Marteese Robinson (born April 17, 1966) is a former college baseball player who played professionally, but never reached the major leagues.
Robinson attended Seton Hall Prep and then Seton Hall University. He hit .394/.453/.596 with the club in 1985 and .529/.564/.857 with 16 home runs and 90 RBI, 89 runs and 58 stolen bases in 55 games for the college team in 1987. He was the top hitter in NCAA Division I baseball that season, putting forth "one of the finest individual seasons in college baseball history." [1] His .529 mark at the time was the second-highest in NCAA history, trailing Keith Hagman's .551 in 1980. [2] With Robin Ventura, he won the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year honor. He also earned a consensus All-American selection at first base and was named Big East Conference Player of the Year. [3] After the 1987 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. [4]
He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the sixth round of the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft, between infielders Dave Hollins and Greg Colbrunn, and began his professional career that year. [5] He played in their organization until 1990, though never reached above Double-A. In 388 career games, he hit .266 with 24 home runs and 39 stolen bases. He was the first Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year to not reach the majors and the last until Lloyd Peever, who earned the honor in 1992.
He was profiled extensively in the 2002 book The Hit Men and the Kid Who Batted Ninth: Biggio, Valentin, Vaughn & Robinson: Together Again in the Big Leagues by David Siroty. [6]
He later worked as a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays. [7] [8] [9]
Edward Nelson Sprague Jr. is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. He played 11 seasons in the major leagues from 1991 to 2001, with six different teams. He later served as the head baseball coach of the NCAA's Pacific Tigers for 12 seasons, from 2004 to 2015. He is now the Oakland Athletics Director of Player Development.
Maurice Samuel Vaughn, nicknamed "The Hit Dog", is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Boston Red Sox, Anaheim Angels, and New York Mets from 1991 to 2003. He was a three-time All-Star selection and won the American League MVP award in 1995 with Boston.
Craig Alan Biggio is an American former second baseman, outfielder and catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career from 1988 through 2007 for the Houston Astros. A seven-time National League (NL) All-Star often regarded as the greatest all-around player in Astros history, he is the only player ever to be named an All-Star and to be awarded Silver Slugger Award at both catcher and second base. With longtime teammates Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman, he formed the core of the "Killer B's" who led Houston to six playoff appearances from 1997 to 2005, culminating in the franchise's first World Series appearance in 2005. At the end of his career, he ranked sixth in NL history in games played (2,850), fifth in at bats (10,876), 21st in hits (3,060), and seventh in runs scored (1,844). His 668 career doubles ranked sixth in major league history, and are the second-most ever by a right-handed hitter; his 56 doubles in 1999 were the most in the major leagues in 63 years.
Gregory Lamont Vaughn is an American former baseball left fielder who played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1989–1996), San Diego Padres (1996–1998), Cincinnati Reds (1999), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000–2002) and Colorado Rockies (2003) of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born in Sacramento, California, where he attended Kennedy High School. He then played baseball at the University of Miami. He is the cousin of fellow former major leaguers Mo Vaughn and Jerry Royster.
John William Valentin is a former shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1992 to 2001, and spent a final season with the New York Mets in 2002. He later became a coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Rubén Amaro Jr. is an American former professional baseball outfielder and General Manager (GM). Amaro played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1991 to 1998. He was named the GM of the Philadelphia Phillies on November 3, 2008, succeeding Pat Gillick and remained in that position until September 10, 2015. He was previously the first base coach for the Boston Red Sox (2016–2017) and New York Mets (2018). He is the son of former MLB infielder and coach, Rubén Amaro Sr.
Derrick Brant May is a former outfielder who played for the Chicago Cubs (1990–94), Milwaukee Brewers (1995), Houston Astros (1995–96), Philadelphia Phillies (1997), Montreal Expos (1998) and Baltimore Orioles (1999). He also played three seasons in Japan, from 2001 until 2003, for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He was the assistant hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016. He was the manager of the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League in 2021. Currently is the Organization Hitting Coordinator for SSG Lander’s in Korea.
The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Kettleers play their home games at Lowell Park in Cotuit. The team has been owned and operated by the non-profit Cotuit Athletic Association since 1947.
The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Field in Wareham.
Matthew Joseph Galante is a former minor League baseball infielder and Major League coach and acting manager.
The Killer B's were players on the Houston Astros whose surnames started with the letter B. It also refers to the era of Astros baseball from 1997 to 2005 that saw the team reach the postseason six times in nine seasons with four National League Central division titles, two Wild Card appearances and one National League pennant, which was the most successful era in team history until the 2010s. In fact, from 1994 to 2006, the Astros finished first or second in their division in each year except 2000. Two Killer B's, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame as members of the Astros.
Emeel Badie Salem, Jr. is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He bats and throws left-handed, and primarily plays center field. Salem attended the University of Alabama from 2004 to 2007 and received many awards while playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team. He was also awarded for his achievements as a student-athlete, including becoming the first college baseball player to win the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in 2007 after achieving a 3.85 grade point average from his freshman to senior years in college. Salem was drafted as a junior at The University of Alabama in the 10th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, but opted to return for his senior year. Following his final season, he was drafted in the 6th round by the Tampa Bay Rays, signing a professional contract in June 2007. He has primarily played center field, however, Salem has played left field, right field and designated hitter.
Whitley David Merrifield is an American professional baseball second baseman and outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals. He is a two-time All-Star and has led the American League in stolen bases three times.
Kellen Robert Kulbacki is an American former professional baseball player who won numerous awards and honors during his college career. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.
Bo Joseph Bichette is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Cavan Thomas Biggio is an American professional baseball utility player for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the son of former MLB player and Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.
Rhett Harrison Wiseman is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent.
Kevin Smith is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Jameson Fisher is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent.
Dylan Matthew Beavers is an American baseball outfielder who plays in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He played college baseball for the California Golden Bears.