Nolan Arenado
Nolan James Arenado is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball. He made his MLB debut with the Rockies in 2013. Arenado has been considered among the top third basemen in the league both for his contributions as a hitter for power and average, as well as his defensive range and arm strength, he is the only infielder to win the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in each of his first six MLB seasons. A native of Newport Beach, Arenado attended El Toro High School in nearby Lake Forest before becoming the Rockies' second-round selection in the 2009 MLB draft. Defensive accolades in addition to his six Gold Gloves include three consecutive of both the Fielding Bible and Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards for his position. A four-time selection to the MLB All-Star Game, he is a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner and has twice led the league in both home runs and runs batted in, as of 2018 led all major leaguers in RBI since the start of the 2015 season.
During his minor league career, Arenado was a two-time All-Star Futures Game selection, led the minor leagues in RBI in 2011 with 155 over 163 total games. In 2016, Arenado became the youngest player in Rockies franchise history to reach 100 home runs, he played for the United States national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, winning Team USA's first gold medal in a WBC tournament. He hit for the cycle on June 18, 2017, became the sixth player in history to finish off such a performance with a walk-off home run. In 2017, he became the 11th major leaguer and first third baseman in history to drive in 130 or more runs in three successive seasons. Arenado is of Puerto Rican descent. Nolan James Arenado was born in Newport Beach and raised in nearby Lake Forest, an Orange County city sandwiched between Irvine, Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills, his father, Fernando, is of Cuban nationality, his mother, Millie, a native of Queens, New York, is of Cuban and Puerto Rican ancestry. His younger brother, Jonah, is a corner infielder in the San Francisco Giants' organization.
A first cousin, Josh Fuentes, is an infielder. Arenado grew up a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, he attended El Toro High School in Lake Forest, played shortstop on the school's baseball team with fellow future major leaguers Austin Romine and Matt Chapman. In 2008, Arenado's junior year, El Toro won the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section championship, he was named to the Los Angeles Times' All-Star team after leading his division with a.456 batting average, 32 runs batted in, 33 runs scored. As a senior, Arenado batted.517.615 on-base percentage, five home runs, 14 doubles, a triple, was again named to the Los Angeles Times' All-Star team. He committed to attend Arizona State University on a college baseball scholarship; the Colorado Rockies selected Arenado in the second round with the 59th overall selection of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. Rather than attend ASU, he signed with the Rockies, made his professional baseball debut with the Casper Ghosts of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, where he batted.300.
In 2010, Arenado played for the Asheville Tourists of the Class A South Atlantic League, where he posted a.308 batting average and 41 doubles. Prior to the 2011 season, Baseball America ranked Arenado as the Rockies' third-best prospect and 80th overall. Although highly acclaimed as a hitter, his defense at the time lagged behind his abilities in the batter's box, it was not until his chapter with the Modesto Nuts of the Class A-Advanced California League that he began focusing on and improving his defensive approach. He had manifested exceptional arm strength and soft hands. Arenado recalled that he “had bad feet,” and “was too lazy,” for which Modesto manager Jerry Weinstein relentlessly scolded him, he tasked Arenado to take ground balls earlier than the other players and to move and and maintain readiness at third base. In addition, Arenado began lifting weights in earnest while pushing himself to improve; the augmentations in training and skill consummated in a combination of explosive vigor and finesse in which he deftly launched after ground balls, fluidly covered vast surface area, generated breathtaking throws of long and short distances from the extent of statures of erect to totally laying down, to deliver the unexpected out of the runner in nearly every position of the basepath.
Along with Wilin Rosario, Arenado represented the Rockies at the 2011 All-Star Futures Game. His first-half totals included a.283 batting average with six home runs and 42 RBI. He finished the season with a.298 batting average and 20 home runs, leading the minor leagues with 122 RBI. In the year, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Arizona Fall League after hitting.388 with six home runs and 33 RBI. In 163 games combined in the California League and AFL in 2011, Arenado batted.315 with 201 base hits, 155 RBI, 26 home runs and 44 doubles. Playing for the Tulsa Drillers of the Class AA Texas League in 2012, he was again named to appear in the All-Star Futures Game, he finished the year with a.285 batting average, 12 home runs, 56 RBI. Despite a strong spring training showing in 2013, the Rockies optioned Arenado to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League to start the season. Through April 28, he batted.364, 1.059 on-base plus slugging percentage, three home runs, 21 RBI with Colorado Springs.
At that point, Colorado promoted him to the
Memorial Park, Colorado Springs
Memorial Park or Memorial Community Park is a community park in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It has a wide range of sports facilities, including an indoor and outdoor pool, a recreation center and Prospect Lake. Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region's largest balloon festival has been held on Labor Day weekend at Memorial Park since 1977. General William Jackson Palmer donated land with Prospect Lake to establish the park, along with other Colorado Springs parks, such as Monument Valley Park, North Cheyenne Cañon, Palmer Park, Pioneer Square Park, Bear Creek Cañon Park, he donated a total of 1,270 acres of land. Memorial Park, located at 1605 E. Pikes Peak Avenue, has 3 baseball and softball fields, basketball court, exercise course, football field, horseshoe pits, in-line hockey court, mountain biking, playground, 15 football and soccer fields, swimming pool, 12 tennis courts, bicycle racing track, roller skate racing track and volleyball court facilities. There is public ice skating lessons at the Mark "Pa" Sertich Ice Center.
There is a 1.25 fitness trail, a 2.2 mile perimeter trail, a.6 mile criterium trail within the park. Around the park are two 5K trails, it has picnic tables and a picnic shelter. The park is handicapped / ADA accessible, including a wheelchair accessible fishing dock and an ADA accessible playground; the park sits on 196 acres. It is best accessed from South Union Boulevard. There are vending machines, public telephones and concession stands at the park. Swimming and fishing can be enjoyed at Prospect Lake. A bathhouse is located near the beach for swimming. There are one wheelchair accessible fishing dock. Both non-motorized and motorized boats may operate on the lake. Sail boats, row boats and paddle boats may be rented at the park. There is a 1.25 fitness trail at Prospect Lake. The YMCA operates the city-owned Memorial Park Recreation Center, it is open to the public. Facilities include workout lap swims during pool hours. Brunch breaks are held the second Wednesday of each month from 10 to noon for patrons.
The Memorial Park Recreation Center's 25-yard indoor pool offers free swim and swim lessons year-around, except holidays. There are locker rooms, a hot tub. YMCA conducts lifeguard classes there, it is available for after-hours rentals. The Healthy Living Center has free weights, elliptical machines, weight machines, recumbent bikes, medicine balls and bands for physical fitness training, it is older. Classes for seniors include aqua fitness classes and a Muscular Strength and Range of Movement class; the Mind, Nutrition, Do It! 10-week program for 7- to 13-year-old children starts in June. The swimming pool is open 7 days a week in the summer, starting the day after Memorial Day, it is located at 280 South Union. In a large grassy area nearby are picnic tables. Three pavilions, that accommodates 50 people each, are located in the southwest section of the park, near Costilla Street and Hancock Avenue. Tennis courts, basketball courts, there is one playground at the pavilion site and three additional playgrounds, play fields are near the pavilion or in the park.
Prospect Lake is encircled by a jogging trail. Amenities include access to a grill at each pavilion and restrooms are available during the summer with reservations. There is no electricity. Events at the park include: May: Free Tennis Play Day June: Springs Spree, Springs Spree 5K and 1K Family Fun Run, Pikes Peak Celtic Festival August: Rocky Mountain Rampage International Skateboarding Competition, USA Triathlon Youth Splash & Dash September: Colorado Balloon Classic Memorial Park map
Todd Helton
Todd Lynn Helton is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played his entire 17-year career for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball. A five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, three-time Gold Glove Award winner, Helton holds the Colorado Rockies club records for hits, home runs, walks, runs scored, runs batted in, games played, total bases, among others; each season from 1999–2004, Helton met or exceeded all of the following totals:.320 batting average, 39 doubles, 30 home runs, 107 runs scored, 96 RBI.577 slugging percentage and.981 on-base plus slugging. In 2000, he won the batting title with a.372 average, led MLB with a.698 slugging percentage, 59 doubles, 147 RBI and the National League with 216 hits. Helton amassed his 2,000th career hit against the Atlanta Braves on May 19, 2009, his 2,500th against the Cincinnati Reds on September 1, 2013. Helton attended Central High School in Knoxville and was a letterman in football and baseball. In football, he posted 2,772 total yards as quarterback.
In baseball, as a senior, Helton posted a.655 batting average and 12 home runs and was named the Regional Player of the Year. Baseball America bestowed him with All-American honors for his senior season. Helton was drafted in the 2nd round by the San Diego Padres during the 1992 MLB draft, he chose to attend college. Helton received an athletic scholarship from the University of Tennessee to play both football and baseball, he was named a Gatorade Player of the Year for baseball in Tennessee. As a freshman and sophomore, he backed up Heath Shuler at quarterback. Entering his junior season in 1994, he was the back-up to senior Jerry Colquitt and ahead of Peyton Manning. After Colquitt tore knee ligaments in the season opener at UCLA, Helton took over as the starter. Three weeks against Mississippi State, he suffered a knee injury and was replaced by Manning, who went on to break several records. Helton appeared in 12 games during his career with the Vols football team, completing 41 of 75 passes for 484 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.
In baseball, Helton was awarded the Dick Howser Trophy as National Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year, following his junior baseball season in 1995. During his career at Tennessee, he recorded a.370 batting average, with 38 home runs and 238 RBI. In 1995, he set the Tennessee saves record with 11, while posting a 0.89 ERA. During his career, he pitched 193 innings, registering an ERA of 2.24, with 172 strikeouts and 23 saves. Helton has the NCAA Division I record for most consecutive scoreless innings, at 47. Helton spent the summer of 1994 playing for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Helton was drafted in the first round, eighth overall, in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft by the Colorado Rockies, he was signed on August 1, 1995. Helton spent the next couple of years playing for the class-A Asheville Tourists, AA New Haven Ravens, AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox before moving on to the major leagues, he made his major-league debut on August 1997, in a 6-5 road loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Helton flied out in his first at-bat. He recorded a single, in his second at-bat off Francisco Córdova. Helton hit his first home run, a solo shot, that day off Marc Wilkins. During the 1997 season, Helton hit.280/.337/.484, with five home runs, in 35 games played. When Rockies first baseman Andrés Galarraga went to the Atlanta Braves in 1998, Helton became the full-time starter at first base for Colorado during the 1998 season; the Rockies named Helton their club representative in 1998, the first time the team gave a rookie that role. He hit.315/.380/.530, with 25 home runs and 97 RBI, in 152 games played. Helton led all major-league rookies in average, home runs, RBI, multi-hit games, total bases, slugging percentage and extra base hits, he led all National League rookies in runs, hits and on-base percentage. At the time, only Mike Piazza, David Justice and Darryl Strawberry had hit more home runs as an NL rookie since 1972, only Piazza had more RBI. Helton finished second to Kerry Wood of the Chicago Cubs in the voting for National League Rookie of the Year.
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame named Helton its 1998 Professional Athlete of the Year. In 1999, Helton had.587 slugging percentage. He hit 35 home runs and 113 RBI, while drawing 68 walks. On June 19, 1999, in a 10–2 Rockies home win over the Florida Marlins, Helton hit for the cycle, he fell short of hitting a second cycle on four different occasions during the 1999 season, which would have made him only the second player since 1900 to hit two cycles in one season. Helton enjoyed arguably his best season in 2000, leading the major leagues in batting average, RBI, total bases, extra base hits, slugging percentage and OPS, he led the National League in on-base percentage. Helton hit a league-leading home batting average of.391 and placed third in the National League in road batting average. Helton's MLB-leading 103 extra base hits tied for the fourth most in MLB history and the second most in NL history, his National League-leading numbers in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and batting average gave him the "percentage triple crown."
Helton became the second Ro
Albert Belle
Albert Jojuan Belle, known until 1990 as Joey Belle, is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles. Belle was one of the leading sluggers of his time, in 1995 became the only player to hit 50 doubles and 50 home runs in a season, he was the first player to break the 10-million-dollar per year compensation contract in Major League Baseball. Belle was a model of consistency, compiling a.295 career batting average, averaging 37 home runs and 120 RBIs a season between 1991 and 2000. Belle is one of only six players in MLB history to have nine consecutive 100-RBI seasons. Albert and his fraternal twin, were born on August 25, 1966, in Shreveport, the son of Albert Belle Sr. a high school baseball and football coach, Carrie Belle, a former math teacher. A former Boy Scout, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Belle attended Huntington High School in Shreveport, where he was a star baseball and football player, a member of the National Honor Society and vice president of the local Future Business Leaders of America.
He made the all-state baseball team twice. In 1984, he was selected to play for the USA in the Junior Olympics, in which the U. S. won a silver medal. He pitched, winning one game. After graduation, Belle was offered an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. However, Belle decided to stay close to home, accepted a baseball scholarship to Louisiana State University. Belle played college baseball at Louisiana State University from 1985 to 1987, where he made 1st team All-SEC in 1986 and 1987 and played in 184 games, with 585 at bats, 194 hits, 30 doubles, 49 home runs, 172 runs batted in, 157 runs, a.670 slugging percentage, a.332 batting average. After college, he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians. Belle became the fourth player to have eight straight seasons of 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, joining Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig, he was an accomplished baserunner, with a career high 23 steals in 1993, 17 steals in 1999 despite hip problems. He led the league three times in RBIs, three times in total bases, three times in extra-base hits and twice in slugging.
He was a five-time All-Star between 1993 and 1997. He had a powerful throwing arm, was a gifted pitcher in high school, his range factor by games played was higher than the major league average at that position. Belle's career highs in home runs, RBIs, batting average, runs scored and walks occurred in five separate seasons. In 2006, the Hardball Times published a statistical comparison of Belle's career statistics with that of 60 of his current and former peers; the article ranked him in career "prime value", behind current Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner and recent inductee Frank Thomas. In 1994, he lost the batting title to New York Yankees outfielder Paul O'Neill.359 to.357. His postseason record was limited to two hitting appearances, in which only his batting average suffered: he hit.230/.405/.557 with six home runs and 14 RBIs in 61 at-bats. In 1995, he became the first player in major league history to hit 50 home runs and 50 doubles in the same season; the achievement was impressive because Belle played only 143 games in 1995 due to a season shortened by the previous year's player strike.
His reputation, disdain of the media cost him votes for the 1995 MVP Award That he was caught cheating the year before, in the infamous 1994 Bat Burglary, didn't help his cause either. He finished second in the voting to the Boston Red Sox' Mo Vaughn though he led the American League that season in runs scored, home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and total bases, outpaced Vaughn head-to-head in every important offensive category except RBIs; this was in the middle of a three-year streak in which Belle finished 3rd, 2nd and 3rd for the American League MVP. Belle had two other top ten MVP finishes, in 1993 and 1998. In the winter of 1996, he signed a 5-year, $55 million deal with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent; this contract made him the highest paid player in baseball for a brief period. He enjoyed two great seasons in Chicago, including a career-high 27-game hitting streak in May 1997, came close to another 50/50 season in 1998 with 49 home runs and 48 doubles, he drove in 152 runs to break Zeke Bonura's single-season franchise record of 138 in 1936.
Additionally, when Cal Ripken, Jr. ended his record consecutive game streak at 2,632 in September 1998 on the last day of the season, it was Belle who took over as the major leagues' active leader in the category. His White Sox contract had an unusual clause allowing him to demand that he would remain one of the three highest paid players in baseball. In October 1998 he invoked the clause, when the White Sox declined to give him a raise he became a free agent, he again became the game's highest paid player, signing a five-year, $65 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles. But his career ended just two seasons when he was forced into retirement at age 34 by degenerative hip osteoarthritis, he was, kept on Baltimore's active 40-man roster for the next three years as a condition of the ins
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the American League Central division; the White Sox are owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, play their home games at Guaranteed Rate Field, located on the city's South Side. They are one of two major league clubs in Chicago. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the franchise was established as a major league baseball club in 1901; the club was called the Chicago White Stockings, but this was soon shortened to Chicago White Sox. The team played home games at South Side Park before moving to Comiskey Park in 1910, where they played until Guaranteed Rate Field opened in 1991; the White Sox won the 1906 World Series with a defense-oriented team dubbed "the Hitless Wonders", the 1917 World Series led by Eddie Cicotte, Eddie Collins, Shoeless Joe Jackson. The 1919 World Series was marred by the Black Sox Scandal, in which several members of the White Sox were accused of conspiring with gamblers to fix games.
In response, Major League Baseball's new Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned the players from Major League Baseball for life. In 1959, led by Early Wynn, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio and manager Al López, the White Sox won the American League pennant, they won the AL pennant in 2005, went on to win the World Series, led by World Series MVP Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, Mark Buehrle, catcher A. J. Pierzynski, the first Latino manager to win the World Series, Ozzie Guillén. For 1901-2018, the White Sox have an overall record of 9211-9126; the White Sox originated as the Sioux City Cornhuskers of the Western League, a minor league under the parameters of the National Agreement with the National League. In 1894, Charles Comiskey bought the Cornhuskers and moved them to St. Paul, where they became the St. Paul Saints. In 1900, with the approval of Western League president Ban Johnson, Charles Comiskey moved the Saints into his hometown neighborhood of Armour Square, where they became known as the White Stockings, the former name of Chicago's National League team, the Orphans.
In 1901, the Western League broke the National Agreement and became the new major league American League. The first season in the American League ended with a White Stockings championship. However, that would be the end of the season as the World Series did not begin until 1903; the franchise, now known as the Chicago White Sox, made its first World Series appearance in 1906, beating the crosstown Cubs in six games. The White Sox would win a third pennant and second World Series in 1917, beating the New York Giants in six games with help from stars Eddie Cicotte and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson; the Sox were favored in the 1919 World Series, but lost to the Cincinnati Reds in 8 games. Huge bets on the Reds fueled speculation. A criminal investigation went on in the 1920 season, though all players were acquitted, commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned eight of the White Sox players for life, in what was known as the Black Sox Scandal; this set the franchise back. The White Sox did not finish in the upper half of the American League again until after club founder Charles Comiskey died and passed ownership of the club to his son, J. Louis Comiskey.
They finished in the upper half most years between 1936–1946 under the leadership of manager Jimmy Dykes, with star shortstop Luke Appling, known as Ol' Aches and Pains, pitcher Ted Lyons. Appling and Lyons have their numbers 16 retired. After J. Louis Comiskey died in 1939, ownership of the club was passed down to his widow, Grace Comiskey; the club was passed down to Grace's children Dorothy and Chuck in 1956, with Dorothy selling a majority share to a group led by Bill Veeck after the 1958 season. Veeck was notorious for his promotional stunts, attracting fans to Comiskey Park with the new "exploding scoreboard" and outfield shower. In 1961, Arthur Allyn, Jr. owned the club before selling to his brother John Allyn. From 1951 to 1967, the White Sox had their longest period of sustained success, scoring a winning record for 17 straight seasons. Known as the "Go-Go White Sox" for their tendency to focus on speed and getting on base versus power hitting, they featured stars such as Minnie Miñoso, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, Billy Pierce, Sherm Lollar.
From 1957 to 1965, the Sox were managed by Al López. The Sox finished in the upper half of the American League in eight of his nine seasons, including six years in the top two of the league. In 1959, the White Sox ended the New York Yankees dominance over the American League, won their first pennant since the ill-fated 1919 campaign. Despite winning game one of the 1959 World Series 11-0, they fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games; the late 1960s and 70s were a tumultuous time for the Sox, as they struggled to win games and attract fans. Allyn and Bud Selig agreed to a handshake deal that would give Selig control of the club and move them to Milwaukee. Selig instead bought the Seattle Pilots and moved them to Milwaukee, putting enormous pressure on the American League to place a team in Seattle. A plan was in place for the Sox to move to Seattle and for Charlie Finley to move his Oakland A's to Chicago. However, Chicago had a renewed interest in the Sox after the 1972 season, the American League instead added the expansion Seattle Mariners.
The 1972 White Sox were one of the lone successful sea
Jim Thome
James Howard Thome is an American former professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1991 to 2012. He played for six different teams, most notably the Cleveland Indians, during the 1990s and early 2000s. A prolific power hitter, Thome hit 612 home runs during his career — the eighth-most all time — along with 2,328 hits, 1,699 runs batted in, a.276 batting average. He was a member of five All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger Award in 1996. Thome grew up in Peoria, Illinois, as part of a large blue-collar family of athletes, who predominantly played baseball and basketball. After attending Illinois Central College, he was drafted by the Indians in the 1989 draft, made his big league debut in 1991. Early in his career, Thome played third base, before becoming a first baseman. With the Indians, he was part of a core of players that led the franchise to two World Series appearances in three years during the mid-1990s. Thome spent over a decade with the Tribe, before leaving via free agency after the 2002 season, to join the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom he spent the following three seasons.
Traded to the Chicago White Sox before the 2006 season, he won the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award that year and joined the 500 home run club during his three-season tenure with the ChiSox. By this point in his career, back pain limited Thome to being a designated hitter. After stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins, he made brief returns to Cleveland and Philadelphia, before ending his career with the Baltimore Orioles. Upon retiring, Thome accepted an executive position with the White Sox. Throughout his career, Thome's strength was power hitting. In six different seasons, he hit more than 40 home runs, in 2003, he led the National League in home runs with 47. Thome’s career on-base plus slugging of.956 is 19th, all-time. In 2011, he became only the eighth MLB player to hit 600 home runs; as of 2017, Thome is the career leader in walk-off home runs with 13. One of his trademarks was his unique batting stance, in which he held the bat out with his right hand and pointed it at right field before the pitcher threw, something he first saw in The Natural.
Thome was known for his positive attitude and "gregarious" personality. An active philanthropist during his playing career, he was honored with two Marvin Miller Man of the Year Awards and a Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, for his community involvement. In 2018, Thome was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Thome was born in Peoria, Illinois, on August 27, 1970, is the youngest of five children. Many of the Thome family played sports: Jim's grandmother was hired at a local Caterpillar plant to play for the company's softball team. Thome learned to play baseball from his father on a tennis court, played basketball in what he described as the "ghetto" of Peoria, noting that he was the only white kid there but that he earned the respect of his fellow players. One day during his youth, Thome sneaked into the Cubs' clubhouse at Wrigley Field in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain an autograph from his favorite player, Dave Kingman. Though Thome received signatures from several other players, this experience influenced him to be generous with signing autographs for fans during his playing career.
Like his older brothers, Thome attended Limestone High School where he achieved all-state honors in basketball and as a baseball shortstop. He played American Legion Baseball for Bartonville Limestone Post 979 in his hometown, as well. Although he had hoped to draw the attention of scouts, at just 175 pounds he was underweight for his 6-foot-2-inch height, meaning that he attracted only passing interest—the average Major League Baseball player weighed 195 pounds in 1993. Thome graduated in 1988 and, after not being drafted, enrolled at Illinois Central College where he continued his baseball and basketball careers. After one season, he was drafted by MLB's Cleveland Indians as an "afterthought" in the 13th round of the 1989 MLB draft. For the 1989 season, Thome was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Indians, a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, he finished the year with a.237 batting average, no home runs, 22 runs batted in. After his rookie season, he met "hitting guru" Charlie Manuel, who became his manager and mentor.
Unlike most Indians staff, Manuel saw potential in Thome and worked hard with him on his hip motion while swinging the bat. Thome said, " saw something in me I didn't." During this work, Manuel suggested to Thome that he point his bat out to center field before the pitch to relax himself like Roy Hobbs did when batting in the baseball film The Natural. The work paid off. Thome spent most of the 1991 season splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A where, in combination, he hit.319 with 7 home runs and 73 RBIs. Thome made his MLB debut on September 1991, as a third baseman against the Minnesota Twins. In the game, he recorded two hits in four at bats, he hit his first career home run on October 4. Injuries shortened his 1992 campaign, during which he played for both the Indians and their Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Across the minor and major leagues that year, he combined to hit.236 with 4 home runs and 26 RBIs in 52 games. In 1993, playing for the Charlotte Knig
Security Service Field
Security Service Field known as Sky Sox Stadium, is a professional baseball stadium on the eastern edge of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The stadium was the home of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, a Triple-A Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League from 1988 to 2018. Beginning in 2019, it will host the Rocky Mountain Vibes of the Pioneer League. Before the completion of Sky Sox Stadium, the Sky Sox played at Spurgeon Stadium, a public field at Memorial Park in downtown Colorado Springs which had hosted the original Sky Sox. Sky Sox Stadium opened late for the 1988 season at a cost of $3.4 million and remains the home of the Sky Sox. The Sky Sox won Pacific Coast League championships in 1992 and 1995, attendance was good. Construction is ongoing, but some changes are apparent, such as an improved sound system, a more modern scoreboard with video screen, a new walkway leading to the gates, a banquet facility at the end of the right field concourse, a readout in the right field wall displaying the speed of each pitch.
Along with these changes, the park's naming rights were sold to Security Service Federal Credit Union, a prominent local company and longtime sponsor of the Sky Sox. The current attendance record was set on July 4, 2004 when the Sky Sox lost to the Omaha Royals 6-5 in front of 9,505 fans; the names of some of the great players in Sky Sox history ring the upper deck. Known as the members of the Sky Sox Hall of Fame, they are Luis Medina, Sam Hairston, Charlie Manuel, Alan Cockrell, Norm "Bulldog" Coleman, Ryan Hawblitzel, Trenidad Hubbard, Brad Mills. All historical players have their jerseys retired and statistics shown in the Hall of Fame Bar & Grill located within Security Service Field. Security Service Field is 6,531 feet above sea level, making it the highest professional baseball park in North America; the stadium faces east, toward the plains and the Springs Ranch housing development, meaning that fans cannot see the Rocky Mountains to the west. This is due to the fact the sun sets over the mountains and would be a distraction to batters if the stadium faced west.
Covering most of the first base line is the Coors VIP Picnic Terrace. It is the site of many weddings and other special occasions. At the end of the right field foul line, there is an 8-person hot tub, recognized as "The Highest Hot Tub in Professional Sports". Guests acknowledged on the main display. Security Service Field | Colorado Springs Sky Sox Security Service Field Views – Ball Parks of the Minor Leagues
