LITTLE ROCK — Some former Arkansas Travelers players were never able to shake the necessity of traveling.
Todd Zeile, John Mabry and Chris Richard, who started their careers in the St. Louis Cardinals system, are perhaps the most remarkable examples. They eventually played for a combined 23 big-league clubs. Their itineraries are more compelling than their statistics.
Zeile, then considered the Cardinals' "can't miss" catcher of the future, spent the 1988 season with the Travelers. He joined the St. Louis roster late in the 1989 season and was shifted to third base (en route to first base) late in the 1990 season.
It turned out that St. Louis liked his hitting instead of his receiving. Former Arkansas Razorbacks catcher Tom Pagnozzi replaced him and won three Gold Gloves during the 1990s.
Zeile played for the Cardinals (1989-1995), Chicago Cubs (1995), Philadelphia Phillies (1996), Baltimore Orioles (1996), Los Angeles Dodgers (1997-1998), Florida Marlins (1998), Texas Rangers (1998-1999), New York Mets (2000-2001),Colorado Rockies (2002), New York Yankees (2003) and Montreal Expos (2003). He retired after a second hitch with the Mets in 2004.
On Oct. 3, 2004, Zeile became the 41st major leaguer to hit a home run on his final turn at bat. He holds a record of hitting home runs for 11 big-league clubs, which should keep him a hot item in trivia circles. His career totals - .265 in 2,158 games, 2,004 hits, 253 home runs, 1,110 RBI - are respectable although far short of spectacular.
Mabry was a Texas League All-Star right fielder for the 1993 Travelers. When he broke in with St. Louis the next year, the Cards had plenty of able outfielders but were desperate for a new first baseman. Mabry hit for average as a regular and handled first base very well until the middle of the 1997 season, when St. Louis landed Mark McGwire from the Oakland A's.
Mabry spent the remainder of his career on utility status with eight clubs, including three separate hitches with the Cardinals and two with the Seattle Mariners.
The process: St. Louis (1994-1998), Seattle (1999-2000), San Diego (2000), St. Louis (5 games, 2001), Florida (2001), Philadelphia (2002), Oakland (2002), Seattle (2003), Cardinals (2004-2005), Cubs (2006) and Colorado (2007).
Richard, the only member of this trio still active, hit 29 home runs and drove in 94 runs as the 1999 Travelers' first baseman. Called up by St. Louis from Class AAA Memphis, he broke in by hitting the first major league pitch thrown to him for a home run on July 17, 2000. He appeared in six Cardinals games before being traded to Baltimore.
Injuries plagued him after a promising start with the Orioles. He was traded to Colorado in March 2003, hit .222 in 19 Rockies games, and was granted free agencyin October.
Richard didn't resurface in the majors until the Tampa Bay Rays called him up recently as a platoon first baseman and pinch hitter - his first big-league opportunity in six years. However, plenty of paperwork was shuffled between 2003 and 2009.
He signed as a free agent with the Rangers' organization in March 2005 and was granted free agency in October. The Kansas City Royals signed him a few weeks later and released him the next spring. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in April 2006 and was granted free agency in October. Tampa Bay has had him under contract the past three years, releasing and re-signing him at the end of each season
When I first saw Zeile, Mabry and Richard at work in Ray Winder Field, they looked more promising than they turned out to be, which is often the case. You couldn't fault their determination, though. Imagine how many planes they had to catch out of how many towns, while surviving a combined 35 seasons in the majors.
Sports, Pages 14 on 09/22/2009