SHAWN CALLAHAN - 2005 Vancouver Canadians Catcher/3B

During
the 2005 season, nobody showed more versatility than catcher Shawn
Callahan. Realizing that, with Ty Bubalo and Anthony Recker clamoring
for a spot as catcher, his face time would be limited, Cally went out
and turned his arm at third base a few times when the team needed
infield help, doing a pretty decent job at that.

He also did a
good job with the bat, hitting only .216 but managing some clutch plays
at valuable times. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to keep him with the A’s, so
where did he show up when the Oakland honchos cut him at the end of the
2005 season? OnlyFallon, Missouri, where he played for the River City Rascals in the Frontier League… But what’s notable is that he was doing so as a PITCHER.

Cally ended the season with a 0-0, 4.07 record over 18 games pitched and 24.1 innings registered. He struck out 13 and walked 7.

The big guy was cut at the end of the year,
as tends to happen in the indies, where a new class of eager kids will
be trying out about now, so it will be interesting to see if Dirty
Harry comes out for another season.

EDDIE KIM - 2003 Vancouver Canadians Catcher

When the big 6′4" lefty, Eddie Kim, was picked in the 4th round of the 2003 draft by Oakland, there were high hopes that he’d take a short ride to the majors. The big first baseman had mashed at James Madison University, hitting for a .421 average as a 21 yr old, then .412 with 17 home runs at the age of 22.

A .305 debut season with Vancouver showed some early promise for the bonus baby, but from there the professional game caught up with Kim in a hurry. Two seasons in Kane County followed, the last of which was delayed a month due to an off-season knee injury. Kim struggled with his swing, trying five different stances after the A’s told him to lose the ‘toe-tap’ that had seen him through college. He hit for a .252 combined average over his two seasons in Kane County, leading the A’s to eventually ask him to go back to the toe-tap in an effort to refind his old form. Though he beat his 2004 homerun total of 10 with just half as many at bats in his shortened 2005, a .305 OBP and strong competition from 1st baseman teammate Tommy Everidge saw Oakland cut their losses after 2006 spring training, sending Kim home.

So where is he now? Well, still trying to find a way to The Big Show is his most recent stats indicate anything. Kim signed with the Florence Freedom of the independent Frontier League, and was quickly traded before opening day to the River City Rascals where he promptly hit .316 over 178 at bats (7th in the league). What was most surprising about his spell in Missouri was, Kim had taken his K:BB rate down from a 2:1 mark to better than 1:1 rate, which saw the Florence Freedom trade two players to River City to get him back.

Sadly, Kim’s time in Florence, Kentucky hasn’t been great for his future. Over 121 at bats, he hit just .190 with a single home run registered. Will Eddie Kim devote another year to his baseball dream?

BOB BURRIS - 2003 Vancouver Canadians reliever

I wasn’t going to write about Bob Burris, but in researching the Eddie Kim situation, I came across a short piece written by Fremont Freedom play-by-play commentator, Roger Redmon, that told the sad tale of what Mr Burris has been through. Rather than retell it, here it is in his words:

We have a right-handed pitcher named Bob Burris who was a shining star in the Frontier League a few seasons back when he pitched for Jamie Keefe in Chillicothe. In fact, Bob was so impressive in his stint in our league that he was signed by the Oakland Athletics organization. His numbers (there’s that word again) were sparkling for Vancouver in the Northwest League where he had an earned run average of 1.91.

His future looked to be limitless until an off-season car accident tore muscles in his neck and shoulder, severely affecting his ability to throw a baseball the way he had become accustomed.

That was three years ago. Bob was attempting a comeback with the Freedom, until reality (there’s another word that isn’t pleasant) reared its ugly head again. Not enough velocity. Not enough movement on his pitches. Not enough command of the strike zone. Luckily, Bob had planned for the future. He would need to return to his job in Florida working for the Department of Homeland Security. But not until this road trip was over. He would stay on as a batting practice pitcher and first base coach until further notice. One of the good guys would be leaving us. I’ve learned not to become too attached to players. They may not be here that long.

Ain’t that the truth? Bob Burris threw in 15 games for the C’s in 2003, going 1-3 with a 1.91 ERA. He was on his way to good things when a moment of tragedy took it all away.

Sorry Bob, I couldn’t find your picture anywhere. But hey, at least you got a taste.