 He made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast White Sox in 1980 and played with the Class-A Appleton Foxes of the Midwest League in 1981 and 1982.

on September 7, 1982 he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds (along with Wade Rowdon) as a player to be named later in the deal that had previously sent Jim Kern to the White Sox.He spent 1983 with the AA Waterbury Reds in the Eastern League, where he hit .257 in 131 games.He was promoted to AAA in 1984 and assigned to the Wichita Aeros of the American Association.