Since professional baseball was reinstituted locally in 1978, there have been numerous guys who went on to play in the Major Leagues. This week, Replays profiles some of those who made it to "The Show," after playing for Helena's Phillies (1978-83), Gold Sox (1984-86) and Brewers (1987-2000, 2003-present).

Arguably the most famous class of local alums was that first modern-day minor league team: the 1978 Helena Phillies. Three guys from that club starred in the Majors, one of whom wound up in the Hall of Fame.

The great Ryne Sandberg debuted with the parent Philadelphia team as a shortstop in 1981. After being traded to the Chicago Cubs in 1982, he went on to earn 10 consecutive All-Star selections at second base, and nine straight Gold Glove Awards.

In 1984, he was chosen as the National League's MVP. Sandberg batted over .300 five times, and scored over 100 runs seven times. He established major league records for second basemen for fielding percentage, consecutive errorless games and career home runs.

Sandberg retired from the Cubs in 1997 after 16 seasons, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

George Bell played 12 seasons in the Majors from 1981-93, for the Blue Jays, Cubs and White Sox. A .278 lifetime hitter, he was a three-time All-Star. In 1987 with Toronto, he hit .308, with 47 homers and 134 RBIs, and was named the AL's MVP. Sandberg and Bell remain the only two players in baseball history to play on a Rookie League team together and later receive MVP awards in the majors.

Bob Dernier, the NL's centerfield Gold Glove recipient in 1984, played 10 seasons in the bigs, for the Phillies and Cubs. He was a member of Philadelphia's 1983 World Series group. While with the Cubs from 1984-87, sportscaster Harry Caray nicknamed Dernier and Sandberg "the Daily Double."

A fourth 1978 player - catcher Ed Hearn - was Helena's MVP that year. Although he played only three years in the majors, Hearn performed a solid backup role behind New York catcher Gary Carter during the Mets' 1986 world championship season.

Darren Dalten, a member of the 1980 Capital City squad, went on to become a three-time NL All-Star catcher for Philadelphia. He played in The Show from 1983-97, his last year being with the world champion Florida Marlins. Daulton's best showing was 1992, when he led the league with 109 RBIs.

Ricky Jordan (Helena, 1983) graced the diamond for Philadelphia and Seattle from 1988-96. He sported a lifetime .281 average, batting .308 in 1988. A few other Helena Phillies who made the majors were Jay Baller, Roy Smith, Don Carmen and Jim Olander.

Jack Daugherty and John Trautwein were part of the 1984 Gold Sox. Daugherty spent six years in the bigs from 1987-93, with the Expos, Rangers and Reds. In 1990, he hit .300 for Texas. Trautwein pitched part of the 1988 season for the Red Sox.

John Jaha, 1985 Gold Sox member, played for Milwaukee and Oakland from 1992-2001. In 1999, he cracked 35 taters and tied for AL home run title with Dave Kingman. Jaha made the All-Star team while earning Comeback Player of the Year.

The 1986 Sox contained three jewels, in the persons of Gary Sheffield, Greg Vaughn and Darryl Hamilton. Sheffield started his career here as a 17-year-old. He debuted in The Show in 1988 with Milwaukee, and has since played for the Marlins, Dodgers, Braves, Yankees and Tigers. Sheffield entered his 21st big league season this spring with a career mark of .296, 2,521 hits and 480 home runs.

Vaughn, an outfielder/designated hitter, played 14 years in the majors (Brewers, Padres, Reds, Devil Rays and Rockies), from 1989-2003. A four-time All-Star, in 1998 he cracked 50 dingers.

Hamilton played in the bigs from 1988-2001, with the Brewers, Rangers, Giants, Rockies and Mets. He accomplished seven .300 seasons. For his 13-year career, Hamilton averaged .291 at the plate, and on defense sported a .995 fielding percentage.

Several other Gold Sox who made the majors were Randy Veres, Russ McGinnis, Brian Drahman and George Canale.

Steve Sparks, Jamie Navarro and Dave Nilsson were each members of the 1987 Helena Brewers. Sparks pitched for 10 seasons in the majors, for the Brewers, Angels, Tigers, Athletics and Diamondbacks. In 2001, he won 14 games for Detroit.

Navarro pitched in the majors from 1989-2000, amassing 116 career victories. He went 17-11 for Milwaukee in 1992, and in 1995 with the Cubs, he produced a 3.28 ERA. A native of Australia, Nilsson was a catcher for Milwaukee from 1992-99. He crafted a lifetime .284 batting average, hitting .331 in 1996. Nilsson retired from professional baseball after the 1999 season, in order to play for Australia in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.

Troy O'Leary first came here in 1987, at the age of 17. He spent 2½ seasons in Helena. O'Leary played in The Show from 1993-2003, with the Brewers, Red Sox, Expos and Cubs. A .274 lifetime hitter in 11 big league seasons, he twice batted over .300.

A pair of the local standouts in 1991 were Jeff Cirilo and Mike Matheny. Cirilo played from 1994-2007, for Milwaukee, San Diego, Minnesota and Arizona. A career .296 hitter and a two-time All-Star, he achieved a high average of .326, with 198 hits. In 2000 with the Rockies, he banged out 53 doubles.

Matheny was considered one of the best defensive catchers of his era, earning four Gold Glove awards. In 13 big league seasons, he caught 1,305 games for the Brewers, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Giants.

Mark Loretta, who played in the Capital City in 1993, was a major league middle infielder from 1995-2007. He was a .298 lifetime hitter and was twice selected to the All-Star team. His best year was 2004 with San Diego, when he batted .335, with 208 hits, 108 runs and 47 doubles.

Geoff Jenkins (Helena, 1995) is No. 2 on Milwaukee's career home run list, behind Robin Yount, with 212 dingers. He played in the bigs from 1998-2007. Jenkins was the Brewers MVP in 2000, when he led the team with a .303 batting average and 34 home runs. He's currently playing for Philadelphia.

In 2005, infielder Billy Hall, who started in Helena in 1998 and debuted with Milwaukee in 2002, helped the parent club to its first winning season in 13 years. The next year, he led the team in six offensive categories, along with earning the Brewers 2006 MVP honor.

One of the biggest stories to come out of the hometown lately is Ryan Braun. Braun played here in 2005, and last year with Milwaukee, all he did was win the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year award. He led the league with a .634 slugging percentage, breaking Mark McGwire's rookie record of .618. In one of the greatest first-year performances in baseball history, Braun batted .324, with 34 home runs, 97 RBIs and 15 steals.

Some of the former Helena Brewers who went on to play in the majors include Scott Karl, Kelly Wunsch, Mike Ignasiac, Mike Kinkade, Travis Smith, Brian Banks, Dana Eveland, Ty Taubenheim, Drew Anderson, Joe Thatcher, Danny Klassen, Mitch Stetter, Tim Dillard, Oreste Marrero and Mark Kiefer.

A few others who've had a "cup of coffee" in the bigs, are Charlie Montoya, Frank Bolick, Robinson Cancel, Brian Malette, Bert Heffernan, Matt Childers, Drew Anderson, Todd Dunn, Rueben Rodriguez, Mickey Lopez, Luis Martinez, Jason Childers, Jose Mieses and Sid Roberson.

Reporter Curt Synness: 449-2150 or curt52s@bresnan.net