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Congratulations to former COS players Jack Aker, Daryl Patterson,Jim Wohlford, Brad Mills, Bob Ojeda, Steve Stroughter, Johnny Estrada, and Josh Labanderia for playing Major League Baseball.  We are very proud of each you!

(image)Jack Aker Autograph on a 1970 Topps (#43)

Jack Aker
Jackie Delane Aker

 

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 2", Weight 190 lb.
 
Debut May 3, 1964
Final Game September 27, 1974
Born July 13, 1940 in Tulare, CA

Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent in 1960.

 

 

Daryl Patterson
Daryl Alan Patterson

Bats Left, Throws Right
Height 6' 4", Weight 195 lb.
Debut April 10, 1968
Final Game September 14, 1974
Born November 21, 1943 in Coalinga, CA

Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1964

Patterson had seven saves and a 2.12 ERA in relief for the 1968 World Champion Tigers. A 4.85 ERA in 1970 signaled his decline, but ironically he finished the season 7-1.

 

Jim Wohlford
James Eugene Wohlford

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.
Debut September 1, 1972
Final Game October 5, 1986
Born February 28, 1951 in Visalia, CA

Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 3rd round of the 1970 amateur draft (Secondary Phase).

Wohlfor was a Topps junior college All-American in 1970. Two years later he was American Association rookie of the year while playing second base for Omaha. A line-drive hitter, Wohlford displayed good speed in the outfield and on the basepaths for the Royals. After departing Kansas City, he spent a decade as an extra outfielder and pinch hitter, reaching the .300 plateau in 1984.

 

Brad Mills
James Bradley Mills

Bats Left, Throws Right
Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
School University of Arizona
Debut June 8, 1980
Final Game October 2, 1983
Born January 19, 1957 in Exeter, CA

Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 17th round of the 1979 amateur draft.

Brad is in his second year as the Boston Red Sox bench coach.

Before the 2004 season, Mills was named to the job reuniting with Red Sox manager Terry Francona, his former teammate and roommate at the University of Arizona. Mills and Francona also played together with the Montreal Expos (1981-83), and Mills served as Francona's first base coach with the Philadelphia Phillies (1997-2000). Mills, who served as an advance scout for the Chicago Cubs, also managed eleven season in the minors in the Cubs, Rockies and Dodgers organizations (1987-2002), and coached with the Expos in 2003.

Mills reached the major leagues in 1980 and went on to hit a .256 batting average with one home run and 12 RBI in 106 games played for the Expos (1980-83). He divided his time between Triple-A and the majors in each of those seasons, and sustained a right knee injury that ended his playing career at the age of 29. A left handed hitter and primarily a third baseman, he also saw time at first base and second.

Fact:

  • Mills became forever a part of major league history, when in 1983 he was the Nolan Ryan's 3,509th career strikeout victim, lifting Ryan past Walter Johnson as all-time strikeout leader.

1982 Topps Traded #114T Steve Stroughter

Steve Stroughter
Stephen Lewis Stroughter

Bats Left, Throws Right
Height 6' 2", Weight 190 lb.
 
Debut April 7, 1982
Final Game July 24, 1982
Born March 15, 1952 in Visalia, CA

Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 1st round (6th pick) of the 1971 amateur draft (Secondary Phase Active).

 

Bob Ojeda
Robert Michael Ojeda

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 6' 1", Weight 190 lb.
Debut July 13, 1980
Final Game April 22, 1994
Born December 17, 1957 in Los Angeles, CA

Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1978

1986 - Member of New York Mets World Series championship team. 

Arguably the Mets' ace in 1986, Ojeda sparkled out of the shadow of Fenway's Green Monster, and led the staff in victories during the team's championship run. He went 18-5 to lead the National League in winning percentage in 1986, and his 2.57 ERA was second in the league. He won Game Two of the NLCS 5-1, and although he gave up three runs in the first five innings of Game Six, the Mets went on to win the dramatic contest in 16 innings. In the World Series, he beat his old team at Fenway in Game Three after the Red Sox had taken the first two games from the Mets. It started New York's turnaround; they became the first team ever to win the Series after losing the first two games at home. He got a no-decision in the Mets' memorable comeback in Game Six, yielding two runs in six innings.

After a hiatus from baseball, Ojeda came back in 2001 as the pitching coach for the Mets' Single-A team Brooklyn Cyclones, who had also hired former teammate Howard Johnson as the hitting coach.

 


 

Johnny Estrada
Johnny Pulado Estrada

Bats Both, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 195 lb.
Debut May 15, 2001
Born June 27, 1976 in Hayward, CA

Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 17th round of the 1997 amateur draft.
 

In his first full big-league season, posted career highs in nearly every offensive category...Earned his first career Silver Slugger Award in a vote of National League managers and coaches...Played in 134 games (133 at catcher) and batted .314 with nine home runs and 76 RBI...Became just the second switch-hitting catcher since 1923 (Ted Simmons) to hit better than .300 (min. 100 games caught)...Johnny's .314 mark is the fourth-best batting average ever by a switch-hitting catcher...His .351 road batting average ranked third in the NL...Ranked fifth in the NL with a .338 (47-for-139) batting average with runners in scoring position...Batted .329 vs. RHP - sixth in the NL...Had 37 multi-hit games, including 15 games with three or more hits...Had a team-high 45 two-out RBI...Was the Braves' lone All-Star representative. Made his first career AS appearance at Houston (0-for-2)...Had career bests with five hits (in five ABs) and five RBI on 5/15 at MIL. Also had a Braves season-high nine total bases in the game...Went 4-for-4 with two RBI 6/23 at FLA...Went 4-for-4 with a HR on 8/19 at LA...Clubbed his career-high ninth homer with a three-run shot on 9/10 vs. MON...Was Named to the MLB All-Star squad that traveled to Japan in November. Johnny played in five of the eight games on the tour and went 1-for-16 (.063) with a homer. 2004 POSTSEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Division Series (Hou.): Batted .353 (6-for-17) with two homers and four RBI in five games...Clubbed his first career postseason homer off Brandon Backe in Game 3...Also homered in Game 5.

Currently with the Washington Nationals. MLB Web Link

 

Josh Labandeira
John Joshua Labandeira

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 7", Weight 180 lb.
School California State University, Fresno
Debut September 17, 2004
Born February 25, 1979 in Tulare, CA

Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 6th round of the 2001 amateur draft.

Currently with the Durham Bulls AAA, parent club Tampa Bay.