The Calgary Cannons were a beloved minor league baseball team located in Alberta, Canada for 18 seasons from 1985 to 2002. During their time in Calgary, the Cannons brought enthusiasm and excitement as they competed against other teams in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). Fans packed Foothills Stadium each night to cheer on their hometown heroes as they showed off their impressive skills with bat and ball. The legacy of the Calgary Cannons lives on today among former players, fans, and residents alike who remember fondly this cherished part of local history.
1. Danny Tartabull
Career
- All-Star (1991)
Tartabull was a prolific right fielder and designated hitter during his time in the MLB. Tartabull appeared in 12 seasons with six different teams, including four with Seattle Mariners.
His best season came in 1992 when he hit .296/.381/.510 with 34 doubles, 10 triples and 39 home runs for the Philadelphia Phillies. After retiring from baseball, Tartabull became a broadcaster for Fox Sports Florida before joining ESPN as an analyst in 2016.
Danny Tartabull had a successful career in both the major and minor leagues. He was a five-time All-Star, won two Gold Gloves, and finished in the top 10 of MVP voting on three occasions. In the majors, Tartabull played for Seattle Mariners (1984–1986), Kansas City Royals (1987–1991), and New York Yankees (1992–1995).
After leaving MLB he spent time with Oakland Athletics (1995) before ending his playing career with Chicago White Sox (1996).
Danny Tartabull is currently an analyst for MLB Network and Fox Sports 1 covering games from start to finish as well as providing color commentary during select broadcasts throughout the season.
2. Alex Rodriguez
Career
- 14× All-Star (1996–1998, 2000–2008, 2010, 2011), World Series champion (2009), 3× AL MVP (2003, 2005, 2007), 2× Gold Glove Award (2002, 2003), 10× Silver Slugger Award (1996, 1998–2003, 2005, 2007, 2008), 4× AL Hank Aaron Award (2001–2003, 2007), MLB batting champion (1996), 5× AL home run leader (2001–2003, 2005, 2007), 2× MLB RBI leader (2002, 2007)
Alex Rodriguez is a former MLB player who currently works as an analyst for the Fox Sports broadcast network. Rodriguez played shortstop and third base in his career, but he was most famous for his time with the New York Yankees where he helped lead them to three World Series championships.
In 2015, Rodriguez announced that he would be retiring from baseball at the age of 40 after playing 21 seasons in the majors. Despite announcing his retirement, Rodriguez still plays occasionally for charity events and has been rumored to play again in 2019 or 2020 if he can find a team willing to sign him up.
Alex Rodriquez is one of only two players (the other being Pete Rose) ever to hit 3,000 hits and 600 home runs in their careers. Rodriguez's record-breaking stats have won him numerous awards including five AL MVPs and ten Gold Gloves Award nominations - which makes him arguably one of the best defensive infielders ever.
Even though Rodriguez retired from professional baseball following the 2016 season, many believe that there is still potential for him to come back and win another championship with either the Yankees or another team down the line.
3. Mickey Brantley
Mickey Brantley began his Major League Baseball career with the Seattle Mariners in 1986. In 1993, he signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league.
After two seasons in Japan, he returned to MLB with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1996 and played for them until 2006. He had a brief return to NPB play with the Hanshin Tigers in 2007 before retiring from baseball at the end of that season.
Mickey Brantley was one of the most feared hitters in baseball during his playing days. He finished with a batting average of .259 and 32 home runs, 125 RBIs and 4 stolen bases in 687 games over 12 seasons. After retiring as a player, he served as the hitting coach for the Mets from 1999 to 2001 before being named manager of Toronto Blue Jays in 2005.
However, he was fired after just one season due to poor team performance. Since then, he has been involved mainly in broadcasting work for MLB Network and Fox Sports 1. He also coaches young players in Venezuela where he resides full-time since 2006.
Also Played For: coastal carolina university
4. Karl Best
Best was one of the most successful pitchers in Mariners history. He helped lead Seattle to two division titles and a playoff appearance, as well as winning a Cy Young Award in 1990.
Best also had success with teams other than Seattle, including Toronto and Texas Rangers. In total, he pitched 12 seasons in the big leagues with an overall record of 223-176 (.545). After retirement from baseball, Best worked as a pitching coach for various organizations before becoming the head coach at Arizona State University in 2006.
He retired from that post after four years later due to health concerns stemming from his time coaching young athletes. Karl Best is currently living life out Quietly on Orcas Island off Washington State with his wife and three children Karl Best was an outfielder for the Minnesota Twins from 1988 to 1990.
Karl Best had a successful MLB career, winning five games and losing six while posting an ERA of 4.04 and striking out 73 batters.
Karl Best also made some memorable contributions on the field, notably saving five games in his career as well as being named to three All-Star teams during his time in the majors. After leaving baseball, Karl Best went on to have a lengthy playing career in Japan before retiring after the 2002 season at the age of 41 years old.
In 2004, Karl Best was inducted into both the Twins Hall of Fame and Washington State Athletics Hall of Fame which is testimony to his overall success as a professional athlete.
5. Edgar Martínez
Career
- 7× All-Star (1992, 1995–1997, 2000, 2001, 2003), 5× Silver Slugger Award (1992, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003), Roberto Clemente Award (2004), 2× AL batting champion (1992, 1995), AL RBI leader (2000), Seattle Mariners No. 11 retired, Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame
Edgar Martinez was a talented and popular player in the MLB for 17 seasons. He spent his entire career with the Seattle Mariners, amassing 2,247 hits and 309 home runs during that time.
Martinez also had an impressive batting average of .312 and won three Gold Gloves as well as two Silver Sluggers while playing in the American League.
After hanging up his spikes at the end of the 2004 season, Edgar Martínez entered into coaching duties with several organizations before retiring completely in September 2017 at age 60 years old after a lengthy battle against leukemia.
Edgar Martínez was a seven-time All Star and five-time Silver Slugger Award winner with the Seattle Mariners. He led the AL in RBIs twice, and was an MVP finalist in 2000 after batting .
310 with 102 RBIs. After nine seasons with the Mariners, he was traded to St Louis Cardinals where he played until his retirement after the 2006 season at age 40.
Also Played For: seattle mariners
6. Jim Abbott
Career
- Pitched a no-hitter on September 4, 1993, Golden Spikes Award (1987)
Jim Abbott was a pitcher in the MLB for over a decade, and had some success. He is best known for his time with the Brewers, where he posted a 4.25 ERA and 888 strikeouts in nearly 1,000 innings pitched.
Abbott also played briefly with the Angels before retiring after 1999 season. After baseball, Abbott has worked as an analyst on broadcasts for Fox Sports Net Northwest and ESPN2's coverage of professional baseball games from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league Abbott was born in Detroit, Michigan on July 30th, 1966.
He attended the University of Texas at Austin and played baseball for the Longhorns from 1985-1987. Abbott made his MLB debut with the California Angels in 1989 and went on to play for six different teams over thirteen seasons before retiring after the 1999 season.
Abbott won a Golden Spikes Award as well as several other awards during his career including three Cy Young Awards (1990-1992) and two MVP Awards (1991 & 1992).
Abbott finished his career with 268 wins, 2,591 strikeouts, and an earned run average of 3.24 which makes him one of the most successful pitchers in history.
After retirement from baseball Abbott became a broadcaster for Fox Sports Net where he currently works as a color commentator for MLB games alongside Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
7. Erik Hanson
Career
- All-Star (1995)
Erik Hanson was a pitcher in the major leagues for six seasons, from 1988 to 1998. He spent most of his time with the Seattle Mariners, but also played for Toronto and Texas briefly.
His best season came in 1993 when he went 14-13 with a 3.06 ERA for Seattle. After leaving baseball, Hanson worked as an insurance agent before retiring in 2007 at age 43 due to health concerns related to his pitching career.
Hanson was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1988 and played for them from 1988-1993. Hanson then signed with the Cincinnati Reds and played for them from 1994-1998. Hanson had a successful career, winning 89 games while losing 84 and having an ERA of 4.15 during that time period.
8. Frank Wills
Frank Wills was a pitcher in the major leagues for over 20 years. He started his career with the Kansas City Royals and also played for the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds and Anaheim Angels.
During his career Wills had a record of 186-183 with an ERA of 4.11 in 355 games (305 starts). In 2002 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class along with John Smoltz and Greg Maddux.
Frank Wills died on May 11th 2012 at the age of 53 after battling cancer for some time Frank Wills was a veteran player when he joined the Toronto Blue Jays in 1988.
He had a 22-26 win-loss record and an ERA of 5.06 during his time with the team. Frank Wills also struck out 281 batters while playing for the Blue Jays, which is impressive given that he played 21 seasons in the MLB. In 1991, Frank Wills retired after appearing in only one game for the Blue Jays - his final appearance in professional baseball.
9. Steve Fireovid
Steve Fireovid was a pitcher in the MLB for over 20 years. He had a successful career with the Padres, making it to three All-Star games and winning two Cy Young Awards.
After his retirement from playing baseball, he became a broadcaster for Padres games on San Diego's Fox Sports affiliate. In 2016, he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away shortly after surgery to remove the tumor Steve Fireovid was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 1992.
He made his debut with the team in 1993 and went on to play for them until 2001. His most successful season came in 1995 when he won a Gold Glove award, led the league in hits and RBIs, and finished third in MVP voting behind Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza.
After leaving the Rangers, Steve played for several other teams before retiring at the end of 2002 season having collected over 2,000 career hits and 350 home runs.
In 2003, he was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame alongside players like Nolan Ryan and Gaylord Perry. Nowadays Steve is an analyst for Fox Sports Southwest covering baseball games across North America.
Final Words
. . . The Calgary Cannons were a beloved minor league baseball team located in Alberta, Canada for 18 seasons. Over that time period, they produced some of the best players in Canadian history and garnered accolades as one of the most successful teams in all of Minor League Baseball.
Some of their most famed alumni include Troy Glaus (MLB All-Star), Derrek Lee (2x MLB All-Star), Rheal Cormier (3x MLB All-Star) and Craig Counsell (Hall of Fame Manager).
