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Number 162: Bobby Bonds.

Bonds signed with the Giants in 1964, pre-draft. He first reached the majors in 1968 at age 22, and was hailed as the new Willie Mays, playing alongside the real thing. In 1969, his first full season, Bonds hit 32 HR, had 90 RBI, scored 120 runs, and stole 45 bases. He had talent just oozing from him. But somehow he never quite became Willie Mays. He struck out a lot, setting a single-season record. After 1974, the Giants traded him to the Yankees for Bobby Murcer, and he began to bounce from team to team.

Bonds always had great speed and power, and good defense in RF. He just was never quite as good as people wanted him to be. He was awfully good, though. His career stopped abruptly. In 1979 he hit .275 with 25 HR, but in 1980 fell to .203. When he hit just .215 in 1981, his career was over amidst whispers of alcoholism. The abrupt end in his mid-30s may have prevented him from ever reaching the Hall of Fame. If he'd tacked a late-career postseason success, he would have looked much better to voters.

Bonds earned 149.65 ratings points.

Bonds' stats: .268 average, 332 HR, 461 SB, 1258 runs.

posted by Shawn Weaver at 7:07 PM

 

Number 161: Roberto Alomar

Alomar broke into the majors in 1988, with the San Diego Padres, and immediately made an impression as a good fielder who wielded a solid bat. After three years in San Diego Alomar headed north of the border in one of the biggest trades in history, and became a fixture for a surging Toronto franchise. He began winning Gold Gloves and making All-Star teams with regularity, as the Blue Jays won their division in 1991, and then took the World Series in 1992 and 93. Alomar stayed through 1995, and then went to Baltimore as they made it to the ALCS in 1996 and 97. They didn't make the postseason in 1998, and Alomar moved on again, this time signing with Cleveland, which made the ALDS in 1999 and 2001, but advanced no further. He spent 2002 and early 2003 in New York with the Mets, but had little success.

All this moving started giving Alomar something of a reputation, that he is not a team player or a good teammate. He may be high-maintenance, but what a payoff he brought. He played in the postseason in 7 of the 17 seasons of his career, and won 10 Gold Gloves and finished in the top six of MVP voting five times, with a high of 3rd in 1999. He has done it with solid average, a good measure of walks, speed, and developed good power to go with the flashy and effective defense. All players should be so hard to work with. Alomar is one of the finest middle infielders ever.

Alomar earned 149.94 ratings points.

Alomar's stats: .300 average, 210 homers, 474 steals, 2724 hits, 1508 runs, 1032 walks.

posted by Shawn Weaver at 5:12 PM

 

Number 160: Minnie Minoso.

Minoso, a dark-skinned Cuban, was not eligible to play in major league baseball due to the unofficial color line that was finally broken in 1947. He played in the American Negro Leagues for awhile, and was very impressive, and got a major league chance in 1949 with Cleveland. He was 3-for-16 with a HR, but for some reason didn't play in the majors again until 1951, when he was 28 years old, and then not really until he was traded to the White Sox in a complicated three-team deal with the A's.

The White Sox made room in the lineup for Minoso, and he hit .326 with 10 HR and 112 runs in 1951. Minoso continued producing along those lines through the 1950s, including after he was traded back to the Indians after the 1957 season. He was a regular through 1961, and bounced around a bit as a bench player afterwards, into his forties.

Minoso played roughly the second half of his career in the majors, once the color line was broken, and played very well. He hit for a good average, showed good power and speed, and solid defense. He gets credit for time lost to segregation.

Minoso earned 150.12 ratings points.

Minoso's stats: .298 average, 186 HR, 205 SB, 1963 hits.

posted by Shawn Weaver at 3:45 PM