Ortiz, Mauer and Hunter highlight All-Miracle team
August 31, 2006 - Florida State League (FSL1)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release
FORT MYERS, FL (August 31, 2006) - During their 15 seasons in Southwest Florida, the Fort Myers Miracle have produced many great ballplayers. While many big named players played at Hammond Stadium since 1992, there are some that fell just short of their goal of the Major League's. Whether they went on to be All-Stars in the Major's or went on to do something else all of the ballplayers hold a special place with Miracle fans. As part of the 15th Anniversary Celebration the Miracle asked fans to vote on the All-Time Miracle Team.
The voting took place all season long and there were two ways to vote. Fans could either vote on line or at the ballpark on the selected dates the Lee County Elections Committee set up their polling booths. After all the votes were tallied, the following players and coaches were selected by the fans to be on the All-Time Miracle team(1992-2005). All votes counted equally and fans could vote as many times as they wanted to. Here is the list by position with the year they played for the Miracle in parentheses:
1st Base - David Ortiz (1997)
2nd Base - Todd Walker (1994)
Shortstop - Jason Bartlett (2002)
3rd Base - Corey Koskie (1996)
Catcher - Joe Mauer (2003)
Designated Hitter - Kyle Geiger (2005)
Outfielders (top 3) - Torii Hunter (1995), Jacque Jones (1997), and Denard
Span (2005)
Starting Pitchers (top 5) - Adam Harben (2005), Latroy Hawkins (1994),
Francisco Liriano (2004), Colby Miller (2003), and Brad Radke (1993)
Relief Pitchers (top 5) - Jesse Crain (2003), Pat Neshek (2004), Juan
Padilla (2001), JC Romero (1997), and Jay Sawatski (2005)
Utility Player - Tommy Watkins (2002-2003)
Manager - Jose Marzan (2000-2004)
Pitching Coach - Eric Rasmussen (1996-1997, 1999-2006)
Hitting Coach - Riccardo Ingram (2000-2002)
"It was interesting to see who the fans voted for," said Miracle General Manager Steve Gliner. "There was no real criteria in terms of best player or favorite player, so I think we got a good mix of both. You look at the names of the players that didn't make it and you could probably make an All-Star team with those guys. It just shows what a great job the Twins do each year in evaluating talent."
Fans have one more chance to catch the Miracle in action during the regular season. The Miracle host the Sarasota Reds on Friday, September 1, Fan Appreciation Day with post game fireworks. presented by Sun Harvest Citrus. Game time is 7:05 p.m. and gates open at 6:00 p.m. The Miracle magic number to clinch the second half Western Division tile is three. Any combination of wins by the Miracle and losses by the Tampa Yankees totaling three means the Miracle win the division in the second half of the season.
Florida State League Stories from August 31, 2006
- Johnny be good as Miracle lose 6-2 - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
- Ortiz, Mauer and Hunter highlight All-Miracle team - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
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