Western Carolinas League (1977-1978)
Tombstone
Born: 1977 – WCL expansion franchise
Affiliation Change: 1979 (Shelby Pirates)
First Game: April 15, 1977 (L 6-2 @ Asheville Tourists)
Last Game: September 1, 1978 (L 5-2, L 2-1 vs. Greenwood Braves)
Western Carolinas League Championships: None
Stadium
Ownership & Affiliation
Attendance
Background
The Shelby Reds were a short-lived farm club of the Cincinnati Reds that played the county seat of Cleveland County, North Carolina, fifty miles west of Charlotte.
Though the team played in the lower depths of the minors – the Class A Western Carolinas League – and played just two seasons, the Shelby Reds nevertheless produced a handful of future Major League regulars. These included:
- Outfielders Paul Householder and Eddie Milner (both Shelby ’77)
- Pitchers Bruce Berenyi (’77), Paul Gibson (’78) and Bill Scherrer (’77-’78)
- Infielder Tom Foley (’78)
All saw regular with Cincinnati (and other clubs) during the 1980’s, except for Paul Gibson who did not make his Major League debut until 10 years later at the relatively late age of 28. Gibson was also the last former member of the Shelby Reds actively playing professional baseball when he pitched his final innings for the New York Yankees in 1996.
Jim Lett, a long-time fixture in the Cincinnati Red organization, managed Shelby in both 1977 and 1978. He was named the Western Carolinas League Manager-of-the-Year for 1978 when Shelby finished 2nd place (75-64) in the six-team circuit.
19-year old Greg Hughes (11-5, 2.14 ERA) earned WCL Most Outstanding Pitcher honors during the 1978 season. Despite another strong season (11-4, 3.23 ERA) at Cincinnati’s Class AA club in Nashville in 1979, Hughes would never advance beyond Double-A ball and his playing days were over by age 22.
Following the 1978 season, Cincinnati left town and the Pittsburgh Pirates took over as Shelby’s Major League parent club.
Voices
“My one goal is the make it to The Big Club. I have no Plan B.”
– 19-year old shortstop Dan Robie to Mark Purdy of The Cincinnati Enquirer, June 1977.1Purdy, Mark. “Buses, Burgers, Empty Stands And Optimism”. The Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH), June 5, 1977
“I’d like to be in baseball 20 years then retire and compose fugues like Bach.”
– General Manager Dave Denny to Mark Purdy of The Cincinnati Enquirer, June 19772Purdy, Mark. “Buses, Burgers, Empty Stands And Optimism”. The Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH), June 5, 1977
Shelby Reds Shop
In Memoriam
Outfielder Eddie Milner (Shelby ’77) passed away at the age of 60 on November 2, 2015. After leaving Shelby, Milner went on to play seven seasons for Cincinnati between 1980 and 1988. Cincinnati Enquirer obituary.
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