Major League Alumni: Lowell Spinners
By Drew Balen
Team: Lowell Spinners
League: New York-Penn League
Class Level: Short-Season A
Major League Affiliate: Boston Red Sox
City: Lowell, Massachusetts
Population: 106,519
Ballpark: Edward A. LeLacheur Park
The Lowell Spinners begin playing in 1996 after the Elmira Pioneers franchise was relocated from Elmira, New York. The Spinners have been affiliated with the Boston Red Sox since their inaugural season.
Some notable alumni that played for the Spinners before making it to the major leagues include:
Shea Hillenbrand (3B): In 1996, Hillenbrand played in 72 games with Lowell, hitting .315 with 2 HR and 38 RBIs in his first professional season. Hillenbrand was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 10th round of the 1996 MLB amateur draft out of Mesa Community College (Mesa, Arizona). He played in 943 MLB games over the course of his seven year career. The two-time All-Star (2002 & 2005) played for Boston, Arizona, Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angeles Angels, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He currently has a ranch in Chandler, Arizona where he and his wife run the “Against All Odds” foundation that rescues and rehabilitates animals and allows underprivileged inner-city children to visit and interact with the animals.
David Eckstein (SS): In 1997, Eckstein played in 68 games with Lowell, hitting .301 with 4 HR, 39 RBIs and 21 stolen bases in his first professional season. Eckstein was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 19th round of the 1997 MLB amateur draft out of Florida (Gainesville, Florida). The two-time All-Star (2005 & 2006) has played in 1311 MLB games over his ten year career as a member of Anaheim, St. Louis, Toronto, Arizona, and San Diego. He was the World Series MVP in 2006. He was a member of both the 2002 (Angels) and 2006 (Cardinals) World Series Champions.
Adam Everett (SS): In 1998, Everett played in 21 games with Lowell, hitting .296 with 9 RBIs in his first professional season. Everett was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (12th overall) of the 1998 MLB amateur draft out of South Carolina (Columbia, South Carolina).He played in 880 games over the course of his eleven year career which saw him suit up for Houston, Minnesota, Detroit, and Cleveland.
Freddy Sanchez (2B): In 2000, Sanchez played in 34 games with Lowell, hitting .288 with 1 HR and 14 RBIs in his first professional season. Sanchez was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2000 MLB amateur draft out of Oklahoma City University (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma). The three-time All-Star (2006, 2007, and 2009) has played in 904 MLB games over the course of his ten year career as a member of Boston, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. Was a member of the 2010 World Series Champion Giants.
Kevin Youkilis (3B): In 2001, Youkilis played in 59 games with Lowell, hitting .317 with 3 HR and 28 RBIs in his first professional season. Youkilis was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 8th round of the 2001 MLB amateur draft out of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio). The three-time All-Star (2008, 2009 & 2011) has played in 911 games with Boston over his eight year career. He might be most famous (among baseball geeks especially) for being mentioned in the Michael Lewis book “Moneyball” as the Greek God of Walks.
Hanley Ramirez (SS): In 2002, Ramirez played in 22 games with Lowell, hitting .371 with 1 HR and 19 RBIs in his first professional season. Ramirez was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 2000 out of the Dominican Republic. The 2006 National League Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star (2008, 2009 & 2010) has played in 852 games with Boston and Florida over the course of his seven year career.
Matt Murton (OF): In 2003, Murton played in 53 games with Lowell, hitting .286 with 2 HR and 29 RBIs in his first professional season. Murton was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the supplemental 1st round (32nd overall) out of Georgia Tech (Atlanta, Georgia). He played in 346 MLB games as a member of the Chicago Cubs, Oakland, and Colorado. In 2010, he broke the single season hit record in Japan (previously held by Ichiro Suzuki) with 214 hits while playing for the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese Central League.
Jonathan Papelbon (RHP): In 2003, Papelbon pitched in 13 games with Lowell, posting a record of 1-2 with a 6.34 ERA in his first professional season. Papelbon was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 4th round of the 2003 MLB amateur draft out of Mississippi State (Starkville, Mississippi). The four-time All-Star (06, 07, 08 & 09) has appeared in 396 games with Boston before joining Philadelphia this off-season as a free agent. He was a member of the 2007 World Champion Red Sox team.
Anibal Sanchez (RHP): In 2004, Sanchez made 15 starts with Lowell, posting a record of 4-4 with a 1.77 ERA in his first professional season. Sanchez was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 2001 out of Venezuela. He has appeared in 114 MLB games with Florida.
David Murphy (OF): In 2003, Murphy played in 21 games with Lowell, hitting .346 with 13 RBIs in his first professional season. Murphy was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (17th overall) of the 2003 MLB amateur draft out of Baylor (Waco, Texas). He has played in 560 MLB games as a member of Boston and Texas over the course of his six year career.
Jacoby Ellsbury (OF): In 2005, Ellsbury played in 35 games with Lowell, hitting .317 with 1 HR, 19 RBIs and 23 stolen bases in his first professional season. Ellsbury was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (23rd overall) of the 2005 MLB amateur draft out of Oregon State (Corvallis, Oregon). He has played in 507 MLB games with Boston. Was a member of the 2007 World Series Champion Red Sox.
Clay Buchholz (RHP): In 2005, Buchholz started 15 games with Lowell, posting a record of 0-1 with a 2.61 ERA in his first professional season. Buchholz was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the supplemental 1st round (42nd overall) of the 2005 MLB amateur draft out of Angelina College (Lufkin, Texas). A member of the 2010 American League All-Star team, he has appeared in 78 MLB games over his five year career.
Jed Lowrie (SS): In 2005, Lowrie played in 53 games with Lowell, hitting .328 with 4 HR and 32 RBIs in his first professional season. Lowrie was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the supplemental 1st round (45th overall) of the 2005 MLB amateur draft out of Stanford (Stanford, California). He has played in 256 MLB games in his four year career. He was traded to the Houston Astros this off-season in exchange for Mark Melancon (RHP).
Justin Masterson (RHP): In 2006, Masterson pitched in 14 games with Lowell, posting a record of 3-1 with a 0.85 ERA in his first professional season. Masterson was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2nd round of the 2006 MLB amateur draft out of San Diego State (San Diego, California). He has appeared in 146 MLB games in his career as a member of Boston and Cleveland.
Jose Iglesias (SS): In 2010, Iglesias played in 13 games with Lowell, hitting .350 with 7 RBIs in his first professional season. Iglesias was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 2009 out of Cuba. He played in 10 MLB games with Boston in 2011, his first in the bigs.
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