Tyler Robertson

 

Tyler Robertson was a relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins in 2012-13.

Tyler Patrick Robertson was born December 23, 1987, in Simi Valley, California, near Los Angeles. His father, Jay, had been a minor league pitcher; he then became a scout, then a front office guy; he is currently a special assistant to the general manager for the Washington Nationals. At some point the family moved to Fair Oaks, near Sacramento, where Tyler attended Bella Vista High School and was a star pitcher. From the March 16, 2006, Sacramento Bee:

Pitcher on radar for big success

The Bella Vista High School baseball schedule is a popular item these days among Northern California major league scouts.

That’s because 6-foot-4, 220-pound senior left-hander Tyler Robertson is considered one of the top pro prospects in the area.

So on March 8 at the Gary Dreher Classic in Elk Grove, the stands were filled with guys sporting radar guns, laptops and video cameras when Robertson—who already has accepted a scholarship offer from Cal State Fullerton—matched pitches against Sheldon ace Corey Hamilton, another athlete on the scouts’ watch list who has committed to UC Irvine.

Although neither went the distance because of pre-determined pitch-count limits, Robertson outdueled Hamilton in the Broncos’ 3-1 victory.

“Half of the major-league teams were represented,” Bella Vista coach Bill Richardson said.

Richardson has been coaching high school baseball for 18 seasons, the last two at Bella Vista, so he understands how the recruiting process works.

He just hopes it doesn’t prove a distraction for Robertson or his teammates…

Tyler finished the season with a 9-1 record and 0.76 ERA with 143 strikeouts in 74 innings, and batted .434. In June he was drafted by the Twins in the third round and was given a $400,000 bonus to sign. The Twins sent him to their Gulf Coast League rookie class team in Fort Myers, Florida, where he had a 4.25 ERA in 48 2/3 innings in 11 games, ten of them starts, and had an excellent ratio of 54 strikeouts and 15 walks.

For 2007 the Twins moved Tyler to the Beloit Snappers of the Class A Midwest League. I didn’t find an explanation, but he didn’t make his first appearance until June 3; he had an excellent season after that, though, with a 2.29 ERA in 102 1/3 innings, with 123 strikeouts and 33 walks. He was named the Minnesota organization’s pitcher of the month for July, and in September the Minneapolis Star Tribune named him number one on their list of the Twins’ top ten prospects, saying “Has a 93-mph fastball and excellent curve.” He was named to Baseball America’s Class A All-Star team.

For 2008 Tyler went up a step to the Fort Myers Miracle of the Florida State League, class Advanced A. Just before the season started the Star Tribune ran another list of top Twins prospects, and this time Tyler was number two: “Good sinker and slider and solid pitching acumen”—sounds like he changed into a different pitcher over the off-season. He got off to a good start but developed shoulder problems and was shut down for the season in July and began a rehab program. In 15 starts he had a 2.72 ERA in 82 2/3 innings. At the end of the season he was ranked number five in the Star Tribune’s prospect list, with the comment “…the Twins were relieved to learn rehab was all he needed. Throws in the low 90s with a good curveball.” The fastball/curve pitcher was back…

 Tyler returned to Fort Myers for 2009; his manager announced before the season that his injury was behind him. He had a 3.33 ERA in 143 1/3 innings in 26 starts, with 103 strikeouts and 51 walks.

In 2010 Tyler was promoted to the New Britain Rock Cats of the Class AA Eastern League, where he spent the season except for one start in AAA Rochester in May, which he lost, giving up three runs on six hits in five innings. I didn’t find any explanation but I assume Rochester was just short on pitchers and needed him to plug a gap. He had an off-year for New Britain, ending up with a 4-13 record and 5.41 ERA in 144 2/3 innings in 27 starts. After the season ended he was sent to the Arizona Fall League to work as a reliever; on October 11 the Star Tribune reported:

…the Twins have decided to move him to the bullpen, where his 90-91 mph fastball and curveball could be more effective. He used to have the best curve in the organization, but the Twins will debate if he needs to go with a slider in order to thrive as a major league reliever.

Tyler spent 2011 back in New Britain, as their closer. He had a 10-3 record (more wins than he had had in one season as a starter) and 16 saves, with a 3.61 ERA in 89 2/3 innings in 55 appearances, with 88 strikeouts and 29 walks. After the season the Twins moved him to their 40-man protected roster to prevent his being drafted by another team.

Tyler went to spring training with the Twins in 2012, and on February 20 he was quoted in the St. Paul Pioneer Press in an article on Eddie Guardado’s return to the team as a training camp instructor:

“He keeps it so simple, and he preaches that,” said Tyler Robertson, 10-3 with a 3.63 ERA for Class AA New Britain last season. Robertson has known Guardado for a long time—his father, Jay, scouted Guardado when Guardado was a pitcher at Delta College in his native California—and has had many occasions to pick his brain…

In mid-March Tyler was optioned to Rochester, where he had a 3.77 ERA in 33 games, with 33 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings, by June 25, when he was called up to the Twins. He made his debut the next night, and St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist Tom Powers wrote about it:

Minnesota Twins rookie Tyler Robertson blows them away, for starters

Perhaps a star was born at Target Field. If not, it was still great fun to see such a bright light shoot past us like that.

Lefty reliever Tyler Robertson made his major league debut for the Twins on Tuesday night, June 26. He took to the mound for the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox and admittedly was a bit jittery. Who wouldn’t be? He’s 24 years old and pitching in front of 35,000 people for the first time. His mom, dad and sister were in the stands.

Most important, his manager and pitching coach were watching him like hawks from the dugout. The pitching-starved Twins always are on the lookout for an able body. And Robertson had just been called up from Rochester on Monday. Now he was about to face the top of the White Sox order. Catcher Joe Mauer was waiting for him on the hill.

“He calmed me down and made me laugh a little bit,” Robertson recalled afterward. “He told me it probably would be wise to aim the ball down.”

Leadoff hitter Alejandro De Aza fanned on a slider. Kevin Youkilis took a called third strike on a wicked changeup. Adam Dunn swung and missed on another slider. Three up, three down, all whiffs. For the eighth time in history, a pitcher made his major league debut by striking out three straight in an inning of relief.

“I was nervous,” Robertson said. “You can’t really prepare for pitching in front of 30,000 plus. It was pretty special. I couldn’t have asked for it to go any better.”

“That was fun to see,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “You never know what you’re going to get that first outing. We asked him after the fact if he was nervous, and he said ‘absolutely,’ But he maintained his composure. Three strikeouts—you can’t do much better than that as a pitcher.”

“I guess it’s really downhill from here for him,” Jamey Carroll said with a straight face. “Nah, it’s great to see. I love seeing that first game that guys have worked a long time for. To have that opportunity, and to see him get it and pay off like that, it’s a great thing about baseball.”

Obviously, Robertson was thrilled. But it wasn’t too long ago that he absorbed what he thought was a body punch from the Twins organization. Drafted in the third round out of his California high school in 2006, Robertson proceeded to work his way through the farm system as a starter. But after the 2010 season, he was told that he no longer was going to work out of the rotation. Instead, he was henceforth a reliever.

“At first I took that as a slap in the face,” Robertson said. “I think anybody would. But I looked at it wrong at first. I kind of looked at it as a demotion. You know, I guess things worked out pretty good.”

So the Twins were right.

“You know what? I’m too much of a competitor to admit I don’t think I could start,” he said with a laugh. “But for right now, it’s looking like they were right.”

The next day Tyler pitched again, coming in to start the top of the 8^th with the Twins down 10-2. He struck out De Aza again to make it four straight strikeouts, but then gave up four straight singles and a sacrifice fly before being removed. He stuck with the Twins for the rest of the season, making 40 appearances but pitching just 25 innings in his LOOGy role; he struck out 26, walked 14, and had a 5.40 ERA.

Tyler didn’t have a good spring training in 2013 but he made the Twins’ roster anyway. On April 4, the third game of the season, he pitched to just one batter, striking out Prince Fielder. The next day, in Baltimore, he came in to a tie game in the eighth with the bases loaded and one out, and gave up a grand slam to Chris Davis, then retired the next two batters. This would turn out to be his last major league appearance; the next day he was optioned to Rochester. 

For the Red Wings Tyler had a 3.05 ERA in 20 2/3 innings despite walking 16, then on June 3 the Orioles placed him on waivers for the purpose of moving him from their 40-man roster to make room for another player. From the June 5 Minneapolis Star Tribune:

The Twins don’t know yet whether Tyler Robertson will clear waivers, which would enable them to keep him at Rochester, but considering he is only 25, has decent minor league statistics and, most importantly, is lefthanded, they assume he will be claimed…

“His velocity had gone down to 87, 88 mph,” Gardenhire said. “He could spin the ball, he could still get some people out. But even in spring training, he had no velocity.”

On June 7 Tyler was claimed by the Washington Nationals, the team his father was working for. They sent him to the Syracuse Chiefs, not far from Rochester and also in the International League. For Syracuse he had a 3.04 ERA, almost exactly the same as at Rochester, but had much better control while giving up more hits. Between the two teams he pitched 47 1/3 innings in 47 games, one of them being a start. On November 20 the Nationals designated him for assignment to clear a roster spot; this time he cleared waivers, and he was assigned to the Syracuse roster.

Tyler was invited to spring training 2014 by Washington but was assigned to the minor league camp on March 9. He went back to Syracuse, where he had a 4.08 ERA in 17 2/3 innings in 12 games through May 13, then disappeared from the newspapers; I found no indication that he pitched any more that year. In November he was granted free agency, and during spring training 2015 he signed a contract with the Miami Marlins. Supposedly he was assigned to their AAA affiliate, the New Orleans Zephyrs of the Pacific Coast League, but there is no indication that he appeared for them in a regular season game, and that was the end of his career. He lives in Roseville, California, near Sacramento.

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/R/Probet001.htm

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/roberty01.shtml

Fred Zahner

Fred Zahner was a catcher for the Louisville Colonels in 1894 and 1895.

Frederick Joseph Zahner was born June 5, 1870, in Louisville, to Louis Frederick Zahner, who emigrated from Germany as a child, and Josephine, born in Indiana to German immigrants. In the 1873 Louisville city directory Louis is listed as a shoemaker for Shaw & Cimiotti, living at 302 Rowan. In the 1880 census the family lives at 513 Bank Street in Louisville; Louis, 38, “works in shoe factory,” Josephine is 36, sister Mary is 15 and was born in Indiana like her mother, and Fred is seven. A younger brother, Joseph, would be born in 1873.

In the 1887 city directory Fred, turning 17 that year, has his own listing as a clerk for the Jefferson, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad. He is shown as a boarder at his parents’ house, 1241 W Jefferson, and Louis has gone into partnership as a shoe manufacturer, Zahner & Berle being located at 222 7^th.

The first reference I found to Fred as a baseball player was in the August 13, 1892, Frankfort Roundabout, where he is called one of “the finest players in the Louisville City League.” On April 22, 1893, Sporting Life reported: “Cincinnati tried a young catcher from Louisville named Zahner in an exhibition game. He caught well enough, but his throwing was not up to the mark.” The same publication, on August 26, mentioned that he was catching for the Lexington independent town team, with an aside that he was with Atlanta in 1892—but I found no other evidence of that. The 1893 Louisville directory shows him as a clerk, still boarding with his parents but now at 926 W Jefferson, while Zahner & Berle has moved to 239 6^th.

In the January 6, 1894, Sporting Life, their Louisville correspondent reported: “Catcher Fred Zahner is considering several offers from the Western League. Grim says that Zahner, when he gets steadied down in a fast company, is going to prove a star.”

Fred actually signed with the Charleston Seagulls of the Class B Southern Association. He played some catcher and a little outfield in 26 games before being let go in early June, as reported by the Sporting Life Louisville correspondent on June 16:

Zahner has been released; there was no fault to find with his catching, but we had Jocko Fields, and he is a whole team in himself, and Zahner could not play in the field. We are all sorry to see him go, but the club could not carry so many men.

By the time that saw print Fred had already been picked up by the Mobile Bluebirds of the same league, debuting with them on June 11. From the June 23 Sporting Life:

Wells has signed Zahner, the Charleston catcher whom Beard recently released. He caught an elegant game to-day and made two slashing hits. Nashville sent in his name to President Nicklin, but they are too late by several days.

Between the June 27 game and the June 29 game, the Mobile team relocated to Atlanta. In July, though, after playing in 14 games for Mobile/Atlanta (hitting .219 in 146 Southern Association at-bats), Fred was signed by his hometown Louisville Colonels of the National League, “as extra catcher and utility man.” He made his debut on July 23, at home against Cincinnati. He got into 14 games the rest of the way, ten at catcher, two in the outfield, one at first and one at shortstop. He made four errors in his one (12-inning) game at short, for a .636 fielding percentage, while behind the plate he made eight errors in 62 innings for a .778 mark. At bat he hit .204/.250/.245 in 49 at-bats. The September 8 Sporting Life included the observation “Zahner, the young Louisville player is a most promising catcher,” while the same issue included a quote from Louisville team president Stuckey: “Zahner seems to be too light for the big League. A year’s experience in the Southern League would do him good.” From the next week’s issue:

[Louisville teammate Pat] Flaherty says Manager Barnie is in love with Fred Zahner. “When we was playing in N’ York,” said Pat, “Zahner was behind the bat a-digging ‘em out o’ the ground and a-pulling ‘em out o’ the sky. Pitcher was wild, see. Johnny Ward says to me, ‘That man’ll be a star next year. He only needs a little training.’ That’s right, too.”

The 1894 Louisville directory still listed Fred as a clerk boarding with his parents, but the address changed once again, to 724 6^th. The December 15 Sporting Life mentioned that Fred was “acting as an indoor base ball umpire at Louisville, where that game is doing better than the outdoor game.”

The Louisville report in the March 2, 1895, Sporting Life said that:

Fred Zahner, the Louisville catcher, has been farmed out to Atlanta. He will be recalled if his services are needed. It is thought one year more in the minor league will fit him permanently for big League company.

Sporting Life New York correspondent, March 16:

So Zahner has been “farmed” out. Last year when the Louisville collection was here Zahner appeared to be the only one of the new men who showed up better than an amateur.

Atlanta correspondent, March 23:

I noticed in last week’s “Life” where it is reported that Fred Zahner, the ex-Louisville catcher, has been farmed out to Atlanta. This is incorrect, for much as Knowles would like to have him on his team, he has no room for him, having two first-class catchers signed, with no need for another. Knowles was offered the services of Zahner, but for this reason had to decline. Now, here’s a rattling good catcher, hard hitter and most desirable acquisition to any club South needing a valuable man in the points, and the club which signs him will be glad of it before the dog days set in.

Louisville ended up keeping Fred. On May 18 the Sporting Life Louisville correspondent reported: “Zahner has been doing a good deal of the catching lately, and from the way he has done his work will likely take his regular turn behind the bat, as his hitting has been good and no fault is found with his catching.” In the same issue, the New York correspondent opined: “Manager McCloskey displayed good judgment in wisely reconsidering his intention to “farm out” catcher Zahner. Keep your weather eye on this youngster.”

The June 15 Sporting Life included the report that “Catcher Zahner, of Louisville, has just begun playing after being laid up with a split finger. Despite this fact he does good work.” But in the same issue the Louisville correspondent wrote:

The team seems to need catchers quite as bad as pitchers, neither Walsh nor Zahner being up to League standard.

There are many who think Zahner has in him the making of an ideal short stop, and that with a little practice he would make a permanent good man in that position for the team.

The June 29 Louisville report includes:

Both the catchers are unfit for work, and have been for the last two weeks. O’Brien is barely able to be out of bed, and is suffering from some of Griffin’s brutality. Zahner writes that he has had to have four stitches taken in his back.

That same issue it was reported that Louisville had signed two new catchers, and in the next week’s issue it was reported that the Grand Rapids Gold Bugs of the Class A Western League had signed Fred. The Gold Bugs’ box scores show him catching 11 games in 11 days, but the July 20 Sporting Life reported that “The Grand Rapids Club have released catcher Zahner, who is ill, and secured catcher Moran from the Chicago Club.” In that same issue the Grand Rapids correspondent wrote:

Back in the catcher’s box we have the best work seen this season on the team in the work of Zahner, the man gotten from Louisville. He promises to be a winner for us.

Whatever Fred’s illness was, he was back with Louisville. He got into a few games at the end of July and beginning of August, playing what would be his last major league game on August 5. On August 17 it was reported that he had been sent back to the Western League, this time with the Kansas City Blues. From the August 24 Sporting Life Louisville report:

Catcher Zahner has gone to Kansas City, where he will play out the balance of the season. The boy is a good enough catcher, but needs experience and when he learns more of the tricks and turns of the business will be more valuable. His experience with Kansas City will do him good. He is a fixture on the home team, however, and will be retained next year.

In the same issue the Grand Rapids correspondent wrote:

When Zahner came from Louisville, joy was in our hearts because he was a hard worker and a splendid catcher. He conveniently became sick and went back to Louisville. He is now playing with the Kansas Citys.

Fred did play out the balance of the season in Kansas City, backing up the ill-fated Marty Bergen. His Western League totals were 28 games (13 for Grand Rapids, 15 for Kansas City), all at catcher, where his .933 fielding percentage was a big improvement, and at the plate a .274 batting average in 102 at-bats. While with Louisville he hit .224/.321/.286 in the same number of at-bats as in 1894, 49, in 21 games, all at catcher, where he fielded just .824. In October the Colonels signed a new catcher, and it was reported that Fred would likely not be back; meanwhile he appeared on the Kansas City reserve list. The 1895 Louisville directory showed Fred as a clerk with T. Bart Dean, but otherwise his and his father’s information was unchanged.

In February 1896 Fred signed with Dubuque of the Class B Western Association. The May 9 Sporting Life claimed that “Catcher Zahner, of Dubuque, formerly of Louisville, had up to April 30 made a home run in every exhibition and championship game participated in by him since the opening of the season.” I don’t know how many exhibition games there might have been, but from the start of the regular, or championship, season on April 23 through April 30 the only game in which Fred homered was April 28, and he was playing in all of them.

Fred did most of the catching for Dubuque until late July, when the league disbanded. There was talk of continuing with four of the original eight teams, but that fell through. As the Dubuque correspondent to Sporting Life reported in the August 8 issue:

…Secretary Skemp wished to have each club put $1000 bond to continue the season. It was a lucky thing they didn’t do it, as further incidents have shown.

The local directors becoming tired of the way Raymond was managing the team, and his continual drinking, released him, and also infielder Tighe, for economical reasons. When Long and Zahner heard this they sent word that they would quit. Then the directors notified President Hickey to blacklist them (Long and Zahner), which was done.

These affairs left the club with but seven men, and after several attempts to secure men from the Rockford Club they had no alternative but to disband…

Long and Zahner were praised too much by the press when they first came here, and that’s what spoiled them. But if they ever appear here again they will get a cold reception.

Fred had played in 72 games for Dubuque, catching all of them with an .874 fielding percentage, and hit .262. Despite the supposed blacklisting he soon got picked up by the Syracuse Stars of the Class A Eastern League, moving up a notch, where he served as backup to Jack Ryan. From the Louisville report in the September 5 Sporting Life:

News has come home that Manager McGunnigle expects to land a new catcher within a few days, but no names are given out as to who the man is. The club certainly needs strength in the catching department. Dexter is a hard worker, but has had too much to do, and evidently feels the effect of it. Catcher Fred Zahner, who is now with Syracuse, but who was formerly with Louisville, is a son of Zahner, of the shoe manufacturing firm of Zahner & Berle, of Louisville. The senior Zahner takes a great deal of interest naturally in Fred’s welfare. He says that when Dubuque disbanded that Manager McGunnigle met Fred in Chicago and tried hard to get him to come to Louisville, but Fred still felt sore over the way he had been treated by Louisville last year, and preferred to go with Harry Raymond to Syracuse, and it is believed that he shows to better advantage this season than he did when he was one of Louisville’s regular catchers. It may be that he is the one Manager McGunnigle is after.

Fred stayed with Syracuse the rest of the season; the Syracuse report in the September 26 Sporting Life said that “Catcher Zahner did fairly good work, but lacked the experience of Ryan.” He got into 20 games for the Stars, catching in 19 of them, hitting .281 in 64 at-bats and finishing last among the league’s catchers with an .880 fielding percentage. In the 1896 Louisville directory he was listed as a ball player, while his, and his father’s, other information stayed the same.

During the off-season Syracuse signed catcher Al Shaw, and there was speculation that Fred was now expendable. From the February 13, 1897, Burlington (Iowa) Hawk Eye:

Catcher Fred Zahner is anxious to get away from the Syracuse club. He is on that team’s reserve list, but he does not think that he has received exactly the proper treatment from them. He has had several chances to better himself, but it seems that the Syracuse people are inclined to act the “dog in the manger.” He says that rather than go back to Syracuse he may retire from the diamond and re-enter business with his brother-in-law, Billy Bosler [sister Mary’s husband, though I found no indication that they were ever in business previously].

A couple weeks later Fred got his release. In April he caught the end of an exhibition game for St. Paul against the Colonels in Louisville as a tryout, but St. Paul manager Charlie Comiskey passed. Eventually Fred signed with the Rochester Brownies, returning to the Eastern League. He didn’t play a lot for the Brownies, doing some catching and filling in a couple games in right field. During a mid-June series in Rochester against Buffalo Fred was released by the Brownies and signed by the Bisons, who were desperate for a catcher. From the Buffalo report in the July 10 Sporting Life:

FRED. ZAHNER

After the disability of Urquhart and of Smith what on earth would we have done without this great catcher? Marvelously agile behind the bat, perfect in sacrificing, he, too, has directly won more than one game by safe base hits, and it is the greatest wonder in the world that Rowe was lucky enough to get such a man at this season of the year. In Dubuque last year he was the club’s mainstay, but in Syracuse and in Rochester he evidently did not suit, for they released him. The only solution seems to be that the Louisville boy’s surroundings in those towns were not satisfactory. Apparently they are congenial here, for Zahner, as honest and good-hearted an appearing fellow as ever lived, goes behind the bat as if he were eager to get there, coaches the pitchers and some of the others (who, by the way, need a little advice some times), and generally puts up a gingery game that is refreshing to see. Averaging up around .300 and .950, and showing himself able to go in every day if necessary Buffalo should hang on to Colonel Z.

The Buffalo correspondent continued to rave about Fred in the August 14 issue:

It is sad, but the once proud Bisons, who hadn’t been headed, are now tied for third. Why? We have so many weak hitters, and some of the poorest coaches that ever drew breath, and so few men who cultivate the gentle art of stealing bases. Backwoods pitchers that no one ever heard of before come up here and hold the boys down to eight, five, even two hits. Then, too, a spirit of langorous ease seems to drift over the aggregation from time to time and envelops our young men in its ethereal influence, all except, possibly, Gilboy and Zahner…

Justice compels me to say, however, that Jim Brown’s stomach trouble…and Zahner’s broken thumb, have a great deal to do with our slump…

Earnest Fred Zahner’s thumb became complicated with the ball last week and the thumb was broken. Now what are we going to do for a catcher that isn’t partially disabled? Zahner’s injury was the worst thing that could have happened to the Buffalos just now, for he was playing the best ball of the team. Hard-working, yet finding time to be sociable, a good batter or sacrifice hitter, and as good a catcher as they make, Fred Zahner is the best catcher we have had in years. And how he has worked! I don’t know whether he is related to the wholesale manufacturer of ladies’ boots and shoes in Louisville, but if he has any interest in the business I hope said business waxes and multiplies right smart.

Things seem to have gone south from there, though, as shortly before the end of the season Fred was released. From the Buffalo report in the September 25 Sporting Life:

…Fred Zahner was also handed his manumission papers at the same time. It is probable that the cause which shut out Leewe also got Zahner off the team—that is, lack of popularity with his companions. This may not be true, however. Zahner’s showing was .270 and .954, not so bad either way. He was a good sacrifice hitter, and displayed more ginger than some catchers who have been on the local team during the past 10 years. In the Western Association or in the Inter-state League he would be a star.

Fred played in 60 games in 1897, 47 of them for Buffalo, and hit .266 with a fielding percentage of .938, in the middle of the pack for the league’s catchers. From the Sporting Life Louisville report in the January 1, 1898 issue:

Fred. Zahner, who played with Buffalo last season, has not yet signed for next year. He is in excellent shape, but may not go out next year unless he gets an offer to his liking, as on account of recent political events [?] it may be more to his advantage to remain at home.

February 12:

Catcher Fred Zahner is doing so well with his recently-secured livery stable in Louisville that he will retire permanently from base ball.

March 19:

Fred Zahner’s retirement appears to be the real thing, after all, as he has just refused a good offer from Ottumwa. Fred is manager of the sales stables of his brother-in-law in Louisville, and is earning more money at it than he can playing ball.

January 28, 1899:

Catcher Fred Zahner, who played with the Colonels in 1896 [no], and later in the Eastern League, but who laid off last year, giving his attention to his sale stable, is looking for an engagement and wants to go out again next season. Zahner is in excellent physical shape and his long rest has improved him wonderfully. He is still a very young man and will make a strong addition to some club.

For a few weeks in March there were reports that Pittsburgh (Pittsburg in those days) might sign him, but they didn’t, and neither did anyone else. The 1898 and 1899 Louisville directories showed Fred as still living at 724 6^th with his parents, with a livery at 123 E Market. The 1900 census, taken June 7, showed two families at 724 6^th. Louis, shown as L. Fred Zahner, now 58, shoe manufacturer, owns the house; Josephine is 56, “civil engineer” Frederick is shown as 29 (though he had turned 30 two days before), and bookkeeper Joseph is 26; also part of the household is 17-year-old German servant Bertha Moser. The other part of the house is taken up by sister Mary and her husband William Bosler, listed as a bailiff in the city court, and their 14-year-old son William Jr.

About seven weeks later, on July 24, Fred died. From the July 25 Jeffersonville (Indiana) Evening News:

FELL

Head Foremost Out Of The Boat And Was Drowned Last Evening.

DEATH OF POPULAR FRED ZAHNER.

Fred Zahner, who was well known in this city, where he had frequently played ball was drowned in the river last evening at a point about opposite Ohio avenue. Before becoming a ball player Zahner was connected with the P.C.C. & St. L., and made trips to this side every day checking up cars back of the prison. He had many friends here, and, in fact, was popular everywhere he went. He was 30 years of age and was married [no he wasn’t]. It was while returning from this city to Louisville that the accident happened.

Joe Zahner, a brother of the drowned man, is an expert oarsman and belongs to the Pastime Boat Club and has been in the habit of taking Fred Zahner out riding frequently. Often they would come to this side and spend an hour or so with friends. In this way Fred Zahner learned to row, but could not swim. Last evening Fred Zahner wanted to come over to this side but his brother had other things to attend to and another companion, Pierre Marconnat, consented to come along. They reached this side and remained here until about 6:30 when they went down the hill to return home. Here a dispute arose as to who should pull the boat. Zahner said he would not and Marconnat said he could not as he did not know how.

After considerable squabbling, however, Marconnat took the oars and managed to get out in mid stream below the Big Four bridge. A storm was coming up, the steamer City of Cincinnati was coming down and the City of Jeffersonville was coming toward this city. This frightened Marconnat, who told Zahner he had better handle the oars.

Marconnat bent to one side to let him pass. The skiff tipped far to one side, and Zahner went head-first into the water. He rose once, beating the water wildly and calling for help. His frightened companion tried to turn the boat to him, but under awkward management it drifted farther away. Two fishermen, 60 feet off, stopped running a trot-line to watch the antics of the man in the water. They thought he had fallen from his boat on purpose and was playing. In a minute Zahner had sunk.

His companion pulled to the shore and notified the life-savers. Capt. Devan sent a crew immediately, but nothing could be done on account of darkness and an approaching storm.

Sporting Life reported the fact of Fred’s drowning in their August 4 issue, and added details on their front page the following week:

ZAHNER’S DEATH.

Particulars as to the Accident Which Cost the Well-Known Player His Life.

In the last issue of “Sporting Life” was briefly mentioned the telegraphic news that catcher Zahner had lost his life by drowning, at Louisville, on July 24. By mail we have received the following details of the sad affair:

“Zahner and a companion had gone to Jeffersonville in a skiff and were on the return trip when the accident occurred. Zahner rowed half way across the river, and then gave the oars to the other man, who wanted to learn how to row. He practiced for about ten minutes, when Zahner, who was in the stern of the skiff, got up and started to walk to the centre to take the oars. He had taken only a step or two when he lost his balance and fell into the river. He was a poor swimmer, but managed to keep above water for some time, shouting to his companion to come to him. The other man, however, being unable to row, could not help. Zahner sank in about 30 feet of water. The young man was 29 years of age [30] and unmarried [correct]. He caught for the Louisville Club in 1897 [no], and had been a member of minor league teams. He was one of the most popular young men in Louisville and his sad fate it generally mourned.”

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Z/Pzahnf101.htm

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/z/zahnefr01.shtml

Shawn Sedlacek

 

Shawn Sedlacek pitched 16 games for the 2002 Kansas City Royals.

Shawn Patrick Sedlacek was born June 29, 1976, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (online sources show him having been born in 1977, but a questionnaire he filled out in 1998 gives 1976 as the year, which fits better with his 1994 high school graduation). The first newspaper mention I found of him was when he was the ringbearer in a wedding at age four. He was a star pitcher at Kennedy High in Cedar Rapids his junior and senior years. In June 1994 he was hosting a graduation party at his home when a van full of 13-14 year olds crashed through the chain link fence and damaged seven vehicles parked in the yard. During the following summer he starred for an American Legion team that advanced to the regional tournament in South Dakota.

In 1995 and 1996 Shawn pitched for Indian Hills Community College in Centerville, where he was used both as a starter and a reliever; then he went to Iowa State for two years. He was chosen in the 14^th round of the 1998 free agent draft by the Royals. From the Cedar Rapids Gazette of June 4:

Neither Nate Frese nor Shawn Sedlacek considered himself a top pro prospect when the 1998 college baseball season opened this spring…

Sedlacek, meanwhile, said a strong campaign last fall had him hopeful he could get drafted this spring. He said those hopes never flagged, despite an 0-4 start.

“The first half of the season, I was pitching to get scouted,” said Sedlacek, who won five of his last six decisions and finished 6-6. He led the Cyclones in innings pitched (77) and strikeouts (65). “As the year progressed, I kept raising my expectations.”

Iowa State coach Lyle Smith said Sedlacek’s fastball was a consistent 85 mph when he reported to Ames, but was clocked in the low to mid 90’s this spring.

“I think he matured and got a little stronger, and he has more solid mechanics,” Smith said. “His first year he struggled and I’m sure he probably doubted himself. This year he blossomed.”

…Sedlacek signed a Royals contract Tuesday night. He reports June 11 to the Royals’ Northwest League affiliate at Spokane.

Shawn didn’t begin the season in the Spokane starting rotation, but he soon moved in and became their top pitcher. He had a 9-2 record and 3.45 ERA in 86 innings in 16 games (13 starts), with 62 strikeouts and only 18 walks. During the season he filled out a questionnaire, in which he gave his nickname as “Sed,” his size as 6-3 190, his off-season occupation as Cook Fence Co., and his hobbies as movies, golf, and tae kwon do.

For 1999 Shawn moved up from the Northwest League, Class Short Season A, to the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Carolina League, Class Advanced A (yes, a Delaware city in the Carolina League). He missed around two months after being hit in the back of his right thumb by a grounder in May, and ended the season with a 4-6 record and 5.28 ERA in 92 innings in 17 starts.

Shawn spent 2000 with the Wichita Wranglers of the Class AA Texas League. Only 16 of his 35 games were starts, but still he led the league in wins, and the team by a margin of five, with a 15-6 record. He had a 3.66 ERA in 140 1/3 innings.

In 2001 Shawn was invited to Kansas City’s spring training as a non-roster player, but was reassigned to the minor league camp on March 9. He split the season between Wichita and AAA Omaha, spending the middle half of the year with Omaha and starting and ending with Wichita, pitching 14 games for each. Between the two he totaled an 11-11 record and 4.29 ERA in 167 2/3 innings.

Shawn began 2002 in Wichita, but after a 1.47 ERA in his first three starts he was moved back up to Omaha. As of mid-June he was 6-5 with a 3.70 ERA in 80 1/3 innings in eleven starts; on June 14 he was called up to the Royals. From the June 18 Cedar Rapids Gazette:

Sedlacek plans to just stick with what works

Ex-C.R. prep to make big league debut at Montreal

By Mike Hlas

The Gazette

Here’s one difference between baseball’s minor leagues and the majors:

Last Friday, Shawn Sedlacek was a passenger in a bus that took the Omaha Royals from Portland, Ore., to Tacoma, Wash. Two days later, he was in a chartered jet that delivered the Kansas City Royals from St. Louis to Montreal.

After the O-Royals checked into their hotel this past Friday, Omaha manager Bucky Dent phoned Sedlacek, a Cedar Rapids Kennedy graduate. The call had come. Kansas City had summoned Sedlacek to the majors.

Less than two weeks before his 26^th birthday [see—1976], Sedlacek makes his big-league debut tonight when he is the starting pitcher for the Royals in their interleague game against the Montreal Expos. The fifth-year pro will try to do what he has done for Omaha the last several weeks.

“I’m just trying to give my team a lot of innings and a chance to win,” Sedlacek said from his Montreal hotel room Monday morning…

Sedlacek said the advice he received from Kansas City Manager Tony Pena and pitching coach Al Nipper over the weekend was identical to what he got from Dent and Omaha pitching coach John Cumberland on Friday.

“They’ve all been pretty emphatic, telling me not to change anything I’ve been doing, to just pitch my game,” Sedlacek said.

“They don’t want me to think I have to do something different. They said to stick to my game plan, which is changing speeds and using all my pitches.”…

“I’ve always felt I was on the right path,” he said. “At times, it feels long because you might be in a hurry or want something better for yourself. But I was always learning, and the time was always constructive.”

Shawn retired the first seven batters he faced, and 16 of the first 17, the exception being a home run by Brian Schneider. He was removed with two out and two on in the sixth with a 4-2 lead, and though his two runners didn’t score the Expos got three runs in the seventh to win 5-4. After four starts he had four no-decisions, three where he left the game with a lead and the Royals’ bullpen blew it, and one where he left with a tie and the Royals’ bullpen blew it; at this point he had a 2.84 ERA.

In his fifth start, on July 15, Shawn got his first win, at home against Texas. He came out after six innings with a 7-3 lead and the bullpen hung on for an 8-6 victory. His next start was another no-decision where he pitched well and lowered his ERA to 3.05, but after that it started to rise; he stayed in the rotation through September 6, but at that point he was 3-5 with a 6.69 ERA over 14 starts. He was then moved into the bullpen, from which he made two more appearances before the end of the season, ending up with a 6.72 ERA in 84 1/3 innings.

Despite his shaky late season, Shawn was still highly valued by the Royals and was projected to be in the 2003 starting rotation. In the December 2 Sporting News he was described as “not overpowering but has a four-pitch repertoire topped by a sinker.” 

He spent January 2003 as part of the Royals Caravan, making personal appearances around the Midwest with other current and former Royals and members of the broadcast team. 

From an AP story, as it appeared in the February 14 Salina Journal:

Sedlacek looks to earn starting spot

Former Iowa State standout provided Royals solid innings before fading final two months

SURPRIZE, Ariz.—Shawn Sedlacek made a good first impression last year with the Kansas City Royals, but not a lasting one.

Sedlacek went 1-0 with a 3.05 ERA in his first six starts after being called up June 18. He easily could have been 4-0, but the bullpen failed to hold leads in three of his first four starts.

Sedlacek’s solid start did not carry over into the final two months, when he ran up a 9.37 ERA over the remainder of the season. His final two appearances were in relief.

When the Royals open spring training today with pitchers and catchers reporting, Sedlacek will be entering his fourth day in camp. He is among a pack of young pitchers trying to win a spot in the Royals’ rotation.

“At the end of the season, it was hard for me to keep up,” Sedlacek said. “I think I was fatigued. It was nice to be there at the end of the season and in the bullpen, getting experience. It gives me confidence to come into spring training.”

Sedlacek threw a career-high 173 innings [183] last year, including nearly 100 before his promotion to the majors.

“That’s the most innings I’ve pitched,” Sedlacek said. “I’ve added about 20 innings every year, from 140 to 160 to 180. Now I’m shooting for 200 innings.”

Sedlacek, who was drafted in the 14^th round in 1998 out of Iowa State, said he “searched for a lot of answers” on why his production sagged after the All-Star break.

“I just didn’t have the quality of all my pitches that I had earlier,” Sedlacek said Thursday. “I’m different than a lot of guys in I’ve got to do a lot of things right to have success.”

Sedlacek throws a two- and four-seam fastball, plus a curveball, slider and circle changeup. He and Mike Boddicker, a former Royals pitcher who lives in Kansas City and was successful many years in the majors without throwing hard, have created a bond. They talk often in the Kansas City clubhouse.

“We’re both from Iowa,” Sedlacek said. “He played for the same American Legion team that I played on several year before. Boddicker tries to keep it simple: high and tight, low and away, when they think you’re going to throw a curveball, throw a fastball. He’s definitely the type of pitcher I try to learn from.”

Sedlacek believes he will be in the rotation once the season starts.

“Definitely,” he said. “I’m coming into the season with a lot of confidence. I’ve had more rest this off season than every other off-season. I’m ready to go.”

Shawn made just two exhibition game appearances for the Royals before being sent down to Omaha, where on April 3 he was the opening night starter. On May 29 he was dropped from Kansas City’s 40-man roster to make room for Les Walrond, who was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals. This had no immediate tangible effect on Shawn, as he continued to pitch for Omaha, but it couldn’t have been a good sign, and in late July he was moved back down to Wichita; his Omaha numbers were a 4-11 record and 6.45 ERA in 96 1/3 innings in 27 games, 13 of them starts. He made five starts for Wichita and had a 5.60 ERA in 27 1/3 innings. In December he held a baseball camp for 5^th-12^th graders at his old high school.

On January 26, 2004, Shawn was traded to the Mets for Jaime Cerda, a left-handed reliever who had had a 2.45 ERA in 2002 but jumped to 5.85 in 2003. He started spring training with New York but was reassigned to the minor league camp early in the exhibition season. He began the regular season with Binghamton of the Class AA Eastern League, but the Mets released him on May 8 with an 11.20 ERA in eight games. Three days later he was signed by the Cubs and sent to AAA Iowa. He did much better for the Cubs in AAA than for the Mets in AA: a 10-7 record and 4.32 ERA in 131 1/3 innings in 22 games, all starts. In October it was announced that Shawn would be getting married in November; his wife-to-be was a Royals employee, and they are still married.

Also in October Shawn became a free agent, and in January 2005 he signed with the Colorado Rockies; that same month he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at his old high school. He began the season with the Rockies’ AAA team in Colorado Springs and made a start for them on April 14, allowing two runs in five innings. Three days later he was sent to the Cardinals “as part of a conditional deal,” whatever that means, and was assigned to their AAA team in Memphis. For Memphis he had a 10.80 ERA in 15 innings in five games, and he was released by the St. Louis organization on May 18. Quickly he was signed by the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the independent Northern League, managed by Hal Lanier, and he made his first start for them on May 27. From the June 18 Winnipeg Free Press:

Lanier has confidence in his right-hander and knows what he’s going to get from him when he sends him out.

“He knows what he’s doing, he’s going to be a very good pitcher and probably has an opportunity to get with an organization, if he just gets everything together,” said Lanier.

Soon he was being called the ace of the staff. From the “On Deck With Sheri Lamb” column in the June 27 Free Press:

Goldeye treasures his gift for game

Fish pitcher savours chance to play ball

Accepting the hand fate has dealt him, a confident Shawn Sedlacek hopes his time with the Northern League’s Winnipeg Goldeyes will turn into a royal flush.

After toiling in the minor leagues for several years with the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals, the Goldeyes starting pitcher isn’t afraid of a little hard work to get back to the big leagues again.

Sedlacek (2-3, 3.64) knows what it truly means to work hard and he knows his gift for baseball makes him one of the lucky few who can work at a profession he loves.

While in college Sedlacek spent a couple of summers building fences and learned to appreciate the hours of working out and the practice it takes to play pro ball.

“Working for the fence company, I could work 10-12 hours per day and just come home beat, tired and hands covered with blisters, I really learned what hard work is,” said Sedlacek who grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Sedlacek realized when he was in high school he may have an opportunity to actually take his love of baseball and make a career out of it.

Always a small, skinny kid growing up, Sedlacek didn’t make a lot of teams. Then in high school he met a coach who helped mold him into the player he is today.

“By the time I got to high school there was a coach who was very motivated and he made us practise a lot,” said the Goldeyes workhorse, who has worked three complete games this year. “When I started to play for him, I played really well my last years of high school and if it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have been that motivated to go to college and play.”

Once he started playing college ball he continued to improve and was drafted by the Royals in 1998.

After bouncing around in the Royals system, from single A to triple A, Sedlacek finally received the call from the Royals in 2002. The Royals were a struggling ball club and despite Sedlacek’s efforts wins didn’t come easy (3-5, 6.72).

“I didn’t play on a very good team and we finished in last place,” said the 27-year-old Sedlacek, who will celebrate his 28^th [29^th] birthday on Wednesday. “I should have won a lot more games than what I got credit for, but you get what you get and I try to get back there everyday and prove myself.”

After getting cut by the Cardinals affiliate in Memphis in May, Sedlacek returned home to Cedar Rapids, spending time with his parents, younger sister and new wife of six months, Joy.

While at home, Sedlacek played in a couple of baseball games with an old high school buddy.

“It was fun to just go out and play baseball and not have to worry what the coach or anybody thinks, just like you’re in the backyard,” said Sedlacek.

Two weeks later the Goldeyes contacted him and he quickly decided coming to the Northern League would be his best move to accomplish his goal of getting back to the majors.

Whether it’s his experience or his age, Sedlacek has a quiet, confident personality and he knows what he wants and what he has to do to get it.

“I’m married and I have a wife and I want to be the best that I can be, not just as a baseball player, but as an all-around person and husband. I want to get things done right,” said Sedlacek.

On July 12 Shawn was named to the Northern League all-star team, and the next day he pitched a five-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts, which got him named the league’s pitcher of the week. He had a 6-5 record and 3.38 ERA in 127 2/3 innings in 17 starts, striking out 92 and walking just 23, when the Goldeyes sold him to the Baltimore Orioles on August 26. He was assigned to the AAA Ottawa Lynx of the International League; their season was almost over but he started two games, and gave up 11 earned runs in nine innings. On October 15 he became a free agent, but no one picked him up and that concluded his professional baseball career. For years Shawn has been a partner in a baseball instruction facility in Kansas.

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/S/Psedls001.htm

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sedlash01.shtml