Baseball event moves to August; guests still set

The Third Annual Hot Springs Baseball Weekend has been rescheduled to Aug. 1415 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and will still feature appearances by baseball legends Lee Smith, Steve Carlton, Ted Simmons and Al Hrabosky, Visit Hot Springs said Tuesday.

Carlton, Simmons and Hrabosky are returning for this year’s event “because of the overwhelming response to their appearances at last year’s Baseball Weekend,” Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison said in a news release. “We thought we would bring them back for more opportunities for the fans to discuss baseball in the past and the present. The addition of Chicago Cubs legend and former Cardinal Lee Smith should really take those conversations to the next level.”

Arrison said Smith is known as one of the greatest relief pitchers of all time, and Carlton is recognized as one of the greatest pitchers of all time.

“Al Hrabosky is returning for his third Baseball Weekend,” he said. “A great Cardinal pitcher and a fan favorite during his playing days,

‘The Mad Hungarian’ has entertained ‘Baseball Weekend’ fans tremendously. He’s currently a TV broadcaster covering the Cards on Fox Sports.”

All four players will participate in panels, question-and-answer sessions and autograph sessions that are free and open to the public, the release said. Specific times for the panels and other events will be announced later.

“This will be the greatest weekend of activities thus far as we continue to showcase Hot Springs’ international recognition as the birthplace of Major League Baseball Spring Training,” Arrison said. “… It’s going to be a great weekend for baseball fans in Hot Springs.”

Smith has saved the most games in Major League history and was one of baseball’s greatest relief pitchers, according to the release.

“Smith was drafted in the second round of the

1975 amateur draft by the Chicago Cubs,” it said. Smith held the all-time saves record for 13 seasons “before Trevor Hoffman broke it in 2006. Today, Smith ranks No. 3 all-time behind Hoffman and Mariano Rivera.”

Simmons was the greatest offensive catcher in Cardinals history, playing for St. Louis from

1968-1980, the release said, noting he was named to six All-Star Games, caught two no-hitters and set a National League record with 182 home runs as a switch-hitter.

“Simmons is considered one of the best hitting catchers in Major League Baseball history,” it said. “… At the time of his retirement, Simmons led all catchers in career hits and doubles and ranked second in RBIs behind Yogi Berra and second in total bases behind Carlton Fisk. He also retired with the National League record for home runs by a switch-hitter despite playing several years in the American League.”

Carlton, nicknamed “Lefty,” used martial arts and weightlifting as part of his conditioning program and got himself to a fitness level that allowed him to throw for 24 seasons in the big leagues. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1963. In 1971, he had his first 20-win season and requested a contract of $60,000 for the following year.

“Auggie Busch traded me to the last-place Phillies over a salary dispute,” Carlton said in the release. “I was mentally committed to winning 25 games with the Cardinals and now I had to rethink my goals. I decided to stay with the 25-win goal and won 27 of the Phillies 59 victories. I consider that season my finest individual achievement.”

He went on to sign with the San Francisco Giants in 1986 and finished out his career with the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins.

Hrabosky was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 11th round of the 1967 amateur draft, but did not sign with the club, according to the release. Two years later the Cardinals made him their first-round choice. Within a year, at the age of

20, he made his Major League debut, pitching a scoreless inning against the San Diego Padres.

After eight seasons in St. Louis, the Cardinals traded Hrabosky to the Kansas City Royals. Following just two years with the Royals, he was released and signed with the Atlanta Braves.