tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38276812011-09-10T13:58:24.806-07:00Rating the Greatest Baseball Players of All TimeMy rankings of the greatest baseball players ever, starting with number 1, in order.Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comBlogger2791100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-87043023548409344422011-09-10T13:55:00.000-07:002011-09-10T13:58:24.821-07:00Top ten third basemen of all time:1. Mike Schmidt2. Eddie Mathews3. Wade Boggs4. George Brett5. Brooks Robinson6. Ron Santo7. Chipper Jones8. Frank "Home Run" Baker9. Scott Rolen10. Graig NettlesHonorable Mention: Sal Bando, Darrell Evans, Ken Boyer.Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-57632188751491747642011-09-10T09:09:00.001-07:002011-09-10T09:09:24.780-07:00Book Review: The Big Show: Charles M. Conlon's Golden Age Baseball Photographs. Published 2011 by Abrams.It's a picture book: well, more accurately, it's a photography book. Conlon was a newspaper proofreader who dabbled in photography as a hobby, when one day the editor of the New York Telegram asked him to take some shots of baseball games and players, to be published in the newspaper and Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-80164528652402952962011-07-29T08:24:00.000-07:002011-07-29T08:27:14.372-07:00Another list, this time the top ten catchers of all time:1. Johnny Bench2. Yogi Berra3. Gary Carter4. Ivan Rodriguez5. Mike Piazza6. Bill Dickey7. Carlton Fisk8. Joe Torre9. Roy Campanella10. Ted Simmons*11. Mickey CochraneShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-17799539187963443892011-07-14T11:13:00.000-07:002011-07-14T11:18:19.967-07:00With a nod to Derek Jeter getting his 3000th hit, the top ten shortstops in baseball history (through 2010).1. Honus Wagner2. Alex Rodriguez3. Cal Ripken4. Arky Vaughan5. Ernie Banks6. Pee Wee Reese7. Luke Appling8. Joe Cronin9. Lou Boudreau10. George DavisJeter's defense is what holds him back on this list: he comes in at #13. He could move up, but this year's performance so far does not bode Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-35184655637626167732011-07-14T11:10:00.001-07:002011-07-14T11:10:48.691-07:00That completes a top 250: next we will look at some lists of top by position.Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-29236391790423230172011-07-14T11:08:00.000-07:002011-07-14T11:09:55.640-07:00Number 250: Stan Hack.Hack was a .300 hitter with walks, a leadoff man, a bit unusual for third basemen. A lifelong Cub, Hack joined the team in 1932 at age 22 as a part-timer. Woody English was the regular in those days, but Hack played some, pinch-hit, and even appeared briefly in that October's World Series. He played less in 1933, but became the regular in 1934 and pushed English to the Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-17522692206898408722011-07-14T11:06:00.000-07:002011-07-14T11:08:06.795-07:00Number 249: Kevin Appier.He never won 20 games in a season, so it doesn't seem he should be this good. However, he pitched for a lot of bad teams in Kansas City, not going elsewhere until he was in his thirties. He also pitched quite well for a number of years. Pitchers are affected by the players around them more than any other players, so sometimes you get the good pitcher masked by the Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-46349105944746623112011-07-14T11:00:00.000-07:002011-07-14T11:05:36.786-07:00Number 248: Hack Wilson.With only twelve years in the major leagues, and only nine of those with 100 games played, Wilson owes his Hall of Fame election to peak value. He led the league in home runs four times and RBI twice, and put together a 1930 season that remains one of the most remarkable of all time. His 56 homers stood as a National League record for years, and his 191 RBI remain the Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-26922495455480363342011-07-14T10:57:00.000-07:002011-07-14T10:58:59.256-07:00Number 247: Don Sutton.Sutton pitched most of his career for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was signed by the Dodgers in the pre-draft days of 1964, and was in the rotation of the 1966 NL champs, Sandy Koufax's last year. Sutton was 12-12 but ably filled a rotation spot, then was suddenly thrust into a leading role when Koufax and later Drysdale retired. Sutton was about an average pitcher Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-15880941311191771932011-07-14T10:50:00.000-07:002011-07-14T10:55:47.984-07:00Number 246: Jim Rice.South Carolina native Jim Ed Rice spent all sixteen years of his major league career with the Boston Red Sox. He led the league in homers three times, RBI twice, won the 1978 MVP award and finished in the top five of voting six times. He was productive and obviously well-respected by people around the game.His election to the Hall of Fame was opposed by a vocal minority, Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-3626272081152890442011-07-10T17:30:00.000-07:002011-07-10T17:32:12.925-07:00Number 245: Bob Elliott.Elliott began his career as a right fielder but ended up spending most of it at third base. He started out in Pittsburgh with the Pirates, then was dealt to Boston at the end of 1946. He won the 1947 NL MVP, followed by the Braves winning a surprise 1948 NL pennant. That was his only World Series, but Elliot was a solid power hitter and a pretty good third baseman. Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-11976371703586477062011-07-10T17:22:00.000-07:002011-07-10T17:27:39.779-07:00Number 244: Jack Stivetts.Stivetts was a 19th century pitcher who was a major leaguer for just eleven years. Pitchers threw out their arms pretty quickly in those days. He was an above-average pitcher and hitter, and that moves him up the list.Stivetts led the league in ERA in 1889, his first year as a major leaguer. He pitched over 400 innings each of the next three years, then pitched some Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-7526694378866730992011-02-25T17:07:00.000-08:002011-02-25T17:14:54.262-08:00You may notice some changes: I have converted the rating system to WAR, Fangraphs version, from WARP of Baseball Prospectus. WARP kept changing, apparently due to whim, and WAR has the current cache'. So, I bowed to pressure.The trouble is, Fangraphs does not have WAR for pitchers posted past the 1970s. So, WAR from then back comes from Baseball-reference.com, and is somewhat different. I amShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-18030369266200849672010-11-23T05:32:00.000-08:002010-11-23T07:34:53.828-08:0050 Best Non-Hall of Famers.Hi, folks, it's been awhile. I've been working on re-doing my rankings list, which has been slow going. I got frustrated with the Baseball Prospectus WARP system, decided to switch to WAR, and ran into complications with the different versions of that. I concluded that the Fangraphs version was better than the one used by Baseball Reference.com, but it is less Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-14078089045701462292009-01-12T13:26:00.001-08:002009-01-12T13:26:54.107-08:00Congratulations to Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice, just elected to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. They join Joe Gordon, selected earlier by the Veteran's Committee.Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-22438775462383124442008-08-19T19:11:00.000-07:002011-07-10T16:55:00.596-07:00Number 243: Tommy Leach."Wee" Tommy Leach stood just five-foot-six but he was a sturdy baseball player, mostly for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Honus Wagner era. Leach began his career as an infielder, mostly at third base where a spry fellow was required to field the many bunts of the deadball era. Leach did well at that, but later in his career began to spend most of his time in center Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-16578905417000454642008-08-18T13:12:00.000-07:002011-07-10T16:43:37.798-07:00Number 242: Stan Coveleski.Coveleski was a spitballer, his status surviving the 1920 outlawing of the pitch through the "grandfather" clause that went with it. He first appeared in the majors in 1912 with the Philadelphia A's, but his 2-1 record did not impress with a team in the midst of four pennants and he was sent back out. In 1916 he joined the Indians and began a run of success in Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-3854591281723406822008-08-16T07:50:00.000-07:002011-07-10T16:41:35.668-07:00Number 241: Harry Hooper.A California native, Hooper went to St. Mary's College of California to study engineering and began playing baseball there. His play caught the attention of the Boston Red Sox, who signed him to a contract and brought him east. He soon became the right fielder in one of the greatest outfields in history, with Tris Speaker and Duffy Lewis. The Red Sox were putting Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-4090213208498468792008-08-14T07:02:00.000-07:002011-07-05T05:12:34.805-07:00Number 240: Early Wynn.He won 300 games, though he had to hang on awhile to do it. Wynn was 43 when he hung them up, but had a 2.28 ERA in that last year. He began in the majors with the Washington Senators in 1939, and a 5.75 ERA. He got a chance to try again in 1941, and did much better. He spent 1945 in the service, then returned to the Senators. He was up and down in Washington, then Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-87921154273572195042008-08-11T06:21:00.000-07:002011-07-05T05:10:40.109-07:00Number 239: Tony Lazzeri."Poosh-em-up Tony" was a power-hitting second baseman who starred for twelve years with the Yankees as part of "Murderer's Row." He wasn't a great defensive second baseman, but he wasn't bad, and he was a solid part of the lineup. He only ever led the league in one offensive category, strikeouts in his rookie year of 1926. However, he got as high as third in MVP Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-36085592246474256562008-08-10T16:21:00.001-07:002011-07-05T05:03:27.215-07:00Number 238: Luis Tiant."El Tiante" was a Cuban whose father was a famous pitcher in his home country, when the color line kept him out of American baseball. The younger man left the country after Castro came to power, and was playing in Mexico when signed by Cleveland in 1962. He made the majors in 1964 at age 23, posting a 10-4 record in 19 games. He was a solid starter for the Indians Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-9695743591909558782008-08-10T16:20:00.001-07:002011-07-05T05:00:57.390-07:00Number 237: Hughie Jennings.A 19th century shortstop and early 20th century manager, he was Ty Cobb's manager for the first half of Cobb's career, 1907-20. The Tigers won pennants the first three years of that string, but nothing afterwards, and spent most of that time in the second division in spite of the presence of a great player.As a player, Jennings played 100 games or more in just seven Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-38122738222680231572008-08-09T13:03:00.000-07:002008-08-09T13:04:21.630-07:00Not all players debut at the end of the list, and so Albert Pujols makes his first appearance on the list at #144. You'll have to look in the archives to see him. I will get up to current soon.Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-13731845249443747992008-07-16T10:23:00.001-07:002008-07-16T10:24:01.883-07:00It's time I revised again. I've been going through the player ratings, so you may be seeing some movement. I have reevaluated some guys, and of course some active players have moved up. A-Rod, for instance.Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-36610430903529600082007-06-22T18:52:00.000-07:002011-07-05T04:58:00.901-07:00Number 236: Ed Konetchy.He was the best first baseman in the NL during the decade of the 1910s. I suppose you could build a Hall of Fame case off of that, if anyone would listen. HOF cases have been built on ground just as shaky, or worse. Konetchy is not Hall-worthy, but he was a good player and is forgotten today.He spent the first half of his career with the Cardinals in an era where the Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1173552661854920362007-03-10T10:48:00.000-08:002007-03-10T10:51:01.856-08:00Revision in progress: with a site like this, you always have to keep revising or it quickly gets out of date. After all, they keep playing baseball. Another problem is, the WARP numbers I use as the basis of the ranking system are periodically changed by Clay Davenport, often without notice. So I go through to check something and find the values are different. So more changes. That's all Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1173548439154509662007-03-10T09:38:00.000-08:002007-03-10T09:40:39.156-08:00I have recently made a change to my blog lineup. I publish the Cincinnati Reds blog here at Blogger, and now have moved by Baseball Awards Blog here to Blogger. In it, I list Win Shares and WARP data, and choose who should have won MVP, Cy Young, Rookie and Manager awards. It's a nice walk through baseball history, and I hope you will like it.Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1154054848416766002006-07-27T19:47:00.001-07:002011-07-04T17:54:00.124-07:00Number 235: David ConeCalled "Staff Ace on loan" by Bill James after he was a midseason pickup by contenders a couple of times, Cone was one of the top pitchers of the 1990s. A 3rd round pick by the Royals in 1981, he was traded to the Mets for a bucket of balls before 1987, and went 20-3 in 1988 to burst onto the scene. He didn't win 20 in a season again until 1998, but was a consistent Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1154054879875917852006-07-27T19:47:00.000-07:002011-07-04T17:51:40.774-07:00Number 234: Gabby HartnettOriginally, the nickname of "Gabby" for Charles Leo Hartnett was a bit of a joke: he didn't speak much. As he grew older and more experienced he became more loquacious so that the nickname was no longer a misnomer. He came to Chicago in 1922 at age 21 and played sparingly for the Cubs that year, just 31 games and 79 AB. He started getting more playing time the next Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1153696512833937992006-07-23T16:09:00.000-07:002011-07-04T17:48:47.502-07:00Number 233: Heinie Groh.Groh was famous for using a "bottle bat," an oddly-shaped piece of wood that tapered quickly at the end of the barrel, rather than gradually as is typical. He used that type of bat for better control, and it worked very well. Groh was signed for the Giants but traded away for a couple of veterans, typical of John McGraw's operation. Groh went to Cincinnati and for theShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1153015619553471112006-07-15T19:06:00.000-07:002011-07-04T17:46:34.671-07:00Number 232: Willie Keeler.He was "Wee Willie" Keeler and his motto was "hit 'em where they ain't." He was a little guy, about 140 pounds, and a right fielder from 1892 to 1910. He was born (and would die) in Brooklyn, and first came to the major leagues with New York, but would have his greatest success with the Baltimore Orioles of the 1890s. He also played with Brooklyn, and jumped to the Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1152935640964872482006-07-14T20:53:00.000-07:002011-07-04T17:43:53.346-07:00Number 231: Tom GlavineHe made a living exploiting the strike zone of the 1990s, which was about two inches below the knee and sometimes extended to six inches outside off the plate. Glavine could have been a successful pitcher in any era, with his good stuff and ability to exploit the conditions given him. Glavine made nine starts for Atlanta in 1987, at the age of 21. The next year he was aShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1152064178154110432006-07-04T18:49:00.000-07:002011-07-04T17:37:19.998-07:00Number 230: Dave Stieb.The first great player for the Toronto Blue Jays was born in California and went to college at Southern Illinois. He was drafted by Toronto in the 5th round, 1978, and made his major league debut in 1979. That was Toronto's third year of existence, and they were searching for any hint of quality. They got it for a lot of years from Stieb.Stieb could reasonably be Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1150120352473017972006-06-12T06:44:00.000-07:002011-07-04T17:35:03.325-07:00Number 229: Phil Rizzuto."The Scooter" was a quick, slick-fielding shortstop and the leadoff man for several great Yankees teams. Rizzuto signed with the Yankees in 1937 and in 1941, at age 23, pushed veteran Frank Crosetti out of a job. Rizzuto batted .307 that year, and .284 the next before going into the service during World War II. The war cost him three prime years, and when he returned Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1149994733027036242006-06-10T19:53:00.000-07:002011-07-04T17:32:54.381-07:00Number 228: Earl Averill.He had an interesting if somewhat brief career of 13 seasons, really 11 as a regular, but got a late start with his first game in the majors at age 26. He doesn't really even surface in pro ball until age 22, but the westerner just arrived in the pro game late.When he did make it, he hit the ground running. He spent most of his career as the Indians' center fielder andShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1149945941598384592006-06-10T06:15:00.000-07:002011-07-04T17:17:07.016-07:00Number 227: Ted LyonsLyons pitched for the White Sox during one of the worst periods in their history, the time following the 1919 Black Sox scandal and its aftermath, as the Chisox spent 40 years between pennants. Lyons pitched for a series of lousy teams, but kept on putting up stellar numbers year after year.Lyons was 22 in 1923, when he pitched in 9 games for the White Sox. He was 2-1 with Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1149469958375588702006-06-04T18:12:00.000-07:002011-07-04T17:13:20.347-07:00Number 226: Joe "Ducky" Medwick.Like many Depression-era players, he got several nicknames. The common "Ducky" was a shortened form of the original "Ducky Wucky." I guess you had to be there. More descriptively, he was called "Muscles" as he was a slugger of the first rank. He only had a career high in homers of 31, in his 1937 Triple Crown year, but he played mostly in large parks. He hit Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1149469790704427792006-06-04T18:08:00.000-07:002011-07-04T17:10:06.708-07:00Number 225: Johnny Evers.Evers was very slender, a 5-foot-9 125-pound bundle of energy, all sinew and tendons and nerve. It was said he had so much electricity in his body that a wristwatch did him no good, they wouldn't run right. His infield mate Joe Tinker said he wished Evers had been an outfielder so he wouldn't have had to listen to him.Evers was never a great hitter, even for the Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1149469725608130752006-06-04T18:00:00.000-07:002011-07-04T12:05:22.927-07:00Number 224: Whitey FordHe is the winningest pitcher in World Series history, and also the one with the most losses at 10-8. Ford was signed by the Yankees in 1947, and debuted in New York in 1950, going 9-1 down the stretch. He got his first World Series win that year, too. He also got two years in the military, and returned to the roster in 1953. From there Ford embarked on a stellar careerShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1149354261574514842006-06-03T09:59:00.000-07:002011-07-04T12:02:25.406-07:00Number 223: Carlos Beltran.The 1995 second-round pick from Puerto Rico came up through the Royals system at a time when the Kansas City club was fading from relevance. He hit the big leagues with loads of talent in a place where no one much was watching. He put together several impressive seasons, then in 2004 was ready to test the free agent market when the Astros dealt for him to give them aShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1149193701922039482006-06-01T13:27:00.000-07:002011-07-04T11:38:56.621-07:00Number 222: George Foster.For seven seasons, 1975-81, the Alabama native was the top slugger in baseball. He won the 1977 MVP and his season of .320 with 52 HR and 149 RBI was a shock to baseball fans still in the middle of an offensive low point. Those were Babe Ruth or Hank Greenberg numbers, rarely seen in the 1970s. Foster led the league in RBI three times and HR twice, making five Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1149193617840204672006-06-01T13:21:00.000-07:002011-07-04T11:36:43.905-07:00Number 221: Max Carey.The Indiana native born Maximillian Carnarius had his name shortened early in his career. He came to Pittsburgh as a shortstop but Honus Wagner was already there so the fleet youngster became first a left fielder and then a center fielder. He would lead the NL in stolen bases ten times during a 20-year career, mostly with the Pirates but ending with the Dodgers.He arrivedShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1149193262452859992006-06-01T13:19:00.000-07:002011-07-04T11:03:01.422-07:00Number 220: Joe Kelley.The 1890s Orioles got famous on their scheme of bunts, chop hits, steals, and harassing umpires, but every team needs a power source. For the Orioles, that was Kelley.Kelley was the fulcrum of those great teams with power, speed, and strong defense from left field. He didn't have many league-leading totals, just stolen bases in 1896. He drove in 100 runs five times, Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1148915329125106692006-05-29T08:08:00.000-07:002006-05-29T08:08:49.126-07:00Update now done through Number 200, and a little extra. New content will begin appearing soon.Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1148161119855256022006-05-20T14:38:00.000-07:002006-05-20T14:38:39.856-07:00Updating now complete through Number 150. Still reshuffling the deck.That's the thing with a site like this, it's never done.Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1146933361289466522006-05-06T09:35:00.000-07:002006-05-06T09:36:01.290-07:00I have now completed the 2006 update through 100th place, and will continue to reshuffle based on the 2005 stats update for active players. It's a long process!Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1143918521656594482006-04-01T11:08:00.000-08:002006-04-01T11:08:41.670-08:00Being a blogger has its perquisites. A couple of weeks ago, I received in the mail a copy of “The Last Nine Innings” by Charles Euchner, a new book featuring the seventh game of the 2001 World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees, with the agreement that I would read it and review it for my blog. Therefore, I am.Euchner’s book owes much to Daniel Okrent’s seminal book “Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1131404035293114062005-11-07T14:48:00.000-08:002011-07-04T09:53:03.840-07:00Number 219: Chase Utley.Utley rises this high on a fantastic peak, combining middle-of-the-order hitting on a winning team with terrific defense as the unrewarded most valuable player of this era of Phillies. Infield mates Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard have won awards while Utley was the best of them all. Joe Morgan did this dance before finally getting his due. It remains to be seen if UtleyShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1129937452856377992005-10-21T16:23:00.000-07:002011-07-04T08:56:36.856-07:00Number 218: Willie Davis.So how does Willie Davis get on this list? He wasn't an exceptional hitter, it's true, but he is better than he was remembered for two reasons. One is his era and the other is his home park. Davis played in the 1960s and 1970s, the Second Deadball Era, and in Dodger Stadium when that park was one of the strongest pitchers' parks in baseball. His stats suffered for Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1129397593402211232005-10-15T10:19:00.000-07:002011-07-04T08:39:00.184-07:00Number 217: Mickey Welch.Welch was a 19th century pitcher born in Brooklyn who began his career in Troy, New York, when that was a major league franchise. He quickly established himself as a quality pitcher in three years with Troy. Economic realities being what they were and are, the franchise was shifted to New York City the next year, and Welch had a homecoming of sorts.His 1884 and 1885 Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1127522794947595882005-09-23T17:39:00.000-07:002011-07-04T08:25:27.124-07:00Number 216: Kiki Cuyler.Hazen Shirley "Kiki" Cuyler got his nickname because of a stutter, as the story runs. Plus, what ballplayer would want to be called Hazen, or even Shirley? Cuyler worked his way up the minor league ladder, hitting .300 along the way, then burst onto the major league scene with the Pirates in 1924. He hit .354 in 117 games and was eighth in MVP voting, then second in Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1127176012022282402005-09-19T17:19:00.000-07:002011-06-05T12:28:52.346-07:00Number 215: Jim Fregosi.A six-time All-Star shortstop who got as high as seventh in the MVP voting, Fregosi was the best SS in the 1960s AL. He combined good defense with moderate power and solid on-base skills. In an era where shortstops did not usually hit much, he was an above-average hitter and thus one of the best in the game. His stats did not always reflect it, because of the Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1127087775593598852005-09-18T16:42:00.000-07:002011-06-05T11:13:10.182-07:00Number 214: Dazzy Vance.Vance got a trial with Pittsburgh for one game in 1915, and with the Yankees for 8 games in 1915 and two games in 1918, but didn't stick. He was a hard thrower with poor control and a continually sore arm. But one day, something went snap, and the pain was gone. Could be a bone spur broke loose, or something else, but he suddenly started throwing free and easy and his Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1127006395309699012005-09-17T18:10:00.000-07:002011-06-05T12:02:37.850-07:00Number 213: Pud Galvin."The Little Steam Engine" earned his nickname as one of the hardest-throwing pitchers of his era. That was an era when pitchers could not raise their arms above shoulder height, and also were expected to pitch nearly every game. For example, Galvin started 75 games in 1883, 72 in 1884. He was a busy pitcher, busy enough to win 365 games in his career.Galvin pitched Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1126568037619900222005-09-12T16:26:00.000-07:002011-06-05T11:38:54.805-07:00Number 212: John McGraw.McGraw is best known as the long-time manager of the New York Giants, but before (and briefly during) that period he was also a star third baseman. McGraw was the ringleader of the rollicking 1890s Baltimore Orioles, a short third baseman who would go to any lengths to win a game. His own game involved slapping singles, drawing lots of walks, and running the bases with Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1126374668317783092005-09-10T10:43:00.000-07:002011-06-05T11:08:30.222-07:00Number 211: Cesar Cedeno.People have already forgotten how good he was, because the memory is of promise unfulfilled; but for several seasons, even held back by the Astrodome, he was one of the best players in the NL, and the best center fielder in the league. The Astros signed Cedeno as a Dominican amateur in 1967 at age 16, and played 90 games for Houston in 1970 at age 19 and batted .310. Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1125152216819668052005-08-27T07:10:00.000-07:002011-06-05T11:06:15.664-07:00Number 210: Tony Mullane."The Apollo of the Box" and occasional switch-pitcher, born in Ireland, won 284 games in a rather lengthy career for a 19th century pitcher. Mullane spent most of his storied and often stormy career with Cincinnati.Mullane was regarded as a good-looking man, and the tradition of "Ladies' Day" promotions is said to have begun with him, using his appearance as a drawing Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1125103670259888562005-08-26T17:39:00.000-07:002011-06-05T10:50:48.269-07:00Number 209: Bobby DoerrDoerr debuted with the Red Sox in 1937 at the age of 19, and he would play his whole career with Boston. He played 55 games that rookie year, and batted .224. He would never bat lower than .258 again, and only the one time below .270. He drew some walks, hit for moderate power, and played superb defense at second base. He batted .289 in 1938, then in 1939 hit .318, andShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1124674135693421652005-08-21T18:00:00.000-07:002011-06-05T10:48:21.122-07:00Number 208: Jeff Kent.California native Kent was a 20th round pick of the Blue Jays in 1989. By 1992 he hit the majors and played 65 games for Toronto, batting .240 playing mostly 3B. The Jays wanted some pennant insurance (they were in the process of winning the first of two straight World Series) so they swapped Kent and Ryan Thompson to the Mets for David Cone. He played 37 games for the Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1124497219130988212005-08-19T17:12:00.000-07:002011-06-05T10:38:06.047-07:00Number 207: Brian Giles.It was the fate of Giles to always play in the shadow of others. In Cleveland, he was behind people like Manny Ramirez and Albert Belle. In Pittsburgh he was the big star, but on a poor team far from the limelight. In San Diego, the big ballpark swallowed his long shots and the team went from a winner to an also-ran.Giles came up with Cleveland, held back by the depth Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1124417951840080692005-08-18T19:09:00.000-07:002011-06-05T10:28:55.833-07:00Number 206: Dave WinfieldWinfield was a tremendous schoolboy athlete, tall and strong, and drafted by teams in pro baseball, basketball, and hockey, despite coming from the northern clime of Minnesota. He opted for baseball, and it wasn't long before his sad-sack San Diego Padres dropped him into the lineup, and he quickly became their best player. He had little help at first on this Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1124132825771739332005-08-15T12:00:00.000-07:002011-06-05T10:26:10.520-07:00Number 205: Jimmy Sheckard.Sheckard was an outfielder at the end of the 19th century into the early 20th century. He spent most of his career playing for fine Brooklyn teams, then went to Chicago in time for the best years of that franchise, the Tinker-Evers-Chance teams. He was a speedy leadoff man, but big enough that he also hit for distance as well.Sheckard led the league in steals twice, Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1124070682286359692005-08-14T18:43:00.000-07:002011-05-29T14:05:52.758-07:00Number 204: Andre Dawson.The Florida native was Montreal's 11th round pick in 1975. He debuted in the majors in 1976, playing 21 games, and took over the Expos' regular CF job in 1977. He won the Rookie of the Year award for 1977, and provided consistent and solid play while developing a habit of winning Gold Gloves. 10 years as a regular in Montreal brought only one post-season appearence, Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1123976936918847312005-08-13T16:41:00.000-07:002011-05-29T14:04:20.530-07:00Number 203: Willie Randolph.Drafted by the Pirates in 1972's 7th round, and surfaced in the majors in 1975, at age 20. But the mid-1970s Pirates were flush with second basemen, choosing between Rennie Stennett and Dave Cash, and passed Randolph to the Yankees in a trade for Doc Medich. Randolph made that deal pay off for the Yankees as a key cog in their successful run. He was the leadoff manShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1123699129434945082005-08-10T11:30:00.000-07:002011-05-29T14:02:01.872-07:00Number 202: Fred McGriff.Back in the 1990s when ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman was handing out nicknames to baseball players based on all kinds of pop culture references, he hung McGriff with "Crime Dog," a reference to McGruff, the Crime Dog, a public service cartoon character. It stuck, and is one of Berman's most successful and memorable nicknames. McGriff himself has never been much of a Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1123613933710530092005-08-09T11:51:00.000-07:002011-05-29T13:56:36.439-07:00Number 201: Joe Tinker.A gifted defensive shortstop, Tinker was part of the famous Cubs infield of the first decade of the 20th century, part of the greatest era of that club's history. He was brilliant afield, a solid hitter, and a key part of four pennant winners and two World Series champs. Tinker was also noted for his ability to hit the greatest pitcher of the time, Christy Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1123439442760225122005-08-07T11:30:00.000-07:002005-08-07T11:30:42.760-07:00A milestone, as we reach the 200 level, so to speak. My thanks to those who have read these rankings and profiles. I plan to continue. Onward!Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1123439395842627402005-08-07T11:22:00.000-07:002011-05-29T13:16:29.162-07:00Number 200: Robin VenturaVentura was a 1988 first round draft choice of the White Sox, and debuted in 1989 with Chicago. The Oklahoma State alumnus played 16 games in his "cup of coffee," batting .178. He was handed the regular 3B job in 1990, and batted .249 with 5 HR at age 22 as a rookie. In 1991 he exploded onto the scene, winning his first Gold Glove while hitting .284 with 23 HR and 100Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1123286778162938482005-08-05T16:57:00.000-07:002011-05-29T13:13:30.943-07:00Number 199: Bill Freehan.A solid hitter and excellent receiver, Freehan was second in the MVP voting in 1968 and third in 1967. That says a lot about his reputation while he was playing, though he is much less remembered today. His batting stats do not hold up well since he played mostly in the low-offense 1960s. His career OPS+ was 112, pretty good for a good defensive catcher. His peak Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1123248902543035042005-08-05T06:34:00.000-07:002005-08-05T06:35:02.543-07:00I have added a "tip jar" to the links on the left. Any donations made toward the upkeep of this website would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1123164557501545422005-08-04T07:03:00.000-07:002011-05-29T12:17:13.479-07:00Number 198: Jorge Posada.The native of Puerto Rico was drafted in the 24th round in 1990. He didn't appear in the majors until 1995, and that was just one game, no at bats. In 1997 he started sharing the catching job with Joe Girardi, and his strong hitting soon earned him the biggest part of the job. An average receiver, Posada's biggest value comes from his hitting. He hits for a good Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1123012328325088532005-08-02T12:45:00.000-07:002011-05-29T12:12:28.338-07:00Number 197: Luis Gonzalez.The Florida native went to the University of South Alabama and was drafted by the Astros in the 4th round of the 1988 draft. He came up as a first baseman but was tried at third, then moved into left field where he adapted quite well, becoming a solid fielder. He played a few years as an Astro, was traded to the Cubs, returned as a free agent to Houston, then went to Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1122858004660108722005-07-31T17:51:00.000-07:002011-05-29T12:06:44.033-07:00Number 196: Keith HernandezHernandez was a 42nd round pick in the 1971 draft, and became the greatest defensive first baseman of all time. Guys drafted that low are a long shot to make the majors, but Hernandez surfaced in 1974, getting into 14 games with the Cardinals and batting .294. The next year he reappeared, at age 21, and hit .250 in 64 games. His line-drive stroke fit well in the Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1122663163819616072005-07-29T11:42:00.000-07:002011-05-29T12:02:19.729-07:00Number 195: Charlie Buffinton.He pitched eleven seasons and won 233 games, 48 of them in a spectacular 1884 season for Boston. That workload set him back for a couple of years, but after that he had several seasons as a solid, dependable starter. In the days when pitchers were not allowed to raise their arms above shoulder height, Buffinton was quite the strikeout pitcher.Buffinton earned Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1122585117520845952005-07-28T14:04:00.000-07:002011-05-29T11:35:00.924-07:00Number 194: Ron Cey.Cey was a third round pick by the Dodgers in 1968. He had "cups of coffee" in 1971 and 1972 and then in 1973 took over the third base job. Wes Parker had retired, and the Steve Garvey as 3B experiment ended, opening the job to Cey. He held it for ten years, part of the longest-running infield in history. After 1982 he was traded to the Cubs for a bag of baseballs or Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1122475705888706772005-07-27T07:39:00.000-07:002011-05-29T11:26:25.229-07:00Number 193: Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown.He lost a digit and a half to an accident in his youth, and didn't appear in the majors until he was 26. However, after going 9-13 with St. Louis in that 1903 season, Brown was traded to the Cubs and went about pitching eight seasons of remarkable baseball. In that time, he was the second-best pitcher in the NL to Christy Mathewson, his biggest rival. Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1122382236582600502005-07-26T05:50:00.000-07:002011-05-29T11:22:47.558-07:00Number 192: Ralph Kiner.Kiner only played ten seasons, but he led the NL in home runs for the first seven of those seasons and put up tremendous offensive numbers for some very poor Pittsburgh teams. In the late 1940s and early 1950s Kiner was about the only reason to go to a Pirates game, to see whether he could put another one in the seats. He led the league in OPS+ in three seasons.He fadedShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1122329906929527062005-07-25T15:06:00.000-07:002011-05-29T11:08:26.886-07:00Number 191: Zack Wheat. The Missouri native was a top hitter of the 1910s and 1920s for the Brooklyn Dodgers and a member of the 1916 and 1920 pennant winners. Wheat was one of the best in the NL during his career, though not often the best. He would likely have won the 1916 MVP if there had been an award then.Wheat was a left-handed hitter of doubles and triples power and moderate speed withShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1121710047562969752005-07-18T11:00:00.000-07:002011-05-29T10:20:46.967-07:00Number 190: Rocky Colavito.A New Yorker who played in his hometown only in his final season, Colavito gained his greatest game as a Cleveland Indian. The slugger led the AL in homer in 1959 and in RBI in 1965 as an Indian. The strong-armed right fielder was well-loved in Cleveland. It was one of the great blunders in baseball history that after the home run title in 1959, he was traded to Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1121531295597057432005-07-16T09:19:00.000-07:002011-05-29T10:09:41.060-07:00Number 189: Bret Saberhagen.Saberhagen was a 19th round draft pick in 1982, and despite those odds reached the majors in 1984. He went 10-11 that year, then won 20 the next year as the Royals won the World Series against all odds, with a lousy offense but one of the great pitching staffs ever. Saberhagen was the Cy Young winner and World Series MVP that year, with 2 World Series wins.The rest Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1120345526433783102005-07-02T15:37:00.000-07:002011-05-29T10:04:56.072-07:00Number 188: John OlerudHe was a star as a pitcher and hitter in college, but was drafted as a hitter by Toronto in the 3rd round of the 1989 draft. He never went to the minors, but was 3-for-8 after signing late in the season. He was a platoon regular in 1990 and hit .265 with 14 home runs. He was at about that level the first few years, decent average, some power, lots of walks, and Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1119406717050806332005-06-21T19:16:00.000-07:002011-05-29T09:57:12.165-07:00Number 187: Vlad Guerrero.The Dominican is known for never seeing a pitch he wouldn't swing at. He draws a reasonable number of walks, but he's also led the league in intentional walks five times, which helps. He's also never struck out 100 times in a season, which means he can hit those pitches. He's also led the league in total bases twice, hits once and runs once. He was also the 2004 AL Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1119406559052480502005-06-21T19:13:00.000-07:002011-05-15T10:36:15.334-07:00Number 186: Buddy BellHe never hit more than 20 homers in a season, topped .300 only twice. But Bell was one of the great defensive hot corner guardians ever, overshadowed because his career overlapped Brooks Robinson and Graig Nettles, rivals for the title of greatest gloveman ever. He won six Gold Gloves, and though he only placed as high as 10th in the MVP vote once, Bell was a consistent Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1119406425456304992005-06-21T19:05:00.000-07:002011-05-15T10:32:37.543-07:00Number 185: Bobby Wallace.Wallace was a slick-fielding shortstop of the early 1900s. He had a long and successful career spent almost entirely in St. Louis. He was never a big-stick guy, especially playing mostly in the "dead-ball" era, but he could produce some runs, getting over 100 RBI twice. Wallace started his playing career in Cleveland as a pitcher, and pitched for a couple of years Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1119301493814621552005-06-20T14:04:00.000-07:002011-05-15T10:29:29.114-07:00Number 184: Dwight Gooden.The 1982 first-round pick of the Mets was a terrific young pitcher who suffered the fate of many young pitchers, tragic overwork. He led the league in strikeouts his first two years, won a Cy Young as a 20-year old, and never was quite that good again.He had to learn to pitch without the great fastball, and work through a sea of arm troubles, including missing all of Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1119301404058467752005-06-20T13:55:00.000-07:002011-05-15T10:16:52.323-07:00Number 183: Lance Berkman.He was a first-round pick in the 1997 draft and has had a terrific career. He was a fixture in the Houston lineup for eleven years and piled up terrific stats. Berkman was third in MVP voting twice, 2002 and 2006. He was a key member of the 2005 team that won the NL pennant.Berkman has played all over the outfield and at first base, and been very durable. Now tryingShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1119238053286752972005-06-19T20:18:00.000-07:002011-05-07T20:03:52.522-07:00Number 182: "Indian" Bob Johnson."Indian Bob" was an Oklahoman who spent most of his career in relative obscurity with the Philadelphia A's of the 1930s and early 40s. He was a terrific power hitter for mostly poor teams, and a good left fielder. He was an 8-time All-Star and drove in 100 runs for seven consecutive seasons 1935-41. Johnson got a late start, not debuting in the majors until Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1119133601514589892005-06-18T15:14:00.000-07:002011-05-07T20:00:36.031-07:00Number 181: Jason Giambi.Giambi got a late major league start, 54 games for the A's in 1995 at age 24, batting .256. He became a regular the next year, batting .291 with 20 HR, but they didn't know where to play him. Some third base, left field, but in 1998 he settled at first base. He also hit .295 with 27 HR and 110 RBI, and then moved into MVP territory. He won the 2000 MVP, was second inShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1118958037880899392005-06-16T14:40:00.000-07:002011-05-07T19:56:19.339-07:00Number 180: Frank Chance.The California native came east to play major league baseball. It wasn't that common then, but a few did, and in 1898 Chance became a member of the Chicago National League team, at age 21, the year after the venerable Cap Anson had finished his career. Chance began as a backup catcher and utility man, and was a part-time though very effective player in his early years.Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1118957935346263002005-06-16T14:31:00.000-07:002011-05-07T19:42:09.416-07:00Number 179: Jimmy Wynn.Wynn was signed by the Reds in early 1962, but then picked by Houston in the NL expansion draft. So, he is probably the best player ever selected in an expansion draft. There was lots of opportunity on an expansion club in the pre-free agent era, so Wynn was in the big leagues in 1963 at age 21. He batted .244 in 70 games, then .224 in 67 games the next year. He becameShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1118890616940775042005-06-15T19:47:00.000-07:002011-05-07T14:33:36.014-07:00Number 178: Norm Cash.Cash had an odd career, with one really great year, but a lot of very good ones. He was absolutely terrific in 1961, batting .361 with 41 homers and 132 RBI and finishing second in the MVP race, but didn't have another season at that level. He had a lot of years with a .270 average, 70 walks, 25 or 30 homers, and 80 or 90 RBI. He also got outed for using corked bats.The Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1118709399386098752005-06-13T17:36:00.000-07:002011-05-07T14:20:46.530-07:00Number 177: Rick Reuschel.He was a big, rawboned country boy who was drafted in the 3rd round by the Cubs in 1970. He went into the rotation in midseason 1972 and posted a 10-8 record. He pitched a lot for the Cubs, briefly for the Yankees, then for the Pirates and the Giants. He won 20 in 1977, but his main role was workhorse and ace.Reuschel didn't look much like an athlete, but he could Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1118709238203284072005-06-13T17:22:00.000-07:002011-05-07T14:17:25.536-07:00Number 176: Charlie Keller."King Kong" Keller was a hairy, muscular fellow who would have had a long and great career except for two things: World War II, and a bad back. Keller batted 500 times in just five seasons, but when he played he was exceptional.Keller drove in 100 runs in three seasons, and scored 100 in three as well. He was a capable left fielder with good speed and put up a Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1118624070713252622005-06-12T17:44:00.000-07:002011-05-07T14:15:22.858-07:00Number 175: Wes Ferrell.It is unusual for a pitcher with a career ERA of over 4.00 to be highly regarded. That is often used as a threshhold for adequacy. But Wes Ferrell's 4.04 career ERA comes with some caveats. For one, he pitched his career in an extreme hitters' era, the period of 1927-41. His ERA was high, but his ERA+ of 117 says that he was still well above average. Plus, he was a Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1118513989294634802005-06-11T11:08:00.000-07:002011-05-07T14:05:09.234-07:00Number 174: Elmer Flick.Flick was a terrific hitter, with a lifetime OPS+ of 149, albeit in a short career. He was an average RF. Flick began his major league career in 1898 with Philadelphia, hitting .302 at age 22. He jumped to .342 in 1899 and .367 in 1900, showing good power and some speed. His 1900 season, with 116 RBI and 57 extra-base hits, would continue to rank as his best. Other Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1118360883616882822005-06-09T16:38:00.000-07:002011-05-07T13:59:31.624-07:00Number 173: Bobby Abreu.It is always hardest to evaluate current players. So much colors our view of them. Bobby Abreu has drawn MVP votes in six years, but has never finished higher than 14th in the voting. He has only been an All-Star in two seasons. He is a classic underrated player, good at many things and bad at none. Perhaps someday he will be appreciated as he should.Abreu is a Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1118273057413342682005-06-08T16:10:00.000-07:002011-05-07T13:52:19.876-07:00Number 172: Dwight Evans"Dewey" was a great glove man and longtime right fielder in Fenway Park. Evans was not a real good hitter early in his career, playing mostly because of his exceptional defensive skills. As he got into his late 20s, he became a hitter with good power who drew a lot of walks to go with a decent average. Evans played 19 seasons in Boston, then a final campaign in Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1117907466627064922005-06-04T10:42:00.000-07:002011-05-07T13:37:41.586-07:00Number 171: Lou Whitaker.Whitaker was one of a pair with Alan Trammell, longtime Tigers shortstop. When Whitaker and Trammell came up through the minor leagues, they played together along the way. It was announced, after they had a "cup of coffee" in 1977, that they would be the double play combination the next year, but only if both were ready. They were, as Whitaker batted .285 in 1977, andShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1117289413720559222005-05-28T07:02:00.000-07:002011-05-07T13:30:07.245-07:00Number 170: Tony GwynnA publication once listed him as "the greatest hitter since Ted Williams." For average, yes, overall no. He had little power, and the worst bat speed in the majors. But he swung through the zone, and met the ball solidly time after time, producing innumberable line drives and over 3000 hits as well as 8 batting titles, with a career-high mark of .394 in 1994.Gwynn Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3827681.post-1116708736467344992005-05-21T13:51:00.000-07:002011-05-06T19:25:12.071-07:00Number 169: Andy Pettitte.Born in Louisiana and raised in Texas, the left-hander was drafted by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1990 Rule 4 draft. He worked his way up through the minors and became a part of the Yankee rotation in 1995. He was 12-9 that year and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. The next year he won 21 games, a career high he would also reach in 2003.He becameShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294100750661226344noreply@blogger.com