Infield: First baseman Ray Grimes (1920-26) could hit — .329 lifetime, with walks and gap power. He holds the major league record for consecutive games with an RBI (17). He had a relatively brief career in the majors – not sure why – but he returned to the minors and continued to hit between .300-.350 until he was 36 years old. (Side note: His twin brother Roy didn’t make this team because he wasn’t very good, and his son Oscar Ray Grimes Jr. didn’t make this team because he went by his first name instead of his middle name.) Third baseman Rene Gonzales (1984-97) was given lots of opportunities to hit, but he never did. He played for seven teams and batted .239. Ricky Gutierrez (1993-2004) was a bad defensive shortstop who didn’t really hit all that well either, but he played more than 1,000 games. Second baseman Rod Gilbreath (1972-78) was one of several generic middle infielders who rotated through Atlanta’s infield in the mid- to late-1970s. He was rushed to the big leagues at age 19 but never did hit. Spent many years in the organization as a minor-league manager and a front office executive.
Outfield: Left fielder Ralph Garr (1968-80) was so fast that they called him Road Runner. He sprayed the ball to all fields, and he chopped it down to create high infield hops and he ran like crazy, and it got him a .306 lifetime average and a batting title (.353 in 1971). He didn’t take many walks and he was an absolutely terrible defensive outfielder, but he was fun to watch. Ron Gant (1987-2003) came up as an infielder but was not up to the task defensively, so he moved to the outfield and had a fine career – 321 home runs, 243 steals and he topped 1,000 runs and 1,000 RBI despite missing a full season in his prime because of a motorcycle accident. More of corner guy, but on this team he’ll be stretched to play center. Right fielder Rusty Greer (1994-2002) was a .300 hitter who drew a lot of walks, banged a lot of doubles and hit a few home runs. He drove in 100 runs three times and scored 100 runs three times. A very good hitting outfield, but the defense is going to be problematic, as all three are best-suited for left field. (Well, Garr is best suited for DH, but if he has to wear a mitt, you’d put him in left and cross your fingers.)
Catcher: Rich (Turn Me On) Gedman (1980-92) was the Red Sox catcher in the post-Fisk era. A lefty with some pop, he hit 58 home runs from 1984-86 and made two all-star teams. He will always be remembered with melancholy by Red Sox fans for his role in the infamous defensive collapse during Game 6 of the 1985 World Series. (Bucker remains the iconic figure there, but Gedman contributed too.)
Rotation: Ron Guidry (1975-88) was a graceful lefty who played his whole career for the Yankees and had some great seasons on his way to a 170-91 record. He was known as either Gator or Louisiana Lightnin’, and in 1978 he had the best season by an American League pitcher between Lefty Grove and Pedro Martinez, going 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA. He was a terrific pitcher, and a classy guy on a turbulent team. Lefty Ross Grimsley (1971-82) was so superstitious that he reportedly would not shower or otherwise groom himself if he was on a winning streak. He won 124 games in his career, and between 1971-79, he was in double-digits in victories eight times, including 20 wins in ’78. So you know there were some days when he got pretty whiffy. Ruben Gomez (1953-67) was a solid Puerto Rican right-hander who won as many as 17 games for the Giants, but he will always be known for an incident in 1956 in which he hit Braves slugger Joe Adcock with a pitch and then fled the mound in terror when the 220-pound Adcock charged him. Ralph Glaze (1906-08) won 15 games for Boston during the period when the team was transitioning from the Americans to the Red Sox. Rich Gale (1978-84) was a 6-foot-7 righty who won 14 games as a rookie but who never really found the strike zone.
Bullpen: Closer Rich Gossage (1972-94) was a smoke-throwin’ monster. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was pretty much unhittable. He had 310 career saves, many of them of the two- and three-inning variety. You didn’t want to mess with the Goose. Rich Garces (1990-2002) was a corpulent Venezuelan affectionately known as El Guapo, though he could have just as easily been called El Gordo. But, physical stature aside, he could get people out and was a good set-up man for a decade. Rob Gardner (1965-73) was a lefty swingman who pitched for six teams in eight years. He was constantly involved in minor trades and was swapped for both Matty and Felipe Alou but never Jesus. Rube Geyer (1910-13) pitched for the Cardinals and had the distinction of giving up the first career home runs to two Hall of Fame managers (Casey Stengel and Bill McKechnie). Rosman Garcia (2003-04) was a Venezuelan string bean who basically never got anybody out. He washed out of the majors but is still pitching in the Mexican League. Ryan Glynn (1999-2005) is a local kid from Portsmouth, Va., and the only player from Virginia Military Academy to ever reach the majors. Reggie Grabowski (1932-33) pitched ineffectively for the Phillies.
Bench: Ross Gload (2000- ) is an outfielder and first baseman with no power, speed or batting eye, but he’s not bad at slapping singles. Ruben Gotay (2004- ) is a weak-hitting middle infielder. Ryan Garko (2005- ) is a first baseman with some pop who could eventually take over the starting job here. Rod Gaspar (1969-74) was a reserve outfielder on the Miracle Mets. He didn’t hit much, but he’ll be a much-needed defensive sub on this roster. Russ Gibson (1967-72) was a light-hitting catcher for the Red Sox and Giants.
Manager: Ron Gardenhire has had a great run with the Twins, winning six division titles and putting up 90-plus wins on a regular basis. He was actually as good as the mimddle infelders on this roster, but we'll let him focus on the dugout.
Outfield: Left fielder Ralph Garr (1968-80) was so fast that they called him Road Runner. He sprayed the ball to all fields, and he chopped it down to create high infield hops and he ran like crazy, and it got him a .306 lifetime average and a batting title (.353 in 1971). He didn’t take many walks and he was an absolutely terrible defensive outfielder, but he was fun to watch. Ron Gant (1987-2003) came up as an infielder but was not up to the task defensively, so he moved to the outfield and had a fine career – 321 home runs, 243 steals and he topped 1,000 runs and 1,000 RBI despite missing a full season in his prime because of a motorcycle accident. More of corner guy, but on this team he’ll be stretched to play center. Right fielder Rusty Greer (1994-2002) was a .300 hitter who drew a lot of walks, banged a lot of doubles and hit a few home runs. He drove in 100 runs three times and scored 100 runs three times. A very good hitting outfield, but the defense is going to be problematic, as all three are best-suited for left field. (Well, Garr is best suited for DH, but if he has to wear a mitt, you’d put him in left and cross your fingers.)
Catcher: Rich (Turn Me On) Gedman (1980-92) was the Red Sox catcher in the post-Fisk era. A lefty with some pop, he hit 58 home runs from 1984-86 and made two all-star teams. He will always be remembered with melancholy by Red Sox fans for his role in the infamous defensive collapse during Game 6 of the 1985 World Series. (Bucker remains the iconic figure there, but Gedman contributed too.)
Rotation: Ron Guidry (1975-88) was a graceful lefty who played his whole career for the Yankees and had some great seasons on his way to a 170-91 record. He was known as either Gator or Louisiana Lightnin’, and in 1978 he had the best season by an American League pitcher between Lefty Grove and Pedro Martinez, going 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA. He was a terrific pitcher, and a classy guy on a turbulent team. Lefty Ross Grimsley (1971-82) was so superstitious that he reportedly would not shower or otherwise groom himself if he was on a winning streak. He won 124 games in his career, and between 1971-79, he was in double-digits in victories eight times, including 20 wins in ’78. So you know there were some days when he got pretty whiffy. Ruben Gomez (1953-67) was a solid Puerto Rican right-hander who won as many as 17 games for the Giants, but he will always be known for an incident in 1956 in which he hit Braves slugger Joe Adcock with a pitch and then fled the mound in terror when the 220-pound Adcock charged him. Ralph Glaze (1906-08) won 15 games for Boston during the period when the team was transitioning from the Americans to the Red Sox. Rich Gale (1978-84) was a 6-foot-7 righty who won 14 games as a rookie but who never really found the strike zone.
Bullpen: Closer Rich Gossage (1972-94) was a smoke-throwin’ monster. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was pretty much unhittable. He had 310 career saves, many of them of the two- and three-inning variety. You didn’t want to mess with the Goose. Rich Garces (1990-2002) was a corpulent Venezuelan affectionately known as El Guapo, though he could have just as easily been called El Gordo. But, physical stature aside, he could get people out and was a good set-up man for a decade. Rob Gardner (1965-73) was a lefty swingman who pitched for six teams in eight years. He was constantly involved in minor trades and was swapped for both Matty and Felipe Alou but never Jesus. Rube Geyer (1910-13) pitched for the Cardinals and had the distinction of giving up the first career home runs to two Hall of Fame managers (Casey Stengel and Bill McKechnie). Rosman Garcia (2003-04) was a Venezuelan string bean who basically never got anybody out. He washed out of the majors but is still pitching in the Mexican League. Ryan Glynn (1999-2005) is a local kid from Portsmouth, Va., and the only player from Virginia Military Academy to ever reach the majors. Reggie Grabowski (1932-33) pitched ineffectively for the Phillies.
Bench: Ross Gload (2000- ) is an outfielder and first baseman with no power, speed or batting eye, but he’s not bad at slapping singles. Ruben Gotay (2004- ) is a weak-hitting middle infielder. Ryan Garko (2005- ) is a first baseman with some pop who could eventually take over the starting job here. Rod Gaspar (1969-74) was a reserve outfielder on the Miracle Mets. He didn’t hit much, but he’ll be a much-needed defensive sub on this roster. Russ Gibson (1967-72) was a light-hitting catcher for the Red Sox and Giants.
Manager: Ron Gardenhire has had a great run with the Twins, winning six division titles and putting up 90-plus wins on a regular basis. He was actually as good as the mimddle infelders on this roster, but we'll let him focus on the dugout.
No comments:
Post a Comment