Las Vegas 51s

Sent down by Blue Jays, Travis Snider making most of his time with 51s: April 25, 2012; By Ed Hauth; At this point in his professional baseball career, highly touted prospect Travis Snider expected to be a regular in the big leagues.

51s overpowered by Sacramento, look to even series Sunday: April 8, 2012; By Ed Hauth; The Sacramento River Cats baseball team scored four runs in the third inning and three more in the fifth to help defeat the Las Vegas 51s 10-8 Saturday night at Cashman Field.

Top prospect Anthony Gose will bring excitement to Cashman Field this summer: April 5, 2012; By Ray Brewer; Don’t be surprised if Anthony Gose runs his way into the Las Vegas 51s record book. The 51s, which at 7:05 p.m. Thursday open their 30th season of minor league baseball in Las Vegas by hosting the Sacramento RiverCats. at Cashman field, haven’t had a player steal more than 41 bases since 2003. Then again, they haven’t had a base runner with Gose’s speed and awareness on the base paths.

4. John Kruk (1984-86): April 2, 2012; By Ray Brewer; John Kruk never holds back when giving an opinion while serving as a baseball analyst for ESPN. It’s the same way when talking about his appreciation for the Las Vegas Triple-A franchise. Kruk, long before he appeared in the 1993 World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies or became a colorful television personality, was a member of the Las Vegas Stars from 1984 to 1987.

27. Kevin Higgins (1990-94): April 2, 2012; By Ray Brewer; The Las Vegas 51s open the season Thursday at Cashman Field against the Sacramento RiverCats to begin their 30th season of baseball in Southern Nevada, which gives us a reason to look back at some of the great players to wear a Las Vegas jersey.

30. Larry Brown (1983-84): April 2, 2012; By Ray Brewer; Larry Brown’s legacy in Las Vegas has very little to do with the two seasons he played for the Las Vegas Stars.

29. John Lindsey (2007-08): April 2, 2012; By Ed Hauth; John Lindsey played two seasons for the Las Vegas 51s in 2007 and 2008, becoming the only player in franchise history to win the annual Mayor’s Trophy based on fan voting in back-to-back years.

28. Terry Tiffee (2008): April 2, 2012; By Case Keefer; More than 374,000 people walked through the Cashman Field gates in 2008, a year the 51s enjoyed their best attendance in the last 18 years. Reasons for the increased turnout vary, but a high-octane offense led by third baseman Terry Tiffee didn’t hurt.

26. Shane Mack (1986-89): April 2, 2012; By Taylor Bern; During four seasons in Las Vegas, Shane Mack built the foundation for what would be a solid if not spectacular career that sent him to five major league teams and three years in Japan. Mack’s best years came with the Minnesota Twins. In 1991, he hit .310 and drove in 74 runs while playing all three outfield positions for the World Series Champions.

25. Randy Ruiz (2009): April 2, 2012; By Ray Brewer; In terms of pure power, Randy Ruiz might have been the best slugger in Las Vegas Stars/51s history.

24. Bip Roberts (1987-88, '95): April 2, 2012; By Ric Anderson; During the 1988 season, Leon Joseph Roberts — better known as Bip — provided a glimpse of things to come when he hit .353 and stole 29 bases for the Stars, both still among the best single-season marks in team history.

23. Gerry Davis (1983 to '85): April 2, 2012; By Case Keefer; The 1983 Las Vegas Stars team inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame would likely have never received such an honor without outfielder Jerry Davis.