Meet the players who made up Rochester's best baseball team ever
The 1971 Rochester Red Wings are generally considered the best team in the franchise's 122-year history. Here's a closer look at the 35 players and coaches who took to the field that season.
COACHING STAFF
Joe Altobelli – manager (Red Wing Hall of Fame)
The Detroit native was tremendously popular during his four seasons as a slugging first baseman with the Red Wings in the late 1960s. He had already played parts of three seasons in the big leagues with Cleveland and Minnesota, but his best years were spent knocking homers in the International League. When his playing days ended, Altobelli spent two seasons managing the Orioles’ Double-A club in Dallas-Fort Worth before taking the helm in Rochester.
Altobelli managed the Wings from 1971 to 1976, when he was tapped to manage the San Francisco Giants. He would later spend two seasons coaching the Yankees before being hired to manage the Baltimore Orioles in 1983, leading that club to a World Series championship in his first season. Altobelli went on to coach with both the Yankees and Chicago Cubs, before returning to Rochester as the Red Wings general manager in 1991. He later served as special assistant to the club president from 1994 to 1997, and as a commentator for Red Wings home games from 1998 to 2009.
A tremendous fan favorite , Altobelli became known in Rochester as "Mr. Baseball," and is one of just two Red Wings to have their uniform number retired.
Chico Fernandez – coach
The light-hitting Cuban shortstop made his big league debut with the Orioles in 1968 and suffered a near-fatal beaning while playing for the Wings in August 1969. He was announced as the Red Wings coach for the 1971 season, but was forced to retire after suffering a blackout at a Daytona Beach restaurant in April. Fernandez died in Miami in November 2020.
Pete Ward – coach
Ward came up through the Baltimore system but spent most of his 9 seasons in the big leagues with the White Sox. The third baseman hit .295 with 22 homers for Chicago in 1963, finishing 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting and 9th for Most Valuable Player. He was traded to the Yankees in 1970 and released during spring training in 1971. When Ward joined the Wings as a coach that May, General Manager Bob Turner said Ward could possibly be added to the active roster at some point in the season, but that didn’t happen. He did get activated during the playoffs, registering one hit in three pinch-hitting appearances. The Montreal native would go on to manage in the minor leagues and coach in the majors.
STARTING LINEUP
Richie Coggins – CF
A three-sport star out of Detroit, Coggins had headed to UCLA on a football scholarship before the Orioles drafted him. Known for his speed and defense, the lefthander hit 20 home runs out of the leadoff spot in 1971. He made his big league debut the following year and finished 6th in Rookie of the Year voting in 1973. He would spend five seasons in the majors with the Orioles, Expos, Yankees and White Sox, posting a .265 career average with 50 steals.
Bobby Grich – SS (Red Wing Hall of Fame)
Grich was clearly a star on the rise when he arrived in Rochester in 1970, hitting .383 before earning a promotion to the Orioles in June of that year. A shortstop out of Long Beach, California, Grich’s path to the big leagues was blocked by eight-time gold glove winner Mark Belanger. Back in Rochester for the 1971 season, the 22-year-old did not disappoint. He batted .336 with an International League-leading 32 home runs and 124 runs scored, winning the International League's Most Valuable Player Award.
After that spectacular 1971 showing, Grich never returned to the minor leagues. He was a six-time All-Star in 17 seasons with the Orioles and Angels, winning four Gold Glove awards at second base.
Don Baylor – LF (Red Wing Hall of Fame)
Baylor had a monstrous season with the Red Wings in 1970, batting .327 with 20 homers and 120 RBI. He fared almost as well in 1971, anchoring the Wings' powerful offense. He played six seasons in Baltimore but had his best years with the California Angels, winning the American League MVP award in 1979. Baylor reached the World Series three times late in his career, in consecutive years with three different teams: Boston in 1986, Minnesota in 1987 and Oakland in 1988.
After 19 seasons as a big-league player, Baylor spent the next 25 as a coach and manager. He was the first manager for the expansion Colorado Rockies (1993–1998), winning Manager of the Year in 1995 after guiding the team to its first playoff berth. He also managed the Chicago Cubs from 2000 to 2002. Baylor died in 2017 in his hometown of Austin, Texas.
Terry Crowley – 1B
Crowley played in 83 games with the Orioles in 1970, including a pinch hitting appearance in the World Series. He had been a starting outfielder for the Wings in 1969 but moved to first base in 1971, hitting .282 with 19 homeruns. Crowley would go on to play 15 seasons in the big league, where he was renowned as one of the best pinch hitters of his era.
He won a second World Series ring with Cincinnati in 1975 before returning to Baltimore, and was a key member of the Orioles AL championship team in 1979. He served two stints as the Orioles hitting coach (1985-1988, 1999-2011) and one with the Twins (1991-1998).
Mike Ferraro – 3B
Ferraro spent three seasons with the Red Wings and was named as an International League All-Star each time. The right-handed third baseman made appearances with the Yankees in 1966 and '68, and with the expansion Seattle Pilots in '69 before joining the Red Wings.
He was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1972 and started 124 games but didn't hit well enough to stick in the big leagues. After five seasons as a minor league manager, Ferraro served as a big league coach with the Yankees, Royals, and Orioles. He also had managerial stints with Cleveland (1983) and Kansas City (1986).
Sam Parrilla - RF
Parrilla was one of three players the Orioles acquired in a trade for one of their top prospects, the 1970 IL MVP Roger Freed. The 28-year-old from Santurce, Puerto Rico batted .333 for the Wings in 1971 and hit two homeruns in Game 5 of the Governor's Cup to propel the team to victory.
An ankle injury slowed him in 1972, and retired a year later. Parrilla was shot to death in Brooklyn in 1994 by a 15-year-old, following a dispute over a traffic accident. His daughter, actress Lana Parrilla, has been a regular cast member on several television shows, including Spin City, 24 and Once Upon a Time.
Don Fazio – 2B
The Watertown native and Ithaca College alum was the only member of the 1971 Wings’ starting lineup who didn’t reach the big leagues. He retired at the end of the 1970 season after 7 years in the Boston farm system, frustrated that he hadn’t been able to crack the Red Sox big league roster.
He came to Rochester in 1971 to coach physical education in the Rush-Henrietta school district when the Wings came calling in mid-May. In need of a second baseman, they agreed to let Fazio skip road games until the school year ended. He batted .272 for the Wings in 1971 and made just seven errors in 90 games at second base. Fazio returned to the Wings for another season in 1972 before retiring from baseball again.
Johnny Oates – C (Red Wing Hall of Fame)
Oates was one of three players in the '71 Wings starting lineup who had spent time with the 1970 Orioles as they marched toward a World Series championship. Oates returned to Rochester and hit .277 with seven homers for the Wings in 1971.
Best known for his defensive prowess, he batted .250 during 11 seasons in the majors, mostly as a backup catcher for the Orioles, Braves, Phillies, Dodgers and Yankees. He played in two World Series with the Dodgers.
Oates returned to Rochester as a manager in 1988, leading the Wings to a Governor's Cup in his only season at the helm. He would go on to spend 11 seasons managing in the big leagues with the Orioles (1991-94) and Texas Rangers (1995-2001). Oates died of brain cancer in 2004 at the age of 58.
BENCH
Jim Hutto (Red Wing Hall of Fame)
The utilityman played first, second, third, catcher, and the outfield for the 1971 Red Wings, batting .285 with 15 homers in 128 games. Hutto was traded to the Angels after the '71 season but returned in a separate trade 18 months later. In his first full season back with the Wings in 1974, Hutto hit a team-leading 15 home runs as the everyday catcher for another Governors' Cup winning squad. Hutto would play two more seasons in Rochester, helping guide the Wings to playoff berths in 1975 and 1976. He played in the majors for Baltimore and Philadelphia and later managed in the Orioles farm system.
Larry Johnson
Teammates called him the “Sea Lion,” joking that he was shaped like a bottom-heavy seal and moved like one. But it was Johnson's light-hearted personality and quickness with a joke that made him popular with teammates. He hit .307 for Rochester in 1971 and spent two more seasons with the Wings before leaving baseball.
Ron Shelton (Red Wing Hall of Fame)
The California native returned for his second season with the Wings in 1971, and it would prove to be his last in baseball. Shelton is better known for his work as a film director and screenwriter. His 1988 hit “Bull Durham,” based on his own experiences in the minor leagues, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He is married to actress Lolita Davidovich and was inducted into the Red Wings Hall of Fame in 2017.
George Farson
Rochester was the last stop for the journeyman catcher, who batted just .217 for the Wings in 36 games in 1971. He was named manager of the Orioles farm club in Bluefield, West Virginia in 1972, spending eight seasons as a minor league manager. He died in Maine in 2010.
Arturo Miranda
Miranda batted .271 as the Red Wings starting shortstop in 1969, but never hit well enough to earn a big-league promotion. He batted just .194 in 20 games for the ’71 Wings.
STARTING ROTATION
Roric Harrison (Red Wing Hall of Fame)
A late addition to the staff, Harrison was acquired in a trade on the last day of spring training to bolster the Wings pitching staff. Control problems had plagued him elsewhere but things came together for the 24-year-old right-hander in Rochester. He posted a 15-5 record and a 2.81 ERA in 1971 and was named the International League's Most Valuable Pitcher. He set a franchise record by striking out 18 batters in a win over Toledo on July 12. He pitched out of the bullpen for the Orioles in 1972 and went on to pitch in the big leagues with Atlanta, Cleveland, and Minnesota, both as a starter and reliever.
Bill Kirkpatrick (Red Wing Hall of Fame)
Kirkpatrick spent six seasons in Rochester and ranks among the club's all-time leaders in wins (47) and strikeouts (419). The right-hander was steady if unspectacular in 1971, starting 26 games and posting an 11-10 win-loss record. He led the International League with 15 victories in 1974 with a 2.83 ERA but never earned a big-league promotion.
John Montague
A workhorse drafted by the Orioles out of Old Dominion University, Montague spent two seasons in the middle of the Red Wings rotation, posting a 6-9 record in 1970 and 8-6 in 1971. He made his big league debut with Montreal in 1973 and would go on to pitch for the Phillies, Mariners and Angels.
Bill Burbach
A first-round pick of the Yankees in 1965, Burbach made his big league debut with the Yankees in 1969. Just 21 years old, he posted a 6-8 record and 3.65 ERA in 24 starts, but could never regain that form. A trade brought Burbach to the Wings in May of 1971. He went 7-2 with a 4.84 ERA in 14 starts and 7 relief appearances. Traded again to the Tigers organization after the 1971 season in Rochester, Burbach spent one more season in the minors before retiring.
George Manz
The right-hander joined the Wings after an excellent year in Dallas-Ft. Worth in 1970. Manz was 8-5 with a 5.85 ERA in 1971, making 13 starts and 14 relief appearances. He spent four seasons pitching for the Wings.
Greg Arnold
One of the highlights of the 1971 season was Arnold's no-hitter against Charleston on May 28. Unfortunately, things went downhill pretty quickly after that for the 22-year-old right-hander. He struggled with control and was banished to the bullpen, then demoted after a rocky relief appearance. He opted to quit baseball rather than accepting the assignment. Arnold posted a 2-7 record in 13 starts for the Red Wings in 1971.
Dave Leonhard (Red Wing Hall of Fame)
Leonhard was 30 years old with five big league seasons under his belt when he was demoted from Baltimore in late April 1971. After threatening to retire, he joined the Wings and pitched well, going 7-4 in 13 starts with a 3.76 ERA. By late July he had rejoined the Orioles. Leonhard had pitched for Rochester in 1966 and '67, and returned for 10 games in 1973.
Freddie Beene (Red Wing Hall of Fame)
The Texas native spent five seasons in Rochester, bounding between the Red Wings and Orioles before he was traded to San Diego following the 1970 season. He returned to Rochester in a late June trade and played a key role in the Wings' pennant run, posting a 7-1 record in 12 starts.
He was masterful during the Wings playoff run, winning all five games he started including the series clinchers against Tidewater and Denver. Beene was traded to New York after the 1971 season, spending three years in the Yankees' bullpen followed by two more with Cleveland.
Wayne Garland
Garland did not pitch for the Wings during the regular season in 1971 but was called up to pitch in the playoffs and turned in a pair of dominant performances. He made his AAA debut in the decisive Game 5 of the Governor's Cup, striking out seven in eight innings to help lead the Wings to a 2-1 victory. The 21-year-old right-hander also won Game 2 of the Junior World Series. He went on to spend nine years in the majors with the Orioles and Indians, and was a key figure in the legal fight to establish free agent rights for baseball players in December 1975.
BULLPEN
Mickey Scott (Red Wing Hall of Fame)
The tall lanky lefthander was the shutdown man out of the Wings bullpen in 1971, posting a 9-1 record with 9 saves and a 3.38 ERA in a team-high 54 games. He spent three seasons with Rochester and five in the majors, pitching relief for the Orioles, Expos and Angels. Scott was born in Germany but grew up in Newburgh, New York and later settled in Binghamton. He owned a popular sports bar there called Mickey's Mound and lived there until his death in 2011
Ray Miller
Miller was the top right-hander in the '71 Wings bullpen, appearing in 44 games and leading the team with 11 saves. He never reached the majors, but became a player-coach for the Wings in 1973 and seemed to find his true calling. Miller spent five years as the Orioles minor league pitching instructor before becoming Baltimore's pitching coach, where he was widely regarded as one of the best of his era. He spent 11 years in that role with the Orioles and another 10 with the Pirates. He also had stints managing the Minnesota Twins (1985-96) and Orioles (1998-99).
Orlando Pena
Pena was the old man on a young 1971 Red Wings team. The 37-year-old Cuban right-hander had already logged 316 big league appearances with five teams before arriving in Rochester. Pena pitched only 11 games for the Wings in 1971, spending parts of July and August up with the Orioles, but played a key role in their postseason run. He returned to Rochester in 1972 and pitched in the majors until 1975.
Dutch Weems
Weems was just 19 when the season started, and he was used sparingly out of the Red Wings bullpen in 1971. He pitched parts of the next two seasons with Rochester but never reached the major leagues.
Dick Baney
Baney was relegated to the bullpen in 1971 after spending the previous season with the Wings as a starter. He earned a victory in relief on opening day, but struggled after that and was traded to the Cincinnati Reds organization in early June. He spent three seasons in the big leagues, and achieved some notoriety in 1977 when he posed nude for Playgirl magazine.
Dave Boswell
Boswell made his big league debut at age 19 for the Minnesota Twins and quickly became a key member of their starting rotation. He went 20-12 with a 3.23 ERA in 1969. leading the team to the American League Championship Series. He pitched 10.2 scoreless innings in Game 2 of the playoff series, suffering a serious arm injury on a pitch that struck out Orioles slugger Frank Robinson.
After a failed attempt to revive his career in Detroit, Boswell joined the Orioles. His 15 appearances there were unspectacular, but he made four strong starts for the Red Wings late in the season, going 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA. Boswell died in 2012 at his home outside Baltimore.
Ed Maras
A sinker-ball specialist, Maras posted a 3-6 record out of the Wings bullpen before being traded to the Montreal Expos organization in mid-June. He was drafted as a first baseman by the Orioles in 1966 but switched to pitching a year later.
Ricardo Delgado
Delgado spent six seasons pitching for Rochester and the 1971 season would be his last. The 31-year-old right-hander made one start and eight relief appearances for the '71 Wings, finishing the season—and his baseball career—in the Milwaukee farm system.
Rich Thoms
The 27-year-old left-hander pitched in seven games for Rochester in 1971, posting a 3.27 ERA. It would be his last appearance in pro ball. He died in 2020 in his hometown of Sherman, Texas.
Mike Adamson
A "bonus-baby," Adamson made his professional debut at age 19 with the Orioles in 1967. He bounced between Baltimore and Rochester for three seasons and began to find some success as a starter for the Wings, leading the team with 133 strikeouts in 1969. But he struggled with Rochester in 1970 and was cut loose after two dismal appearances in 1971.
Steve Jones
The veteran lefty pitched poorly in two appearances and was traded to the Indians organization in early May for reliever Ray Miller. Jones had spent parts of three seasons in the majors with the White Sox, Senators and Royals.
More in this series
Meet the 1971 Red Wings, Rochester's best baseball team ever
'My kind of club.' Joe Altobelli takes the reins in dream job for adopted hometown
He was a brawler, a singer and he threw a no-hitter for the 1971 Wings. Then he retired.
How good was Bobby Grich in 1971? The Red Wings couldn't win without him. Litterally.
Altobelli wasn't thrilled to get Roric Harrison. Then he struck out 18 in a game, won 15.
Rochester was 'best minor league baseball town in the country' as wins piled up for Wings
Ace goes down in Game 1, but after Game 4 the 'better team' was on to the next round
'Give me a couple aspirin.' Tidewater series, times were tense for Altobelli and Rochester
Pandemonium. Celebration. Red Wings were champs and Rochester was thrilled.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester Red Wings 1971 team: Meet the players who won the title
