Infield: Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2006- ) is just now entering the prime of what could be a really outstanding career. He's a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop who is capable of going .300-30-100, and while he certainly benefits from the thin air of Coors Field, he has been an awfully good hitter on the road, too, as shortstops go. He is one of just two players in history to have hit for the cycle and turned an unassisted triple play. (See the roster of the Junior Varsity team for the other one.) Tony Taylor (1958-76) was primarily a second baseman, but he'll shift here to third base, where he played more than 400 games in his career. Taylor came from Cuba, was a starter at age 22 and played long enough to collect 2,000 hits and score 1,000 runs despite a .261 batting average. He was never a star, but he was a functional player for almost two decades, mostly with the Phillies. First baseman Tommy "Foghorn" Tucker (1887-99) had a big year in Baltimore in 1889, leading the American Association in hits (196), batting average (.372) and on-base (.450). He never had a year that good again, but he had a lot of good years, scoring 1,000 runs and drving in 900. He was adept at getting hit by pitches, leading the league five times and still near the top of the all-time list. Tucker was an intense guy who carried on a running feud with John McGraw that was so bitter that they once got into a punching-and-kicking fistfight on the field and continued brawling even when someone noticed that a fire had broken out and the grandstand was going up in flames. Second baseman Tim Teufel (1983-93) was a scrappy guy with a little bit of pop. His last name is the German word for "devil," and he once hit a home run off of Jim Gott, whose last name is the German word for "God." Really. You could look it up.
Outfield: Right fielder Tom Tresh (1961-69) was the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1962, batting .286 and hitting 20 home runs while playing shortstop for the New York Yankees. At age 23, he looked like an emerging star. But the Yankees went into a decline a few years later, with the dynasty giving way to several meager years, and Tresh ended up moving to the outfield after Tony Kubek returned from military service. He remained a good hitter, batting just .245 for his career but drawing some walks and hitting with some power. But after the fast start, his career was viewed as something of a disappointment, and the backslide of the great Yankees' team didn't help. Center fielder Thurman Tucker (1942-51) was a dour, bespectacled guy whose nickname was "Joe E." because he looked exactly like comedian Joe E. Brown. This was not really a compliment. Tucker was a lefty hitter who ran well and drew some walks. He was a .300 hitter in the minors but a .250-.260 hitter in the bigs. Left fielder Tuck Turner (1893-98) was a 5-foot-6 switch-hitter who batted .320 in a short career during an era of very high batting averages.
Catcher: Tim Thompson (1954-58), who batted .238 for four teams and spent most of his career with the Kansas City A's, has the job for now. It would take much for young prospect Taylor Teagarden to develop and take it away.
Rotation: Negro League star Ted Trent, known for his wide variety of breaking balls, is the ace of the staff. Trent was a fine pitcher in the 1930s, playing in several Negro League All-Star Games and winning three pennants with the St. Louis Stars. Tommy Thomas (1926-37) was a star in the minors for Jack Dunn's great Baltimore teams in the International League. He won 130 games for those teams, including a 32-12 record in 1925 before the White Sox bought his contract and brought him to the majors at age 26. He went on to win 117 games in the majors. Tabasco Tom Tuckey (1908-09) was a lefty who went 3-3 for the 1908 Boston Doves at age 23. Those three wins included a shutout in his big-league debut and a 15-inning complete game victory over the powerhouse (eventual World Series champion) Cubs. Reportedly, the 15-inning game wrecked his arm. He went 0-9 for the Doves the following year and was let go, though he did last a few more decent years in the minors. T.J. Tucker (2000-05) was a burly swingman who spent most of his career in the bullpen but who will be pressed into the rotation here out of necessity. He won 13 games for the Expos (well, 12 for the Expos and 1 for the Nats). Ty Taubenheim (2006-08) has a career record of 1-5 in the majors, but he's still just in his late 20s and he's probably still knocking around the minors somewhere, so he still might find a way to punch up his resume a bit.
Bullpen: Closer Tom Timmermann (1969-74) saved 27 games in 1970, but he also had one of the highest ERAs of his career that season (4.11). He wasn't a bad pitcher, but he wasn't great either. He had a long, highly effective career in the minors before making it to the bigs in his late 20s. He finished with 35 wins, 35 losses and 35 saves, which pretty much has to be a record of some sort if you knew how to define it (e.g,, most career wins by a pitcher who had identical totals for wins, losses and saves). Tom Tellmann (1979-85) was a junkballer who gave up a lot of hits and walked as many as he struck out, but he managed to get people out for a while. In his early 30s, he either got hurt or hitters figured him out (or both), and the end came quickly. Lefty Taylor Tankersley (2006- ) has a live arm and has had some success in the minors, but he has yet to put it all together in a sustained way in the majors. Still young enough that he could establish himself. After that, there's not much - Tom Thobe (1995-96), Tom Thomas (1894-1900), Thad Tillotson (1967-68) and Tommy Toms (1975-77) combined for seven wins among the four of them.
Bench: Terry Turner (1901-19) should be an excellent utility infielder. He wasn't much of a hitter, but he was a good defender at several positions, and he bunted well and ran well. Tony Tarasco (1993-2002) was a fair outfielder but never as good as he was expected to be when he came up through the Braves organization alongside Chipper and Klesko and Co. Tarasco ended up a journeyman and is best known as the outfielder who would have caught Derek Jeter's long fly ball if it hadn't been for Jeffery Maier. Backup outfielder Tommy Thompson (1933-39) is not to be confused with the former governor of Wisconsin. He played pro ball from age 18 until age 43, collecting almost 2,000 hits in the minors and squeezing in about 400 games in the majors. Tommy Thevenow (1924-38) was useless as a hitter (he holds the all-time record for most consecutive at-bats without a home run, at 3,347) but was a very fine defensive shortstop. Backup catcher Tim Talton (1966-67) didn't play long but actually hit pretty well. When Taylor Teagarden takes over the starting catching position, Talton will probably stick around as the backup.
Manager: Ted Turner. He was 0-1 in his career, but on the bright side, he revolutionized cable TV, founded the Goodwill Games, married Jane Fonda, won a world sailing championship and was named Time magazine's Man of the Year. He'll get some assistance from players Tim Teufel, a longtime manager in the minors, and Tony Taylor, a longtime coach. Tommy Thomas also managed in the minors.
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