Lethbridge Expos: All-Time Team

The Montreal Expos broke new ground for Canadian baseball.

The club was the first Major League Baseball (MLB) team in the country, and when they established a minor-league outpost in Lethbridge, it was the first affiliated, professional squad to play in Alberta.

The Lethbridge Expos were announced as a new rookie-level franchise in the Pioneer League in November of 1974 and they played out of Henderson Stadium for two seasons.

The 1975 team – which featured Hall-of-Famer Andre Dawson on the roster – had a 35-37 record, finished third in the four-team league, and averaged 881 fans per game, while the 1976 edition registered a last-place 30-42 record and had an average attendance of 533 for their home games.

The Los Angeles Dodgers took over as the parent MLB club after that and operated a rookie-level Pioneer League team from 1977 until 1983.

So, let’s take a closer look at those short-lived Lethbridge Expos.

Here are the details on what this all-time team will include. The roster will consist of the following: manager, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, three outfielders, designated hitter, utility/bench players, middle relief pitchers, closer, and five starting pitchers for the rotation. We’ll craft our own lineup card and set up a rotation after we run through our selections.

MANAGER

There are two managerial options and both of them had interesting careers.

Van Kelly was the team’s first manager and guided a roster that played close to a .500 level. The Lethbridge Expos produced more runs than any other team in the Pioneer League in 1975, but they also allowed more runs than the other clubs on the circuit. Two alumni from the team made it to the MLB level.

As a player, the North Carolina native played 111 games at third base for the San Diego Padres in 1969 and 1970. He also spent time in the minor league systems of the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox and Montreal Expos. Kelly was also around some big names in baseball. Tom Seaver struck him out on his way to a record 10 Ks in a row in 1970, and he played in the game that saw Willie Mays register his 600th career home run. Kelly was also roommates with Tony LaRussa in the minors and he played under Don Zimmer in Salt Lake City.

Walt Hriniak, a former teammate of Kelly’s, took over the Lethbridge Expos head coaching gig in 1976. They scored a league-best 449 runs that season and allowed 434 runs against. Three players on the roster ended up making it to the major leagues.

He was a catcher in the major leagues for 47 games in 1968 and 1969 with the Atlanta Braves and the Padres. In the early 1970s, the Massachusetts product posted winning records as the manager of Jamestown Falcons/Expos, a New York-Penn League affiliate of the Montreal Expos. While Hriniak was unable to make the Lethbridge Expos a winner, he did go onto a lengthy and acclaimed career as a hitting coach with both the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox. His star pupils included Wade Boggs, Dwight Evans and Frank Thomas.

Fairly tight race here, but we’re going to give the job to Hriniak. He didn’t pick up as many victories as Kelly did, but he did have the edge in graduating players to careers in MLB.

CATCHER

Mitch Cipolla was a third-round pick of the Expos who got his start in the pros in southern Alberta. He played 97 games in Lethbridge over two seasons and logged 88 hits, 54 runs, 15 doubles, 11 home runs and 57 runs batted in (RBI) during his 311 at bats in the Pioneer League. The catcher batted over .280 and had an on-base percentage over .400 during those two years. On the all-time leaderboards for the team, Cipolla finished seventh overall in hits, third in homers and third in RBI.

Masking up in year two of the Lethbridge Expos was Pioneer League All-Star Doug Simunic, another third-round selection by Montreal. The backstop from the state of New York put up great power numbers in 1976. Through 68 games and 242 at bats for Lethbridge, Simunic produced 10 homers, 51 RBI, 42 runs, 47 walks and a .367 on-base percentage. He had the best fielding percentage (.967) and most assists (56) in the Pioneer League during his lone year in Lethbridge. Although he never made it to the big leagues, he did play 46 games in Triple-A over three seasons. After his playing days came to an end, Simunic went into coaching. He was the manager of the Winnipeg Goldeyes for a pair of seasons in the mid-1990s – bringing a league championship to that city – before settling in as the skipper of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks for more than two decades. With the RedHawks, Simunic won five league titles and was named Northern League Manager of the Year four times.

We are giving the starting catcher role to Simunic, but we’ll see if we can find a spot for Cipolla’s bat in our lineup.

FIRST BASEMAN

Ray Crowley, a 6-foot-4 lefty batter from Chicago, took the field in 46 games for Lethbridge in 1975 before getting called up to the Double-A Quebec Carnavals later that season. With the Expos, he had a .338 batting average, .492 on-base percentage, 31 runs, 32 RBI, 15 doubles, seven stolen bases and four round trippers. The first baseman reached the Triple-A level with the Denver Bears in 1979 but stopped playing pro ball after the 1981 season.

In 1976, Kevin Kopp handled first base duties for the bulk of the campaign. During 56 games and 195 at bats with the Expos, he collected 44 hits, 34 runs, 23 RBI and three long balls. It was the California product’s only season of professional baseball.

When Crowley and Kopp weren’t slotted into the lineup card at first, Denis Fleury was pressed into play. The lefty hitter got into 58 games for the Expos in 1975 and 1976, producing 18 runs, 42 hits, five triples, three homers and 19 RBI for the team.

The job here goes to Crowley, who hit the ball harder and more often than both Fleury and Kopp.

SECOND BASEMAN

The keystone belongs to Larry Goldetsky, a third-round pick of the Expos in 1975. The Minnesota native, who also spent time at third base, appeared in 114 games for Lethbridge over two seasons. In that time, he manufactured 96 hits, 74 runs, 20 doubles, six triples, 45 RBI, 13 stolen bases and a pair of homers. He also led the league in putouts, with 199. Goldetsky reunited with Crowley on the Denver Bears in 1979 and played another two years in the pros after that.

Brad Trickey was another option at second base. In 53 games and 166 at bats for Lethbridge, the 26th-round pick of the New York Yankees registered a .364 on-base percentage, 23 runs, 10 extra-base hits and 15 RBI. Those are serviceable numbers but not quite as useful as what Goldetsky could provide.

THIRD BASEMAN

The starting role at the hot corner is a no brainer.

John Scoras, a New Jersey product drafted as a catcher by the Expos in the eighth round, won the Triple Crown in the Pioneer League in 1976, finishing with a .370 batting average, 63 RBI and 13 home runs in 71 games. He also led the circuit in hits (101) and total bases (169), while scoring 62 runs, 17 doubles, seven stolen bases and a .442 on-base percentage. Scoras was named the team MVP and a Pioneer League All-Star at the end of the season. In the late 1970s, he played at the Double-A level with the Memphis Chicks and he was inducted into the Montclair State University Hall of Fame in 1986.

Newspaper clipping from the *Lethbridge Herald* showing John Scoras celebrating his Pioneer League honours.

Randy Eickenhorst was the primary third baseman for Lethbridge in the team’s inaugural season. The Cincinnati native, a third-round pick of the Expos, suited up in 71 games and batted .276 with 49 runs, 10 doubles, five triples, 33 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Eickenhorst also spent time at shortstop for Lethbridge in 1975.

As mentioned, no question about the starting gig at third base – we’re writing Scoras on the linup card in ink.

SHORTSTOP

Art Miles was a first-round pick in 1975, going 10th overall to the Montreal Expos in the MLB Draft. The Texan played all 64 of his games with Lethbridge at shortstop, but committed 42 errors at the position. Offensively, Miles had a .230 batting average, a .370 on-base percentage, 39 runs, 15 doubles, 22 RBI, 48 walks and three home runs. He stole seven bases and was caught stealing six teams. His career ended in tragic fashion after he suffered a broken vertebra in his neck in 1977. The injury occurred when Miles dove into a shallow section of the Intracoastal Waterway while celebrating a victory with the West Palm Beach Expos of the Florida State League.

The shortstop for the 1976 edition of the Lethbridge Expos was Johnnie Walker, a seventh-round pick out of Sacramento, California. In 68 games in the Pioneer League, Walker posted 46 runs, 29 RBI, nine stolen bases and a .269 batting average. He had a .922 fielding percentage for Lethbridge. After leaving Alberta, Walker climbed the minor-league ranks and ended up appearing in 253 Triple-A games with the Toledo Mud Hens in the Minnesota Twins system.

We’re giving the nod to Walker here.

OUTFIELDERS

Let’s get the obvious pick for an outfield spot out of the way early.

Andre Dawson, who has a plaque at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, is making this team. In case there was any doubt, the star with the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs was also outstanding in Lethbridge. “The Hawk” was an 11th-round pick of the Expos and suited up for one season in southern Alberta. During his 72 games with the rookie-level affiliate in 1975, Dawson batted .330 with a .383 on-base percentage, 166 total bases, 52 runs, 14 doubles, seven triples, 13 home runs, 50 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 300 at bats. Just one year later, the Pioneer League All-Star was roaming the outfield for the Montreal Expos.

Dawson’s roommate in Lethbridge, Andrew Dyes, was also turning heads in his first summer of professional baseball. The fourth-rounder from California logged 71 games and produced 44 runs, seven doubles, five round trippers, 58 RBI, 40 stolen bases and 30 walks. He had a .324 batting average and a .392 on-base percentage and was earned Pioneer League All-Star honours. Dyes played for the Double-A Quebec Metros before advancing to the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League. He never did crack an MLB lineup, but he kept playing through the mid-1980s in the Mexican League.

Chris Wood put up very good numbers in his time at Henderson Stadium. The Georgian appeared in 20 games for Lethbridge in 1975 and another 66 contests in 1976. Through 335 at bats, he registered 111 hits and 23 doubles, making him the all-time leader in both categories for the franchise. Wood also added 72 runs, 52 RBI, 10 triples, 14 stolen bases and 28 walks.

Kevin Newby is another candidate for outfield duty. He played 113 games for the Lethbridge Expos over their two years of existence. Newby had 96 hits, 61 runs, 14 doubles, six triples, 35 RBI and 22 stolen bases in the Pioneer League.

Steve Brown recorded 16 runs, 13 RBI and a .273 batting average in 41 games for the Expos in 1976, while also suiting up as a catcher for a pair of contests, while Dale McMullen split time at first base and in the Lethbridge outfield in 1975, collecting 22 RBI, 32 hits, 17 runs, 11 doubles, 24 walks, four homers and five stolen bases in 45 games. McMullen, a 6-foot-3 native of Texas, later played Double-A baseball with the Memphis Chicks.

Rickey Hill produced 23 hits and 11 RBI in 39 games with the Lethbridge Expos in the team’s first season of play. The Fort Worth, Texas native was the subject of the inspirational 2023 movie The Hill, starring Dennis Quaid and Colin Ford.

While Hill’s story was great for Hollywood, he unfortunately doesn’t have the numbers to cut it in the outfield on this squad. Instead, we’re going with Dawson, Dyes and Wood.

DESIGNATED HITTER

We’re slotting Mitch Cipolla into the DH spot. You can never have too many pitch framers who can hit the ball with authority in your lineup.

BENCH/UTILITY PLAYERS

Our options off the bench include Kevin Newby and Dale McMullen, if we need an outfielder, or Randy Eickenhorst, who is capable of playing both corner infielder spots and at shortstop.

Another name to consider is Julio Perez, who suited up in 34 games for the Lethbridge Expos in 1976, the year he split time with the West Palm Beach Expos. During his tour of duty in the Pioneer League, the New Yorker impressed with a .370 batting average, .423 on-base percentage, 26 RBI, 22 runs, nine extra-base hits and four stolen bases. The switch hitter played all over the diamond, fielding balls at every infield position and in the outfield during his pro career. Perez also played 56 Triple-A games for the Edmonton Trappers in 1981.

Of these choices, we’ll make room in our dugout for Perez, due to his versatility, as well as Eickenhorst and Newby.

A page from the 1976 Lethbridge Expos souvenir program shows the team roster.

STARTING PITCHERS

Mike Grabowski was the Opening Day starter for Lethbridge’s first game in the Pioneer League. While he was tagged with the loss in that contest, the righty was a dependable pitcher for the Expos. He led the club in starts, with 12, and put up a 3-6 record with a 3.38 earned run average (ERA) and 51 strikeouts in 72 innings. Grabowski tossed two complete games, including a shutout, and pitched well enough to earn a promotion to Single-A later in 1975, his lone season of professional baseball.

Another standout from the 1975 rotation was Bob Gerdes, who appeared in 13 games and made 11 starts. Through 67 innings, the 6-foot-4 righthander from Cincinnati went 4-6 with 67 Ks and a 3.76 ERA. Gerdes also threw a pair of complete games, one of which was a shutout. He pitched two more seasons of pro ball with the West Palm Beach Expos after leaving Lethbridge.

Lefty James Baby was Montreal’s 13th overall pick in the 1974 MLB Draft. The 6-foot-1 moundsman out of Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland logged 56 innings for Lethbridge in 1975. Of his 12 games, eight were starts. Baby went 3-5 with a 4.50 ERA, two complete games and 36 strikeouts.

Rick Lindell was the ace of the pitching staff in 1976. In 11 starts and 83 innings, the righthander registered a 3.25 ERA, four complete games and 66 punchouts. The Texan was inducted into the St. Edward’s University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.

Southpaw Michael Brooks, an 11th-round pick from Mississippi, was also effective in that starting rotation. He racked up 86 innings over 11 starts and went 6-2 with a 4.19 ERA and 46 Ks and six complete games. The Jackson State University alum pitched for the West Palm Beach Expos in 1977.

Another lefty, Carlton Roberts, pitched pretty well for Lethbridge in 1976, as well. He went 5-5 in his 77 innings and 12 starts while posting a 4.79 ERA and 46 strikeouts. The Californian came through with two complete games and one shutout.

Towering righthander Mike Sullivan, a 14th-round pick of the Expos, also chewed up innings for Lethbridge in 1976. The 6-foot-6 Cincinnati native went 3-6 in 11 starts and 74 innings. He registered a 4.99 ERA and 61 strikeouts. He pitched for another two years in West Palm Beach after graduating from the Pioneer League.

Two starters who weren’t key players with the Lethbridge Expos did go on to play in The Show.

Jack O’Connor went 2-3 with a 6.43 ERA and 17 Ks in his five games and 21 innings with the squad. The lefty from California pitched in 129 games with the Minnesota Twins, Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles from 1981 to 1987, putting together a 14-17 record, 4.89 ERA, two saves and 177 strikeouts in 318-plus MLB innings. O’Connor also pitched for the Calgary Cannons in 1986.

Righthander Bob James, the ninth overall pick of the Expos in the 1976 MLB Draft, only made three starts for Lethbridge that year. He struck out 11 batters over eight innings and delivered a 4.50 ERA. James cracked Montreal’s roster in 1978 and pitched for the Expos, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox until 1987. In 279 MLB games, the reliever went 24-26 with 73 saves and a 3.80 ERA. James had 340 strikeouts in 407 innings.

Looking over the options, we’re looking at a starting rotation that includes Grabowski, Gerdes, Lindell, Brooks and Roberts.

MIDDLE RELIEF

Steve Ratzer was a workhorse for Lethbridge. During the 1975 season the right-handed hurler piled up 85 innings of mound work. The New Jersey-born pitcher appeared in 30 games and made six starts. In that time, he went 3-4 with a 2.33 ERA, 58 Ks and five saves. Ratzer did make it to the major leagues, where he pitched in 13 games for Montreal Expos in the early 1980s.

Warren Hemm – a 6-foot-4 lefty who was born in Illinois and went to high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma – put in 84 innings on the bump for Lethbridge in 1976. He registered a 4-3 record, a 3.75 ERA, 67 strikeouts and three saves. Of his 21 appearances, six were starts and three were complete games. Hemm climbed the minor-league ranks to the Triple-A level in 1979, when he played 11 games for the Denver Bears of the American Association.

While David Palmer may not have seemed like he’d amount to much after a dismal 1976 campaign with the Lethbridge Expos, the 21st-round draft defied the odds and had a fruitful MLB career. After going 0-5 with a 7.20 ERA and 44 Ks in 45 innings in the Pioneer League, the righthander from Glens Falls, New York turned things around the following season in West Palm Beach. By 1978, Palmer made his MLB debut with the Montreal Expos and he pitched with the parent club until 1986. From there, he spent time on the mound for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers. His career totals in the big leagues included a 64-59 record, two saves, and a 3.78 ERA in 212 games, most of them starts. Palmer recorded 748 strikeouts over 1,085 MLB innings.

Santa Barbara City College grad David Fredrickson, a sixth-round pick of the Expos in 1974, had a tidy 4-0 record for Lethbridge in the team’s first season. The 6-foot-4 righty got into 18 games and made four starts. He picked up one save and finished the year with a 6.18 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 51 innings.

CLOSER

We have a pair of candidates for shutting down batters in the ninth inning.

Christopher Harshey was a bullpen warrior for the Expos in their opening season. The righty logged 55 innings over 30 games, including one start, and went 5-2 with a 4.42 ERA. Harshey was the go-to closer in 1975, collecting six saves and 42 strikeouts.

Righthander Doyle Green appeared in 25 games for Lethbridge in 1976. Through 34 innings, he picked up six saves and posted a 4-4 record. Green also had 22 strikeouts and a 2.91 ERA.

Green is our choice for closer.