000 strikeouts, 178 victories, and a Bronze Arm in a Scorpions uniform, will almost certainly be the next player in the Hall of Fame with a Las Vegas uniform. Should be interesting to see how this franchise fares with a new GM and a new identity...

Wichita Gamblers
I would be lying if I said I didn't take any joy in being a thorn in the side of this franchise during the late 2000s-early 2010s. Losing Wayne Marshall hurts, but the fact that he couldn't be signed and later traded is the real loss as one of the top hitters in the game will walk away from Wichita for nothing. With just the 14th best farm system (according to the game), a number of bloated contracts, and talks that they may trade away the #3 overall pick; I don't know when this franchise will finally pull out of the woods.

[asaintsfan]

Great job Herb. Can"t wait to read more!

[HerbD]

Hawaii Tsunami

Seasons:                     34
Record:                      2673-2836(.485)
Average Record:              79-83
Championships:               NONE
Pennants:                    NONE
Divisions:                   4(2002, 2004, 2016, 2017)
Wild Cards:                  NONE
Most Wins:                   96(2008)
Most Losses:                 113(2012)
Silver Sluggers:             1
2003  OF Devon Haskell       .358 BA, 62 XBH, 110 RBI
Bronze Arms                  3
1989  Neil Maddux            18-1, 1.98 ERA, 137 K
2016  Curt Hiscock           24-4, 2.32 ERA, 331 K
2017  Curt Hiscock           21-7, 2.27 ERA, 336 K
Platinum Rookies:            3
1997  2B Scott Shields       .315 BA, 45 XBH,  79 RS
2004  1B Jake Priddy         .285 BA, 53 XBH, 89 RBI
2018  SS Luis Gonzalez       .284 BA, 27 XBH,  66 RS
Hall of Famers:              2
SP Neil Maddux
OF Devon Haskell

The Hawaii Tsunami have the distinction of being one of only three organizations in the 34 year history of the United States Baseball Association to never win a wild card. With only four division titles it also puts them in a tie with Las Vegas for the second fewest playoff appearances in the league's history. Hawaii fans languished for 18 seasons before the Tsunami got it's first taste of the postseason by taking the Freedom League Pacific Division by six games over Alaska. The Tsunami then swept the Crazed Natives clinching the first playoff series in franchise history in it's home playoff debut. The celebration would be cut short as they would lose to Las Vegas in seven games for a chance at the USBA Championship. Ironically it would be the Scorpions only pennant in their history. The Tsunami would go on to win the Pacific again in 2004 but would lose to New York in the Division Series in a 14-7 slugfest of a game five. The Hawaii fans would wait another 11 seasons before back to back Pacific Division titles in 2016 and 2017 again led to first round playoff disappointment with losses to LA in both seasons.

Perhaps the most disappointing season was 2008 when the Tsnami won a franchise best 96 games only to find themselves tied for second in the Pacific Division with Alaska, both looking up in the standings at a 99 win denver team. Hawaii lost the one game playoff and would wait eight more seasons for a shot at the postseason.

The 2016 and 2017 teams were powered by back to back Bronze Arm Awards for starting pitcher Curtis Hiscock. After the 2017 season Hiscock was just 21 years old but boasted his two Bronze Arms and an 82-23 record. With two DL stints and just 19 starts 2018 would be a different story for the young hurler.

The Hawaii Tsunami do boast two USBA Hall of Famers, well, one and a half. Neil Maddux split his career between Hawaii and Denver and could have gone either way. The16th overall selection in the 1985 dispersal draft, Neil had a great run despite being 31 in the league's inaugural season. Maddux collected 58 wins in 4 seasons with Denver posting a 2.97 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, but he became a super-star over a 14 month sretch with Hawaii. In February of 1989 he signed a 5-year contract with the Tsunami and went on to win the Bronze arm that season with an 18-1 record, 1.98 ERA, and 0.85 WHIP. He threw two no-hitters for the Tsunami; 4/20/89 against his former team and 5/19/90 against Pittsburgh. Sadly, a month after his second no-hitter, Neil began having shoulder and elbow troubles that would plague him the rest of his career. He had surgery to remove bone chips twice in three seasons and made four trips to the DL between 6/90-6/92. When he retired Neil was 5th in W (103), 5th in WHIP (1.02), t5th in SO (8), 8th in CG (18), and 9th in ERA (3.28). Neil was never on a serious playoff contender, but when the 1987 Diamond Demons made the playoffs (possibly the worst team in USBA history to make the post-season), he played well giving up just 1 ER in 7 IP with a no-decision. Had the league formed in 1980 instead of 1985, Maddux may be talked about in the same breath as players like Turnbow, Hunter, Pacifico, and McDonald; but instead he is thought of as a great player who's time was cut short.

OF Devon Haskell, on the other hand, bled Tsunami blue. One of the greatest pure hitters in the history of the USBA, Haskell would spend his 20 year career toiling in obscurity. Hawaii has only made two post-season trips in their 30 year history and though Devon would only play in 5 post-season games, he would make the most of them hitting .435/.458/.696. Devon had 200 or more hits in nine of his seasons, including a six year stretch from 1994-1999. Despite being a great hitter with a career .323 average (10th best among inactive players), he won only one batting title in 2005 at the age of 35. Was the oldest position player to step onto the field, with 125 plate appearances in 2012 at the age of 42. When he retired after the 2012 season he ranked 2nd in H (3204), 5th in R (1626), and 10th in AVG (inactive-.323). He is also one of only 6 members in the 300/300 club, and is the only player in USBA history with 3000 hits, 300 HR, and 300 SB.



SP Neil Maddux(1 BA, 3AS, 1639 IP, 103-62 W/L, 3.28 ERA, 1.02 WHIP)
OF Devon Haskell (1 SS, 3 GG, 7 AS, 9923 AB, .323/.372/.472, 3204 H, 804 XBH, 1626 RS, 1230 RBI, 443 SB)

**HOF Bios from USBA HOF page if available

[udbacker58]

LOL, looks like my Hall of Fame write-up on Haskell is a little out of date. Hawaii has doubled their playoff appearances since then, and two more players have reached the 300/300 club (Ricky Booth and Will Case) to raise the membership to 8.

[HerbD]

Jacksonville Hurricanes

Seasons:                     34
Record:                      2458-3051(.446)
Average Record:              72-90
Championships:               (2)(2014 & 2015)
Pennants:                    (3)(2008, 2014, 2015)
Divisions:                   4(2008, 2009, 2014, 2015)
Wild Cards:                  1(2007)
Most Wins:                   93(2014)
Most Losses:                 115(1990)
Silver Sluggers:             1
1987  OF Howard Williams     .352, 92 XBH, 115 RBI, 53 SB
Bronze Arms                  1
2009  Florencio Viveiros     20-6, 3.42 ERA, 211 K
Platinum Rookies:            2
2013  SP Greg Morris         16-6, 2.19 ERA, 129 K
2016  1B Richard Harrell     .322 BA, 32 XBH, 58 RBI, 233 AB
Hall of Famers:              1
OF Howard Williams

Five seasons ago the Jacksonville franchise would have landed dead last on our list. For the first 22 years of it's existance the franchise was little more than an opportunity to pad stats and rack up wins for the rest of the USBA. 11 times between 1985 and 2006 the team lost over 100 games while posting only two winning records and not so much as a sniff at the post-season.

In 2007 the Suns finally broke through winning 89 games and took the Liberty League Wild Card by five games for the franchises first ever playoff appearance. The team was quickly eliminated in the LDS 3-1 by Detroit. The following season Jacksonville won 87 games and claimed it's first ever divion title by just one game over Richmond. Led by Oliver Bush's six homers and 16 RBI the Suns made a run all the way to the USBA Championship but fell just short losing in seven games to Denver. 2009 brought consecutive division titles but a very disappointing first round loss to Chicago.2010 to 2013 brought four more winning seasons but no playoff appearances. A four year period that saw every team in the Dixie win a division crown with the exception of Jacksonville.

Who would have thunk it? 2014 brought the fans of Jacksonville their first ever USBA championhip. In 2015, after 31 seasons, the USBA got it's first repeat champions from the most unlikely franchise as the Suns went back to back. Led by catcher Joe Collins(85 homers & 228 RBI), pitchers Walt Peterson(36 wins), and Rhett Hawkins(29 wins) the Suns defeated Seattle then Alaska for their titles. The ultimate team of streaks started the USBA with 20 losing seasons out of 22 but are going strong with 11 winning seasons out of the last 12 with two USBA titles.

Although I'm sure several players from the recent run of success will eventually be considered for the Hall of Fame currently Jacksonville has just one representative enshrined. OF Howard Williams was 30 years old when the USBA began. The 13th overall pick in the 1985 dispersal draft, Williams quickly became a crowd favorite of the then Virginia Beach Breakers. Williams won the franchises only Silver Slugger award in 1987 with his second consecutive 30/30 season. With 43 homers and 59 steals(both career highs) Williams became the player to hit 40+ homers and steal 40+ bases in the same season. An All-Star his first seven seasons, Williams retired following the 1938 season at the age of 38. After 34 USBA seasons Williams still ranks highly in Jacksonville history in several offensive categories including tops in hits(1726) and AB(5541). Had Howard Williams been a few years younger when the USBA started there is no doubt he would be remembered as one of the greatest of all time.


OF Howard Williams(1 SS, 7 AS, 5541 AB, .311/.359/.515, 1726 H, 570 XBH, 833 RS, 823 RBI, 240 SB)

**HOF Bios from USBA HOF page if available

[Troy30]

Great stuff Herb!!! I took over Jacksonville at the start of the 2011 season. Have done well with them I think

[Mike1]

Nice job Herb! I imagine Columbus will be coming up soon.

[udbacker58]

I remember when I started in 2007, young Florencio Viveiros was one of the top starting pitchers in the league and the driving force behind Jacksonville's turnaround from laughingstock to playoff contender. Amazing what a change in GMs can do for a franchise, Brent Kick began the turnaround when he took over the Suns in 2003, making them a winning franchise; Troy took them to the next level with the league's only back-to-back titles. Funny fact, since shedding the old, losing Suns nickname, Jacksonville has made 0 playoff appearances and have their only losing season over the last dozen years.

[HerbD]

San Diego Surf

Seasons:                     34
Record:                      2617-2891(.475)
Average Record:              77-85
Championships:               NONE
Pennants:                    NONE
Divisions:                   8(1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000)
Wild Cards:                  NONE
Most Wins:                   100(1994)
Most Losses:                 116(2014)
Silver Sluggers:             2
1999  OF Bernardo Ibanez     .296, 75 XBH, 104 RBI
2000  3B Ronnie Pickles      .293, 77 XBH, 114 RBI
Bronze Arms                  2
1997  Chad Fore              21-8, 2.34 ERA, 201 K
1999  Chad Fore              20-5, 2.34 ERA, 198
Platinum Rookies:            2
1993  OF Bernardo Ibanez     .231, 57 XBH, 91 RS
2008  1B Augustine Delgado   .317 BA, 60 XBH, 103 RBI
Hall of Famers:              1
P Chad Fore

The fans in sunny San Diego have waited a long time to see the Surf play for a USBA championship, 34 years to be exact. The San Diego franchise is one of only three to never have won a USBA League pennant. The Surf are also one of just three clubs to have never won a wildcard. While the Surf did tease it's fans with greatness during the early days of the USBA, it's been almost 20 seasons since their last playoff appearance.

From 1985 through 2002 the Surf won almost 52% of their games and claimed eight Pacific Division titles including five consecutive from 1993 to 1997. Even stacked with such players as Chad Fore, Brian Nuckols, Bernardo Ibanez, and Langford Becker the team could not get over the mountain to the promise land. Four different times the Surf played for the Freedom League pennant and each time they went home to watch the USBA Championship on television. San Diego's first shot at a pennant came in 1990 when the Surf surprised everyone in the Pacific by besting the Crazed Natives by two games and then swept LA in the division series only to lose to eventual champion Alaska 4-1 in the LCS. Five seasons and two first round sweeps later the Surf would find themselves in the LCS as the heavy favorites to defeat the 86 win Seattle Stingrays. The Rays would win the series in seven games winning game seven in San Diego, a 7-6 heart breaker for the Surf. The Surf would not make it out of the first round of the playoffs in 1996 or 1997 before missing the playoffs in 1998. 1999 and 2000 would produce back to back LCS appearances for San Diego and two more missed opportunities losing both times to New York.

Surf fans were spoiled with playoff appearances but a USBA Championship had managed to elude the team. Those playoff years would come to be known as “the glory years” in San Diego as the team would soon fall off the map. After two winning but non-playoff seasons in 2001 and 2002 the team would go on to post 12 losing seasons out of the next 16 losing 100+ games in six of those campaigns. In 2014 and 2015 the Surf would hit rock bottom losing 227 games combined while winning only 97.


The 30th overall pick in 1987, Chad Fore made his USBA debut 5 years later at the age of 23. After a rough rookie campaign, Fore posted 13 consecutive sub-4.00 ERA seasons for the Surf (including 7 sub-3.00 seasons). The righty won two Bronze Awards, each in his two 20-win seasons ('97 and '99), and he made four all-star appearances. He tops the Surf list in career ERA and Win%, and falls just short in wins and strikeouts. Fore and the Surf came up just short of post-season immortality by losing in the 1995 and 2000 FL Championship series, with Fore posting a 3.87 ERA and 5-4 record in 14 post-season starts. San Diego would let him walk after the 2003 season, and though the aging vet had lost a little, his 32-32 record in 3 seasons for the Scorpions is a solid mark considering the club was 33 games under .500 during his time there. At the time of his retirement after the 2007 season, Fore ranked 11th in W (209), 13th in ERA (3.09), 21st in K (2608), 27th in Win% (61.3), and 35th in WHIP (1.13).

P Chad Fore(2 BA, 4 AS, 209-132, 3.09 ERA, 3149 IP, 2608 K, 1.13 WHIP)

**HOF Bios from USBA HOF page if available

[udbacker58]

Don't forget about Stuart Etienne. He made 8 all-star games over a 9 year span (1994-2002). They could end up with their 2nd Hall of Famer, but does Bernardo Ibanez go into the hall wearing a Surf cap (where he spent the majority of his career), or a Pilgrims one (where he won a title and had his best season)? I hadn't realized how good they had been at one time, since I joined the league they have just 4 winning seasons and have not won more than 85 games; but back when they had Fore, Nuckols, Ibanez, Becker, Pickles, and Etienne they were a very good club. Hopefully one day soon I can lead my new team to the promised land, but if I were a fan of the Surf I wouldn't get my hopes up

[Matty86]

Wow... looks like an amazing league you guys have going over there! Nice

[udbacker58]

Don't want to spam Herb's thread, but this is relevant. USBA Hall of Fame, Class of 2019 has been announced.

[HerbD]

San Antonio Gunslingers

Seasons:                     34
Record:                      2604-2924(.471)
Average Record:              77-85
Championships:               NONE
Pennants:                    2(2000 & 2005)
Divisions:                   6(2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007)
Wild Cards:                  NONE
Most Wins:                   98(2000)
Most Losses:                 111(1989)
Silver Sluggers:             4
2000  2B Raymond Hendley    .293, 79 XBH, 118 RBI, 114 RS
2001  2B Raymond Hendley    .308, 76 XBH, 111 RBI, 122 RS, 31 SB
2008  SS Steve Lawrence     .352, 95 XBH, 161 RBI, 140 RS
2017  3B Fernando Alomar    .317, 87 XBH, 130 RBI, 108 RS
Bronze Arms                  2
2007  Ryan Collins           20-9, 1.60 ERA, 178 K, 0.87 WHIP
2008  Ryan Collins           21-8, 2.75 ERA, 153 K, 1.17 WHIP
Platinum Rookies:            2
1990  1B Partick Dvorak      .211, 65 XBH, 90 RS
2008  OF Christian Guerrero  .305 BA, 67 XBH, 97 RBI
Hall of Famers:              2
2B Raymond Hendley
P   Pruden Fernandez

The San Antonio Gunslingers finished the inaugural USBA season with a respectable 82-80 record but finished a distant fourth in a five team division. It would have thought it would take them 13 seasons to reach the .500 mark for the second time and two more seasons to make their first playoff appearance. The early Gunslingers teams were led by future Hall of Fame OF Michael Faulk who slammed 181 homers in four seasons in San Antonio before he was traded to Houston for another future Hall of Famer, Patrick Dvorak. In 2000 the Gunslingers won their first division title but lost in the USBA Championship in a four game sweep by the New York Gothams. From 2000~2007 San Anotonio won division titles six times but never won the elusive USBA title, again getting swept in the championship series in 2005 by the Boston Pilgrims.

During the team's glory years it was blessed with several great players. 2B Raymond Hendley won back to back Silver Sluggers in 2000 and 2001 while Steve Lawrence picked up his Silver Slugger in 2008 barely missing the triple crown but leading the league with 62 homers and 161 RBI. SP Ryan Collins won 41 games adn took home back to back Bronze Arm Awards in 2007 and 2008.

The Gunslingers won 85 games in 2008 but missed the playoffs losing the division to Wichita by six games while finishing third in the wildcard standings. What followed was nine consecutive losing seasons including back to back 100 loss seasons in 2011 & 2012. In 2018 the San Antonio slugged its way to an 87 win season behind 40+ homer/100+ RBI seasons by Fernando Alomar, Felipe Estrada, and Danny Gibson. The winning record was a step in the right direction for the franchise but it placed the team third in the division 24 games behind New Orleans.

Regarded as one of the top power hitters and second basemen of all-time, Raymond Hendley was selected 3rd overall by the Gunslingers and played his 17-year career in San Antonio. From 1999 through 2006, Hendley hit at least 40 HR (he led the league in HR 7 consec. seasons 99-05) with 100 RBI each season, including back-to-back Silver Slugger awards in 2000 and 2001. San Antonio would make six playoff appearances between 2000 and 2007, but they could never break through, making the USBA World Championship series only once, getting swept by Boston in 2005. You can't blame Raymond though, he hit .292 with 15 HR but was still unable to bring a title home to San Antonio. When Hendley retired after the 2011 season he ranked 2nd in HR (527), 8th in RBI (1466), and 12th in R (1446). At the time of his induction he is one of only 6 members of the 300/300 club, only 3 in the 400/300 club, and the only player in USBA history with at least 500 HR and 300 SB.

Selected 25th overall in the 2nd round in the 1993 draft, Pruden Fernandez proved to be a steal for one of the worst teams in the league. Fernandez made his Major League debut in his draft campaign and put up decent numbers in just 5 games of work. The Suns would try and use him primarily as a starting pitcher in 1994 and 1995, but the experiment backfired as Pruden would post his worst, then 3rd worst ERAs of his 20 year career in 94 and 95. Late in 95 he was moved into the closer role and was a instant success, racking up a total of 178 saves in just over 5 seasons for a club that would post a winning record just one time in those 5 years. Despite winning the Iron Closer award in 2000 with 43 saves and a 1.88 ERA, the Suns let Fernandez walk rather than shell out a big contract to a closer. He signed with San Antonio and made 6 all-star appearances in his first 8 years with the club, won another Iron Closer award in 2003 (the last time the award would be given before being brought back 15 years later), and help the Gunslingers to 5 division titles in those 8 seasons. He allowed 0 runs in 3 of those 5 postseasons and was a key component to San Antonio’s 2005 LL Pennant. When he retired, he ranked 3rd in saves (510) when he retired with a 3.29 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.




2B Raymond Hendley(2 SS, 1 GG, 5 AS, .276/.351/.527, 394 2B, 527 HR, 1466 RBI, 1446 RS, 376 SB, 941 BB)

P Pruden Fernandez(9 AS, 94-97, 510 SV, 3.29 ERA, 1226 IP, 1012 K, 1.19 WHIP)


**HOF Bios from USBA HOF page if available

[udbacker58]

I remember when I took over it was toward the end of the SA glory years and they were a team that pounded my Cajuns. Glad to see that they are heading in the right direction.

(BTW, don't they have 2 pennants? you have them listed as none)

[HerbD]

Originally Posted by udbacker58

I remember when I took over it was toward the end of the SA glory years and they were a team that pounded my Cajuns. Glad to see that they are heading in the right direction.

(BTW, don't they have 2 pennants? you have them listed as none)

Yes they do have two pennants...fixed now!!

Thanks

[HerbD]

Philadelphia Mavericks

Seasons:                     34
Record:                      2739-2770(.497)
Average Record:              81-81
Championships:               NONE
Pennants:                    1(1985)
Divisions:                   2(1985 & 2008))
Wild Cards:                  6(1989, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2018)
Most Wins:                   98(2004)
Most Losses:                 103(1994 & 1995)
Silver Sluggers:             
1985  3B Jimmy Adams         .356, 82 XBH, 138 RBI, 136 RS
1986  3B Jimmy Adams         .379, 92 XBH, 158 RBI, 130 RS
Bronze Arms                  1
1985  Cris Williams          22-10, 3.27 ERA, 269 K, 1.13 WHIP
Platinum Rookies:            2
1986  C Vinny Delatorre      .298, 14 XBH, 49 RBI
1987  2B Morris Briggs       .270 BA, 50 XBH, 56 RBI
Hall of Famers:              1
3B Jimmy Adams

The Philadelphia Mavericks have been a curious franchise. They have managed to play close to .500 baseball for 34 seasons(31 games under) but have only two division titles and eight total playoff appearances to show for it. In those eight playoff appearances they managed to win just two postseason series, none since 2004. Led by 3B Jimmy Adams and SP Cris Williams the Mavs won 97 games in the league's inaugural season, beat the Crazed Natives for the Freedom League Pennant, but lost 4-1 in the USBA Championship Series to the Memphis Riversharks. The Mavericks would never again be serious contenders reaching the LCS just one other time and losing in the Division Series on six other occasions. Their best season in the USBA was their first season in the USBA. Adams would win the first two Freedom League Silver Slugger Awards while Williams took the 1985 Bronze Arm. The team would also rake in the first two Freedom League Platinum Rookie Awards won by C Vinny Delatorre in 1986 and 2B Morris Briggs in 1987. Adams would retire after the 1990 season and Williams would become ineffective after just two seasons and it was all downhill from there.

Playing in a very competitive Atlantic Division the Mavs won 90 plus games eight different times but won only two division titles. During a three year stretch from 2004~2006 they won 98, 90, and 94 games but managed only two wildcard spots finishing 15, 23, and 14 games behind the eventual division champion. They won their second and last playoff series after the 2004 season beating LA in five games before losing the League Championship Series to division rival NY in five games.

The franchise reached it's lowest point from 1993~1995 losing 100 plus games each season. It would mark the only three times in the Maverick's history they would lose 100 games. Overall the Mavs have put up 19 winning seasons but have been the hard luck franchise of the USBA. Philly made the playoffs again in 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2018 but won only four games combined for the four series losing in the Division series each time.

Several great players have suited up for the Mavericks over the years including Adams, Briggs, John Sims, Darrell Osbourne, Williams, Curtis Miller, Alvin DeMasi, and Ken Moise but all you have to do is scour the Philadelphia Maverick's all time leader boards to figure out that the early years were the best. Just like Marty McFly they just want to get back to 1985!



Jimmy Adams doesn't rank very highly on the career leaderboards anymore, but that is because he was 33 when the league began (he was the 26th overall selection in the dispersal draft). Over a four year span from '85-'88, Adams was arguably the most dominant hitter in the USBA; and he wasn't too bad in his final two seasons either. Adams hit 40 or more HR with 120 or more RBI in each of his first four seasons in the league on his way to two Silver Slugger awards. He led the Mavericks to playoff appearances in '85 and '89, but Philly won just one game in those two series and Jimmy was unable to bring home a title in his 6 seasons with the Mavericks. He was an All-Star in all 6 of his seasons and even hit for the cycle in '88 against New York at the age of 36. When Adams retired, he was the career leader in RBI and ranked in the top 5 in H, R, and HR. Adams has 22 more HR than anyone in the history of the league after the age of 32, proving what a dominant power hitter he was in his later years and raising questions on how good he could have been had the league opened its doors 8-10 years earlier.

3B Jimmy Adams(2 SS, 5 AS, 3785 AB .333/.376/.598, 179 2B, 262 HR, 792 RBI, 683 RS)

**HOF Bios from USBA HOF page if available