Tag: astros

by Weston Ulbrich

Jeff Bagwell, From Hartford to the Hall

  • Born: 5/27/1968 in Boston, Massachussetts
  • High School: Xavier High School (Middletown, Connecticut)
  • College: University of Hartford
  • GHTBL: Malloves Jewelers
  • Cape Cod League: Chatham A’s
  • Drafted: 1989, Boston Red Sox, 4th Round, 109th Overall.
  • Traded: Boston Red Sox send Bagwell to Houston Astros for pitcher Larry Andersen in 1990.
  • Major League Debut: 4/8/1991
  • Awards: Rookie of the Year (1991), National League MVP (1994) and 4-time All-Star.
  • National Baseball Hall of Fame: 2017
Jeff Bagwell (left) with teammates from University of Hartford, 1987.
Jeff Bagwell (right), Malloves Jewelers, GHTBL, 1987.
Jeff Bagwell, Malloves Jewelers, GHTBL 1987.

Jeff Bagwell, University of Hartford, 1988.
Jeff Bagwell, University of Hartford, 1988.
Jeff Bagwell, Chatham A’s, Cape Cod League, 1988.
Jeff Bagwell, New Britain Red Sox, 1990.
Jeff Bagwell, New Britain Red Sox, 1990.
Jeff Bagwell, Houston Astros, 1991.
Jeff Bagwell, Houston Astros, 1991.
Jeff Bagwell, Houston Astros, 2004.
Jeff Bagwell inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, 2017.

View Jeff Bagwell’s MLB career batting statistics on Baseball-Reference.com

by Weston Ulbrich

Jimmy Gonzalez, East Hartford’s Greatest

A young, talented catcher from East Hartford, Connecticut, named Jimmy Gonzalez caught the eyes of local scouts in his junior year at East Hartford High School. During the summer of 1991, Gonzalez was selected as the 40th player overall in the Major League Baseball Draft – a first round draft pick of the Houston Astros. He went on to play fourteen seasons in professional baseball with the San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos and New York Mets organizations. Gonzalez played with Mike Piazza, David Ortiz, Miguel Tejada and Tony Gwynn. He was an understudy of Gary Carter and Dave Engle. He also spent 4 seasons of winter ball in the Dominican Republic, capturing two Caribbean Series championships.

Jimmy Gonzalez, Catcher, East Hartford High School, 1990.
Hartford Courant excerpt, 1991.
Jimmy Gonzalez, East Hartford High School, 1991.
Jimmy Gonzalez, East Hartford High School, 1991.
Jimmy Gonzalez, East Hartford High School, 1991.

Gonzalez is a graduate of the Major League Scout School and has worked with the Boson Red Sox as an Associate Scout. He has been a minor league manager in the Chicago Cubs organization for the past 6 seasons and was named Manager of the Year in the Midwest League in 2016. Most recently, Gonzalez was at the helm of the South Bend Cubs in 2018 but has since been promoted. Gonzalez was hired for the 2019 season as the new Manager of the Tennessee Smokies in the Southern League – the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

Jimmy Gonzalez Topps Stadium Club card, 1992.
Jimmy Gonzalez Topps Stadium Club card, 1992.
Jimmy Gonzalez, Catcher, Quad City River Bandits, 1993.
Jimmy Gonzalez, Houston Astros, Bowman card, 1993.
Jimmy Gonzalez, Houston Astros, Bowman card, 1993.
Jimmy Gonzalez, Catcher, Quad City River Bandits, 1993.
Jimmy Gonzalez, Catcher, Osceola Astros, 1994.
Jimmy Gonzalez, Catcher, Binghamton Mets, 2000.
Jimmy Gonzalez, Manager, South Bend Cubs, 2016.
Jimmy Gonzalez, Manager, South Bend Cubs, 2016.

Career stats – https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=gonzal001jim

Jimmy Gonzalez, Manager, Tennessee Smokies, 2019.
Jimmy Gonzalez, Manager, Tennessee Smokies, 2019.

Jimmy Gonzalez, Manager, Tennessee Smokies, 2019.

Dom Amore: East Hartford’s Jimmy Gonzalez Was There At Right Time For Gleyber Torres – https://www.courant.com/sports/baseball/hc-sp-amore-column-gonzalez-0529-story.html