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SALT LAKE CITY — On Thursday, the Salt Lake Bees will host their next installment of the franchise’s season-long 25th year celebration honoring the time since the Portland Beavers moved to the city and became the Salt Lake Buzz in 1994.
Since Smith’s Ballpark opened that same time (also under a different name at the time), many rising prospects, fan favorites, rehabbing major leaguers and roster fillers have suited up for what started as the Buzz, became the Stingers and eventually the Bees in 2006. During that time, there have been some big names who have played for the club.
With that in mind, KSL.com wanted to know: Who are the best baseball players to play for the Bees over the past 25 years? It seems the best way to answer that is to go by Wins Above Replacement, which is the sabermetric statistic that takes in all sorts of analytical data from various baseball tasks (hitting, baserunning, pitching, defense, etc.) and compiles it into one easy number to calculate how much value one player brings a team above the average baseball player at the same position. Another way to look at it: The higher the WAR, the better season or career a player had.
We took the list of the hundreds of baseball players who have suited up for Salt Lake since 1994 and used Baseball-Reference calculation (sometimes referred to as rWAR) to view their career WAR totals while in the big leagues. Including rehab appearances, here are the 25 best baseball players that have played for the Salt Lake Bees, Buzz or Stingers since 1994:
(Note: * = Active player, WAR current as of Sunday, July 21. Years in parenthesis indicate when the athlete played for Salt Lake.)
25. Jason Vargas, pitcher (2013)
Career Major League WAR: 16.9*
Jason Vargas made one rehab assignment start for the Bees, allowing four runs in 4 2/3 innings. Vargas was named an MLB All-Star in 2017 while pitching for Kansas City.
24. David Freese, third baseman (2014-15)
Career Major League WAR: 17*
David Freese played in 10 games for the Bees over the span of two years. Freese was named 2011 World Series MVP in 2011 and a 2012 MLB All-Star while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals.
23. LaTroy Hawkins, pitcher (1994-97, 2012)
Career Major League WAR: 17.8
LaTroy Hawkins' name appears near the top of many sections in the Bees' pitching record book. He remains second in club history for both innings pitched and wins. His 11 complete games and three complete-game shutouts remain franchise records, as well.
Hawkins also had a very respectable career as a relief pitcher in the majors. He played for 12 teams over the span of 21 seasons, retiring in 2015 at the age of 42.
22. Jean Segura, infielder (2009)
Career Major League WAR: 19.6*
Jean Segura played for both the Orem Owlz and Salt Lake in 2009 when he was only 19 years old. He was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2012 in a deal where the Los Angeles Angels acquired pitcher Zack Grienke. Segura was named an MLB All-Star in 2013 while playing for the Brewers and again in 2018 while with the Seattle Mariners.
T-20. Dontrelle Willis, pitcher (2013)
Career Major League WAR: 19.7
Dontrelle Willis started four games and appeared in another at the tail end of the 2013 season after signing a minor league deal with the Angels. Willis was a two-time MLB All-Star with Miami and won a World Series ring with the Marlins in 2003. He also finished second in the 2005 Cy Young Award voting.
T-20. Tim Lincecum, pitcher (2016)
Career Major League WAR: 19.7
Tim Lincecum collected an 0-3 record and 3.76 ERA in seven starts with the Bees. Lincecum played for Salt Lake after signing with the Angels earlier in the season, and then again after he had been designated for assignment. He won two Cy Young awards and three World Series titles during his time with the San Francisco Giants prior to that. He was also named an MLB All-Star four times.
19. Adam Kennedy, second baseman (2005)
Career Major League WAR: 21
Adam Kennedy collected seven hits in 17 at bats over the course of four games while on a rehab assignment. He played 14 seasons in the big leagues.
18. Chone Figgins, outfielder (2003-04, 2007-08)
Career Major League WAR: 22.2
Chone Figgins played in 200 games for the Bees in his career. He was a regular in 2003 and 2004, and his final seven games in 2007 and 2008 came during rehab assignments. He led MLB in stolen bases with 62 in 2005 and was an MLB All-Star in 2009. He was also a part of the 2002 World Series-winning Angels team during his rookie season.
17. Scott Kazmir, pitcher (2011)
Career Major League WAR: 22.8
Scott Kazmir lost all five starts with Salt Lake and compiled a 17.02 ERA with the Bees. The came at the tail end of his time with the Angels. Kazmir was a two-time MLB All-Star while playing for the Tampa Bar Rays prior to his time with the Bees. After he was released, he went on to rebound with the Oakland Athletics, where he was named an All-Star in 2013.
16. Francisco Rodriguez, pitcher (2002)
Career Major League WAR: 23.9
Francisco Rodriguez appeared in 27 games for the Bees in 2002, when he was 20 years old. Later that year, he helped the Angels win the World Series. Rodriguez went on to be one of the league's premier closers after that. He led the majors in saves three times, won the award for top relief pitcher twice, and was named to six MLB All-Star teams during his 16-year career.
He remains fourth all-time with 437 career MLB saves.
15. A.J. Pierzynski, catcher (1998-2000)
Career Major League WAR: 23.9
A.J. Pierzynski played in 157 games over a span of three seasons before latching on in the majors. He ended up being named an MLB All-Star twice in his 19-year career and won a World Series title with the Chicago White Sox in 2005.
14. Corey Koskie, third baseman (1998)
Career Major League WAR: 24.7
Corey Koskie hit .301 with 26 home runs with the Buzz in 1998. His 135 games played that year remains fifth all-time in one season in Salt Lake history. He was inducted in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.
13. Ervin Santana, pitcher (2005, 2007, 2009)
Career Major League WAR: 25.9*
Ervin Santana went 5-1 in 9 starts with the Stingers and Bees. He has been named an MLB All-Star twice in his career. He also pitched a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians in 2011.
12. Josh Hamilton, outfielder (2014)
Career Major League WAR: 28.3
Josh Hamilton collected six hits in 13 at-bats in three rehab assignment games with the Bees. He appeared in five MLB All-Star games during his career and won the 2010 American League MVP award.
11. Vernon Wells, outfielder (2012)
Career Major League WAR: 28.5
Vernon Wells hit .308 with a pair of home runs in seven games with the Bees during a rehab assignment in 2012 that ended when he was traded to the New York Yankees. Wells was a three-time MLB All-Star for the Toronto Blue Jays. He also won three Gold Glove awards during his career.
10. Raul Mondesi, outfielder (2004)
Career Major League WAR: 29.5
Raul Mondesi appeared in two games during a rehab assignment and homered in one of those games. Mondesi was named National Leaugue Rookie of the Year in 1994 while he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was named an MLB All-Star the following year and won two Gold Glove awards during his career.
9. Howie Kendrick, second baseman (2006-09)
Career Major League WAR: 31.3*
Howie Kendrick hit .369 in 69 games during his first season in Salt Lake, which would be the all-time season batting record in franchise history but finished less than 80 plate appearances to qualify that season. He was named an MLB All-Star in 2011.
8. Darin Erstad, outfielder (2003-04, 2006)
Career Major League WAR: 32.4
Darin Erstad collected 16 hits and drove in 10 RBIs in 18 games for the Stingers and Bees during rehab assignments over the course of three seasons. He was named an MLB All-Star twice and won three Gold Glove awards in his career.
7. Jered Weaver, pitcher (2006)
Career Major League WAR: 34.4
Jered Weaver went 6-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 12 games for the Bees. He still holds the Bees' record with three double-digit strikeout games and is tied with the late Tyler Skaggs for the most strikeouts in a game in franchise history (14). Weaver went on to become a three-time All-Star in the majors. In 2012, he pitched a no-hitter again Minnesota.
6. John Lackey, pitcher (2001-02, 2009)
Career Major League WAR: 37.6
John Lackey won 11 games in 28 career starts for the Stingers and Bees. Lackey was named an All-Star in 2007. He won World Series titles with the Angels in 2002, the Boston Red Sox in 2013 and the Chicago Cubs in 2016.
5. Bartolo Colon, pitcher (2006-07)
Career Major League WAR: 46.1
Bartolo Colon went a 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA in five starts over two seasons with the Bees. Colon won the 2005 American League Cy Young award and has been named an MLB All-Star four times in his career. He won 247 games during his 21-year major league career.
4. Torii Hunter, outfielder (1998, 2000)
Career Major League WAR: 50.1
Torii Hunter collected 108 hits in 81 career games with the Buzz. He went on to become a five-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner in his career.
3. David Ortiz, first baseman/designated hitter (1997-99)
Career Major League WAR: 55.3
Before "Big Papi" got the nickname, he collected 168 hits in 151 games with the Bees. He eventually signed with the Boston Red Sox before the 2003 season. He wound up becoming a 10-time MLB All-Star and helped lead the Red Sox to three World Series titles before he retired. His 541 career home runs currently rank 17th all-time.
2. Mike Trout, outfielder (2012)
Career Major League WAR: 70.5*
Mike Trout hit .403 in 20 games before being called up to the majors and becoming the best major league player since. At his current pace, Trout will likely be No. 1 on this by this time next season. He won the 2012 American League Rookie of the Year award and won American League MVP in 2014 and 2016. He's also finished runner-up in the MVP race four other times and is considered in the running for MVP this season.
Trout has been named an MLB All-Star all eight seasons since his 2012 promotion from Salt Lake.
1. Paul Molitor, infielder/designated hitter (1998)
Career Major League WAR: 75.7
Paul Molitor went 5-for-10 in two games with the Buzz during a rehab assignment in the final season of his 21-year big league career. While this will inevitably change, Molitor is the only player in the franchise's 25-year history inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. He was a seven-time All-Star and won the 1993 World Series MVP while with Toronto. His 3,319 career hits are 10th all-time in MLB history. He was a first-ballot Hall of Fame entry in 2004.
