Infield: Third baseman Phil Garner (1973-88) was known as “Scrap Iron” because of his hard-nosed approach to the game, which made him immensely popular with the blue-collar fans in Pittsburgh during the prime of his career. He wasn’t a speedster, but he stole as many as 35 bases in a season and had 220 steals in his career. He wasn’t a slugger, but he could hit 30 doubles and 15 home runs in a decent year. He wasn’t a Gold Glover, but he would throw himself in front of those hard shots down the third-base line. On the “We Are Family” Pirates of 1979, he batted .417 in the NLCS and then rapped out 12 hits against Baltimore in the World Series. Shortstop Pumpsie Green (1959-63) is best known for being the first black player on the Boston Red Sox, who were the last MLB team to integrate, 12 years after Jackie Robinson. He was a .250 hitter who didn’t do much else, so he was never much more than a utility infielder, and he retired after spending one year with the 111-loss Mets in 1963. Second baseman Pedro Garcia (1973-77) hit a league-leading 32 doubles for the Brewers in his first season and finished second to Al Bumbry for the AL Rookie of the Year Award. That was by far the best year of his career, and he was done before he turned 30. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt (2011- ) is a young slugger who just came up with Arizona. He never slugged below .600 in the minors. We'll see how that translates in The Show.
Outfield: Right fielder Pedro Guerrero (1978-92), another child of San Pedro de Macoris, was a great hitter and a terrific athlete, though he never got his speed back after tearing up his knee while sliding into third base during a spring training game early in his career. Gurrero was intense, moody and coloful, all of which made him stand out on the buttoned-down roster of the Los Angeles Dodgers. If he hadn’t been playing in Dodger Stadium, a hitter’s nightmare, he may well have won batting titles and MVP awards. He was a bad defensive player and the Dodgers were constantly trying to figure out where he did the least damage – his long oddysey at third base was a hallmark of Tommy Lasorda’s willingness to disregard defense. But the man could hit, and as good as his career stats are – a .300 average, 215 home runs, 898 RBI – they are just a hint of what he might have done if he had stayed healthy, played in a more conducive ballpark, and had the DH available to him. Left fielder Pete Gillespie (1880-87) was a pretty fair hitter, and in his career with the Troy Trojans and the New York Gothams, he played alongside several Hall of Famers, including Roger Connor, Dan Brouthers, Buck Ewing and Tim Keefe. Gillespie was obviously not at their level, but he was a good player for a decade or so. Center fielder Phil Geier (1896-1904) was known as Lilttle Phil – not only was he 5-foot-7, 145 pounds, but he had a face that looked like one of the Our Gang kids in late adolesence. He was a deadball slap hitter.
Catcher: Patsy Gharrity (1916-30) spent his entire career with the Washington Senators. He had some good years with the bat, and Walter Johnson took enough of a liking to him that when he later became a manager, he brought Gharrity on as a coach. Gharrity is the last major-leaguer to use the name Patsy (though it is Tito Francona’s middle name).
Rotation: Pud Galvin (1875-92) was a short, squat, round-faced gentleman whose career record of 365-310 made him baseball’s first 300-game winner and its first 300-game loser. His career totals of 6,003 innings and 646 complete games are both second in the all-time record books behind Cy Young, and it seems unlikely that he will be pushed to third place anytime soon. He was a good, durable pitcher for a long time. Pretzels Getzien (1884-92) – who goes on the all-food team alongside guys like Peanuts Lowery and Pork Chop Pough – was a contemporary of Galvin’s. He had a career record of 145-139, accounting for 72.5 percent of the victories in major-league histories by pitchers born in Germany. Paul Gregory (1932-33) had a brief career with the White Sox, going 9-14 over two seasons, and when he was done he returned to the minors and pitched for another decade, winning 145 games. Paul Giel (1954-61) was a college football star at Minnesota, a two-time All-American at fullback and runner-up in the voting for the 1953 Heisman. He was never a very effective pitcher, working mostly in relief and never totaling 100 innings in a single season. Phil Gallivan (1931-34) won five games in his major-league career, but 105 in the minors. When he was done pitching, he worked as a scout for several teams until his death in 1969.
Bullpen: Closer Paul Gibson (1988-96) was a decent enough lefty with a round face that looked even rounder because of his spectacles. His 11 saves and 4.07 career ERA make him the nominal closer here. Pat Gomez (1993-95) was a lefty who had a short career with the Giants and Padres. He was relatively effective, apart from some control issues. Pete Gebrian (1947) pitched for the White Sox for one year at age 23 but didn’t stick around after that. Paul Gilliford (1967) was known as “Gorilla,” presumably because of his 5-10, 210-pound physique. He was a lefty who pitched in two games for the Orioles. Paul Gehrman (1937) won 100 games in the minors but made just two appearances in the majors. Pat Griffin (1914) made just one appearance. He pitched one inning and gave up three runs. These are the only 11 pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball with the initials PG, so the pitching staff runs a bit short.
Bench: Peaches Graham (1902-12) was a pretty decent backup catcher, so he will probably share time with Gharrity. More important, Peaches Graham joins the all-food team listed above (Pretzels Getzien, Peanuts Lowery and Pork Chop Pough), and if you add in Pickles Dillhofer and Pie Traynor, we’re on our way to an entire team of foodstuffs beginning with the letter “P.” Pete Gray (1945) lost his right arm to a childhood accident involving the tire spokes of a moving truck (you get the picture). During World War II, owner Bill Veeck signed Gray to play outfield for the St. Louis Browns, figuring that the oddity of a one-armed outfielder might draw some fans. Gray appeared in 77 games, batting .218 and making seven errors in the outfield. On the other hand, Gray was a .300 hitter in the minors, so it’s not like Veeck hired him off the streets to act as a one-man freak show, and besides, it’s pretty impressive that a guy with one arm could bat .200 in the majors and make even basic plays and throws from the outfield. We’re right proud to have him on the PG-13s. Phil Gagliano (1963-74) hung around the majors for 12 years as an unremarkable utility man and he played in three World Series with the Cardinals. Pep Goodwin (1914-15) was a utility infielder in the upstart Federal League, and if you were a guy named Claire Goodwin, you’d accept the nickname “Pep,” too. Pete Gilbert (1890-94) was a third baseman who lost his starting job to the teenaged John McGraw in Baltimore. Infielder Pedro Gonzalez (1963-67), the first kid from San Pedro de Macoris to make it to the majors, came up with the Yankees at the tail end of their long dynasty and was a backup on the 1964 pennant winners.
Manager: Preston Gomez finished last for four straight years as manager of the Padres, but after all, they were an expansion team. He had losing records with the Astros and the Cubs as well. He did win a Pacific Coast League title while managing in the Dodgers’ farm system, and he won a league title while managing in his natve Cuba as well. On two separate occasions during his managerial career, he pinch-hit in the eighth inning for a pitcher who was working on a no-hitter - Clay Kirby for San Diego in 1970, and Don Wilson for the Astros in 1974. In both instances, the bullpen lost the no-hitters. (In Gomez's defense, in both instances his team was getting shut out and losing. so pinch-hitting for the pitcher in the eighth inning was sound game strategy - but he lost both games, and blowing the no-hitters didn't help things.)
Outfield: Right fielder Pedro Guerrero (1978-92), another child of San Pedro de Macoris, was a great hitter and a terrific athlete, though he never got his speed back after tearing up his knee while sliding into third base during a spring training game early in his career. Gurrero was intense, moody and coloful, all of which made him stand out on the buttoned-down roster of the Los Angeles Dodgers. If he hadn’t been playing in Dodger Stadium, a hitter’s nightmare, he may well have won batting titles and MVP awards. He was a bad defensive player and the Dodgers were constantly trying to figure out where he did the least damage – his long oddysey at third base was a hallmark of Tommy Lasorda’s willingness to disregard defense. But the man could hit, and as good as his career stats are – a .300 average, 215 home runs, 898 RBI – they are just a hint of what he might have done if he had stayed healthy, played in a more conducive ballpark, and had the DH available to him. Left fielder Pete Gillespie (1880-87) was a pretty fair hitter, and in his career with the Troy Trojans and the New York Gothams, he played alongside several Hall of Famers, including Roger Connor, Dan Brouthers, Buck Ewing and Tim Keefe. Gillespie was obviously not at their level, but he was a good player for a decade or so. Center fielder Phil Geier (1896-1904) was known as Lilttle Phil – not only was he 5-foot-7, 145 pounds, but he had a face that looked like one of the Our Gang kids in late adolesence. He was a deadball slap hitter.
Catcher: Patsy Gharrity (1916-30) spent his entire career with the Washington Senators. He had some good years with the bat, and Walter Johnson took enough of a liking to him that when he later became a manager, he brought Gharrity on as a coach. Gharrity is the last major-leaguer to use the name Patsy (though it is Tito Francona’s middle name).
Rotation: Pud Galvin (1875-92) was a short, squat, round-faced gentleman whose career record of 365-310 made him baseball’s first 300-game winner and its first 300-game loser. His career totals of 6,003 innings and 646 complete games are both second in the all-time record books behind Cy Young, and it seems unlikely that he will be pushed to third place anytime soon. He was a good, durable pitcher for a long time. Pretzels Getzien (1884-92) – who goes on the all-food team alongside guys like Peanuts Lowery and Pork Chop Pough – was a contemporary of Galvin’s. He had a career record of 145-139, accounting for 72.5 percent of the victories in major-league histories by pitchers born in Germany. Paul Gregory (1932-33) had a brief career with the White Sox, going 9-14 over two seasons, and when he was done he returned to the minors and pitched for another decade, winning 145 games. Paul Giel (1954-61) was a college football star at Minnesota, a two-time All-American at fullback and runner-up in the voting for the 1953 Heisman. He was never a very effective pitcher, working mostly in relief and never totaling 100 innings in a single season. Phil Gallivan (1931-34) won five games in his major-league career, but 105 in the minors. When he was done pitching, he worked as a scout for several teams until his death in 1969.
Bullpen: Closer Paul Gibson (1988-96) was a decent enough lefty with a round face that looked even rounder because of his spectacles. His 11 saves and 4.07 career ERA make him the nominal closer here. Pat Gomez (1993-95) was a lefty who had a short career with the Giants and Padres. He was relatively effective, apart from some control issues. Pete Gebrian (1947) pitched for the White Sox for one year at age 23 but didn’t stick around after that. Paul Gilliford (1967) was known as “Gorilla,” presumably because of his 5-10, 210-pound physique. He was a lefty who pitched in two games for the Orioles. Paul Gehrman (1937) won 100 games in the minors but made just two appearances in the majors. Pat Griffin (1914) made just one appearance. He pitched one inning and gave up three runs. These are the only 11 pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball with the initials PG, so the pitching staff runs a bit short.
Bench: Peaches Graham (1902-12) was a pretty decent backup catcher, so he will probably share time with Gharrity. More important, Peaches Graham joins the all-food team listed above (Pretzels Getzien, Peanuts Lowery and Pork Chop Pough), and if you add in Pickles Dillhofer and Pie Traynor, we’re on our way to an entire team of foodstuffs beginning with the letter “P.” Pete Gray (1945) lost his right arm to a childhood accident involving the tire spokes of a moving truck (you get the picture). During World War II, owner Bill Veeck signed Gray to play outfield for the St. Louis Browns, figuring that the oddity of a one-armed outfielder might draw some fans. Gray appeared in 77 games, batting .218 and making seven errors in the outfield. On the other hand, Gray was a .300 hitter in the minors, so it’s not like Veeck hired him off the streets to act as a one-man freak show, and besides, it’s pretty impressive that a guy with one arm could bat .200 in the majors and make even basic plays and throws from the outfield. We’re right proud to have him on the PG-13s. Phil Gagliano (1963-74) hung around the majors for 12 years as an unremarkable utility man and he played in three World Series with the Cardinals. Pep Goodwin (1914-15) was a utility infielder in the upstart Federal League, and if you were a guy named Claire Goodwin, you’d accept the nickname “Pep,” too. Pete Gilbert (1890-94) was a third baseman who lost his starting job to the teenaged John McGraw in Baltimore. Infielder Pedro Gonzalez (1963-67), the first kid from San Pedro de Macoris to make it to the majors, came up with the Yankees at the tail end of their long dynasty and was a backup on the 1964 pennant winners.
Manager: Preston Gomez finished last for four straight years as manager of the Padres, but after all, they were an expansion team. He had losing records with the Astros and the Cubs as well. He did win a Pacific Coast League title while managing in the Dodgers’ farm system, and he won a league title while managing in his natve Cuba as well. On two separate occasions during his managerial career, he pinch-hit in the eighth inning for a pitcher who was working on a no-hitter - Clay Kirby for San Diego in 1970, and Don Wilson for the Astros in 1974. In both instances, the bullpen lost the no-hitters. (In Gomez's defense, in both instances his team was getting shut out and losing. so pinch-hitting for the pitcher in the eighth inning was sound game strategy - but he lost both games, and blowing the no-hitters didn't help things.)
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