Name/Title
BaseballEntry/Object ID
2004.53.08Description
Rawlings Official Baseball for the Pacific Coast League signed in blue ink by members of the 2004 Tacoma Rainiers. The 2004 squad – the AAA affiliate for the Seattle Mariners – finished the year with a 79-63 record under the leadership of manager Dan Rohn. The Rainiers had a trio of sluggers who hit more than 20 home runs that year: A.J. Zapp led the team with 29 homers and 101 runs batted in while slugging .523, while Justin Leone hit 21 home runs with a .597 slugging percentage in only 68 games and Hermiston, Oregon-native Bucky Jacobsen became a Pacific Northwest legend after belting 26 home runs in only 81 games (with a .312/.422/.661 triple-slash line), winning the Pacific Coast League Home Run Derby and hitting nine home runs in 160 at bats with the Mariners during the second half of the season. Leone also spent time with the big league squad that season, hitting six home runs in 115 plate appearances. Zapp made history on Sept. 1, 2004, when he hit the first home run over Cheney Stadium’s 29-foot wall in center field in the stadium’s more-than-40-year history, a 505-foot blast. The 2004 squad also featured top hitting prospects 20-year-old second baseman Jose Lopez (who hit .295/.342/.505 in 303 plate appearances) and 23-year-old outfielder Jeremy Reed (who hit .305/.366/.455 in 259 plate appearances). The pitching staff also boasted a pair of top prospects in 21-year-old Travis Blackley (who led the team with eight wins, 110.1 innings pitched and a 3.83 earned run average) and 23-year-old Clint Nageotte (who picked up six wins in 14 starts covering 80.2 innings).Lexicon
Search Terms
Baseball, Tacoma Rainiers, Professional/Semi-ProRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Rohn, DanPerson or Organization
Tacoma Rainiers
