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Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each MLB Franchise (Updated For Wil Myers, April 10, 2017)

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Getty Images

The First Cycle of the Year!

Going into 2015, the Padres had never had a no hitter nor a cycle hit. Now they are still waiting for that elusive no hitter, but they can chalk up multiple cycles now.

Wil Myers lined one into left center field and legged it out for a triple, completing the cycle and leading the Padres to a 5-3 victory against the Rockies.

Back in 2015, Matt Kemp legged out HIS cycle with a triple in Coors.

Innnnnnteresting. The Padres are STILL waiting for their first cycle that wasn’t hit in Colorado!

Go figure.

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

THE MOST CYCLE HIT
FOR EACH FRANCHISE

San_Diego_Padres_logo.svg
SAN DIEGO PADRES
April 10, 2017 vs. Colorado
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PITTSBURGH PIRATES
John Jaso
September 28, 2016 vs. Chicago Cubs

Indians_Logo
CLEVELAND INDIANS
Rajai Davis
July 2, 2016 vs. Toronto
atlanta-braves-logo
ATLANTA BRAVES
June 15, 2016 vs. Cincinnati
rangers
TEXAS RANGERS
Adrian Beltre
August 3, 2015 vs. Colorado
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BOSTON RED SOX
June 16, 2015 vs. Atlanta
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COLORADO ROCKIES
Michael Cuddyer
August 17,2014 vs. Cincinnati
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HOUSTON ASTROS
Brandon Barnes
July 19, 2013 vs. Seattle
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LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
Mike Trout
May 21, 2013 vs. Seattle
downloadARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Aaron Hill
June 29, 2012 vs. Milwaukee
NEW YORK METS
April 27, 2012 vs. Colorado
San_francisco_giants_alternate_logo
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
September 15, 2011 vs. Colorado
brewers
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
George Kottaras
September 3, 2011 vs. Houston
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TAMPA PAY RAYS
B. J. Upton
October 2, 2009 vs. New York Yankees

Baltimore_orioles_logo_2012_-_present

BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Felix Pie
August 14, 2009 vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

300px-NewYorkYankees_PrimaryLogo.svg

NEW YORK YANKEES
Melky Cabrera.
August 2, 2009 vs Chicago White Sox

Minnesota-Twins-Logo
MINNESOTA TWINS
Michael Cuddyer
May 22, 2009 vs Milwaukee

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LOS ANGELES DODGERS
April 13, 2009 vs San Francisco
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SEATTLE MARINERS
Adrian Beltre.
September 1, 2009 vs. Texas
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Washington Nationals
August 28, 2008 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
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OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Mark Ellis
June 4, 2007 vs. Boston
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DETROIT TIGERS
Carlos Guillen
August 1, 2006 vs Tampa Bay.
216px-St._Louis_Cardinals_Logo.svg
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Mark Grudzielanek
April 27, 2005 vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Phillies
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
David Bell
June 28, 2004 vs. Montreal
toronto-blue-jays-logo-300x300
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Jeff Frye
August 17, 2001 vs. Texas
white-sox-logo-white
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
April 27, 2000 vs. Baltimore
chicago-cubs-logo

CHICAGO CUBS
Mark Grace
May 9, 1993 vs San Diego

kansas-city-royals-logo

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
George Brett
June 24, 1990 vs. Toronto

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CINCINNATI REDS
June 2, 1989 vs. San Diego Padres

BONUS –

Last Cycles Hit For Teams in Old Locations

MONTREAL EXPOS
Vladimir Guerrero
September 14, 2003 vs. New York Mets

WashingtonSenators6171

WASHINGTON SENATORS
Jim King
May 26, 1964 vs. Boston

nygiants1216

NEW YORK GIANTS
Don Mueller
July 11, 1954 vs. Pittsburgh

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PHILADELPHIA ATHLETICS
Elmer Valo
August 2, 1950 vs. Chicago White Sox

BROOKLYN
BROOKLYN DODGERS
Gil Hodges
June 25, 1949 vs. Pittsburgh

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ST. LOUIS BROWNS
George McQuinn
July 19, 1941 vs. Boston Red Sox

DOVES7245

BOSTON DOVES
Bill Collins
October 6, 1910 vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Still waiting for the first ever Marlins cycle.

The Most Recent Cycle Hit For All Teams (Updated for Freddie Freeman, 6-15-2016)

FreddieFreemanCapture

KEVIN C. COX/GETTY IMAGES

The First Cycle of the Year!

And true to 2016 Atlanta Braves style, the team almost lost the damn game. It took extra innings, but Freddie Freeman made the list. This might be the highlight of Atlanta’s season!

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

Ken Griffey JR. + Mike Piazza Named To The Hall: Our Final Poll Vote Had Bagwell Joining Those Two

 

Ken Griffey was well on his way to the all-time career HR record before injuries slowed him down after the age of 30. He is also the last player in the MLB to have a HR in 8 straight contests, dating in 1993.

Ken Griffey was well on his way to the all-time career HR record before injuries slowed him down after the age of 30. He is also the last player in the MLB to have a HR in 8 straight contests, dating in 1993.  Griffey received a record 99% of the ballots vote from the BBWAA, eclipsing Tom Seaver’s old record for highest percentage of votes in his selection today.

There were the 32 names on the list for consideration for the Baseball Hall Of Fame, only 2 made were selected to Cooperstown with Griffey JR. and Piazza. Our poll also had Jeff Bagwell make it.

Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Griffey Jr., Tim RainesCurt SchillingRoger ClemensBarry BondsLee SmithEdgar MartinezAlan TrammellJeff KentFred McGriffLarry WalkerSammy SosaGary SheffieldNomar GarciaparraMark McGwireJim EdmondsJason KendallTroy GlausMike HamptonLuis CastilloRandy Winn, Garret AndersonMike LowellBilly WagnerTrevor HoffmanMark GrudzielanekMike SweeneyDavid Eckstein are all on the ballot.

.Mike Piazza almost made it into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in voting for last year with a clip of 69.9% of the votes. He made it into the BBHOF this year.

.Mike Piazza almost made it into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in voting for last year with a clip of 69.9% of the votes. He made it into the BBHOF this year.

Out of 524 People Voting, Final  Results (75% would get a Hall Of Fame Induction)

Ken Griffey Jr. 519 99.04%  
Jeff Bagwell 416 79.38%  
Mike Piazza 397 75.77%  
Tim Raines 380 72.52%  
Roger Clemens 331 63.17%  
Barry Bonds 285 54.39%  
Curt Schilling 222 42.37%  
Trevor Hoffman 218 41.60%  
Edgar Martinez 203 38.74%  
Alan Trammell 190 36.26%  
Mike Mussina 188 35.88%  
Mark McGwire 169 32.25%  
Fred McGriff 130 24.81%  
Sammy Sosa 130 24.81%  
Larry Walker 120 22.90%  
Lee Smith 107 20.42%  
Jeff Kent 101 19.27%  
Billy Wagner 95 18.13%  
Gary Sheffield 81 15.46%  
Jim Edmonds 52 9.93%  
Nomar Garciaparra 35 6.68%  
Brad Ausmus 10 1.9%  
Jason Kendall 9 1.72%  
Mark Grudzielanek 9 1.72%  
Mike Hampton 7 1.34%  
Garrett Anderson 7 1.34%  
Troy Glaus 4 0.7%  
Randy Winn 4 0.7%  
MIke Lowell 4 0.7%  
Mike Sweeney 4 0.7%  
David Eckstein 4 0.7%  
Luis Castillo 2 0.35%
Despite coming 15 votes shy with the BBWAA vote, Bagwell made it to the Hall in our poll - registering almost 80% of the ballots.

Despite coming 15 votes shy with the BBWAA vote, Bagwell made it to the Hall in our poll – registering almost 80% of the ballots.

 

MLB Baseball Hall Of Fame (Class Of 2016) Voting Poll Results So Far (Last Chance To Vote)

ken griffey jr

Below the results listed so far, Pick 10 players who you believe should be in the Baseball Hall Of Fame this year.  We will post the results after the class of this year is posted.  We can see the amount of people who voted. 

So we will accurately adjust this mark once the poll ends.  A basic reference to see if a player is being voted for is to take their votes (times by 10) and then divide by the total amount of votes.

Here are the 32 names on the list for consideration. 

Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Griffey Jr., Tim RainesCurt SchillingRoger ClemensBarry BondsLee SmithEdgar MartinezAlan TrammellJeff KentFred McGriffLarry WalkerSammy SosaGary SheffieldNomar GarciaparraMark McGwireJim EdmondsJason KendallTroy GlausMike HamptonLuis CastilloRandy Winn, Garret AndersonMike LowellBilly WagnerTrevor HoffmanMark GrudzielanekMike SweeneyDavid Eckstein are all on the ballot.

So Far (at 9:45 AM EST, Tuesday Jan.6, 2015) there have been 386 People who have voted, and only 6 people have left Ken Griffey JR. off of their list.  Piazza and Raines (just barely) would both join Junior on the Baseball Hall Of Fame Induction list should this come to fruition.

I think the BBWAA should really take stock on the Clemens and Bonds numbers as they are far superior to what they voted for last year.  Both of them are about 25% higher and on the fringe of making the Hall.. 

I also think that Hoffman is hurt by his 1st year on the ballot.  A lot of people may have factored this in. 

I really think Raines is going to see a big boost to his bid for the Baseball Hall Of Fame with it being his 9th year on the ballot.  Under the new rules, that means that 2017’s Baseball Hall Of Fame Class would be his last chance to be elected to Cooperstown.

Out of 386 People Voting, The Results Thus Far (75% would get a Hall Of Fame Induction)

Ken Griffey Jr. 380 98.45%  
Mike Piazza 312 80.82%  
Tim Raines 290 75.12%  
Jeff Bagwell 241 62.43%  
Roger Clemens 237 61.40%  
Barry Bonds 236 61.14%  
Trevor Hoffman 186 48.19%  
Edgar Martinez 162 41.96%  
Curt Schilling 161 41.71%  
Mike Mussina 148 38.34%  
Mark McGwire 147 38.08%  
Sammy Sosa 117 30.31%  
Alan Trammell 116 30.06%  
Lee Smith 98 25.39%  
Fred McGriff 98 25.39%  
Larry Walker 86 22.28%  
Jeff Kent 79 20.47%  
Gary Sheffield 69 17.88%  
Billy Wagner 49 12.69%  
Jim Edmonds 37 9.6%  
Nomar Garciaparra 25 6.48%  
Jason Kendall 6 1.56%  
Garrett Anderson 3 0.78%  
MIke Lowell 3 0.78%  
Troy Glaus 2 0.54%  
Mike Sweeney 2 0.54%  
David Eckstein 2 0.54%  
Brad Ausmus 2 0.54%  
Mike Hampton 1 0.27%  
Luis Castillo 1 0.27%  
Randy Winn 1 0.27%  
Mark Grudzielanek 1 0.27%

Vote up until 558 PM EST  today.

MLB Baseball Hall Of Fame (Class Of 2016) Voting Poll Results So Far (Last Chance To Vote)

Below the results listed so far, Pick 10 players who you believe should be in the Baseball Hall Of Fame this year.  We will post the results after the class of this year is posted.  We can see the amount of people who voted. 

So we will accurately adjust this mark once the poll ends.  A basic reference to see if a player is being voted for is to take their votes (times by 10) and then divide by the total amount of votes.

Here are the 32 names on the list for consideration. 

Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Griffey Jr., Tim RainesCurt SchillingRoger ClemensBarry BondsLee SmithEdgar MartinezAlan TrammellJeff KentFred McGriffLarry WalkerSammy SosaGary SheffieldNomar GarciaparraMark McGwireJim EdmondsJason KendallTroy GlausMike HamptonLuis CastilloRandy Winn, Garret AndersonMike LowellBilly WagnerTrevor HoffmanMark GrudzielanekMike SweeneyDavid Eckstein are all on the ballot.

So Far (at 8:30 AM EST, Tuesday Jan.5, 2015) there have been 260 People who have voted, and only 2 people have left Ken Griffey JR. off of their list.  Piazza and Raines would both join Junior on the Baseball Hall Of Fame Induction list should this come to fruition.

I think the BBWAA should really take stock on the Clemens and Bonds numbers as they are far superior to what they voted for last year.  Both of them are about 25% higher and on the fringe of making the Hall.. 

I also think that Hoffman is hurt by his 1st year on the ballot.  A lot of people may have factored this in. 

I really think Raines is going to see a big boost to his bid for the Baseball Hall Of Fame with it being his 9th year on the ballot.  Under the new rules, that means that 2017’s Baseball Hall Of Fame Class would be his last chance to be elected to Cooperstown.

Out of 260 People Voting, The Results Thus Far (75% would get a Hall Of Fame Induction)

Ken Griffey Jr. 257 98.84%  
Mike Piazza 207 79.62%  
Tim Raines 206 79.23%  
Roger Clemens 166 63.84%  
Barry Bonds 166 63.84%  
Jeff Bagwell 166 63.84%  
Trevor Hoffman 133 51.15%  
Edgar Martinez 119 45.77%  
Curt Schilling 115 44.23%  
Mark McGwire 114 43.84%  
Mike Mussina 109 41.92%  
Sammy Sosa 89 34.23%  
Alan Trammell 84 32.31%  
Lee Smith 74 28.46%  
Fred McGriff 69 26.54%  
Jeff Kent 65 25.00%  
Larry Walker 62 23.85%  
Gary Sheffield 42 16.15%  
Billy Wagner 39 15%  
Jim Edmonds 29 11.15%  
Nomar Garciaparra 20 7.7%  
Jason Kendall 4 1.5%  
Garret Anderson 2 0.8%  
MIke Lowell 2 0.8%  
Troy Glaus 1 0.4%  
Mike Hampton 1 0.4%  
Luis Castillo 1 0.4%  
Randy Winn 1 0.4%  
Mark Grudzielanek 1 0.4%  
Mike Sweeney 1 0.4%  
David Eckstein 1 0.4%  
Brad Ausmus 1 0.4%

Vote today.

MLB Baseball Hall Of Fame (Class Of 2016) Voting Poll Results So Far

Below the results listed so far, Pick 10 players who you believe should be in the Baseball Hall Of Fame this year.  We will post the results after the class of this year is posted.  We can see the amount of people who voted. 

So we will accurately adjust this mark once the poll ends.  A basic reference to see if a player is being voted for is to take their votes (times by 10) and then divide by the total amount of votes.

Here are the 32 names on the list for consideration. 

Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Griffey Jr., Tim RainesCurt SchillingRoger ClemensBarry BondsLee SmithEdgar MartinezAlan TrammellJeff KentFred McGriffLarry WalkerSammy SosaGary SheffieldNomar GarciaparraMark McGwireJim EdmondsJason KendallTroy GlausMike HamptonLuis CastilloRandy Winn, Garret AndersonMike LowellBilly WagnerTrevor HoffmanMark GrudzielanekMike SweeneyDavid Eckstein are all on the ballot.

So Far (at 7:30 AM EST) there have been 157 People who have voted, and only 2 people have left Ken Griffey JR. off of their list.  Piazza and Raines would both join Junior on the Baseball Hall Of Fame Induction list should this come to fruition.

I think the BBWAA should really take stock on the Clemens and Bonds numbers as they are far superior to what they voted for. 

I also think that Hoffman is hurt by his 1st year on the ballot.  A lot of people may have factored this in. 

I really think Raines is going to see a big boost to his bid for the Baseball Hall Of Fame with it being his 9th year on the ballot.  Under the new rules, that means that 2017’s Baseball Hall Of Fame Class would be his last chance to be elected to Cooperstown.

Out of 157 People Voting, The Results Thus Far (75% would get a Hall Of Fame Induction)

Ken Griffey Jr. 155 98.72%  
Mike Piazza 129 76.43%  
Tim Raines 129 76.43%  
Jeff Bagwell 110 70.06%  
Barry Bonds 106 67.52%  
Roger Clemens 105 66.88%  
Trevor Hoffman 84 53.51%  
Edgar Martinez 77 49.04%  
Mark McGwire 77 49.04%  
Mike Mussina 75 47.78%  
Curt Schilling 71 45.22%  
Sammy Sosa 61 38.86%  
Lee Smith 52 33.12%  
Alan Trammell 52 33.12%  
Fred McGriff 47 29.34%  
Larry Walker 46 29.29%  
Jeff Kent 41 26.11%  
Gary Sheffield 32 20.38%  
Billy Wagner 31 19.75%  
Jim Edmonds 24 15.29%  
Nomar Garciaparra 19 12.11%  
MIke Lowell 2 0.12%  
Luis Castillo 1 0.06%  
Randy Winn 1 0.06%  
Jason Kendall 1 0.06%  
Garret Anderson 1 0.06%  
Mark Grudzielanek 1 0.06%  
Mike Sweeney 1 0.06%  
David Eckstein 1 0.06%  
Brad Ausmus 1 0.06%  
Troy Glaus 0 0%  
Mike Hampton 0 0%

Vote today.  The Hall Of Fame Class of 2016 will be announced tomorrow.

2016 MLB Baseball Hall Of Fame Voting Poll

Pick 10 players who you believe should be in the Baseball Hall Of Fame this year.  We will post the results after the class of this year is posted.  We can see the amount of people who voted. 

So we will accurately adjust this mark once the poll ends.  A basic reference to see if a player is being voted for is to take their votes (times by 10) and then divide by the total amount of votes.

Here are the 32 names on the list for consideration.  Mike PiazzaJeff BagwellKen Griffey Jr., Tim RainesCurt SchillingRoger ClemensBarry BondsLee SmithEdgar MartinezAlan TrammellJeff KentFred McGriffLarry WalkerSammy SosaGary SheffieldNomar GarciaparraMark McGwireJim EdmondsJason KendallTroy GlausMike HamptonLuis CastilloRandy Winn, Garret AndersonMike LowellBilly WagnerTrevor HoffmanMark GrudzielanekMike SweeneyDavid Eckstein are all on the ballot.

The Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each Team (Updated for Matt Kemp, August 14, 2015 )

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP

THE FIRST PADRE CYCLE!!!

 

No Padre has ever thrown a no hitter. No Padres team has ever won the World Series. No Padre had ever hit for the cycle… until now.

Matt Kemp hit a fly ball that ricocheted off the right center field wall in Coors Field. By the time he stood at third base, the cycle was achieved.

This has been a rough year for the Padres and for Kemp, but this hit must have felt sweet.

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

The Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each Team (Updated for Adrian Beltre, August 3, 2015 )

SportsGrid.com

SportsGrid.com

Adrian Beltre with the Tri Cycle.

The Rangers third baseman, who is quietly assembling a Hall of Fame resume, joined Bob Meusel, Babe Herman and Long John Reilly in the exclusive “Three Cycles in a Career” club.

OK, it isn’t quite Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Mays… but it is kind of cool.

Bad news for Shin-Soo Choo who didn’t even last 3 weeks on this list!

Meanwhile Beltre is on here twice as the most recent cycle for the Rangers and the Mariners.

 

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

The Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each Team (Updated for Shin-Soo Choo, July 21, 2015)

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP

First Texas cycle in 2 years!

Lots of people hit their cycles in Colorado. Choo is the latest. In fact his teammate Delino DeShields almost joined him if only he could have connected for a Coors homer himself.

Either way, it was safe to say that humidor or no humidor, it was a good night to hit in Colorado (except for the Rockies who were shutout, 9-0.

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

The Most Recent Cycle Hit For Each Team (Updated for Brock Holt – June 16, 2015)

 (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

The First Cycle Hit for 2015!

With all the great hitters in baseball, naturally it is BROCK HOLT of the Red Sox who gets a single, double, triple and homer. Granted, I am not thrilled that he wears Wade Boggs’ number 26, but this is a day to celebrate.

Good bye John Valentin, no longer on this list.

I have compiled a list of the most current no hitter for each franchise, but here is the companion list for the cycle. Is it harder to hit for the cycle? Probably. But Holt did it!

Here is the list, updated for today’s action!

The Demise of the Montreal Expos Franchise: Part 3 of the Expos Article Series

Friday June.29/2012

Note from Chuck Booth:  I am attempting to bring the history for each of the 30 MLB Franchises into a 5 part series that will focus on 1. The teams history. 2. The hitters 3. The pitchers. 4.  The Team’s Payroll going into in 2013 and 5. (The stadium articles will all be done next summer when I go to all of the parks in under a month again.)  To follow all of the updates, be sure to check my author page with a list of all archived articles here.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on Twitter)-  The Montreal Expos were a model franchise from 1979-1994.  They only finished under .500 in 3 seasons out of 15 in this stretch of time.  The club simply drafted better than any other Major League team.  Long before the Oakland Athletics and Billy Beane came up with MoneyBall, or the Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays showed us that you can have good runs with your baseball teams on a shoe string budget, the Expos wrote the book on it.  The Expos were forced to trade away their best talent when they came up for free agency or lose them  outright.  There was no way the team could ever re-sign the players.  It wasn’t even in question.  The province of Quebec said good-bye to Hall of Famers:  Pedro Martinez, Vlad Guerrero, Tim Raines and Andre Dawson in the prime of their careers with nothing back in return as Free Agents.

Gary Carter was the 1st great player to be traded by the club after the 1984 season.  Other great players like Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom, Moises Alou and John Wetteland were jettisoned out the door as part of a 1995 Firesale after the strike/lockout because the team could not pay them after a massive loss in revenue at the end of the 1994 season. With the clock ticking on the Expos brass (financially as soon as the lockout was lifted) the ownership could not pay the bills!  It is a sad commentary on this franchise that the two big work stoppages in 1981 and 1994 stifled this franchise-perhaps the most out of any team in the MLB.  It all ended up costing the Expos the team and/or a chance to build a brand new ballpark in the downtown core to ever revitalize the interest of the avid baseball enthusiasts in Montreal.  This fan base had suffered enough and they made the baseball club pay for it at the turnstiles.  They had suffered 7 losing seasons at Jarry Park, a 2 billion dollar scam gone wrong in what was Olympic Stadium, a park that was supposed to be a modern-aged retractable roof that never materialized at all and Quebec was left with the bill.  I don’t blame the fans for walking away from the game after the 1994 strike.  They had supported the team through many of trials an tribulations-only to be disappointed time and time again by the economics of baseball.

There is a lot more of this article past the video clip, just click on: READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY

For Part 1 of the Article Series, The Expos Hitters: click here

For Part 2 of the Article Series, The Expos Pitchers: click here

For Part 4 of the Article Series, The Washington Nationals Franchise 2005-2012: click here

For Part 5 of the Article Series, The Nats Best 25 Man Roster 2005-2012 click here

A nice tribute video to the club!

Read the rest of this entry

The Montreal Expos Draft And Signing Record Was Outstanding: Part 1-Hitters

Friday June.22/2012

Note from Chuck Booth:  I am attempting to bring the history for each of the 30 MLB Franchises into a 5 part series that will focus on 1. The teams history. 2. The hitters 3. The pitchers. 4.  The Team’s Payroll going into in 2013 and 5. (The stadium articles will all be done next summer when I go to all of the parks in under a month again.)  To follow all of the updates, be sure to check my author page with a list of all archived articles here.

Andre Dawson and Tim Raines were perennial ALL-Stars and always had the Montreal Expos in contention every year they played for the Canadian Club.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-I recently saw a bunch of old Montreal Expos had a celebration dinner to honor the late Gary Carter at Olympic Stadium in Montreal.  This brought me back to when I was a little kid watching the Expos on the French Channel in Canada.  I followed this team before any other in MLB.  I was a catcher in little league because of Gary Carter.  My friends and I all would ask for Montreal Expos hats and jerseys for Christmas.  I would later move on to like the Yankees when Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield and Rickey Henderson joined the club, but I always liked the Expos in the National League as my team.  They were a consistent club from 1979-1995.  They drafted extremely well and were above .500 for pretty much the entire time.  At the end of this article today be sure to watch the documentary from youtube on the Expos Franchise that the Reports has linked for you.

It was unfortunate they had the 2 billion dollar monstrosity of what was Olympic Stadium as their home venue.  It was a mistake from the beginning  to build a baseball park so far away from the downtown core.  The 1994 strike killed the franchises hopes to make their 1st World Series appearance.  The team was leading the NL East with a 74-40 record and featured the outfield of Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom and Moises Alou.  They had traded away their ALL-Star second basemen Delino DeShields prior to that year for some pitcher named Pedro Martinez.  The economics of baseball were starting to catch up on the baseball club.  When the lockout was lifted in 1995, gone were Walker, Grissom and great pitchers Ken Hill and John Wetteland.  It began a constant cycle of Montreal grooming awesome talent, only to trade the players away before they had to pay them big money.  The one constant of the team was an incredible draft record from 1985-2004.  Today is part 1 of a 3 part article series in which we will look at the history of the Montreal Expos.  I have listed 30 hitters drafted by the Expos Scouting Staff that went onto nice baseball careers.  Next week I will look at the pitchers and the third week I will cover the dissection of the proud franchise before the move to Washington. Read the rest of this entry

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