Today's Birthdays: 14 former PONY/New York-Penn League Prospects

There are a total of 14 birthdays today of former Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York (PONY)/New York-Penn League prospects. Here is the complete list. You can link to more information at Baseball Reference by clicking on their names.

Bill Higdon (Bradford Blue Wings, 1946). Born in 1924. Died April 30, 1986. Played in 11 games for the 1949 Chicago White Sox.

Frank Wurm (Olean Oilers, 1942). Born in 1924. Died September 19, 1993. Pitched in one game for the 1944 Brooklyn Dodgers.

Fred Koenig (Hamilton Cardinals, 1951). Born in 1931. Died Januayr 12, 1993. Played 13 seasons in the minor leagues.

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Willie Upshaw (Oneonta Yankees, 1975). Happy 65th birthday. Played ten seasons in the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays (1978, 1980-87) and the Cleveland Indians (1988).

Brian Giles (Little Falls Mets, 1978). Happy 62nd birthday. Played six seasons in the majors with the New York Mets (1981-83), Milwaukee Brewers (1985), Chicago White Sox (1986), and Seattle Mariners (1990).

Bill Kazmierczak (Geneva Cubs, 1986). Happy 58th birthday. Played four seasons in the minor leagues.

Bob MacDonald (St. Catharines Blue Jays, 1987). Happy 57th birthday. Played six seasons in the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays (1990-92), Detroit Tigers (1993), New York Yankees (1995), New York Mets (1996).

Bob Ayrault (Batavia Clippers, 1989). Happy 56th birthday. Played in the majors during two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies (1992-93) and the Seattle Mariners (1993).

Eric Hillman (Little Falls Mets, 1987. Happy 56th birthday. Played three seasons for the New York Mets (1992-94)

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Tom Singer (St. Catharines Blue Jays, 1990). Happy 53rd birthday. Played five seasons in the minor leagues (1990-94).

Casey Janssen (Auburn Doubledays, 2004). Happy 40th birthday. Played nine years in the major leagues with the Toronto Blue Jay (2006-07, '09-'14) and Washington Nationals (2015).

Anthony Hewitt (Williamsport Crosscutters, 2009). Happy 33rd birthday. Played eight years in the minor leagues.

Cody Dickson (Jamestown Jammers, 2013). Happy 30th birthday. Played five seasons in the minor leagues.

J.D. Davis (Tri-City ValleyCats, 2014) Happy 29th birthday. Davis is in his third year playing in the majors (Houston Astros, 2017-18) and New York Mets (2019).

Source: Baseball Refernce

New York-Penn LeagueHistory is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball or any of its teams.

On This Date: News from the PONY League on April 26, 1956

Source: Wellsville Daily Reporter & newspapers.com

New York-Penn League History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball or any of its teams.

 

Today's Birthday: Amos Otis, Oneonta Red Sox (1966)

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Happy 75th Birthday to former New York-Penn League prospect Amos Otis. He played for the 1966 Oneonta Red Sox.

Otis played in the majors during 17 seasons with the New York Mets (1967, '69), Kansas City Royals (1970-83), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1984).

After he retired as a player, Otis coached for the San Diego Padres (1988-89), Colorado Rockies (1993), and minor league Colorado Springs Sky Sox (1994-95).

Source: Baseball Reference

New York-Penn League History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, or any of its teams 

Today's Birthday: Bob Johnson, Auburn Mets (1964-65)

Pittsburgh Pirates & Trading Card Database

Happy Birthday to former New York-Penn League prospect Bob Johnson, who was born on this date in 1943. He pitched for the Auburn Mets during two seasons (1964-65).

Johnson went on to play in the major leagues for the New York Mets (1969), Kansas City Royals (1970), Pittsburgh Pirates (1971-73), Cleveland Indians (1974), and Atlanta Braves (1977). He pitched in two games for the 1971 World Champion Pirates.

Source: Baseball Reference

New York-Penn League History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, or any of its teams

Today's Birthday: Mike Blowers, Jamestown Expos (1986)

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Happy Birthday (57th) to former New York-Penn League prospect Mike Blowers. He played for the 1986 Jamestown Expos.

Blowers played in the majors during 11 seasons for the New York Yankees (1989-91), Seattle Mariners (1992-95, '97, '99), Los Angeles Dodgers (1996), and Oakland Athletics (1998).

He has been a television and radio broadcaster for the Seattle Mariners since 2007.

Source: Baseball Reference

New York-Penn League History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League or any of its teams. 

Today's Birthday: Warren Spahn, Bradford Bees (1940)

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Former Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League prospect Warren Spahn was born on this date in 1921, in Buffalo, New York. He pitched for the 1940 Bradford Bees.

He went on to a 21 year major league career with the Boston/Milwaukee Braves (1942, 1946-64), New York Mets (1965), and San Francisco Giants (1965) and compiled a record of 363-245.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, and the New York-Penn League Hall of Fame in 2012.

Spahn died on November 24, 2003, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma at the age of 82.

Source: Baseball Reference

New York-Penn League History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League or any of its teams.

On This Date: News from the PONY League on April 22, 1946

Source: The Warren Mail & newspapers.com

New York-Penn League History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball or any of its teams.