Infield: Third baseman Ray "Jabbo" Jablonski (1953-60) had some pop, and he had 216 RBI in his first two seasons with the Cardinals. But he wasn’t that good of a hitter, and he was a very poor fielder, so he didn’t last long – though he went back down to the minors and played until he was almost 40, finishing with 215 minor-league home runs. Ricky Jordan (1988-96) was a first baseman without much power, and he didn’t have enough other attributes to hold down a starting job in the majors. Second baseman Randy Johnson (1982-84) has nothing in common with The Big Unit other than his name. Shortstop Russ Johnson (1997-2005) hit .264 with enough walks to be almost useful. Johnson and Johnson were both primarily third basemen, but they’re being stretched here to cover the middle of the infield.
Outfield: Right fielder Reggie Jackson (1967-87) mashed 563 home runs (many of them mammoth shots), added another 18 in postseason play (including, quite memorably four jacks on four consecutive swings against the Dodgers in ’78) and an unforgettable shot in the 1971 All-Star Game that might still be in orbit if it hadn’t hit a light tower atop Tiger Stadium. He was a great player in Oakland, but as he predicted, he had to go to New York to have a candy bar named after him. Simultaneously one of the most charismatic and divisive players in baseball history, an extremely smart guy but someone often lacking in tact and sensitivity. An undeniably great player, but a handful. (During his time in New York, it sometimes seemed as though Reggie, Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner were competing to see who could behave like the bigger horse's ass.) Center fielder Ruppert Jones (1976-87) had 147 home runs, 143 stolen bases and played in two all-star games. Left fielder Roy Johnson (1929-38) was a fine player, but overshadowed by his brother Bob. Roy’s middle name was Cleveland (and he was part Indian), but he never played for the Cleveland Indians – he played for the Tigers, Red Sox, Yankees and Braves. He hit a lot of doubles, a few home runs, and he had three seasons over 100 runs and one over 100 RBI.
Catcher: Rob Johnson (2007- ) might not ever be a starter in the bigs. Thus far, he has been unable to bat .200. But he’s the best RJ catcher we’ve got.
Rotation: Randy Johnson (1988- ), the 6-foot-10 lefty known as The Big Unit, is one of the best pitchers of all time. His blazing fastball and wicked slider led to almost 5,000 strikeouts, but with fewer walks than most flamethrowers. He won 303 games (against only 166 losses), and he picked up five Cy Young Awards, including four in a row with the Diamondbacks. He came up as a hard-throwing kid with the Expos but he didn't harness everything until he was traded to the Mariners. (In between the Mariners and the Dbacks, he spent a little more than a month with the Astros pitching about as well as a guy can pitch - 10-1, 1.28 ERA, 116 strikeouts and just 83 baserunners in 84 innings.) Talk about messing up a hitter’s timing – after The Big Unit’s smoke, opposing hitters will dig in against Randy Jones (1973-82) and his assortment of off-speed stuff. Jones, another lefty, threw a fastball that would bounce harmlessly off a window pane, but he won 20 games in 1975 and 22 in ’76 before injuring his arm and drifting into mediocrity. Ryan Jensen (2001-05) got hit hard for a few years in San Francisco and Kansas City. Rankin Johnson Sr. (1914-18) was a decent pitcher in a short career that covered four teams in three leagues spread over three seasons. Rick Jones (1976-78) pitched fairly well in his early-20s but drifted out of baseball by his mid-20s.
Bullpen: Closer Roy Lee Jackson (1977-86) is one of four Tuskegee grads to play in the majors. He was a pretty good pitcher for several years. Ricardo Jordan (1995-98) pitched well in 1996. The rest of his career, he didn’t pitch well. Ray Jarvis (1969-70) showed promise with the Red Sox but didn’t last long. Roy Joiner (1934-40) was a lefty who gave up a ton of hits. Rankin Johnson Jr. (1941) only pitched 10 innings in his career. He gave up 14 hits, three walks, struck out no one – but had a 3.60 ERA. Then he went into the service during World War II and he never pitched in the bigs again. Rip Jordan (1912-19) pitched poorly for the White Sox in 1912, so he went back to the minors for a few years. He pitched well, and after he won 15 games with a 1.43 ERA in the International League in 1919, the Washington Senators purchased his contract – and he got clobbered in the majors again.
Bench: Randy Jackson (1950-59) will push Jablonski for playing time at third base. (Note: This is not the guy from “American Idol,” dawg, and it’s not the guy from the Jackson Five.) He had 103 career home runs, so he’ll get his playing time on this outfit. Outfielder Reed Johnson (2003- ) is a pretty fair hitter who gets hit by pitches on a regular basis. Reggie Jefferson (1991-99) is a big, strong lefty and a career .300 hitter who was not especially mobile and was best suited for DH. Roy Jarvis (1944-47) was a backup catcher who got a quick shot during World War II but washed out after a few dozen at-bats and had a decent career in the minors. Rick Joseph (1964-70) was a corner infielder and corner outfielder with a little bit of pop. Infielder Ross Jones (1984-87) was a first-round draft pick out of University of Miami who didn’t pan out.
Manager: Roy Johnson managed one game for the Cubs in 1944. He lost it. We’ll give him a shot as player-manager to at least even his record.
Outfield: Right fielder Reggie Jackson (1967-87) mashed 563 home runs (many of them mammoth shots), added another 18 in postseason play (including, quite memorably four jacks on four consecutive swings against the Dodgers in ’78) and an unforgettable shot in the 1971 All-Star Game that might still be in orbit if it hadn’t hit a light tower atop Tiger Stadium. He was a great player in Oakland, but as he predicted, he had to go to New York to have a candy bar named after him. Simultaneously one of the most charismatic and divisive players in baseball history, an extremely smart guy but someone often lacking in tact and sensitivity. An undeniably great player, but a handful. (During his time in New York, it sometimes seemed as though Reggie, Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner were competing to see who could behave like the bigger horse's ass.) Center fielder Ruppert Jones (1976-87) had 147 home runs, 143 stolen bases and played in two all-star games. Left fielder Roy Johnson (1929-38) was a fine player, but overshadowed by his brother Bob. Roy’s middle name was Cleveland (and he was part Indian), but he never played for the Cleveland Indians – he played for the Tigers, Red Sox, Yankees and Braves. He hit a lot of doubles, a few home runs, and he had three seasons over 100 runs and one over 100 RBI.
Catcher: Rob Johnson (2007- ) might not ever be a starter in the bigs. Thus far, he has been unable to bat .200. But he’s the best RJ catcher we’ve got.
Rotation: Randy Johnson (1988- ), the 6-foot-10 lefty known as The Big Unit, is one of the best pitchers of all time. His blazing fastball and wicked slider led to almost 5,000 strikeouts, but with fewer walks than most flamethrowers. He won 303 games (against only 166 losses), and he picked up five Cy Young Awards, including four in a row with the Diamondbacks. He came up as a hard-throwing kid with the Expos but he didn't harness everything until he was traded to the Mariners. (In between the Mariners and the Dbacks, he spent a little more than a month with the Astros pitching about as well as a guy can pitch - 10-1, 1.28 ERA, 116 strikeouts and just 83 baserunners in 84 innings.) Talk about messing up a hitter’s timing – after The Big Unit’s smoke, opposing hitters will dig in against Randy Jones (1973-82) and his assortment of off-speed stuff. Jones, another lefty, threw a fastball that would bounce harmlessly off a window pane, but he won 20 games in 1975 and 22 in ’76 before injuring his arm and drifting into mediocrity. Ryan Jensen (2001-05) got hit hard for a few years in San Francisco and Kansas City. Rankin Johnson Sr. (1914-18) was a decent pitcher in a short career that covered four teams in three leagues spread over three seasons. Rick Jones (1976-78) pitched fairly well in his early-20s but drifted out of baseball by his mid-20s.
Bullpen: Closer Roy Lee Jackson (1977-86) is one of four Tuskegee grads to play in the majors. He was a pretty good pitcher for several years. Ricardo Jordan (1995-98) pitched well in 1996. The rest of his career, he didn’t pitch well. Ray Jarvis (1969-70) showed promise with the Red Sox but didn’t last long. Roy Joiner (1934-40) was a lefty who gave up a ton of hits. Rankin Johnson Jr. (1941) only pitched 10 innings in his career. He gave up 14 hits, three walks, struck out no one – but had a 3.60 ERA. Then he went into the service during World War II and he never pitched in the bigs again. Rip Jordan (1912-19) pitched poorly for the White Sox in 1912, so he went back to the minors for a few years. He pitched well, and after he won 15 games with a 1.43 ERA in the International League in 1919, the Washington Senators purchased his contract – and he got clobbered in the majors again.
Bench: Randy Jackson (1950-59) will push Jablonski for playing time at third base. (Note: This is not the guy from “American Idol,” dawg, and it’s not the guy from the Jackson Five.) He had 103 career home runs, so he’ll get his playing time on this outfit. Outfielder Reed Johnson (2003- ) is a pretty fair hitter who gets hit by pitches on a regular basis. Reggie Jefferson (1991-99) is a big, strong lefty and a career .300 hitter who was not especially mobile and was best suited for DH. Roy Jarvis (1944-47) was a backup catcher who got a quick shot during World War II but washed out after a few dozen at-bats and had a decent career in the minors. Rick Joseph (1964-70) was a corner infielder and corner outfielder with a little bit of pop. Infielder Ross Jones (1984-87) was a first-round draft pick out of University of Miami who didn’t pan out.
Manager: Roy Johnson managed one game for the Cubs in 1944. He lost it. We’ll give him a shot as player-manager to at least even his record.
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