Hall of Famers Announced

The Portland Sea Dogs announced their first inductees to their Hall of Fame. Both were members of the initial Sea Dogs team that took the field in 1994: catcher Charles Johnson and Manager Carlos Tosca.

Johnson is an appropriate choice for the initial class. He was the first top prospect to play for Portland, and the Sea Dogs first star. Florida's first-ever draft pick, he batted .268-28-80 for Portland, and was the starting catcher for the Marlins the following year. Johnson had a good defensive reputation, and a bat that showed promise but didn't really develop into a top hitter in the majors. Johnson hit 19 home runs for the World Series champion Marlins in 1997, then was traded away in the 1998 fire sale that decimated the team. Johnson's best season in the majors was 2000. He batted 304/379/582-31-91 while splitting time between the Orioles and White Sox. Johnson was briefly property of the Red Sox this past off season, and appears to be retired after being released by the Devil Rays in June. His career batting record is 245/330/433-167-570 in 1,188 games. He had good power and drew a fair amount of walks, but his defense was key. He won four gold gloves in the national leaue (1995-98), and was named to the 1997 and 2001 NL all star teams as a member of the Marlins.

Tosca is also probably the best-remembered of the Portland managers. He guided the team over its first three seasons, including playoff appearances in 1996 and 1996. He managed such future major leaguers as Johnson, Edgar Renteria, Felix Heredia, Luis Castillo and Mike Redmond. Tosca compiled a 229-195 record with the Sea Dogs. He went on to manage the Toronto Blue Jays, for whom he compiled a 191-191 record from 2002-2004. Tosca is currently the third base coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Though neither honoree was able to attend, there were nice features on both presented on the Ford Board. We saw highlights of Johnson's time in Portland and Florida, and a nice interview with Tosca. Banners are on display in the concourse at Hadlock Field.