Hottman Named To LaSalle Club's Hall Of Fame

Kenny Hottman was one of the best ball players ever to hail from our city. He played for the Chicago White Sox in the 1970's. I got this announcement from Rick Cabral of Baseball Sacramento. Com:

Two former major leaguers head the list of eight players and one high
school team in the 2012 class of the La Salle Club Baseball Hall of
Fame.

Leron Lee, the Sacramento area's first local player to be chosen in the
major league draft, and Jim Barr, a long-time San Francisco Giant
pitcher and Sacramento State coach head the slate.

Additional inductees include: Pat Fall, Mike Furtado, Ken Hottman, Don
Murphy, Bob Puccinelli and Rich Separovich.

The 58th annual Hall of Fame event is set for Saturday, April 28 at
Christian Brothers High School Field House. It will begin with a no-host
social at 5:30, followed by a sit-down dinner at 6:30.





Barr prepped in southern California and pitched for USC, helping the
Trojans win two College World Series (1968 and 1970). He pitched 12
years in the major leagues, including 10 with the San Francisco Giants,
compiling a 3.56 earned run average. His 90 wins as an SF Giant still
rank fourth on the list. He once set a record by retiring 41 consecutive
batters (now held by Mark Buehrle, Chicago White Sox). After retirement
Barr pitched on five Men's Senior Baseball League World Series
Championship teams and was inducted in the National and Sacramento Men's
Senior Baseball League Halls of Fame. He served as Sacramento State's
pitching coach from 1996 to 2010.

Fall was a standout pitcher-outfielder for the McClatchy Lions,
culminating with his All-City selection in 1966. That summer the Kansas
City A's drafted him in the 9th Round and he pitched two years in their
organization. He played semi-pro ball from 1964-1971, including a game
in which he pitched 17 innings with no decision. In 1971 he pitched one
more minor-league season for the Angels.

Furtado was another standout player for the Lions, earning All-City
honors his senior year (1964). He made 2nd team All-Conference at
Sacramento State in 1968. He played in all the local bush leagues from
1964-1976, including several championship teams. Furtado coached Elk
Grove High to its first section (D-II) championship in 1982.

Hottman played at Elk Grove High and Sacramento City College where he
was the won 1968 Valley Conference Triple Crown. Drafted four times in
college, Hottman finally signed with the White Sox and spent seven years
in the organization. He was a September call-up in 1971 after earning
the Topps Player of the Year Award in the Southern League where he hit
.302 with 37 home runs and 116 RBI for Double-A Asheville.

Lee was a two-time All-City player at Grant High and was drafted 7th
overall in the first round in 1966 by St. Louis. In 1967 he was voted
the California League's Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. He
played for four teams during his eight-year big league career and batted
.300 for San Diego in 1972. In 1977, Lee went to Japan and was an
immediate star in the Nippon Professional Baseball League. He was voted
an all-star (Best Nine) four times. His career numbers for batting
average, home runs and RBI rank in the top five of foreign-born players.
Leron is the uncle to major leaguer, Derrek Lee.

Locally, Lee is legendary for a ball he hit in high school off of fellow
'12 inductee Fall at McClatchy High that traveled more than 400 feet on
the fly but was ruled a ground-rule double when it bounced over a
neighboring fence. Lee's blast before a flock of scouts catapulted him
to first-round status. For more on the story visit
http://www.baseballsacramento.com/History-Travelin'_1966.html

Murphy prepped at Bishop Armstrong and played college ball at American
River and St. Mary's College. He played two minor-league seasons with
Detroit. A regular on the busher circuit, Murphy once caught a no-hitter
thrown by Bob Forsch in 1971 Winter League action for league champion
Cal-Loan.

Puccinelli was an All-City player in 1955 at Sacramento High and went on
to play three seasons for Cal Berkeley, which won the 1957 College World
Series. In 1959, Puccinelli was signed by Cleveland and played two years
in the organization.

Separovich, an All-City player at Christian Brothers (1955) and an
All-Far West Conference outfielder at Sacramento State (1959), he also
played in the semi-pro leagues locally, including Dales Rural League
championship team in 1959.

In addition to the eight men, the La Salle Club is inducting the 1962
Bishop Armstrong High School baseball team. Under coach Dick Sperbeck,
the team beat four league champions, compiled a 22-2 record, featured
the area's top batting and pitching leaders and claimed six All-City
selections. Cal-Hi Sports deemed Bishop Armstrong its 1962 "State Team
of the Year," one of only five Sacramento schools to receive that honor.

For the complete biographies of the 2012 inductees and a complete list
of Hall of Fame members, go to:
http://www.baseballsacramento.com/LaSalle_Club_Baseball_HOF.html

The La Salle Club is an organization that has raised funds for Christian
Brothers High School since the 1930s. The Club inducted its first Hall
of Fame member--former Sacramento Senators' manager John "Buddy"
Ryan--in 1953. Since that time, more than 450 individuals have been
inducted into its Hall of Fame, including the legendary Knezovich
Brothers--all five of whom pitched for Christian Brothers High
School--and one of the finest Winter League championship teams of all
time, Julius Style Shop of 1934, which was sponsored by local Sacramento
businessman Julius Anapolsky.