Posted September 6, 201014 yr They are the next wave of September call-ups who will be joining the Dodgers from triple-A Albuquerque on Monday in San Diego. One name stopped everyone for a moment -- Lindsey. "Now there's a great story," Torre said. For Lindsey, Monday will mark the apex of a journey most would have given up on years ago, countless rejections ago. Lindsey has spent 16 years in the minor leagues without getting a sniff of the majors. No current player has spent more time in the minors without so much as a September call-up. But Lindsey, 33, a first baseman/designated hitter, finally earned his call-up by leading the Pacific Coast League in hitting (.356) and slugging percentage (.663). He also had 25 home runs and 97 RBIs. Originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 1995, he has bounced around seven times between different organizations, including a 2006 stint with the independent New Jersey Jackals. To that point, he’d never played above double A. Lindsey was ready to give up on his baseball dream after his time with the Jackals, and he returned to his home in Hattiesburg, Miss. He enrolled in the local community college and began making plans for life after baseball. But a call from Lorenzo Bundy, a former Rockies instructor but then the manager of the Dodgers' triple-A team in Las Vegas, convinced him to give it another try. Now, after four seasons at triple A -- including one with the Florida Marlins' affiliate last season -- Lindsey will finally get to walk into a clubhouse as a major leaguer. Monday also will mark the first trip to the majors for Mitchell. A third baseman, he joined Lindsey on the all-PCL team. A 15th-round pick by the Dodgers in 2003, he hit .315 with 23 home runs, 38 doubles and 86 RBIs in his first year at triple A. -- Steve Dilbeck http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dodgers/2010/09/dodgers-call-up-five-from-triple-a-albuquerque-including-john-lindsey-after-16-seasons-in-the-minors.html Awesome story...another beauty of September call-ups.
September 6, 201014 yr You always like to see that. Who knows, maybe he'll parlay this into a stay somewhere like Jason Wood.
September 7, 201014 yr I love these stories, there was one the other day about a Tigers player Max St. Pierre who had toiled for 14 years in the minors and he got the call. As I recall Lindsey was in camp with the Fish last year. Also a name in the story Lorenzo Bundy, hadn't heard his name in years, he was bench coach in 1998 for the Marlins.
September 7, 201014 yr I've seen some sights critical of the September call-up process. Mostly it was managers of big market teams complaining about it being harder for them to match up their multi-million dollar toys against a myriad of players. But those criticizing didn't really account for the good things that it does. Sure, it gives prospects a first look at the majors, but they'd get there anyway usually. For me, the great story is the guys who bust their butts year in and year out in the minors who may be over-looked for jobs at any other time of the year. For some its a case of not having ideal tools. For others its simply the fact that they are older, yet the fact that they haven't been able to crack the majors by a certain age always leads to them not being taken seriously as players, regardless of their skillset & production.
September 9, 201014 yr Apparently he was on deck last night and was about to bat... but a pitching change was made and he was taken out. He's waited 16 years, I'm sure he can wait a few more games :lol
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