Infield: Shortstop Joe Sewell (1920-33) was a fine fielder and a good hitter who is known to modern fans for one reason – his ability to avoid strikeouts. The man struck out 114 times. Not in a season. In his career. In more than 7,000 at-bats. In 13 seasons as a regular, his strikeout total reached double digits four times. He was a .312 career hitter, and he was good for 40 doubles a year. The league batting average in his career was .292, so that .316 average isn’t quite as impressive as it looks, and he once had a season when he stole 3 bases and got caught stealing 16 times. But still, he was a good hitter and a very good fielder. And then there’s second baseman Juan Samuel (1983-98), who was the exact opposite of Joe Sewell. As a rookie, Samuel stole 72 bases and pounded out 36 doubles, 19 triples and 15 home runs, which caught a lot of people’s attention. But he was an absolutely dreadful defensive player, and he led the league in strikeouts in each of his first four seasons. He averaged 136 strikeouts per season, about two dozen more than Joe Sewell had in his entire career, and making matters worse, he didn’t draw any walks. His game moved steadily backward, and Samuel bounced all around the majors until his mid-30s, as team after team tried to figure out a way to use his ever-diminishing power and speed while minimizing the damage he did in the field and overlooking the fact that he wasn’t getting on base. In the end, his career numbers look pretty good – 161 home runs, 396 steals, 873 runs, 703 RBI – but by mid-career the general consensus was that he caused more problems than he solved. Jersey Joe Stripp (1928-38) was a pretty fair third baseman for the Reds and the Dodgers – good fielder, decent enough hitter. In Cincinnati, he shared third base with Chuck Dressen, and Bill James wrote that the Reds manager suggested they put up a curtain around the base “because the fans don’t want to watch Joe Stripp or Chuck Dressen.” We don’t know if a manager actually said that or if it was just a one-liner from the author, but it’s an awfully funny line. First baseman Joe Start (1871-86) was playing amateur baseball before the Civil War, if you can imagine what the sport looked like at that point, and he was a standout hitter in the earliest organizations that could be called major leagues. It’s hard to know exactly what to make of him, but he was clearly a very good player.
Outfield: Left fielder Jake Stenzel (1890-99) batted .339 with a career on-base percentage over .400, and he stole almost 300 bases and had lots of extra-base hits. In the context of his time, those were good numbers but not eye-popping or anything. The only time he ever led the league in an offensive category was when he had 43 doubles in 1897. Right fielder Jimmy Sheckard (1897-1913), on the other hand, was a .274 career hitter who led his leagues at various times in runs, triples, home runs, stolen bases (twice), walks (twice), on-base percentage, slugging percentage and sacrifice bunts (twice). He did this scattered all across his 17-year career, not clumping a bunch of them together in a couple of big seasons. He starred for the Chicago Cubs juggernaut that won four pennants and two World Series titles between 1906-10. Jimmy Slagle (1899-1908) played on three of those pennant-winning teams, too, so he’ll be very comfortable in center field alongside Sheckard. He wasn’t nearly as good player as Sheckard or Stenzel, but he was alright – a fast guy who drew some walks.
Catcher: Jim Sundberg (1974-89) was probably the best defensive catcher in baseball during the years between Johnny Bench and Pudge Rodriguez. During his peak years in Texas, he was a decent hitter - .275 with 60-70 walks – and even after his knees went (and took his bat with them), his defensive skills kept him in a starting role into his mid-30s.
Rotation: Johan Santana (2000- ) was shaping up as the best pitcher of his generation until arm injuries interrupted his progress. He was a Hall of Famer through age 30 – leading the league in ERA and strikeouts three times apiece and winning a pair of Cy Young Awards. His career records are still outstanding, but he needs to come back strong and stay healthy if he wants to get to Cooperstown. John Smoltz (1988-2009) has got the 200 victories (213-155) and the 3,000 strikeouts. He’s won a Cy Young Award, and his career record in the postseason is 15-4 with a 2.67 ERA and a 3-1 strikeout to walk ratio. In mid-career, he switched to the bullpen and saved 144 games in three seasons. Johnny Sain (1942-55) is best known for the first half of his career when he was a regular 20-game winner for the Braves, pairing with his even more durable counterpart to head the famous “Spahn and Sain and pray for rain” rotations. He spent the second part of his career as a swingman/closer for the Yankees teams that won three World Series titles. After his playing career, he was known as one of the top pitching coaches in baseball. Jason Schmidt (1995-2009) was an awfully good pitcher for a few years, but the injuries set in right as he seemed to be gaining traction. His career record was 130-96, despite spending his prime years with a dreadful Pittsburgh team. Jack Sanford (1956-67) won 137 games, mostly for the Phillies and the Giants. That’s five starting pitchers with more than 100 wins apiece, and with an aggregate winning percentage of .583.
Bullpen: Jeff Shaw (1990-2001) has the closer job for the moment, but Joakim Soria (2007- ) is aiming to make it his own. Shaw struggled along for several years with the Indians and the Expos before he arrived in Cincinnati and became a top-flight reliever in his 30s. He saved 203 games for the Reds and Dodgers, leading the league with 42 in 1997 and retiring after a career-high 43 saves in 2001. Soria has stayed under the radar for a lot of fans and media because he plays in Kansas City, but he has been one of the best relievers in baseball since he arrived on the scene. Jim Slaton (1971-86) and Jeff Suppan (1995-2010) were solid starting pitchers, with almost 300 wins between them, who aren’t good enough to crack this rotation but will get plenty of work in long relief. John Smiley (1986-97) is in the same category, and he brings another 126 victories to the table. He’s one of the handful of lefties in the 1990s who suffered the gruesome career-ending injury in which a bone in his arm snapped in half in mid-pitch. Happy Jack Stivetts (1889-99) was a 19th-century workhorse who won 203 games, and his “walk-in song” from the bullpen will obviously be The Who’s “Happy Jack.” He’ll be first in line, ahead of Slaton and Suppan and Smiley, to pick up some starts when Jason Schmidt’s elbow is feeling hinky. Justin Speier (1998- ) has been a solid workhorse middle reliever and set-up guy for a dozen years.
Bench: Outfielder Jigger Statz (1919-28) had a decent little major-league career, but his legacy is in the Pacific Coast League, where he played for 18 seasons, collected 3,356 hits and a .315 career average. Add in his 737 hits in the majors, and you’ve got one of the select handful of players with 4,000 professional hits (along with Rose, Musial, Cobb and Aaron). He will make a serious push for a starting job in this outfield. First baseman J.T. Snow (1992-2008) won six Gold Gloves. He will be a defensive replacement for Joe Start, who probably never even wore a leather glove. Snow could hit, too, and he’ll get some starting time. Junior Spivey (2001-05) was a very ordinary second baseman. Jimmy Stewart (1963-73) was a versatile utility guy who didn’t hit much, and he was no relation to that actor who starred in “The Stratton Story.” Backup catcher John Stearns (1974-84) was a .260 hitter who drew some walks, and he ran well enough to steal 15-25 bases (though he got thrown out a lot, too).
Manager: Joe Schultz, in honor of everyone who has ever read “Ball Four.” Pound that Budweiser, boys.
Outfield: Left fielder Jake Stenzel (1890-99) batted .339 with a career on-base percentage over .400, and he stole almost 300 bases and had lots of extra-base hits. In the context of his time, those were good numbers but not eye-popping or anything. The only time he ever led the league in an offensive category was when he had 43 doubles in 1897. Right fielder Jimmy Sheckard (1897-1913), on the other hand, was a .274 career hitter who led his leagues at various times in runs, triples, home runs, stolen bases (twice), walks (twice), on-base percentage, slugging percentage and sacrifice bunts (twice). He did this scattered all across his 17-year career, not clumping a bunch of them together in a couple of big seasons. He starred for the Chicago Cubs juggernaut that won four pennants and two World Series titles between 1906-10. Jimmy Slagle (1899-1908) played on three of those pennant-winning teams, too, so he’ll be very comfortable in center field alongside Sheckard. He wasn’t nearly as good player as Sheckard or Stenzel, but he was alright – a fast guy who drew some walks.
Catcher: Jim Sundberg (1974-89) was probably the best defensive catcher in baseball during the years between Johnny Bench and Pudge Rodriguez. During his peak years in Texas, he was a decent hitter - .275 with 60-70 walks – and even after his knees went (and took his bat with them), his defensive skills kept him in a starting role into his mid-30s.
Rotation: Johan Santana (2000- ) was shaping up as the best pitcher of his generation until arm injuries interrupted his progress. He was a Hall of Famer through age 30 – leading the league in ERA and strikeouts three times apiece and winning a pair of Cy Young Awards. His career records are still outstanding, but he needs to come back strong and stay healthy if he wants to get to Cooperstown. John Smoltz (1988-2009) has got the 200 victories (213-155) and the 3,000 strikeouts. He’s won a Cy Young Award, and his career record in the postseason is 15-4 with a 2.67 ERA and a 3-1 strikeout to walk ratio. In mid-career, he switched to the bullpen and saved 144 games in three seasons. Johnny Sain (1942-55) is best known for the first half of his career when he was a regular 20-game winner for the Braves, pairing with his even more durable counterpart to head the famous “Spahn and Sain and pray for rain” rotations. He spent the second part of his career as a swingman/closer for the Yankees teams that won three World Series titles. After his playing career, he was known as one of the top pitching coaches in baseball. Jason Schmidt (1995-2009) was an awfully good pitcher for a few years, but the injuries set in right as he seemed to be gaining traction. His career record was 130-96, despite spending his prime years with a dreadful Pittsburgh team. Jack Sanford (1956-67) won 137 games, mostly for the Phillies and the Giants. That’s five starting pitchers with more than 100 wins apiece, and with an aggregate winning percentage of .583.
Bullpen: Jeff Shaw (1990-2001) has the closer job for the moment, but Joakim Soria (2007- ) is aiming to make it his own. Shaw struggled along for several years with the Indians and the Expos before he arrived in Cincinnati and became a top-flight reliever in his 30s. He saved 203 games for the Reds and Dodgers, leading the league with 42 in 1997 and retiring after a career-high 43 saves in 2001. Soria has stayed under the radar for a lot of fans and media because he plays in Kansas City, but he has been one of the best relievers in baseball since he arrived on the scene. Jim Slaton (1971-86) and Jeff Suppan (1995-2010) were solid starting pitchers, with almost 300 wins between them, who aren’t good enough to crack this rotation but will get plenty of work in long relief. John Smiley (1986-97) is in the same category, and he brings another 126 victories to the table. He’s one of the handful of lefties in the 1990s who suffered the gruesome career-ending injury in which a bone in his arm snapped in half in mid-pitch. Happy Jack Stivetts (1889-99) was a 19th-century workhorse who won 203 games, and his “walk-in song” from the bullpen will obviously be The Who’s “Happy Jack.” He’ll be first in line, ahead of Slaton and Suppan and Smiley, to pick up some starts when Jason Schmidt’s elbow is feeling hinky. Justin Speier (1998- ) has been a solid workhorse middle reliever and set-up guy for a dozen years.
Bench: Outfielder Jigger Statz (1919-28) had a decent little major-league career, but his legacy is in the Pacific Coast League, where he played for 18 seasons, collected 3,356 hits and a .315 career average. Add in his 737 hits in the majors, and you’ve got one of the select handful of players with 4,000 professional hits (along with Rose, Musial, Cobb and Aaron). He will make a serious push for a starting job in this outfield. First baseman J.T. Snow (1992-2008) won six Gold Gloves. He will be a defensive replacement for Joe Start, who probably never even wore a leather glove. Snow could hit, too, and he’ll get some starting time. Junior Spivey (2001-05) was a very ordinary second baseman. Jimmy Stewart (1963-73) was a versatile utility guy who didn’t hit much, and he was no relation to that actor who starred in “The Stratton Story.” Backup catcher John Stearns (1974-84) was a .260 hitter who drew some walks, and he ran well enough to steal 15-25 bases (though he got thrown out a lot, too).
Manager: Joe Schultz, in honor of everyone who has ever read “Ball Four.” Pound that Budweiser, boys.
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