1993 Montréal Expos

1993 ROSTER     Manager   17 Felipe Alou     Coaches   67 Pierre Arsenault   21 Tommy Harper   1 Tim Johnson   45 Joe Kerrigan   6 Jerry Manuel   31 Luis Pujols     Pitchers   22 Scott Aldred   47 Brian Barnes *   46 Kent Bottenfield   38 Denis Boucher   13 Jeff Fassero   16 Mike Gardiner   27 Butch Henry   34 Gil Heredia   44 Ken Hill   38 Jimmy Jones   53 Brian Looney   32 Dennis Martinez   43 Chris Nabholz   50 Bill Risley   27 Mel Rojas **   42 Kirk Rueter   54 Tim Scott   31 Jeff Shaw   26 Sergio Valdez   53 Bruce Walton   57 John Wetteland   20 Pete Young     Catchers   24 Darrin Fletcher   19 Tim Laker   26 Joe Siddall   2 Tim Spehr     Infielders   5 Sean Berry   28 Frank Bolick  !   14 Archi Cianfrocco   15 Greg Colbrunn   12 Wil Cordero   4 Delino DeShields   30 Cliff Floyd   3 Mike Lansing  !!   46 Oreste Marrero   25 Charlie Montoyo   39 Randy Ready   23 John Vander Wal   14 Derrick White     Outfielders   18 Moises Alou   7 Lou Frazier   9 Marquis Grissom   35 Tim McIntosh   16 Curtis Pride   25 Matt Stairs   33 Larry Walker   37 Rondell White   11 Ted Wood   * Also wore 41 for a time.   ** Also wore 51 for a time.   ! Also wore 55 for a time.   !! Also wore 59 for a time.

Franchise: Washington Nationals / BR 1993 Team Page

Record: 94-68-1, Finished 2nd in NL Eastern Division (1993 NL)

Managed by Felipe Alou

Coaches: Pierre Arsenault, Tommy Harper, Tim Johnson, Joe Kerrigan, Jerry Manuel and Luis Pujols

Ballpark: Stade Olympique

Awards and Honors

• All-Star: Marquis Grissom
• Player of the Year: Marquis Grissom
• Best Rookie: Mike Lansing
• NL Gold Glove: Marquis Grissom (OF) and Larry Walker (OF)
• Topps All-Star Rookie Team: Wil Cordero (SS) and Mike Lansing (3B)
• Players of the Month:
  • April: Ken Hill
  • May: Marquis Grissom
  • June: Dennis Martinez
  • July: Delino DeShields
  • August: Jeff Fassero
  • September: John Wetteland
• Minor League Player of the Year: Cliff Floyd, Harrisburg (AA) and Ottawa (AAA)
• Minor League Pitcher of the Year: Joey Eischen, Harrisburg (AA) and Ottawa (AAA)

Season Highlights

The 1993 Montreal Expos gave a preview of what they would become the following season, that is the best team in baseball. This became evident in the second half when they went on a 21-3 stretch to insert themselves back into the race for the NL East division title, and when they finished second in the division, with a record of 94-68, only 3 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Expos' success should not have been a complete surprise, as they had finished second in the NL East the previous season, but most observers considered that result a bit freakish, the consequence of playing unexpectedly well after the firing of unpopular manager Tom Runnells and his replacement by the universally well-liked Felipe Alou. That second-place finish in 1992 still came with a 9-game deficit on the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates, and in preseason predictions before the start of 1993, hardly anyone took the Expos seriously, as the Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets (who would end up in last place) were seen as the contenders, with the Phillies as outsiders. There were some reasons for this bleak assessment, but they would turn out to be badly wrong.

It was a busy off-season in 1992-93, as the National League expanded for the first time since the one that begat the Expos back in 1969, adding the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins as new franchises. This time, all 26 major league teams contributed to the pool of players available through the expansion draft, not just National League teams, so the Expos' losses in the process were minimal: IF Bret Barberie, P Doug Bochtler and C Bob Natal. Barberie had once been considered the team's top prospect, but had disappointed in 1992 and in any case the Expos' brass were convinced they had a ready-made replacement for him in the unheralded Mike Lansing, who had yet to make his major league debut but had been excellent in the minors. Bochtler was just one of numerous pitching prospects at least a couple of years away from the Show, and Natal a very generic back-up catcher with minimal big league experience. Once again the team was busy on the trade front, and once again targeted players singled out by sabermetrics as likely to be successful in the majors. The trades included sending OF Ivan Calderon, who had become surplus after the emergence of Moises Alou, to the Boston Red Sox in return for Canadian P Mike Gardiner, who was expected to break out after being the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year two years earlier. In another deal, the Expos sent Ps Mark Gardner and Doug Piatt to the Kansas City Royals in return for P Jeff Shaw and C Tim Spehr. They sent a couple more middling pitching prospects, Dave Wainhouse and Kevin Foster, to the Seattle Mariners in return for IF Frank Bolick, another player whose minor league numbers projected well, and simply dumped team captain Tim Wallach on the Los Angeles Dodgers, getting only minor league infielder Tim Barker in return. They also let SS Spike Owen get away via free agency.

It's fair to say that observers did not understand these moves, decrying the lack of players with a major league track record added to the team. This year's haul was not as great as the previous winter's when they had snapped up Ken Hill and John Wetteland in separate trades, and both had gone on to outstanding seasons: Gardiner and Bolick would prove to be busts, unable to reproduce their minor league success at the top level, while Spehr and Shaw would only be useful in second-line roles (Shaw was still years away from emerging as a top closer). But the Expos also did not give up any players that were expected to help going forward, except perhaps for Gardner, who was a solid pitcher even if his record did not always reflect this. The Expos had a very strong farm system however, and while their very best prospects - namely Rondell White and Cliff Floyd, both former first-rounders in the amateur draft - were still a couple of years away from contributing at the major league level, there was a need to clear space for their eventual arrival.

The team that took the field on Opening Day against the Cincinnati Reds on April 5th was not yet a fully-formed one. The outfield of LF Alou, CF Marquis Grissom and RF Larry Walker was as good as any in the majors, the middle infield of 2B Delino DeShields and rookie SS Wilfredo Cordero was solid, but the other three positions were uncertain. Following the retirement of Gary Carter, Tim Laker was the starting catcher, but he would only last a couple of weeks until it was clear he was not cut out to be a major league regular, and the position would be in flux for most of the first half, with Darrin Fletcher and Spehr both getting opportunities to start, Tim McIntosh spending tree months on the roster but seeing very little action, and Canadian Joe Siddall, an excellent defender who had never hit much in the minors, also getting a look. Fletcher eventually claimed the starting job in the second half. At first base, OF John Vander Wal got the start that day, but once again a number of players cycled through the position, with Greg Colbrunn, a former top catching prospect who had blown out his arm, Bolick, Derrick White and Oreste Marrero all getting looks at some point. In the last weeks of the season, Floyd, who was named the Minor League Player of the Year, got a look, and staked a claim on the position for the next season. Vander Wal and Colbrunn would eventually turn into productive major leaguers, but not regulars. At third base, it was Bolick who started the first game, but he would soon be ousted by poor defense (he committed five errors in his first six games) and did not contribute enough with the bat to hold down first base either. So rookie Lansing and Sean Berry, acquired in a late-season trade the year before and getting a chance to play regularly for the first time, took over the position, with the versatile Lansing also seeing time at second base and shortstop.

Dennis Martinez was the opening day starter, and his status as the team's ace was uncontested, but he got off to a slow start, going 2-5, 3.93 in his first 10 outings in April and May, before reeling off eight wins in nine starts. He finished at 15-9, 3.85. The Expos tried to trade him late in the season, as he was about become a free agent, but he vetoed a trade with the Atlanta Braves that would had netted 1B Brian Hunter, exercising his rights under the ten and five rule. In contrast, Ken Hill started off red hot, going 4-0 in April. However, a lack of run support led to his losing seven of his last ten decisions, ending up with a record of 9-7, 3.23. His ERA was below 3.00 until his final two starts in late September, and he would have deserved a much better fate. The third starter, lefty Chris Nabholz, had a mediocre year, going 9-8, 4.09, which the Expos figured was about as good as he'd ever be, writing him out of their future plans. The final two spots in the rotation went to rookie Kent Bottenfield, who struggled to a 2-5, 4.12 mark and was traded to the Rockies in return for veteran Butch Henry within a few months, and Jimmy Jones, a veteran signed as a free agent in little demand, who confounded everyone by going 4-0, 3.57 in April, and then turned back into a pumpkin, with an ERA above 9.00 before getting released in July. Those last two spots were also in flux, with Brian Barnes, Shaw, Gardiner and Gil Heredia all getting a chance but not grabbing it. Finally, in desperation, reliever Jeff Fassero volunteered to make a first career start on July 10th, pitched well, and became the team's most reliable starter over the second half, going 7-4, 2.33 in the role. Three days earlier, it was Kirk Rueter who had been given the opportunity to make a first career start, his major league debut in his case, and he also pitched well the rest of the way, going 8-0, 2.73. By the end of the season, the Expos had the best starting rotation in the majors, and that's not counting local boy Denis Boucher, acquired from the Rockies in a minor league trade, who went 3-1, 1.91 in September. The Expos were so flush with starters at that point that they could only give Butch Henry one start, even though he had been lights out as a starter with the AAA Ottawa Lynx after being also acquired from the Rockies.

The bullpen was strong all season, with John Wetteland notching 43 saves in spite of missing the first couple of weeks of the season. Mel Rojas went 5-8, 2.95 with 10 saves, and lefty Fassero was excellent before moving to the starting rotation. In mid-season, the Expos traded Archi Cianfrocco to the San Diego Padres in return for Tim Scott, who went 5-2, 3.71 in 32 games. Barnes, Shaw and Heredia all pitched out of the bullpen before and after their tries as starters, but all had relatively high ERAs (4.41, 4.14 and 3.92 respectively). For his part, Gardiner's 5.21 ERA in 24 games basically wrote him off from the team's future plans.

The offensive leaders included Grissom, the team's Player of the Year and sole representative at the All-Star Game, who hit .298, scored 104 runs and stole 53 bases, also contributing 27 doubles and 19 homers from the lead-off slot. Walker hit .265 with 22 homers and 86 RBIs, and Alou hit .286 with 18 homers and 85 RBIs. DeShields hit .295 with 75 runs and 43 steals, Berry .261 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs, and Lansing .287 with 64 runs and 23 steals. All of these numbers came in a low run-scoring environment compared to the offensive explosion that was to occur within a few years, and in a ballpark that dampened offensive numbers further. As can be surmised from some of the above paragraphs, there was a lot of roster churn that year, but one nice surprise was OF Lou Frazier, who made the team as a minor league free agent and hit .286 while stealing 17 bases in limited playing time. But it was mainly a year when a lot of players got to wear the Expos' uniform for a short stretch, with Randy Ready, Charlie Montoyo, Curtis Pride, Matt Stairs and Ted Wood the other position players who were given a look, in addition to all those named earlier. The pitching was also in flux, with brief appearances by Scott Aldred, Brian Looney, Bill Risley, Sergio Valdez, Bruce Walton and Pete Young in addition to all those already named. This may not seem a lot by 21st century standards, but it was a lot of roster movement for the time - especially for a team that won over 90 games.

The Expos lost to the Reds on Opening Day, but won their next two games against them and would never fall below .500 after evening their record at 6-6 on April 18th. They were 48-40 at the All-Star break, then played three straight series on the West Coast to open the second half. They lost six of their first seven games on that trip and seemed ready to fall into oblivion, but they righted the ship. The tremendous winning streak mentioned above started on August 25th, when they were in third place, 12 1/2 games back. By September 15th, they had shrunk that to 4 1/2 games. They reduced that to four games by winning two of three from the Phillies on September 17-19, but then sank back. They made the race look closer than it was by winning five of their last six games, but a Phillies hot streak when they won 6 of 8 after stumbling against the Expos clinched the division title and the final few games turned out to be meaningless.

Among the memorable games played that season was the first ever game played at Mile High Stadium on April 9th with over 80,000 in attendance. Bottenfield was rocked for four runs in the 1st inning, including a lead-off homer by Eric Young, and the Expos lost the game, 11-4, but got their revenge two days later with a 19-9 win over the Rockies. Rueter's debut on July 7th against the San Francisco Giants saw him pitch 8 1/3 scoreless innings before Wetteland recorded the final two outs of a 3-0 win. Even more memorable was Boucher's debut in an Expos uniform on September 6th; there were over 40,000 fans at Stade Olympique for that one, the first time ever that three Canadians were in the starting line-up for one team as Boucher was joined by C Siddall and RF Walker. Boucher gave up just 1 run in 6 innings against the Rockies, but it was Scott who got the win when Siddall drove in the winning run in the 8th for a 4-3 win. Then there was the game known in Expos lore as the "Charlie Montoyo game", the following day, when the unknown career minor leaguer drove in the tying and winning runs in another 4-3 win over the Rockies in his first career at-bat, and the "Curtis Pride game" on September 17th, when the Expos beat the Phillies, 8-7, with Pride contributing a two-run pinch double that tied the game in the 7th inning and almost brought down the ballpark. The ovation he received was so huge that even though he is deaf, he later explained that he could feel its vibrations through his body. On a more somber note, the day before that, Alou's season had come to an abrupt end when he destroyed his ankle when he stumbled while rounding first base after hitting a single in the 7th inning of a game against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. This reminded every Expos fan of a certain age of the injury that had wrecked Terry Francona's career at the same location back in 1982, but luckily, Alou would make a full recovery, while Rondell White filled in ably for him over the final two weeks as he was taking his first steps on a major league field.

Meanwhile, back on the farm, the AA Harrisburg Senators put together one of the most dominant seasons in minor league history to win the first of what would be four consecutive Eastern League titles, and the AAA Ottawa Lynx had proved a huge hit in their first season following an expansion of the International League. The system was brimming with prospects, so many that the Expos could not keep them all, and the fans were full of optimism. Everyone was convinced that, finally, 1994 would be the Expos' year.

Further Reading

• Norm King: "Expos Play With Pride; September 17, 1993: Montreal Expos 8, Philadelphia Phillies 7 At Olympic Stadium", in Norm King, ed.: Au jeu/Play Ball: The 50 Greatest Games in the History of the Montreal Expos, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2016, pp. 93-95. ISBN 978-1-943816-15-6
• Bill Young: "Three Canadians in Expos' Starting Lineup; September 6, 1993: Montreal Expos 4, Colorado Rockies 3 At Olympic Stadium", in Norm King, ed.: Au jeu/Play Ball: The 50 Greatest Games in the History of the Montreal Expos, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2016, pp. 90-92. ISBN 978-1-943816-15-6