Bill Madlock - 4X NL Batting Champ & Newark Bears Manager

Autographed 2004 Newark Bears Choice Team Set #27
Autographed Atlantic League Baseball Inscribed "Newark Bears MGR 2003-04"

With a major league career batting average of .305 and four National League Batting Championships (1975,1976, 1981 and 1983) to his name, Bill Madlock became the 3rd manager of the Atlantic League’s Newark Bears taking the helm for the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Nicknamed “Mad Dog” for his ability to get riled up with umpires, Madlock’s two-year managerial tenure saw some of the most recognizable MLB names in Atlantic League history on his rosters including Jamie Navarro, Jose Lima and the 44-year-old All-Time Stolen Base King Rickey Henderson.

Madlock quibbed about having the elite base stealer on his Bear’s teams, ”I had the greatest base stealer in the world those years, and if you don’t believe me you can ask him yourself and he will tell you the same thing…”

Corey Thurman - Atlantic League and York All-Time Great

Autographed 2008 York Revolution Choice Team Set #19
Autographed 2011 York Revolution Pizza Hut Choice Team Set

Achieving a professional pitching career that spanned two decades including two seasons (2003/04) at the major league level with the Toronto Blue Jays, Corey Thurman is one of the greatest, all-time pitchers in Atlantic League history.

On the roster for eight seasons (2008-15) with the York Revolution, Thurman established his number-one-starter reputation on the mound in the Atlantic League as he four times achieved both double-digit-win seasons and over one-hundred strikeouts in the same year.

Included in these seasons, the 6’2” right-hander put together back-to-back .800 winning percentage seasons together in 2011 & 2012 with records of 13-3 and 14-3 respectively.  In addition, Thurman was an integral part and a clubhouse leader for the 2010/2011 back-to-back York Revolution Atlantic League Championships.

In 2015, Thurman finished his Atlantic League career in second place on the all-time career pitching leader boards with 66 wins, 667 strikeouts and 980.1 innings pitched finishing only behind Tim Cain (Newark/Bridgeport) in each category who pitched 170 innings more than Thurman in his career.

Thurman’s presence in the York community equalled his presence on the mound as he established himself as a beloved face of the franchise, serving as player representative for the Rev’s Healthy Kids Club while working with youth baseball.  He remains a very popular resident of the York community.

The Revolution announced prior to the 2016 season that Thurman's number 35 will be retired by the franchise. He will be the first player in York history to be so honored.

John Brownell - 2015 Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year

Autographed 2013 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set #6
Autographed 2014 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set #7
Autographed 2015 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set #4 (Pitch/YR Card)

Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2006 Amateur draft out of the University of Oklahoma, John Brownell has been one of the best pitchers in Independent Baseball over the last decade averaging double-digits wins; 153 innings pitched; and 116 strikeouts since the 2008 season.

Brownell broke on to the Atlantic League scene at the end of the 2012 season and right away became a fan favorite on Long Island by featuring a smooth windup on the front end of his delivery followed by a back-end mastery of changing speeds that perplexed hitters. These physical abilities framed Brownell’s calm demeanor and competitive heart that was custom made for big-game opportunities.

Brownell left his mark on the 2013 Championship Series as he was awarded the series’ MVP by earning win decisions in game one and five of the series while striking out nine against the Somerset Patriots bringing the Championship home to Central Islip.

The 2015 season saw "Brownie" log his 1,000th professional strikeout pitching with the Long Island Ducks and in recognition for his workhorse reliability and performance during the year he was named the 2015 Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year.

The award was well earned. He led the Atlantic League in Innings Pitched (175.2) Wins (12-tied), Strikeouts (146) Complete Games (4) and shutouts (2-tied). His six losses could have been easily converted to a few more wins if he had more robust offensive support on those dates. The Ducks’ offensive only averaged 1.5 runs per game when looking at games where he was saddled with losses in 2015.

To underscore Brownell’s success since coming into the Atlantic League, with only three full seasons under his belt-- at the end of the 2015 season -- he is only five victories away from breaking into the league’s top 10 all-time career wins list.

Welington Dotel - 2015 Atlantic League Player of the Year

Autographed 2015 Bridgeport Bluefish Dot Generation Team Set (MVP Card) 

Sometimes sabbaticals are much needed and provide enhanced performance upon the return. After taking the whole 2014 season off from professional baseball, Welington Dotel came back well rested and with a fury in his first year in the Atlantic League.

The former Seattle Mariner farm prospect took the outfield for the Bridgeport Bluefish in the 2015 season and led the league in hits (180), triples (13), extra base hits (52) and total bases (261). He also became the first player in the history of the Atlantic League to lead the league in both stolen bases (45) and slugging percentage (.492) the same year. He was the unanimous choice for 2015 Atlantic League Player of the Year.

In addition, the Dominican Republic-native was electric on the bases with a better than 80% stolen-base-attempt success rate.

As Dotel’s offensive reputation grew throughout the league during the year his defensive reputation kept pace while patrolling right field at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard. Dotel’s explosive speed would allow him to spear hard line drives hit into the right-center field gap as well as to make shoestring, sliding catches on balls hit weakly in front of him denying opposing teams scoring opportunities. Dotel was selected by Atlantic League managers and executives to the inaugural 2015 Red, White and Blue All-Defensive team at season's end recognizing the best defensive player at each position.

Dotel would have also had the batting championship on his resume for the 2015 season, but his .3396 batting average missed league lead by .0007 to Long Island Ducks’ designated hitter, and former Bluefish teammate,  Sean Burroughs.

Jimmy Hurst - 2002 Atlantic League Player of the Year

(L) Autographed 2001 Nashua Price WMUR9 Team Set
(R) 2002 Newark Bears Choice Team Set (MVP Card)

Out of Butch Hobson’s hometown of Tuscaloosa, AL, Jimmy Hurst was drafted in the 12^th round of the 1990 Amateur Draft by the Chicago White Sox.

With a professional baseball career that spanned seventeen seasons reaching the Triple-A level with four different organizations and the major leagues in 1997 with the Detroit Tigers, the 6’6” power-hitting outfielder landed in the Atlantic League with Hobson’s Nashua Pride in 2001, but it would be his second year in the league with Newark that would be his season for the record books.

2002 could not have been a more perfect season for Hurst or more of a monster year. Hurst led the league in hits (150), home runs (35), RBI’s (100), total bases (288), batting average (.341) and slugging percentage (.655) while playing in only 113 games on his way to becoming the Atlantic League’s first ever Triple Crown winner.  Hurst’s slugging average mark that year still stands as the Atlantic League single-season record. It was only a formality that Hurst was to be named the 2002 Atlantic League Player of the Year.

In the post season that year, Hurst continued his perfect season, leading his Newark Bears to their first league Championship ever sweeping the Bridgeport Bluefish and being named the championship series MVP as well. 

2005 Somerset Patriots' "Future Stars"

Autographed Jeff Nettles 2005 Somerset Patriots Multi-Ad Team Set #21
Autographed Ray Navarrete 2011 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set #16
Autographed Jeremy Owens 2005 Somerset Patriots Multi-Ad Team Set #23
Joe Gannon 2008 Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Updated Choice Team Set #2

Along with winning their third Atlantic League Championship in franchise history, the 2005 season marked a very special Somerset Patriots’ roster which was loaded with “Future Stars’ that would collectively have a significant impact on the history of the Atlantic League.

Jeff Nettles was entering his third season with the team and would go on to have the greatest career the Atlantic League has even seen eventually setting the career marks within the league for Games (1,006), At Bats (3,715), H’s (1,052) and RBI’s (667) and earning two championship series MVP’s.

Although not featured in the 2005 team card set, a Seton Hall Alumnus was entering his first year in the Atlantic League, the only season he would play for Somerset, and he would go on to become the league’s career leader in runs scored (635) and doubles (243). The Somerset rookie was Ray Navarrete who went on to have the greatest Long Island Duck career on record.

To date, both Nettles and Navarrete remain the only players to enter the Atlantic League’s 1,000-Hit Club.

Also in his first year with both the Atlantic League and Somerset that year was outfielder Jeremy Owens who would lead the team with at bats (525) in 2005. Owens would eventually go on to become the premiere franchise player for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs setting the club’s career marks in games played (734); runs scored (422); hits (601);  home runs (105); stolen bases (96); walks (318) and RBI’s( 337).

To underscore the historic significance of this team’s roster and the future impact these players would have on the League, these three aforementioned players own three out of the top four slots on the Atlantic League career home runs list. Imagine a lineup that would have featured Navarrete batting second, Nettles third and Owens fourth for close to the next decade if this Somerset team had stayed intact.

Position players were not the only significant consideration for “Future Stars” on this roster. A right-handed knuckleballer out of Buffalo was also in his first year with the Pat’s and started in two games. Joe Gannon, also not in this card set, would go on to pitch a no hitter (8/17/04) for the Newark Bears and currently stands 3^rd in all-time innings pitched (853.2), fourth in all-time wins (47) and fourth in all time strikeouts (479) in Atlantic League history.

Glenn Murray - 1999 Atlantic League Player of the Year & All-Time Home Run King

Autographed 2003 Atlantic League All-Star Game Team Set
2000 Nashua Pride WMUR Team Set 

Out of Manning, SC, outfielder and 1989 second-round draft pick Glenn Murray reached the major leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1996, after spending time in the Expos’, Red Sox and Phillies’ farm systems.

Three years later, in 1999, Glenn Murray would enter the Atlantic League with an explosion as a member of the Nashua Pride belting 29 home runs, 102 RBI’s and a .528 slugging percentage that season claiming the Atlantic League Player of the Year Award in his first year.

In the following year, 2000, the fan-favorite Murray led Nashua to their only Atlantic League Championship with a .559 slugging average for the season.

During his seven seasons with the Pride, Murray would average 23 home runs and 75 RBI’s a year and a .512 slugging average marking his power legacy and consistency.

Nashua ended its affiliation with the Atlantic League and Murray in 2005, leaving Murray as the Atlantic League All-Time Home Run King with 158 round trippers. Murray also places favorably on the current all-time Atlantic League career leader boards as well with RBI’s (529; third) and runs (484; seventh).

In a 2008 Bob Wirz interview, Bridgeport Bluefish manager Willie Upshaw cited Glenn Murray as the best ballplayer that he had seen in the first decade of Atlantic League play.

On August 27, 2006, the Nashua Pride retired Glenn Murray’s uniform number 34 hanging it on the press box mezzanine in Holman Stadium.