Monday, April 2, 2012 | 2:08 a.m.
Rick Lancellotti
Rick Lancellotti ascended to borderline legendary status in minor league baseball circles.
Baseball fans in the valley were lucky enough to witness two years in Lancellotti’s prime, as he was 27-years old when assigned to the Las Vegas Stars in 1983.
Lancellotti became the main attraction on the 1983 and 1984 teams, which had a .551 winning percentage, because of his power. Lancellotti recorded 163 RBI and 38 home runs in 163 career games in Las Vegas.
The 131 RBI he recorded in 1984 still stand as a single-season record for the franchise. Lancellotti — often referred to as a real-life version of “Bull Durham” character Crash Davis — went on to set a minor league record with 276 home runs.
He could never break through to the majors for any prolonged stretch, registering 65 career at-bats with only 11 hits and two home runs.
Lancellotti never stayed in one place for too long. In addition to minor league stints all over America, he also played professionally in many foreign countries including Italy, Japan and Venezuela.
Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
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