John Smoltz inducted in 2010 In 19 years pitching exclusively for the Hitmen, John Smoltz finished his career, 3rd with 247 wins, 3rd with 2873 strikeouts, 5th with 1181 walks, 4th with 3439 2/3 innings pitched, & 8th with 451 starts. From 1995-98 his record was 81-25. In 1997 Smoltz …
Mike Piazza Catcher inducted in 2010 Mike Piazza was the greatest offensive catcher in league history, hitting 416 homers, driving in 1,257. With the Posse, Mike posted these numbers, in 1995 – .327 33 HRs 119 RBIs, in 1996 – .350 35 HRs 97 RBIs, in 1997 – .329 42 …
Roberto Alomar Secondbaseman inducted in 2010 Roberto Alomar played his entire career for the Northside Hitmen. From 1989-2004 the Hitmen made the playoffs every year with Robby as their starting secondbaseman, nine times finishing 1st, 100+ wins five years, with four straight championships. From 1992-94 he stole 57, 54, & …
This is the fourth in a series of articles about candidates for the Illowa League Hall of Fame. Now we move on to the first player in our series who seems like a real slam-dunk first ballot Hall of Famer. Over 15 years, Mike Piazza was the best offensive catcher in …
This is the third in a series of articles about candidates for the Illowa League Hall of Fame. It’s always difficult to predict how leadoff hitters will do in IAL Hall of Fame voting. Kenny Lofton was one of the best for about six or seven years, but like Craig Biggio …
This is the second in a series of articles on candidates for the Illowa League Hall of Fame. Shawn Green played 13 seasons in the Ilowa League, splitting time between the Bunchies. He had a slow start to his career, not really breaking out and playing full-time until his fourth season, …
This is the first in a series of articles about candidates for the Illowa League Hall of Fame. Craig Biggio came into the IAL in the expansion draft of 1997, taken by the State Street Sluggers. He was immediately dealt to the Aurora (now Three Rivers) Gamblers. Despite missing what …
I’ve been going over the Hall of Fame for the 2010 ballot, and it looks like this year will be a good one! Eligible players for this year include, among hitters, Craig Biggio, Jose Cruz, Jr., Juan Encarnacion, Shawn Green, Kenny Lofton, Mike Piazza, and Jose Valentin. Among pitchers we …
Larry Walker played for 3 teams over his 16-year IAL career, hitting .291 with a .377 OBA and .554 SLG. The only player who played longer and slugged higher was Barry Bonds, and only 4 players played longer and had a better on-base. He hit 407 homer, drove in …
I don’t know how it happened, but somehow Tim Raines is not in the IAL Hall of Fame. He is very deserving, his statistics clearly show, and it is a travesty that he is not a member. In his eighteen seasons Rock scored stole 854 bases (the all-time high) & …
