In The Cards: 1993 Lethbridge Mounties

When you see some of the last names – Bonilla, Segura and Sizemore – you could easily mistake the 1993 Lethbridge Mounties for a team with talent.

Alas, they were neither a good team, nor was their roster stacked with players who would go on to do great things in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Be that as it may, sometimes you have to just go with the hand you’ve been dealt. In this case, the cards on the table feature a squad that went just 29-44 in the Pioneer League. Only one of the players would suit up in the major leagues after graduating from this rookie-level team.

In The Cards: 1994 Lethbridge Mounties

It’s said that the Mounties “always get their man.” Well, the 1994 Lethbridge Mounties rounded up at least 30 of them who were guilty of stealing bases and punching out batters.

Behold the photographic evidence, a rogues’ gallery of southern Alberta baseball players. There will never be a case of mistaken identity with this group. Murderers’ row, they were not.

Let’s take a closer look at this team set of baseball cards …

The Pioneers: Lethbridge Expos

Southern Alberta’s love affair with baseball hit a fever pitch in the 1970’s.

After years of our own circuits and big league players barnstorming through, relationships were built to bring affiliated baseball to the masses.

In the first of our three-part look at the Pioneer League’s days in Alberta, we profile the lead-up to the first game at home for the Lethbridge Expos.

Alberta’s NL Dugout Connections

There was a time when if you wanted to play Major League Baseball (MLB), you were likely to make a minor-league stop in Canada first.

Either as visitors or members of the home squad, countless players in the Pioneer League or the Pacific Coast League (PCL) would find their way to Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary or Edmonton.

In our second of a two-part series, we explore the coaches and managers from the National League (NL) who played in Alberta before finding their way in the majors.

Alberta’s AL Dugout Connections

Major League Baseball (MLB) may feel like it is far removed from the ball diamonds of Alberta, but if you play a quick game of six dugouts of separation you’ll discover there are plenty of coaching connections between the majors and our province.

In our first of a two-part series exploring those connections, we look at the American League squads who have former Alberta players on the payroll.

The Baseball Brat

There is a little confusion over where T.J. Bennett is really from.

As it turns out, he was born in Lethbridge but didn’t spend a whole lot of time here.

The reason: his father was a baseball coach for a new Pioneer League team in 1992. That background gave us context on how the 26-year-old has lived his baseball life.