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Who deserves to be on Huntsville’s ‘Baseball Mt. Rushmore’ now?
Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training next week, believe it or not, which marks the unofficial beginning of the new Major League Baseball season, so why not look at Huntsville’s contribution to the national pasttime?
Several Huntsville natives have made it to the show, and some have even carved their names into the history books. So that had me thinking about Huntsville baseball legends, and coming up with my own “Mt. Rushmore of Huntsville Baseball Players.”
Don Mincher
You simply cannot mention Huntsville baseball history without first talking about Don Mincher. The Huntsville native played 13 big league seasons, was a 2-time All Star and a World Series champion. He hit 200 home runs in the majors and amassed 1,003 hits.
That’s not bad. But what he did after hanging up the cleats is just as impressive. He was the first president and general manager for the Huntsville Stars, and when the Rocket City was in danger of losing the Double-A team in the mid-90s, he was part of a group of local investors who purchased the team to keep baseball in Huntsville.
In 2001, Mincher became the commissioner for the Southern League, a position he held until the end of the 2011 season. Mincher died in March of 2012. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
Jimmy Key
Jimmy Key is a Butler High School legend who went on to play 15 seasons in MLB with the Blue Jays, Yankees and Orioles. His career stats are pretty impressive — 186 wins, a 3.51 career ERA and 1,538 strikeouts — but for a few seasons, there really were few pitchers in the game better than Key.
Key was picked for the All-Star team five times, led all of baseball in wins in the strike-shortened 1994 season, and led the majors in ERA in 1987 while finishing second in American League Cy Young voting. He was also instrumental in two World Series championships — 1992 for the Blue Jays and 1996 for the Yankees.
This year, Key will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
Gabby Street
Walter Johnson and Gabby Street, Sept. 1, 1910. Copyright, The Sporting News pic.twitter.com/SeaKVFoiPX
— Baseball In Pics (@baseballinpix) November 26, 2022
Born in Huntsville in 1882, Gabby Street was a catcher and manager in the big leagues during four different decades. “The Old Sarge” is famous for having been one of the first catchers to have caught Walter Johnson, and for setting a somewhat unique record.
Street caught a ball dropped from the Washington Monument in 1908, setting a record for catching the longest “fly ball” at 555 feet.
Street managed the St. Louis Cardinals from 1929 to 1933, leading the Cards to two National League titles, including a World Series title in 1931. He would later serve the Cardinals as a color commentator for the team’s radio broadcasts, alongside Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Caray.
Craig Kimbrel
One of Huntsville’s current baseball stars is relief pitcher Craig Kimbrell, who recently signed with the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles will become the eighth team for Kimbrel, who spent this past season with Philadelphia and made the National League All-Star team for the ninth time.
A 2006 graduate of Huntsville’s Lee High School, Kimbrel has put together a career that many believe may land the reliever in the Hall of Fame. He was signed by the Atlanta Braves initially, with whom he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2011.
Kimbrel has played for Braves, Padres, Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers and Phillies. He won a World Series while pitching for the Red Sox in 2018.
During his career, he has amassed 417 saves — placing him 8th all time — and 1,192 strikeouts. He holds a career earned run average of 2.40.
Who do you think deserves to be on Huntsville’s Baseball Mt. Rushmore? Let us know on Facebook, TikTok, Threads and Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
