MSL to MLB: They Made the Show

A Look at the Exclusive Group of Players and Managers; Fremd's Tauchman Joins BG's Josh Paul as Second MSL Product to Play for White Sox and Cubs

Update on June 20, 2025

Fremd graduate Mike Tauchman became the second Mid-Suburban League product to play for both Chicago teams when he was activated off the Injured List on April 6 by the White Sox. Tauchman, who signed with the White Sox in December, started in right field and led off the game with a single. He went 1-for-3 with a run scored in a 4-3 loss.

Mike Tauchman

Tauchman spent the last two seasons with the Cubs and played a career-high 109 games last season. Buffalo Grove catcher Josh Paul is the only other MSL product who is a Chicago “Crosstown Classic” and played for both teams.

Four others with MSL ties pitched for the White Sox - Mike Myers (first two years at Hersey) in 2007, Al Levine (Hoffman Estates) in 1996-97, Larry Monroe (Forest View) in 1976 and Dan Osinski (Barrington) in 1969. Barrington was in the defunct Northwest Conference when Osinski played there.

Four other MSL products played for the Cubs - catcher Todd Hundley (Fremd) in 2001-02, pitcher Dave Otto (Elk Grove) in 1994, outfielder Dave Kingman (Prospect) in 1978-80 and catcher Tom Lundstedt (Prospect) in 1973-74. Mike Quade (Prospect) managed the team in 2010-11.

Two players who made their MLB debuts in 2024 - A’s third baseman Brett Harris (Hersey) and Cardinals pitcher Ryan Loutos (Barrington) - started the 2025 season in Triple-A. Loutos was at Memphis, but his contract was purchased by the Dodgers and he made 2 relief appearances for them before he was Designated for Assignment in early June. He was signed by the Washington Nationals and got his first big-league win in relief on June 19.

Dan Wilson (Barrington) started his first full season as a manager with the Seattle Mariners and Sal Fasano (Hoffman Estates) was hired by the Los Angeles Angels as an assistant pitching coach after his catching coordinator position with the Braves was eliminated after the 2024 season.

This list includes three players from Arlington (Dick Bokelmann, Fritz Peterson and Paul Splittorff) and one from Barrington (Osinski) before those schools joined the MSL. Myers attended Hersey for his first two years of high school before transferring to Crystal Lake Central.

Links to player stories I wrote for Mid Suburban Legends and Beyond and the Daily Herald are also included and available on the MSL to MLB page on the website. There will be more to come and the plan is to eventually have a longer story for each player here.

Ryan Loutos
Barrington

Position: P
MLB Experience: St. Louis Cardinals (2024); Los Angeles Dodgers (2025), Washington Nationals (2025)
MLB Stats: 1-0, 5.79, 9 games, 9⅓ innings
Draft: Undrafted out of Barrington, Washington University (St. Louis)

MSL to MLB: It’s only an 8-mile trip from Washington University to Busch Stadium but it was a much more challenging journey from a Division III program to become Barrington’s fourth big-league product with Dan Wilson, John Trautwein and Dan Osinski. Loutos was a late bloomer but his emergence as a senior with the Broncos wasn’t enough to get any D-I scholarship interest. Pro scouts came around “Wash U” in St. Louis to see him pitch during a stellar career but no team pulled the trigger on him in the draft.

The Cardinals saw enough to sign him as a free agent and he climbed the ladder through the minors as his velocity increased. That led to a late-May 2024 callup to the bigs where he waited two weeks before finally making his debut with a scoreless inning at Philadelphia on June 1. He also had a scoreless one-third of an inning at Houston before going back to Triple-A Memphis and then came back up for a July 31 appearance where he finished a win over Texas with a scoreless inning. Loutos went 3-1 with 18 saves, a 3.40 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 53 innings (47 games) at Memphis.

Loutos started the 2025 season in Memphis. His contract was purchased by the Dodgers on May 1 and he was called up to make his first relief appearance. He allowed 2 runs in 1 inning of a 6-2 loss to the Angels but got his first MLB strikeout of 2019 AL batting champion and two-time All-Star Tim Anderson. Loutos was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City, came back up for one more appearance, and then Designated for Assignment in early June.

He was signed by the Washington Nationals and had a 2.25 ERA in his first 4 appearances. Loutos got his first big-league win in relief on June 19 when he gave up a “Manfred Run” in the top of the 11th inning against Colorado but the Nationals won it on a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 11th.

Brett Harris
Hersey

Position: 3B
MLB Experience: Oakland Athletics (2024)
MLB Stats: .146, 3 HR, 12 RBI in 36 games
Draft: 7th round by A’s out of Gonzaga (2021)

MSL to MLB: Gonzaga is best known for its basketball but the list of MLB players from the school in Spokane, Washington grew to 29 when Harris was called up to the A’s on May 3, 2024 during their 57th and final season in Oakland. The former Hersey star went hitless in his debut but the next night got his first 2 big league hits by blasting a solo homer and 2-run shot off Miami’s Darren McCaughan in a 20-4 win over Miami at the Coliseum. Harris homered again later that week off Texas’ Michael Lorenzen, but slumped and in late May went back to the minors. He also missed some time with injury, but was recalled by the A’s on July 2 and went 6-for-21 with 3 doubles and 5 RBI in the first 6 games of his return.

Harris was hiting .146 with 3 homers, 3 doubles and 12 RBI overall in 36 games when he went back to Triple-A Las Vegas at the end of July. Harris has also displayed the defensive skills at third base, along with his ability to get on base (17 walks in first 123 plate appearances), that could keep him in the bigs for a long time regardless of the A’s future that is projected to take them to Sacramento in 2025 and eventually Las Vegas. He hit .282 with 8 homers and 45 RBI in 74 games at Triple-A Vegas in 2024.

Harris started the 2025 season in Las Vegas.

Mike Tauchman
Fremd

Position: OF
MLB Experience: Colorado Rockies (2017-18), New York Yankees (2019-21), San Francisco Giants (2021), Chicago Cubs (2023-24), Chicago White Sox (2025)
MLB Stats: .242, 36 HR, 169 RBI in 502 games
Draft: 10th round by Rockies out of Bradley (2013)

MSL to MLB: Coming home to the Cubs turned Tauchman into a bit of a cult hero but it was also a testament to the perseverance and work ethic he displayed as a baseball and football standout at Fremd. Didn’t draw any pro interest in a solid prep career but the Bradley Hall of Famer got plenty of attention when he won the NCAA batting title at .425 as a senior in 2013. Big power jump to 16 HR and .331 in 110 games at Triple-A Albuquerque in 2017 led to two brief stints with the Rockies. A trade to the Yankees and injuries led to his best season in the bigs in 2019 at .277 with 13 HR and 47 RBI in 87 games before he suffered a season-ending calf injury in early September.

Tauchman struggled the next two seasons and spent all of 2022 in Korea before getting a non-roster invitee shot with the Cubs. Made the team and rebounded to hit .252 with 8 HR and 48 RBI in 108 games and memorable home-run robbery in center field for the final out that saved a game in St. Louis. Was back as fourth outfielder in 2024 and hit .248 with 7 HR and 29 RBI - including a walk-off blast against the White Sox’ Michael Kopech at Wrigley - in a career-high 109 games.

Tauchman was signed to a major-league deal by the White Sox during the 2024 Winter Meetings. He joined Buffalo Grove’s Josh Paul as the only MSL products to play for both Chicago teams when he made his White Sox debut in early April.

Sal Fasano
Hoffman Estates

Position: C
MLB Experience: Kansas City Royals (1996-99, 2001), Oakland A’s (2000-01), Colorado Rockies (2001), Anaheim Angels (2002), Baltimore Orioles (2005), Philadelphia Phillies (2006), New York Yankees (2006), Toronto Blue Jays (2007), Cleveland Indians (2008) 
MLB Stats: .221, 47 HR, 140 RBI in 427 games
Draft: 37th round by Royals out of Evansville (1993)

MSL to MLB: Regarded as one of the true “good guys” dating to his days as a standout in baseball and football at Hoffman and in American Legion ball with Rolling Meadows, when people knew him as “Sam.” That reputation didn’t waver through nine stops in 11 big-league seasons. Fasano drew attention in his second year in the minors when he hit 32 homers between Rockford and Wilmington in 1994. Two years later he was in the bigs and hit .203 with 6 HR and 19 RBI in 143 at-bats. His third year in KC in 1998 was also productive with 8 HR and 31 RBI.

Fasano was out of baseball entirely in 2003 but came back and in 64 games at Baltimore in 2005 he hit .250 with 11 homers and 20 RBI. A 50-game stint in 2006 in Philadelphia highlighted his popularity as his fu manchu mustache and friendly demeanor led to the “Sal’s Pals” fan club before he was traded to the Yankees in late 2006. A brief stint in Cleveland wrapped up his MLB career and his playing days were done in 2009 after 61 games at Colorado Springs.

From there Fasano made his way through the Blue Jays minor-league system as a manager. He was hired by the Braves as their catching coordinator for the 2018 season and got a 2023 World Series ring before he was let go from the position, which will not be filled, in early October 2024. Fasano started the 2025 season as the assistant pitching coach on Ron Washington’s staff with the Los Angeles Angels.

Mike Myers
Hersey

Position: P
MLB Experience: Florida Marlins (1995), Detroit Tigers (1995-97), Milwaukee Brewers (1998-99), Colorado Rockies (2000-01), Arizona Diamondbacks (2002-03), Seattle Mariners (2004), Boston Red Sox (2004-05), New York Yankees (2006-07), Chicago White Sox (2007)
MLB Stats: 25-24, 14 saves, 4.29 in 883 games
Draft: 4th round by Giants out of Iowa State (1990)
Note: Myers attended Hersey his first two years of high school and finished at Crystal Lake Central

MSL to MLB: Adopting the submarine style led to the bullpen door being opened nearly 900 times in the big leagues for the left-hander who graduated in 1987 at Crystal Lake Central after attending Hersey as a freshman and sophomore. Myers was plucked from the Giants by the Marlins in the 1992 Rule 5 draft and made his first 2 big-league appearances with them in 1995, but getting traded later that year to Detroit may have saved his career. Tigers’ Hall of Famer turned broadcaster Al Kaline, legendary manager Sparky Anderson and bullpen coach Todd Jones were instrumental in pushing the 6-foot-4 Myers to change his delivery and that led to a 13-year career and 883 appearances, which ranks 32nd in MLB history as of 2024. Myers tied for the MLB lead in games pitched in 1997 with 83 and led the AL in 1998 with 88.

Two of his top years were in 1998 in Milwaukee (2-2, 2.70 in 70 games) and 2000 in Colorado (1.99 in 78 games) as he became the consummate “LOOGY” (Lefty One Out Guy) to use his deceptive delivery against tough lefty hitters. In early August 2004, Myers was picked up on waivers by the Red Sox and pitched in the ALDS and the historic ALCS comeback from a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees, which included fanning lefty Hideki Matsui to start the 11th inning of Game 5 they won in the 14th. Myers didn’t pitch in the curse-breaking World Series but did get a ring. Also pitched in the 2005 ALDS against the White Sox and the 2006 ALDS for the Yankees against the Tigers. Wrapped up his career with 17 games for his hometown White Sox in 2007. Got involved with the MLB Players Association post-retirement and also ran marathons for the The Angel Fund for ALS Research to support ex-teammate Mike Timlin, whose mother died from ALS.

Josh Paul
Buffalo Grove

Position: C
MLB Experience: Chicago White Sox (1999-2003), Chicago Cubs (2003), Anaheim-Los Angeles Angels (2004-05), Tampa Bay Rays (2006-07)
MLB Stats: .244, 10 HR, 73 RBI in 321 games
Draft: 2nd round by White Sox out of Vanderbilt (1996)

MSL to MLB: Paul was the fifth of the MSL’s “Cradle of Catchers” to make the big leagues along with Sal Fasano, Dan Wilson, Todd Hundley and Tom Lundstedt. The Buffalo Grove star was a boyhood fan of the White Sox and Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk and the dream of occupying the same spot behind home plate at new Comiskey Park was set in motion when he was drafted by the White Sox. Paul got his first chance to wear uniform No. 27 - the opposite of Fisk’s 72 with the White Sox but the same number he wore in Boston - for a handful of games in 1999 and was part of the 2000 AL Central championship team. His best year was in 2001 when he hit .266 with 11 doubles, 3 HR and 18 RBI in 57 games as part of the catching trio with Sandy Alomar Jr. and Mark Johnson.

Paul’s Sox career ended in June 2003 but he resurfaced across town for 3 games in September during the Cubs’ star-crossed drive to the NLCS and loss to the Marlins. From there it was to the Angels, where he was caught in the middle of the Game 2 ALCS controversy with A.J. Pierzynski, and he saw the most action of his career in 2006 in Tampa Bay when he hit .260 in 58 games. Paul would go on to become a minor league manager in the Yankees system and a major league coach with the Angels and Tigers.

Al Levine
Hoffman Estates

Position: P
MLB Experience: Chicago White Sox (1996-97), Texas Rangers (1998), Anaheim Angels (1999-2002), Tampa Bay Rays (2003), Kansas City Royals (2003), Detroit Tigers (2004), San Francisco Giants (2005)
MLB Stats: 24-33, 10 saves, 3.96 in 416 games
Draft: 11th round by White Sox out of Southern Illinois (1991), 53rd round by Padres out of SIU (1990).

MSL to MLB: The 1986 Hoffman graduate showed his workhorse ability in his second season at Harper College when he pitched 13⅔ innings to win two postseason games in one day. Levine, a member of the SIU Athletic Hall of Fame, led the Missouri Valley Conference in saves as a junior for the 1990 NCAA qualifier and was first-team all-MVC in 1991 before getting signed by White Sox scout Mike Rizzo, who went on to become the Washington Nationals’ GM. His first time in the spotlight came in the memorable 1994 Crosstown Classic at Wrigley Field during Michael Jordan’s baseball attempt as Levine threw 3 scoreless innings. He would spend a good chunk of that season as a starter at AA Birmingham and teammate of Jordan, with Terry Francona as manager, before finally being converted primarily to relief.

Levine didn’t have much stability in his first two big-league seasons with the White Sox as he would bounce back and forth between Chicago and Nashville, but after he was let go by the Rangers late in the spring of 1999, he found a home in Anaheim for the first of five consecutive MLB seasons with at least 50 appearances. In 2001, he got in 64 games and went 8-10 with a 2.38 ERA. While he didn’t appear in the postseason for the 2002 World Series champs he was 4-4 with 5 saves and a 4.24 ERA in 52 games. Made 65 appearances for Detroit in 2004 and had a brief comeback with the Independent League Newark Bears at age 40 in 2008 with a 1.59 ERA in 11 games.

Dan Wilson
Barrington

Position: C
MLB Experience: Cincinnati Reds (1992-93), Seattle Mariners (1994-2005)
MLB Stats: .262, 88 HR, 519 RBI in 1,299 games
Draft: 1st round (7th pick) by Reds out of Minnesota (1990), 26th round by Mets out of Barrington (1987)

MSL to MLB: The centerpiece of Barrington’s powerhouse 1986 state champions showed signs of a big-time future when he also led the town’s team to a third-place finish in the 1981 Little League World Series. The pattern of making his teams better everywhere he went continued in Hall of Fame careers at the University of Minnesota (first-team All-America) and with the Seattle Mariners (1996 American League All-Star), where he was a key part of the franchise’s most successful stretch as one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. The Reds had their eye on Wilson from early on at Barrington and he debuted in 12 games in 1992 in their final year under manager Lou Piniella. Piniella left for Seattle and a year later Wilson followed in a trade for Bret Boone.

In 1995, Wilson hit .278 with 9 HR and 51 RBI in the Mariners’ memorable late-season run to an AL West title and the ALCS that is credited with saving baseball in Seattle. Had his best years offensively in his 1996 All-Star season (.285-18-83) and 1997 (.270-15-74). Led the AL in fielding percentage at .999 for the 2001 team that matched the 1906 Cubs for most wins in a season at 116. Also led the AL in fielding percentage in 2003 and led the AL in runners thrown out stealing in 1995 and 1997. Retired after 2005 with the highest fielding percentage for a catcher in AL history (.995) and is sixth-highest in MLB history. Wilson started for the first four Mariners’ teams to reach the postseason and played on two other teams that won 93 games.

Wilson was named the Mariners manager in August 2024 after working in their front office and as an instructor and broadcaster for more than a decade. The Mariners went 21-13 under Wilson in the final 34 games and he started his first full season as manager in 2025.

Todd Hundley
Fremd

Position: C
MLB Experience: New York Mets (1990-98), Los Angeles Dodgers (1999-2000, 2003), Chicago Cubs (2001-02)
MLB Stats: .234, 202 HR, 599 RBI in 1,225 games
Draft: 2nd round by Mets out of Fremd (1987)

MSL to MLB: Hundley followed in the footsteps of his dad Randy, the workhorse catcher of the Cubs, into a long big-league career behind the plate. Ironically, the bulk of it for Todd was spent with the New York Mets team that brought his dad’s magical 1969 Cubs season to a crushing end. Todd Hundley showed some signs of power in the minors and in his early seasons with the Mets (50 HR in first 491 MLB games), but nothing like his breakout 1996 All-Star season (41 HR, 112 RBI) that is one of the best offensively for a catcher in MLB history. The homers are second-most in MLB history in a season while playing catcher as the Braves’ Javy Lopez hit 42 of his 43 in 2003 while he was catching. The Royals’ Salvador Perez hit 33 of his 48 in 2021 and the Reds’ Johnny Bench 38 of his 45 in 1970 while catching.

Hundley also caught 150 games in 1996 - evoking memories of his dad who caught between 149 and 160 games from 1966-69. Todd Hundley followed with another All-Star season in 1997 (.273, 30 HR, 86 RBI) but a career-threatening elbow injury, a move to left field and the arrival of Mike Piazza saw a dropoff to .161 in 53 games and the end of his time with the Mets in 1998. Had a pair of 24 HR seasons with the Dodgers but his return to the Cubs wasn’t a success at .199 with 28 HR in 171 games over two seasons. Wrapped up his career with a brief return to LA in 2003. Hundley, Mike Marshall and Larry Monroe are the MSL’s only MLB players who signed contracts immediately after they were drafted out of high school.

Brian Schmack
Rolling Meadows

Position: P
MLB Experience: Detroit Tigers (2003)
MLB Stats: 1-0, 3.46, 11 games
Draft: Undrafted out of Meadows, Northern Illinois University

MSL to MLB: Schmack’s reward for his determination since his days at Rolling Meadows was a late-season callup to the 2003 Tigers, who were trying to avoid the history of matching or surpassing the then-modern record 120 losses of the 1962 New York Mets. Schmack missed most of his junior year at Meadows because of injury and didn’t move into the starting rotation until a third of the way into his senior year. He got a scholarship to Northern Illinois, which was restarting its program after an eight-year hiatus, and started his professional career in independent ball.

Schmack hooked on with the White Sox organization out of a tryout camp. He was nearing the end of his ninth season in the minors at AA Erie, where he was an all-star closer with 29 saves, when he got called up to the Tigers late in August 2003. Schmack got his MLB win with 1⅓ innings of scoreless relief on Sept. 2 at Cleveland. He had only one bad outing and saved his best for his last appearance in MLB with the Tigers threatening to tie the Mets record for losses in second-to-last game of the season. Schmack entered in the sixth inning with an 8-1 deficit to the Twins and scattered 3 hits in 3 scoreless innings, while striking out the final hitter he faced, as the Tigers rallied for a 9-8 win in the bottom of the ninth. Schmack pitched one more year professionally and is now the head coach at Valparaiso.

Tim Bogar
Buffalo Grove

Position: IF
MLB Experience: New York Mets (1993-96), Houston Astros (1997-2000), Los Angeles Dodgers (2001)
MLB Stats: .228, 24 HR, 161 RBI in 701 games 
Draft: 8th round by Mets out of Eastern Illinois (1987)

MSL to MLB: Bogar was not the big star at Buffalo Grove but his breakout success as the Mid-Continent Conference MVP at Eastern Illinois got the attention of pro scouts and a Mets team coming off a World Championship. Bogar persevered through six seasons in the minors when he finally got his shot at the bigs with the Mets in 1993. His rookie season was one of his better ones at .244 with 3 HR and 25 RBI in 78 games. His ability to play all four infield spots - particularly SS and 3B - was a big asset.

A trade to the Astros at the end of spring training in 1997 opened the door for Bogar to be an integral part of three consecutive NL Central championship teams (1997-99). Hit .249 with 4 HR and 30 RBI in 97 games in 1997, .239-4-31 in 106 games in 1999 and .207-7-33 in 110 games in 2000. Also had a memorable postseason in a 1999 NL Division Series loss to Atlanta as he went 3-for-4 with a double and RBI. Played his final 12 MLB games with the 2001 Dodgers and then embarked on a long career in the dugout that included coaching stints with Tampa Bay, Boston, Texas and Washington. Also served as interim manager of the Rangers to finish the 2013 season and had a 14-8 record. Managed in the Arizona Diamondbacks system in 2024.

Dave Otto
Elk Grove

Position: P
MLB Experience: Oakland Athletics (1987-90), Cleveland Indians (1991-92), Pittsburgh Pirates (1993), Chicago Cubs (1994)
MLB Record: 10-22, 5.06 in 109 games
Draft: 2nd round by Athletics out of Missouri (1985), 2nd round by Orioles out of Elk Grove (1982)

MSL to MLB: Otto was in the midst of a remarkable performance to lead Elk Grove to the Elite Eight when he was drafted for the first time by the Orioles in 1982. The 6-foot-7 lefty, who was also a basketball star, pitched in all 6 postseason games and went 4-1 with 1 save and a 0.64 ERA in 33 innings (49 strikeouts and 5 walks) and the loss was a 1-0 heartbreaker in the state quarterfinals to Edwardsville. Opted to go to Missouri and was selected by the up-and-coming A’s. Otto made 9 appearances in four brief stints from 1987-90, with the A’s going to the World Series the last three years and winning it all in 1989.

Otto became a free agent and going to Cleveland in 1991 opened up long-awaited opportunities as he went 2-8 with a respectable 4.23 ERA in 18 games (14 starts) and 100 innings for a 57-105 team. Went 5-9 in 18 games (16 starts) in 1992, spent 1993 with the Pirates and then came home to the Cubs in strike-shortened 1994 for 36 relief appearances. One of the memorable moments that doesn’t show up officially was in the “Crosstown Classic” exhibition against the White Sox where he gave up a single to Michael Jordan during his hiatus from basketball. The strike brought an end to his playing career but Otto had a successful and popular stint as a color commentator and pre- and post-game studio analyst for the Cubs. Otto’s dad Al was also one of the MSL’s most successful baseball coaches at Rolling Meadows and a long-time White Sox scout.

Mike Marshall
Buffalo Grove

Position: 1B-OF
MLB Experience: Los Angeles Dodgers (1981-89), New York Mets (1990), Boston Red Sox (1990-91), California Angels (1992)
MLB Stats: .270, 148 HR, 530 RBI in 1,035 games 
Draft: 6th round by Dodgers out of Buffalo Grove (1978)

MSL to MLB: The Dodgers’ plan for Marshall worked out well as he was a big part of their success in the 1980s that included World Series titles in 1981 and 1988. The three-sport star at Buffalo Grove quickly moved up through the minors after being signed by Dodgers scout and former Maine South baseball coach Glen Van Proyen. After earning The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year honors in 1981, he was called up to the big leagues in September and made the postseason roster, where he got an at-bat in the NL Division Series. Played his first full season in 1983 (.284, 17 HR, 65 RBI), made the NL All-Star team but didn’t play in 1984 (.257-21-65) and had his best season for the NL West champs in 1985 (.293-28-95) despite missing a month from an emergency appendectomy. Would battle injury issues, particularly his back, throughout his career but played a career-high 144 games for the ‘88 World Series champs (.277-20-82) and drove in 8 runs in 12 postseason games.

Some of Marshall’s biggest homers were overshadowed by other events such as an April ‘83 homecoming at Wrigley Field - the same day of Cubs manager Lee Elia’s famous postgame meltdown ripping the fans. In Game 6 of the ‘85 NLCS he put the Dodgers ahead in the 8th but the Cardinals’ Jack Clark hit his memorable 3-run blast in the 9th. And his 3-run HR in Game 2 of the ‘88 World Series was one night after Kirk Gibson’s iconic homer off the A’s Dennis Eckersley. Played one more year in LA in 1989 and then had brief tours with the Mets, Red Sox and Angels. Spent a year in Japan in 1992 and was invited to the Mariners’ spring training in 1993 but retired on March 17. Spent many years in independent baseball and was a player-coach in the Schaumburg Flyers’ inaugural 1999 season. Also coached in college.

John Trautwein
Barrington

Position: P
MLB Experience: Boston Red Sox (1988)
MLB Record: 0-1, 9.00 in 9 games
Draft: Undrafted out of Barrington, Northwestern

MSL to MLB: Professional baseball has been a big part of the Trautwein family as John’s father Jack, his brother Dave and son Michael all played in the minor leagues. Trautwein went 8-3 as a senior at Northwestern but was undrafted. He started his pro career with the unaffiliated Helena (Mont.) Rookie League team in 1984, where he went 3-4 with 7 saves and was picked up by the Montreal Expos organization. Went 15-4 with 8 saves in 56 games as a swingman at AA Jacksonville in 1987 and was picked up in the offseason in the Rule 5 Draft by Boston, so he had to spend 1988 in the majors or be returned to the Expos.

Trautwein made his debut on April 7 and allowed a run in 2⅔ innings against the Tigers, but didn’t pitch again for a month. His last three appearances in August saw him work 4⅔ scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts and 3 walks, when a deal was worked out with the Expos so he could be sent to Triple-A Pawtucket. Trautwein was recalled in September but didn’t pitch during the Red Sox’ drive to an AL East title. He also didn’t pitch during a brief callup in 1989, pitched at Pawtucket through 1990 and then used his Northwestern chemistry degree toward a successful business career. The death of his 15-year-old son Will by suicide in 2010 led to John and his wife Susie setting up the “Will to Live” foundation to prevent teen suicide, which continues to operate today, and writing a book, “My Living Will: A Father’s Story of Loss & Hope.”

Dave Kingman
Prospect

Position: 1B-OF-DH-3B
MLB Experience: San Francisco Giants (1971-74), New York Mets (1975-77, 1981-83), San Diego Padres (1977), California Angels (1977), New York Yankees (1977), Chicago Cubs (1978-80), Oakland Athletics (1984-86)
MLB Stats: .236, 442 HR, 1,210 RBI in 1,941 games
Draft: 1st round and 1st pick by Giants out of USC (1970), 1st round by Orioles in January secondary phase (1968), 2nd round by Angels out of Prospect (1967) 

MSL to MLB: Kingman gave a glimpse of the prodigious big-league power that baseball fans still talk about when he hit 3 homers that traveled 400-plus feet in his final high school game at Prospect. His pitching prowess - which included 21 strikeouts in 12-plus innings in a 1-0 regional loss - made him one of the country’s hottest prospects. But the focus on hitting at USC by legendary coach Rod Dedeaux led to a long, productive and polarizing big-league career with seven teams. Kingman had 26 HR and 99 RBI at Class AAA in his first full pro season in 1971 when he was called up to a Giants’ team with Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Bobby Bonds and Steve Stone fighting for an NL West title. Kingman hit .278 and 6 HR and 24 RBI in 41 games and then, in what would be his only postseason experience, went 1-for-9 in an NLCS loss to Pittsburgh.

Kingman broke out in 1972 with 29 HR and 83 RBI and sale to the Mets in February 1975 led to 36 and 37 HR seasons and a starting All-Star Game spot in 1976. In 1977 he achieved an odd feat by homering for a team in all four divisions. Came home to Chicago as a free agent in 1978 and captivated the city with his best season in 1979 at .288 with a big-league best 48 HR and 115 RBI - including 3 HR in the memorable 23-22 loss to the Phillies. Fell out of favor in an injury and controversy plagued 1980 season where he played just 81 games (.278, 18 HR, 57 RBI) and was traded to the Mets for Steve Henderson. Led the NL in HR in 1982 with 37 HR and had a huge first year in Oakland in 1984 (.268, 35 HR, 118 RBI). Hit 30 and 35 HR in his final two years in Oakland but wasn’t signed as a free agent during the owners collusion scandal until mid-July 1987 by the Giants. Pro career ended with 20 games at Triple-A Phoenix.

George Vukovich
Arlington

Position: OF
MLB Experience: Philadelphia Phillies (1980-82), Cleveland Indians (1983-85)
MLB Stats: .268, 27 HR, 203 RBI in 628 games
Draft: 4th round by Phillies out of Southern Illinois (1977)

MSL to MLB: Vukovich was a late bloomer who showed signs of success as a senior at Arlington, where he also started as a RB-DB in football, and with Arlington’s American Legion team. Broke out at SIU and as a second-team All-American led the Salukis to third place in the 1977 College World Series. Made the jump from a big year in Class AA in 1979 to the big leagues and spent the entire 1980 season with the Phillies en route to their first World Series title, as he got in 78 games and hit .224 with 8 RBI in 58 at-bats. Went 0-for-3 in 4 games in a memorable 5-game NL Championship Series win over Houston, but didn’t play in 6-game Series win over the Royals.

Vukovich got into only 20 games with 26 at-bats in strike-shortened 1981 but played in all 5 games of the NL Division Series loss to Montreal. He went 4-for-9 with a game-winning homer to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 4 off standout closer Jeff Reardon. Finally got an extended chance with the Phillies in 1982 (.272, 6 HR, 42 RBI in 123 games) and was one of five players, including Julio Franco and Manny Trillo, packaged to Cleveland in a trade for Von Hayes. Played between 124 and 149 games in three seasons with the Indians and best was 1984 (.304, 9 HR, 60 RBI). Spent two years (1986-87) in Japan with Seibu Lions and hit .256 with 32 HR and 113 RBI in 222 games before returning to the US to play 89 games with the Tigers’ Triple-A Toledo affiliate in 1988.

Paul Splittorff
Arlington

Position: P
MLB Experience: Kansas City Royals (1970-84)
MLB Stats: 166-143, 3.81 in 429 games
Draft: 25th round by Royals out of Morningside College (1968)
Note: Arlington was in the West Suburban Conference when Splittorff played there

MSL to MLB: Splittorff became Kansas City royalty for his success on the field and his broadcasting of the team off of it until 2011 when he succumbed to oral cancer at just 64. Splittorff’s 166 career victories are likely to remain the franchise record with few players staying with one organization for a significant length of time and a reduced emphasis on starters pitching long enough to get wins. The route to KC was unconventional as Splittorff, who was also a basketball star at Arlington, was discovered during an American Legion tournament for Arlington by an umpire who also was the coach at Morningside College in Iowa. Splittorff quickly moved through the minors and made his debut in September 1970 at old Comiskey Park when he gave up 3 earned runs with 8 strikeouts in 7 innings in a 6-0 loss. Started 1971 at Triple-A but went 5-2 with a 1.48 ERA and never pitched in the minors again. Had a career-high 140 strikeouts in 216 innings in 1972 and became the franchise’s first 20-game winner in 1973 when he went 20-11 with a 3.98 ERA in 262 innings. Just missed winning 20 again in 1978 at 19-13 and also went 16-6 in 1977, 14-11 in 1980 and 13-8 in 1983 as the Royals grew into one of baseball’s model franchises.

Splittorff went 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA in 7 postseason appearances and became known as a “Yankee Killer” for his strong performances as the Royals lost three consecutive ALCS to the Yankees (1976-78). Didn’t get the decision but allowed only 1 run in 5⅓ innings of the final game of the Royals’ breakthrough 3-game sweep of the Bronx Bombers. But a 6-game World Series loss to the Phillies was also a personal disappointment as he was pulled from the starting rotation by manager Jim Frey and made his only appearance with 1⅔ innings of relief in the final game. Retired at midseason in 1984 and went on to become a respected Royals and college baseball and basketball broadcaster before his death. Never forgot his roots as he continued to support the Arlington American Legion program and Lloyd Meyer for setting him up for success. Also named one of the West Suburban Conference’s 100 greatest athletes for its 100th anniversary.

Larry Monroe
Forest View

Position: P
MLB Experience: Chicago White Sox (1976)
MLB Stats: 0-1, 4.15 in 8 games
Draft: 1st round (8th pick) by White Sox out of Forest View (1974)

MSL to MLB: Monroe was embarking on his pro career shortly after losing a classic 1-0 sectional final duel to eventual state champion Glenbrook North and future MLB pitcher Scott Sanderson in 1974. Monroe rose quickly through the White Sox farm system and made the jump from AA Knoxville to a 2 hitless innings in his debut on Aug. 23 at Detroit. Made 2 starts and had two solid relief appearances with 5⅔ scoreless innings and 3 hits allowed against Texas and five days later going 4 innings and allowing 2 hits and 1 run against Minnesota. Final appearance was a start at California and a loss where he allowed 3 earned runs in 5 innings.

Monroe was derailed by arm trouble and spent the next three years in the minors before his playing career ended at age 23. But his life in baseball was far from over as he would continue working for the White Sox in various capacities for 40 years. Monroe’s scouting and front office work was integral to the team’s rise to prominence in the early 1990s and ending an 88-year World Series title drought in 2005. Also wrote a book on pitching and has done a lot of training with young pitchers. His son Grant was a standout pitcher at Schaumburg who was drafted by the White Sox and his daughter Allie was also a star softball pitcher.

Fritz Peterson
Arlington

Position: P
MLB Experience: New York Yankees (1966-74), Cleveland Indians (1974-76), Texas Rangers (1976)
MLB Stats: 133-131, 3.30 in 355 games
Draft: No Draft when he signed with New York Yankees out of Northern Illinois in 1963
Note: Arlington was in the West Suburban Conference when Peterson played there

MSL to MLB: The lefty’s impeccable control led to a 20-win season an All-Star game appearance but he was best remembered - even after his death in 2023 - for one of the most infamous “trades” in sports history. Peterson was hardly on any pro radar screens as a little lefty at Arlington. That changed as he grew during a Hall of Fame career at Northern Illinois and signed with the Yankees as their dynasty was nearing an end. Made the jump from Class AA to the big-league rotation in 1966 (12-11, 3.31 ERA in 32 starts) and his 215 innings was the first of six seasons with 200-plus. Record wasn’t reflective of performance in 1968 (12-11, 2.63) and 1969 (17-16, 2.55) but broke out in an All-Star season in 1970 (20-11, 2.90) where he made 37 starts and had only 40 walks in 260⅓ innings. Two more solid years followed as he led the AL in walks per 9 innings for five consecutive seasons (1968-72). Then the big news broke in 1973 spring training that Peterson and pitcher Mike Kekich “traded” wives and families. The arrangement worked out for Peterson as he continued his relationship with his new wife but it quickly soured for Kekich. Coincidentally, Peterson also had his worst season (8-15, 3.95) as he suffered from arm trouble.

After three appearances in ‘74, Peterson was sent to Cleveland in a deal for 1B Chris Chambliss, one of the key figures of the Yankees’ late-70s return to championship prominence. Peterson rebounded in 1975 (14-8, 3.94) but after 9 starts in 1976 (0-3, 5.55) he was shipped to Texas, where he made his final four MLB appearances and won his last game. Had surgery on his ailing shoulder and comeback attempts with Bill Veeck’s White Sox - the 1977 South Side Hit Men and 1978 - were unsuccessful. Wrote some books on the Yankees and was active with fans on social media until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018. Even his death came with some mystery as it wasn’t announced until April 2024 even though it had occurred six months earlier. Along with Paul Splittorff made the West Suburban Conference’s 100 Greatest Athletes for its 100th anniversary.

Tom Lundstedt
Prospect

Position: C
MLB Experience: Chicago Cubs (1973-74), Minnesota Twins (1975)
MLB Stats: .092, 0 HR, 1 RBI in 44 games
Draft: 1st round (17th pick) by Cubs out of Michigan (1970), 65th round by Dodgers out of Prospect (1967)

MSL to MLB: The three-sport standout at Prospect was a basketball and baseball teammate and classmate of Dave Kingman and earned a scholarship to play baseball and basketball at Michigan. Lundstedt, a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, was the leading scorer on the Michigan freshman team and played 4 varsity games as a sophomore before deciding to focus on baseball. Was Michigan’s baseball MVP as a junior in 1970 and started his pro career with the hometown Cubs. Successfully moved up the minor-league ladder and after an all-star season at Triple-A Wichita in 1973 (.295, 11 HR, 57 RBI in 91 games), he was called up to the bigs and made his debut Aug. 31 at Pittsburgh as he went 0-for-3 and caught Fergie Jenkins in a 5-2 loss. He started the next day but appeared in only two more games that season.

Lundstedt made the Cubs out of spring training in 1974 but his playing time was sporadic as he went 3-for-32 in 22 games. His first big-league hit was a single to center off the Cardinals’ Sonny Siebert on May 24 in a 1-0 loss at Wrigley Field. He played his last game with the Cubs on June 17 and had knee surgery and played briefly again at Triple-A. Lundstedt was traded to the Twins in the offseason for OF Glenn Adams and was the final cut of the spring in 1975, but returned to the big leagues May 11 and went 3-for-28 in 18 games. Lundstedt nearly had a game-winning RBI with a two-out single to center in the top of the 16th inning off the Yankees’ Pat Dobson in a suspended game but the Yankees answered with 2 runs to win 8-7. Lundstedt played winter ball in Venezuela after the ‘75 season but announced his decision to retire in January 1976 and pursue what has been a successful business and speaking career.

Dan Osinski
Barrington

Position: P
MLB Experience: Kansas City Athletics (1962), Los Angeles Angels (1962-64), Milwaukee Braves (1965), Boston Red Sox (1966-67), Chicago White Sox (1969), Houston Astros (1970)
MLB Record: 29-28, 21 saves, 3.34 in 324 games
Draft: No draft when he signed with the Cleveland Indians out of Barrington after graduation
Note: Barrington was in the Northwest Conference when Osinski played there

MSL to MLB: “The Silencer” went to high school at Wauconda for his first two years before his family moved to Barrington in September of his junior year. Osinski became a three-sport standout at Barrington and wanted to go to the Navy, but failed his physical, so he signed with the Indians after a tryout and started his pro career in 1952. It would be a 10-year odyssey that included all of 1957 and 1958 in the Army before he finally made the majors for 4 games with the Kansas City A’s in 1962. Made the Pacific Coast League All-Star team and his performance in an exhibition against the L.A. Angels led to an extended big-league run. Went 6-4, 2.82 ERA with 4 saves in 33 games in 1962 and was used as a swingman in 1963 (8-8, 3.28) as he made 16 starts in 47 appearances and had 100 strikeouts in 159⅓ innings.

Osinski pitched a career-high 61 games for the Braves in their final year in Milwaukee in 1965 and was part of the 1967 “Impossible Dream” Red Sox (3-1, 2 saves, 2.54 in 34 games) that emerged from a dramatic four-team race to win the AL pennant. Osinski pitched 2 games in the Red Sox’ 7-game World Series loss to the Cardinals but was released before the 1968 season. Spent the entire year at the White Sox’ Triple-A Hawaii affiliate and was back in the bigs in 1969 (5-5, 3.56 in 51 games). Pitched his final three MLB games with Houston in 1970 and on his final pitch got the legendary WIllie Mays to ground out. Spent most of the year at Triple A Oklahoma City and then went into banking, restaurant ownership and car sales. Osinski died in 2013 just two months before his 80th birthday.

Dick Bokelmann
Arlington

Position: P
MLB Experience: St. Louis Cardinals (1951-53)
MLB Record: 3-4, 4.90 in 34 games
Draft: No draft when he signed with the Cardinals out of Northwestern in 1947
Note: Arlington was in the Northeast Conference when Bokelmann played there

MSL to MLB: The lifelong Arlington Heights resident was the first from the MSL’s core schools to make the big leagues. Bokelmann signed with the Cardinals for $250 a month out of Northwestern and eventually got to the majors in August 1951 for his longest stint (3-3, 3 saves, 3.78 in 20 games). Made his debut against the eventual NL champion New York Giants and rookie Willie Mays and threw 1⅔ scoreless innings to finish a 5-4 win (was eventually get credited with a save after the rule was officially adopted in 1969). All three of his wins came in a span of a week in September - the first two for 4⅔ and 5⅔ shutout innings of 1-hit relief.

Bokelmann got into only 11 games in 1952 (0-1, 9.24) and then his final 3 games in 1953. Hall of Famer Stan “The Man” Musial was one of his Cardinals’ teammates. Would pitch one more season professionally at Class AA Tulsa in 1954 (10-4, 1.80 in 61 games) but with his young daughter about to start school he would retire at 27 and return to Arlington Heights. Spent 30 years in the insurance business and also pitched for the semi-pro Arlington Redwings. Bokelmann passed away Dec. 27, 2019 at 93.

In The Dugout

Mike Quade
Prospect

MLB Managing Experience: Chicago Cubs (2010-11)
MLB Record: 95-104

MSL to MLB Bench: Quade exhibited all the qualities of future leadership as a star shortstop, quarterback and point guard at Prospect. At the University of New Orleans he was Sun Belt Conference MVP as a senior as he hit .396 with a school-record 74 singles and was selected in the 22nd round of the 1979 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Spent most of five seasons in their system as an outfielder (.261, 6 HR, 132 RBI in 400 games) and the last two were as a player-coach for manager and former big-leaguer Johnny Lipon. Was a successful minor league manager with a 1,375-1,289 record in 19 seasons with the Pirates, Expos, Phillies, A’s, Cubs and Twins organizations, had 12 winning seasons and claiming the 1999 Triple-A World Series with Vancouver led to his promotion as the first-base coach with the A’s.

Quade spent three years with the “Moneyball” A’s and can be seen in cameos, including actual game highlights, in the movie starring Brad Pitt. Joined the Cubs organization in 2003 and after four years as a manager at Triple-A Iowa, he interviewed for the managerial job that went to Lou Piniella and became his third-base coach. Piniella decided to accelerate his retirement on Aug. 22, 2010 and Quade took over on an interim basis and led the Cubs to a 24-13 finish. That led to a two-year contract for Quade but a rough June and July put the Cubs on the way to a 71-91 finish in 2011 and he was dismissed by the new regime led by Theo Epstein. Quade resurfaced in the Twins organization and was the manager for three years at Triple-A Rochester from 2015-17.

Tim Bogar
Buffalo Grove

MLB Managing Experience: Texas Rangers (2014)
MLB Record: 14-8

MSL to MLB Bench: Bogar’s playing career ended in 2002 with the Colorado Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate but after a year out of the game he returned as a minor league manager with Houston (2004-05) and Cleveland (2006-07). Went to Tampa Bay to become a quality assurance coach for Joe Maddon as the Rays made their meteoric rise to a World Series trip in 2008. Bogar then went to Boston as a coach for four years (2009-12) and was let go when Bobby Valentine was fired. After a year back in the minors managing Arkansas, Bogar returned to the majors as a coach for Ron Washington at Texas. Washington stepped aside for personal reasons in early September with the Rangers at 53-87 and Bogar stepped in on an interim basis and led them to a 14-8 finish.

Bogar was one of three finalists for the job but it went to Jeff Banister and Bogar moved on to the Los Angeles Angels as a special assistant to the GM (2015), Seattle Mariners bench coach (2016-17) and coach for Davey Martinez in Washington (2018-23). Bogar was the first-base coach when the Nationals won the World Series in 2019 and became the bench coach after pulling out of consideration for the New York Mets managerial job. He wasn’t retained on the Nationals’ staff after the 2023 season and spent first year in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization as a manager at Class AA Amarillo (Texas) in 2024. Bogar is a three-time minor-league manager of the year.

Dan Wilson
Barrington

MLB Managing Experience: Seattle Mariners (2024-25)
MLB Record: 49-33 (as of May 21, 2025)

MSL to MLB Bench: The Mariners’ Hall of Fame catcher had worked in a variety of capacities in the organization for more than a decade when he was named to take over as manager on Aug. 22, 2024 after Scott Servais was fired in his ninth season with a 680-642 record. The Mariners went from 44-31 with a 10-game lead in the AL West on June 19 to 64-64 and 5 games back when Wilson was tasked with turning around a team coming off a 1-8 road trip and having the worst batting average in major league baseball. Wilson’s debut saw the Mariners rally from a late 5-1 deficit for a 6-5 victory in extra innings. He also brought on MLB Hall of Famer and Mariners’ legend Edgar Martinez as his hitting coach. Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said this was not an interim position for Wilson so it is anticipated that the former Barrington star will continue in the dugout in 2025.

The Mariners rebounded under Wilson to go 21-13 and weren’t knocked out of the wild card race until the final week as they finished a game behind Kansas City and Detroit. The Mariners finished 3 1/2 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West.

NOTE: Baseball Reference, Baseball Bullpen, the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and the Daily Herald were used for source material. Photos from Baseball Reference.