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)

Jim Prince

Inaugural Class of 2009

Pitcher

Cooks Valley Valleymen 1932-35; Bloomer City Team 1938-40; Tilden Tigers 1947,49-51

During his first four seasons of league play, Jim Prince was the leader or tied for the leading mark in wins, strikeouts, ERA, innings pitched, and shutouts.  In other words, Prince won the triple crown of pitching (wins, strikeouts, ERA) an unparalleled four seasons in a row.  The dust that has gathered on this accomplishment can be removed in recognizing that only one other pitcher in league history (Tom Dachel, 1977 and 1980) has copped this feat more than once.

Hurling for the Cooks Valley Valleymen from 1932 to 1935, Prince was a dominant workhorse, averaging over 10 wins, 125 strikeouts, and 111 innings pitched with an ERA of 2.50.

1935 marked the peak of his powers, as he went 14 and 3 in 145 innings while whiffing 163 batters and garnering a 2.30 ERA with 2 shutouts.

After a two year hiatus, Jim came back to pitch for the Bloomer City Team from 1938 to 1940.  He led the league in innings pitched with 87 in 1939 while going 6 and 6 with a 4.14 ERA.  He had his last stellar season in 1940 when he won 7 and lost 1 with an ERA of 2.66, 75 strikeouts, 71 innings pitched, and a league leading .875 winning percentage.

After another departure from league play, this time for six years, Prince came back in 1947 with the Tilden Tigers to twirl the league’s 5th no-hitter, a 9-inning 7-0 victory over the Huron Moundsmen.  Finished that year a solid 2 and 1 in 38 innings pitched with an ERA of 3.55 while tying for the league lead with 1 shutout.  Missing 1948, Jim finished his career as a part-time pitcher with the Tigers from 1949 to 1951.

Playing nearly all of his career before the advent of yearly All-Star games, All-CRBL recognition, and the WBA tournament, the glow of Jim Prince’s dominance is reenergized when looking at the marks he left on the CRBL’s record book.  Nearly 60 years after his last game of league play, Prince is still holding rank at 7th in wins, 10th in winning percentage, 10th in innings pitched, 10th in strikeouts, 5th in ERA, and is tied for 8th in shutouts.

Jan Krueger

Inaugural Class of 2009

Manager

Augusta Athletics 1989-2004

The founder, architect, and fearless leader of the Augusta Athletics, Jan Krueger will forever be remembered for his fiery nature, competitive spirit, and unequivocal dedication to the game of baseball.

Jan was a promising young catcher and pitcher in the late-1970‘s before being rendered a quadriplegic in a swimming accident just days after graduating from Augusta High School.  Krueger’s uniquely determined nature and love of baseball were clearly displayed when less then three years after his accident, he was the driving force behind the founding of what was then known as the Augusta Alumni Team in 1980.

After playing independently through much of the 1980’s, Jan and the Augusta Athletics officially became members of the CRBL and the league’s South Division in 1989.  Their first season was a successful one as they went 9 and 7 and qualified for the WBA.  Over the course of Krueger’s 16-year reign, Augusta developed into a fearsome crew of hard-hitting sluggers and power-armed pitchers.  In total, Jan’s teams won seven Southern Division titles (1992-1995, 1997-1999), captured five CRBL championships (1992,1993,1995,1998,1999), qualified for 15 WBA tournaments (1989,1990, 1992-2004), made six WBA Finals 8’s (1992-1995, 1998, 2002), and proudly claimed one WBA championship (1994).  Augusta’s WBA title in 1994 was the first time since 1953 that a CRBL team had won that elusive prize.

For his managerial league career, Jan ranks 1st in wins with 186, tied for 2nd in games managed with 272, 5th in winning percentage at .684, 2nd in division titles with 7, 2nd in league championships with 5, 2nd in Final 8 appearances with 6, 2nd in WBA wins with 22, and 1st in WBA appearances with 15.

Beyond the numerous championships and countless memories, Jan can forever rest easy knowing that his Augusta Athletics have staked a spot as one of the great franchises in CRBL history.

 

Managerial Record:    G         W        L          Pct.      Division Titles         League CS

(Regular Season)        272      186     86        .684      7                               5

 

(WBA)                   App           G         W        L         Pct.      Final 8’s          WBA CS

                              15             36          22      14        .611      6                      1

 

 

Vic Johnson

Inaugural Class of 2009

Pitcher

Eau Claire Skelly Oilers 1938; Girard’s Hillbillies 1939; Leif’s Conoco Oilers 1953

Simply put, Vic Johnson is the only person in CRBL history to have played in the Major Leagues, doing so with the Boston Red Sox in 1944 and 1945 as well as the Cleveland Indians in 1946.

Playing in what at the time was called the Chippewa Valley Rural League, the left-handed Johnson’s time in league history was brief but memorable.  In 1938, he tied for the league lead in wins (7) and saves (1), while leading the league with a 1.000 percentage (7-0) for the league champion, 12 and 2 Eau Claire Skelly Oilers.  In 1939, he led the league with a 1.91 ERA (7 ER in 33 IP) and authored the third no-hitter in CRBL history, a 10-3 nine-inning job vs. Jim Falls while hurling for Girard’s Hillbillies.

After bouncing between area teams and leagues over the next few seasons, Johnson was signed by the Eau Claire Bears in 1942.  Pitching at a level roughly equivalent to single A, he went 18 and 7 in 1942, making the Northern League’s all-star team.  In 1943, he went a combined 17 and 12 between stops in Louisville, KY and Scranton, PA as he again made an all-star team, this time in the American Association.  His promising development prompted a call-up to the Red Sox of Boston in 1944, where he debuted against the Yankees on May 3rd in a 11-7 Red Sox loss.  He finished his rookie season with a 0-3 record in 7 appearances, 5 games started, and 27.1 innings pitched with 7 strikeouts and a 6.26 ERA.

In 1945, for a 71 and 83 Boston team that finished in 7th place, Vic emerged as one of the main components on the Red Sox pitching staff.  In 26 appearances and 9 starts, Johnson was 6 and 4 with 4 complete games, 2 saves, 1 shutout, 85 innings pitched, 21 strikeouts, and a 4.02 ERA.

The zenith of his pitching career occurred on August 29th, 1945 when he threw a 1-0 shutout  against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.  Incredibly, he threw 16 consecutive scoreless innings against a Yanks team that year which included Major League Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Joe Gordon, and Bill Dickey.

In 1946, Vic was unexpectedly traded to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for pitcher Jim Bagby and cash.  For the 6th place Tribe, he was 0-1 in 9 appearances, 1 start, and 13.2 innings pitched with 3 K’s and a 9.22 ERA.  He would be sent to the minors by mid-season, with his last game in the majors being on June 11th, 1946.  Johnson would spend over two more years successfully pitching in the minor leagues, in the process notching a no-hitter vs. future Brooklyn Dodger all-star Carl Erskine on May 28th, 1948.  Vic’s 13 and 7 mark from the mound that summer would count as the last tally on his professional resume.

A finesse pitcher who relied on locating his sinker and curveball, Vic Johnson’s final major league numbers are that of 42 appearances, 6 wins, 8 losses, 15 games started, 4 complete games, 2 saves, 126 innings pitched, 152 hits allowed, 60 walks, 31 strikeouts, 1 shutout, and an ERA of 5.07.  During his seven seasons as a minor leaguer, he won 68 games against 58 setbacks for a winning percentage of .540 while piling up 1,012 innings in 215 pitching appearance, 53 as a starter.

Post-professional baseball found Vic playing and managing on several area teams before returning to league play for one season in 1953 with Leif’s Conoco Oilers out of Eau Claire.  As their player/manager, Johnson threw just 2 innings while guiding the young group to an 8-3 record and assisting in the process of getting several Oiler players signed to professional contracts.