League: Chippewa River Baseball League

Primary League

Joe Vavra

Inaugural Class of 2009

Utility

Lafayette Indians 1979-80

2009 will mark the 28th year of pro baseball for CRBL alumnus and Lafayette native Joe Vavra.  Following a record setting career at UW-Stout, Joe was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 8th round of the 1982 amateur draft.  Vavra’s versatile, hustling, and fundamentally sound style of play enabled him to quickly rise through the Dodgers’ minor league system, reaching the Triple A level in Albuquerque, NM in August of 1984.  That summer was his best in the minors, as he hit .307 (86 for 280) with 14 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 37 RBI’s, 36 runs scored, a .365 OBP, and just 17 strikeouts in 90 games at Double A San Antonio, TX.  Joe would conclude his professional playing career in 1986 with an accumulative batting average of .288 (342 for 1,187) in 365 minor league games.  Vavra would spend the next 14 years coaching for the Dodgers, being asked to fill a variety of instructional roles throughout the organization.

After spending 2001 as the head coach at UW-Stout, Vavra was hired by the Minnesota Twins in 2002.  Working as the minor league field coordinator within the Twins’acclaimed minor league system, Joe moved to the major league level in 2006 to become Minnesota’s hitting coach.  Lauded for his hard-working, positive, and practical approach, Vavra’s pupils include 2006 and 2008 American League batting champion Joe Mauer as well as 2006 American League MVP Justin Morneau.

Not to be forgotten is Vavra’s short but productive time in the CRBL.  In 1980, his second and last year in the league, Vavra hit .493, leading the league with 69 at-bats, 34 hits, and 13 doubles on his way to being named All-CRBL and playing in the league All-Star game.  His mark of 13 doubles in 1980 still stands as a single-season league record.

Prior to Joe’s ascent to the “The Show”, the only other league alumnus to reach the major leagues was Vic Johnson, who pitched for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians in the 1940’s.  In Vavra, there is proof positive that the road to modern day baseball’s highest level can intersect with the sport‘s grass roots, including the Chippewa River Baseball League.

Randy Rubenzer

Inaugural Class of 2009

Outfielder, 3rd Basemen

Jim Falls Sturgeons 1979-2001

During his 23-year career with the Jim Falls Sturgeons, the heavy hitting Randy Rubenzer established himself as one of the toughest outs to ever set foot in a CRBL batter’s box.

A left-handed stick, Rubenzer was a respected and recognized offensive force, playing in 15 All-Star games (1983-1985, 1987-1992, 1994-1998, 2000) and getting elected to a league record 10 All-CRBL teams (1983-1986, 1988,1990,1991,1995-1997).  He hit .300 or better in 17 seasons, doing so consecutively from 1983 to 1997.  Exceeded the .400 mark in seven of those seasons — .468 in 1984 (22 for 47), .433 in 1986 (29 for 67), .674 in 1988 (29 for 43), .489 in 1990 (23 for 47), .481 in 1991 (26 for 54), .426 in 1997 (26 for 61), and .419 in 2000 (18 for 43).  His stratospheric mark of .674 in 1988 led the league and set a single season record that may never be reached.  He also led the league in hits that year with 29, doubles with 11, runs scored with 27, and walks with 21 while driving in 23 runs during what could be considered one of the handful of greatest seasons ever in league play.  His other league leading outputs were in 1985 when he tied for the top mark with 7 doubles, in 1986 when he was alone in first with 10 doubles, and in 1990 with 22 walks.  Reached 20 or more hits in a season a league record 13 times.

Randy’s standout play coincided with the emergence of the Sturgeons in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s as an offensively explosive and formidable foe.  From 1986 to 1993, Jim Falls was 86 and 49 (.637 %), winning a North Division title and playing for a league championship in 1989, qualifying for the WBA from 1986 to 1992, and making it to the Final 8 in 1991.  Rubenzer’s other WBA appearance with the Sturgeons came in 1983.

An all-around player, Randy was equally adept at picking the hot corner as he was shrinking the gaps in Jim Falls’ outfield.  In the mid-1980‘s, he also served as a useful right-handed pitcher for the Sturgeons, grabbing an ERA title in 1985 with a mark of 1.96 (4 ER/18.1 IP).  In 1986, he went 7 and 1 with a 2.96 ERA in 54.2 innings pitched while lacing his .433 average at the dish.  1987 saw Randy eat up another 53.2 innings in collecting a 5 and 4 record for the WBA bound Sturgeons.

Upon induction, he ranks 4th in batting average, 9th in games played, 6th in singles, 2nd in doubles, tied for 2nd in triples, 9th in homeruns, tied for 3rd in RBI’s, 5th in runs scored, 3rd in total bases, 8th in slugging percentage, tied for 11th in stolen bases, and 6th in walks.

Fittingly, Rubenzer was the first league hitter to surpass the 400 hit mark for a career, reaching this milestone in 1999.

Bloomer City Team

  • Years in League – 1938-1940
  • 3 Seasons
  • All-Time Record 32-13 (.711)