1990 Durham Bulls Team Set - Part #2

The middle of the 1990 Durham Bulls set does not have a lot of Major League talent, so I have condensed this part of the set down a bit.  The exception is the lone Major Leaguer, who got his own scan.  Before I get going, I forgot a little information in the opening post.....

The 1990 Durham Bulls were  71-68.  They finished third in the South Division of the Carolina League, but the two teams that finished ahead of them, the Kinston Indians and Winton-Salem Spirits, were absolutely loaded.  The Indians has 7 future Major League pitchers, several position players too, including one Jim Thome.  Winston-Salem had less notable names, the two best players you might know are Jim Bullinger and Kevin Roberson, but they had several career Minor Leaguers who had career seasons.

However, neither of those teams won the Carolina League.  In the end, the Brady Anderson led Fredrick Keys took home the title, upsetting Kinston in the finals.

On to the cards.  There are ten in this post, nine in groups of three, and one single card. 

Some great nicknames in this set, with Popeye and Skipper.  Popeye had a good year with the 1990 Bulls, but only last one more season in the Minors before spending some time in a few independent leagues.  William Wright, or Skipper, appeared in a team high 50 games for the Bulls in 1990.  The former Ole Miss star would go 6-7 with the Bulls, but at 26 decided to hang it up after the season. 

Edwin Alicea was the Bulls best offensive player during the 1990 season.  He hit 13 home runs, 28 doubles, and 49 RBIs while posting an on-base percentage of .392.  He is the brother of long-time infielder Luis Alicea.  The two played together at Florida State.  Edwin never reached the Majors. 

Cuevas was a Minor Leaguer in the Braves system for a long time.  He appeared in games for the Bulls during the 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1992 seasons.  Always room for a catcher.  Theron Todd was in his second season in Durham during 1990.  He went on to play a few more seasons in the Mariners farm system.  Since retiring, he has worked in the Pirates Minor League system as a coach.  Tilmon was also in his second season with the Bulls.  He went 6-5 with a 3.90 ERA, and more than a strikeout per inning. 

Which brings me to the only Major League player in this middle section of the set. 

Nied played in Durham for two seasons and transformed himself into an important prospect during his time with the Bulls.  During the 1990 season, Nied pitched 10 games for the Bulls and ended the year with a 1-1 record.  The following season he went 8-3 with an ERA of 1.56 and almost a strikeout per inning.  He made the Baseball America Top 50 Prospect List in both 1992 and 1993.  

Nied ended up getting selected by the Rockies as the top pick in the Expansion Draft before the 1993 season.  The team saw him as the cornerstone for their rotation.  Nied pitched the first game in team history.  

Nied's career was wrecked with injuries in Denver and he really never got a chance to live up to his billing.  In all, he pitched just 52 games over 5 seasons for the Rockies.  

Last set of cards for this post....

Brust was a college catcher from Ball State.  He did not hit much during his three years in the Minors, but has made a nice career for himself as a college baseball coach.  Brust is currently working at the University of Rochester.  Brian Cummings was a pitcher in the last year of his professional career.  He went 2-5 with the Bulls with a 5.40 ERA.  Josman Robles had a short career as a first baseman in the Braves system, but has gone on to become a successful Major League scout and summer league manager in Venezuela for the Tigers, Red Sox, and Marlins.  

Last set of cards later in the week.