Player Profile: Johnny Abrego

I have one card of Johnny Abrego, from 1986 Donruss.

Playing Career: Johnny Abrego pitched in six major league games (five starts) all for the 1985 Cubs. He went 1-1 with a 6.38 ERA.

My Memories: Never heard of him until I got this card.

Where He is Now: He was a scout for the Astros in the mid-1990s. Could not find where he is now.

Interesting Fact: Johnny Ray Abrego pitched in six major league games, two of which were against the 1985 Pirates whose second baseman was named Johnny Ray. Johnny Ray owned Johnny Ray Abrego, hitting three singles in four at bats, driving in two. He also was issued an intentional walk.

Coming up next: Tomorrow's profile will be Bob Abreu.

Player Profile: Shawn Abner

I have 25 Shawn Abner cards. This one is from 1990 Score.

Playing Career: The Mets drafted Shawn Abner number one overall in the 1984 draft. The high school star was chosen over more polished college players like Mark McGwire as the Mets were worried about signability and price. Though he never played in a game for the Mets, they got decent value from the pick as he was part of the trade that got them Kevin McReynolds from San Diego. Abner played in parts of five seasons for the Padres, and also had brief stops with the Angels and White Sox. He never lived up to the hype of being the number one draft choice, telling the New York Times's Jack Curry in 1991 that "The draft is a joke. Being drafted No. 1 is overrated."

My memories: Had a few baseball cards of him as his playing career was during my card collecting years as a kid, but as he spent almost all of his career in the NL I have no specific memories of watching him play.

Where he is now: Working for a beer distributor in Mechanicsburg, PA.

Interesting facts: Brother Ben Abner was also drafted in 1984 and spent several years in the Expos and Pirates organizations.

Google Autocomplete Results: He is second when you type in Shawn Ab, between Dartmouth cornerback Shawn Abuhoff and Shawn Abbott, head of undergraduate admissions at NYU. There don't seem to be any other prominent Shawn Abners.

Coming up next: Tomorrow's profile is Johnny Abrego.

Player Profile: Brent Abernathy

I have three cards of Brent Abernathy. This one is from 2001 Fleer Platinum. Add it to your cup cards wantlist, SpastikMooss!

Playing Career: Brent Abernathy played for Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Minnesota from 2001 to 2005. A member of the 2000 Gold Medal USA Olympic Team, his biggest MLB highlight was earning an ESPN Play of the Day for a home-run-saving catch in 2005.

My Memories: I vaguely remember him playing against the Yankees while with Tampa Bay.

Where he is now: He has started a life insurance business and is also coaching both USA Baseball and some local Georgia high school teams.

Google Autocomplete Results: He is second when you type in Brent Ab, between tennis coach Brent Abel and Brent Abendroth, a guard on the Bryant University basketball team. There do not appear to be any other prominent Brent Abernathys.

Coming up next: Tomorrow's profile will be Shawn Abner.

Player Profile: Reggie Abercrombie

I have two cards of Reggie Abercrombie. This one is from 2009 Topps. It depicts Abercrombie getting thrown out at the plate in the Astros' 2-0 victory over the Rockies on September 6, 2008. You can find the original picture by Associated Press photographer Jack Dempsey on the AP website.

Playing career: Abercrombie was a backup outfielder for the Marlins in 2006 and 2007 and the Astros in 2008. He is now playing for the Sioux Falls Pheasants of the independent American Association.

My memories: I hadn't heard of him until I got this card.

Google Autocomplete Ranking: He is third when you type in Reggie A, between Reggie Awards, which honor bold thinking in promotional marketing, and Reggie and the Full Effect Lyrics (Reggie and the Full Effect was an indie rock band). There do not appear to be any other prominent Reggie Abercrombies.

Coming up next: Tomorrow's profile will be Brent Abernathy.

Player Profile: Paul Abbott

I have five Paul Abbott cards. This one is from 1992 Fleer. I originally wrote about this card and others whose photos were taken at the same game here.

Playing Career: Paul Abbott pitched eleven seasons for the Twins, Indians, Mariners, Royals, Devil Rays and Phillies. For the excellent Mariner teams of 1999-2001 he went 32-13. Before and after he was just 11-24.

Personal memory: I remember him pitching against the Yankees in the 2001 ALCS and being very surprised that he was 17-4, as he wasn't ever thought of as an elite pitcher. That won-loss record probably had more to do with his team, than his pitching.

Where he is now: Pitching coach for the Red Sox Class A team, the Lowell Spinners. Also a Professional Consultant for sports agency BKK Sports.

Google Autocomplete Results: He is the first result when you type in Paul Ab, ahead of Paul Abdul, a real estate agent in Houston (or a misspelling of singer Paula Abdul). The first entry for Paul Abbott in Google is actually not the ballplayer but an English television writer.

Coming up next: Tomorrow's profile will be Reggie Abercrombie.

Player Profile: Kyle Abbott

I have seventeen Kyle Abbott cards. This one is from 1993 Donruss.

Playing career: Kyle Abbott pitched four seasons for the Angels and Phillies. Was 1-14 with a 5.13 ERA for the Phillies in 1992; 3-3 combined in his other three seasons.

My memories: I remember getting his Topps rookie card in 1992 and thinking he might be a big star. Guess not.

Interesting stories: Son of former A's minor leaguer Larry Abbott. In high school originally wanted to pursue water polo instead of baseball. Was a waiter at Harpoon Henry's in Dana Point, CA in his minor league offseasons, according to this 1991 LA Times article, which also described Abbott's smooth moves in picking up his future wife, Kathy: "She and Kyle had met in a Huntington Beach bar several months earlier. Kyle was a customer, Kathy was in her first week as a cocktail waitress. Kyle was following her every move all evening, and she finally lost her cool and dropped a tray of drinks. They met while he was on the floor, helping her pick up the debris, and the romance flamed quickly."

Where he is now: Co-founder of Pro Source Athletics in Lewisville, TX.

Google Autocomplete Rankings: Kyle Abbott is second when you type in Kyle Ab, between choreographer Kyle Abraham and Kyle Abrahamson, a highly regarded high school basketball player in North Dakota. Another prominent Kyle Abbott is a minor villain character in some recent Batman comic books.

Coming up next: Tomorrow's player profile is Paul Abbott.

Player Profile: Kurt Abbott

I have seventeen Kurt Abbott cards. This one is from 1995 Ultra.

Playing Career: Kurt Abbott played for the A's, Marlins, Rockies, Mets and Braves. His best season was 1995, when he hit .255 with 17 HR and 60 RBI for Florida. He played in two World Series and won a ring in 1997.

My Memories: I remember seeing him on the Mets in the 2000 World Series and being amazed that they even got that far relying on guys like him.

Interesting facts: Abbott's 1994 Ultra card actually has a photo of teammate John Massarelli, revealed in my interview with Massarelli. Father Tom played minor league ball in the Giants organization. Lists his heroes as "Cal Ripken, Alex Rodriguez and my wife for saving my ass" on his Myspace page.

Where he is now: During his playing career he went on ride-ins with the local police departments, sometimes using his baseball fame to get through to men on domestic-dispute calls. After his baseball career ended, he decided to turn to law enforcement full-time and is a deputy in the Martin County police department in Florida. He made headlines in 2006 for pulling a woman out of a burning building. Here's a more recent article from the TCPalm.com which features a photo of Abbott at work. In the article, he compares chasing down and arresting a suspect to hitting a home run.

Google Autocomplete Results: He is the first entry when typing Kurt Ab, ahead of wrestler Kurt Angle. Another prominent Kurt Abbott is a lawyer in Waxahachie, TX.

Coming up next: Tomorrow's profile will be Kyle Abbott.

Player Profile: Jim Abbott

I have 54 Jim Abbott cards. This one is from 1994 Upper Deck.

Playing Career: Jim Abbott pitched ten seasons for the Angels, Yankees, White Sox and Brewers, winning 87 games. Career highlights include pitching a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1993, finishing fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1989, and third in the Cy Young Award voting in 1991. Lowlights include leading the American League in hits allowed in 1990 and in losses in 1996.

My memories: Right befofe Labor Day weekend 1993 I had a bad allergic reaction to some medicine that sent me briefly to the hospital. By Saturday the 4th, I was feeling a little better and decided to take it easy and just sit on the couch and watch the Yankee game. As a result, I ended up watching every pitch of Abbott's no-hitter, the first no-hitter I ever saw. Other than this one highlight, I remember Abbott as being a bust for the Yankees. In 1991 and 1992 with the Angels, he had ERAs of 2.89 and 2.77. He then came to New York and put up ERAs of 4.37 and 4.55.

Interesting stories: Abbott was the first major league pitcher to be born with one hand. (There have been only two - the other is former Expo Chad Bentz, who no one remembers. It pays to be first.) Besides pitching, he was able to field as well as any two-handed pitcher (better than some) and was a capable hitter as well, getting two hits in the major leagues and slugging several home runs in high school.

Where he is now: He is now a motivational speaker - check out his website, Jim Abbott.net, which also includes a lengthy interview. He also does work for the US Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy, where he helps raise awareness of the talents of people with disabilities. He is also the assistant coach of a third- and fourth-grade girls basketball team head coached by his wife - you can see pictures of them at a recent game here.

Google Autocomplete Results: He is the first result when you type in Jim A, ahead of Jim and Pam, the fictional couple on the TV show The Office. Other Jim Abbotts include a realtor in San Diego and a writer for the Orlando Sentinel.

Coming up next: Tomorrow's profile will be Kurt Abbott.

Player profile: Jeff Abbott

I have two cards of Jeff Abbott. This one is from 2001 Upper Deck.

Playing career: Jeff Abbott played five seasons for the White Sox and Marlins from 1997 to 2001. His best season was 2000, when he was the fourth outfielder for the AL West Champion White Sox. He got one at bat in the ALDS.

Personal memories: Don't really remember him.

Where is he now: Couldn't find him - any readers know?

Google Autocomplete results: Jeff Abbott is the first result when you type in Jeff Ab, ahead of impressionsist Jeff Brandt. Jeff Abbott the ballplayer is actually only the sixth result when you Google him; the first five links are for a "National Bestselling Author of Panic and Fear."

Coming up next: Tomorrow's profile will be Jim Abbott.

Player Profile: Glenn Abbott

I have eight Glenn Abbott cards. This one is from 1981 Fleer.

Playing career: Glenn Abbott pitched eleven seasons for Oakland, Seattle and Detroit between 1973 and 1984. Pitched one inning of a combined no-hitter for the A's in 1975, and also pitched an inning for them in that year's ALCS. He was the longest tenured member of the Mariners' expansion draft, three times starting on opening day. In 1979 he struck out just 25 of 518 batters faced, the lowest total of any pitcher in the last 57 years.

My memories of him: He's a bit before my time - I only know him from his cards.

Where he is now: Has been a minor league pitching coach since 1990. Currently is coaching for the Mets' A-Ball team in Savannah.

Interesting facts: Missed the entire 1982 season due to meningitis. Participated in the 1975 Bazooka/Joe Garagiola Big League Bubble Gum Blowing Championship (he was eliminated in the first round). His son Todd pitched in the A's organization, reaching AAA.

Google autocomplete ranking: He is second when you type in Glenn Ab, between artist Glenn Aber and Glen Abbey, a mortuary in San Diego. Another prominent Glenn Abbott is the producer of the horro movies Monstar and South of Heaven.

Coming up next: Tomorrow's profile will be Jeff Abbott.