Medicine Hat Blue Jays

Pioneer League (1978-2002)

Background

Medicine Hat, Alberta’s 3,000-seat Athletic Park was the spring time destination for first and second year Toronto Blue Jays prospects for a quarter century. When Medicine Hat joined the Pioneer League in 1977, the loop also featured teams in Calgary and Lethbridge. But in later years the Gas City became a remote outpost on the Pioneer League roster. After Calgary and Lethbridge left the league, Medicine Hat’s nearest rival was Great Falls, Montana, over four hours away. During the late 1980’s and early 90’s, Blue Jays bus trips to Salt Lake City, Utah took 15 hours or more.

Future Major League stars that spent time in Medicine Hat during the Blue Jays era included:

• Lloyd Moseby (Medicine Hat ’78)
• Pat Borders (Medicine Hat ’82)
• Jimmy Key (Medicine Hat ’82)
• David Wells (Medicine Hat ’82)
• Mike Timlin (Medicine Hat ’87)
• Chris Carpenter (Medicine Hat ’94)

1982 Championship Summer

Medicine Hat won their only Pioneer League championship during the summer of 1982. Three members of that 1982 Medicine Hat team – catcher Pat Borders and pitchers Jimmy Key and David Wells – went on to be members of Toronto’s first World Series championship team one decade later in 1992. Borders was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1992 World Series.

Morrison Magic

In 1997, Medicine Hat native Greg Morrison put up one of the greatest seasons in Pioneer League history. The 21-year first baseman and outfielder won the league’s Triple Crown and Most Valuable Player award with a stunning .448 batting average, 23 homers and 88 RBIs in just 69 games. Morrison, a 71st round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994, went on to a long career in the minors and independent baseball but never advanced beyond Class A ball.

Demise

Medicine Hat’s pro baseball era began to wind down at the end of the 1990’s. Long-time owner Bill Yuill sold the team to Indiana-based D.G. Elmore at the end of the 1999 season. By the 2000’s Medicine Hat was the only Canadian team left in the Pioneer League. In September 2002, the Toronto Blue Jays terminated their player development contract with Medicine Hat after 25 seasons. The team soon landed a new deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, but Elmore moved the team to Helena, Montana in November 2002.

The former Medicine Hat Blue Jays franchise remains active in the Pioneer League as of this writing in 2018. Elmore Sports Group still owns the club, now based in Colorado Springs and known as the Rocky Mountain Vibes.

In Memoriam

Pitcher John Cerutti (Medicine Hat ’81) died of a heart ailment at age 44 on October 3, 2004.

Shortstop Mike Coolbaugh (Medicine Hat ’90) was struck and killed by a line drive while coaching first base in a Texas League game in Arkansas. He was 35 years old. Major League base coaches wear helmets today as a result of the Coolbaugh tragedy.

Links

“The Babes of Summer“, Steve Wulf, Sports Illustrated, July 23, 1990

Pioneer League Media Guides

Pioneer League Programs

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