Infield: Second baseman Ryne Sandberg (1981-97) and third baseman Ron Santo (1960-74) give this infield a distinct Chicago Cubs influence. They also have a combined 624 home runs and 14 Gold Gloves, so that’s a good start. Sandberg was the face of the franchise for the years between the great 1960s teams and Sammy Sosa. Famously acquired as a throw-in as part of a trade with Philadelphia, Sandberg was a five-tool player and a fan favorite. Santo was an archetype of the slow, powerful third baseman with good hands. He hit 342 home runs and he drove in 100 runs a year even in the heart of a pitchers' era. Over at first base, Rusty Staub (1963-85) had just over 2,700 hits and just under 300 home runs – a great player whose numbers were held down by the era in which he played and the various parks he called home. He spent most of his career in the outfield, but he fits into this roster better at first base, and since he had the reputation as a great team player, we’re guessing he’ll make the move. Shortstop Roy Smalley (1975-87) hit 163 home runs and was a very solid player until back problems set in. (He was called Roy Smalley Jr. because his dad played, too, but he was actually Roy III and his dad was Roy Jr.) That’s over 1,000 home runs in the infield (and, oh, by the way, the backup first baseman has 300 home runs, too, but more on him later). If you’re thinking that this team is gonna bring some lumber, you’d be right.
Outfield: Reggie Smith (1966-82) is in center field. Another guy with 300 home runs – 314 to be exact – and he had 2,000 hits and just short of 900 walks, so he was on base plenty. He was a switch-hitter with decent speed - a fantastic, consistent player. In right field, Ruben Sierra (1986-2006) adds 306 more home runs. Like Smith, he was over 1,000 runs and 1,000 RBI. In fact, he was over 1,300 RBI. He bulked up in mid-career - some say he was trying to hit more home runs after he felt like he got jobbed out of an MVP - and he drifted away from what had started out as a Hall of Fame career. He was still a heck of a player, with a fine arm from right field. Over in left, Riggs Stephenson (1921-34) was a .336 career hitter with an on-base percentage over .400. Those figures are inflated by the context in which he played, and he was only a regular for a few seasons, but he was a very good hitter, and he’s going to score a lot of runs batting leadoff in front of the mashers in this lineup. A college football injury left him with one of the worst throwing arms in baseball history, but he was a valuable player.
Catcher: Ray Schalk (1912-29) was a durable catcher and a respected leader, one of the 1919 White Sox who was not involved in the fix. He was randomly placed in the Hall ofFame in one of the veterans committee’s more generous moments. He wasn’t really Hall-of-Fame good, but he wasn’t bad either.
Rotation: Rick Sutcliffe (1976-94) was a 6-foot-7 righty who was Rookie of the Year in 1979 and won the NL Cy Young in ’84. He was also top five in the MVP voting that year, going 16-1 and leading the Cubs to the division title after coming over in a June trade. He won 171 games in his career. Ray Sadecki (1960-77) was sort of a left-handed Rick Sutcliffe – durable and dependable, but not usually spectacular. He won 20 in 1964 but that was an anomaly. Rip Sewell (1932-49) won 143 games but had his best seasons during World War II against diminished competition. Ray Scarborough (1942-53) was a fairly average pitcher who might have won 100 if he hadn’t missed two seasons during World War II. Rollie Sheldon (1961-66) came along at the end of the Yankees’ great dynasty but didn’t last long. No superstars in this rotation, but they should be able to pitch well enough to win some games given the run support that this team will put up.
Bullpen: Closer Rafael Soriano (2002- ) is currently pitching set-up after signing with the Yankees, but he will still have the marquee job on the R.S. team on the basis of his 2009 season with Atlanta (2.97 ERA, 27 saves) and his 2010 season with Tampa (1.73 and 45 saves). Rod Scurry (1980-88) had a great year for Pittsburgh in 1982, but his career went downhill fairly quickly in part due to his cocaine use. Rudy Seanez (1989-2008) improbably lasted 17 seasons, and some of them were pretty good (but others really weren't). The man brought gas. Russ Springer (1992- ) has played for 10 teams, which qualifies him for journeyman status. Ron Schueler (1972-79) is probably better known for becoming a general manager, but he was a decent pitcher in his day, too. Ray Searage (1981-90) was a dependable lefty. Russ Swan (1989-94) gave up more walks than strikeouts, which is never a good thing.
Bench: Second baseman Red Schoendienst (1945-63) made all-star teams, figured in MVP voting and made it to the Hall of Fame, but he’s reduced to backup infielder status on this team. Richie Sexson (1997-2008) hit 306 home runs and will fill in some at first base. Heck of a pinch-hitter to send up with the game on the line.Reggie Sanders (1991-2007) had 305 home runs and 304 stolen bases. Pretty good fourth outfielder. Roy Sievers (1949-65) was another first baseman and outfielder with 318 home runs, which puts three guys on the bench with 300 home runs apiece, along with the Hall of Fame backup infielder. Backup catcher Razor Shines (1983-87) doesn’t match up to the other guys on this roster, but the starting catcher is durable and it’s hard to cut a guy named Razor. (Did you know that Razor Shines holds a major-league record? He played 68 games and never scored a run. No other non-pitcher has appeared in that many games without touching home plate safely.)
Manager: Red Schoendienst won 1,000 games and became an institution in St. Louis. Won the ’67 World Series and the ’68 pennant.
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