Infield: Shortstop John Henry Lloyd was one of the great players in the history of the Negro Leagues. He was called "The Black Wagner," and Honus Wagner said he was flattered by the comparison. Lloyd had an itinerant career, following the money from team to team, but he was a spectacular hitter and fielder everywhere he went, including an extensive career in Cuba. He played forever and was still winning batting titles in his 40s. Second baseman Jerry Lumpe (1956-67) was a slick fielder who will turn a lot of double plays with Lloyd. He came up as a role player on some very good Yankees teams, and then came of age as a starter in Kansas City and Detroit. First baseman James Loney (2006- ) hits for a decent average, draws a few walks and hits about 15 home runs per year. He's not exceptionally good at anything, but he's not bad at anything either. He's right in his prime, so we'll see where he goes at this point. Third baseman Jim Lefebvre (1965-72) was part of the Dodgers’ famous all-switch-hitting infield (along with Maury Wills, Jim Gilliam and Wes Parker). He was a solid, unspectacular ballplayer for some good Dodgers teams, and then he headed over to Japan and played well for a few years. His time in Japan came to an ugly end when he angrily hurled his mitt into the dugout and his manager, believing the mitt was aimed at his head, fined Lefebvre $10,000. The dispute was played out in the Japanese press, and while the fine was eventually rescinded, Lefebvre never played again, returning to the U.S. where he was a coach and manager for many years. Like some of his Dodgers teammates, he occasionally gained work acting in TV shows, once playing one of the Riddler’s thugs in a “Batman” episode and another time playing a comedic headhunter in “Gilligan’s Island.”
Outfield: Right fielder Jim Lemon (1950-63) led the American League in strikeouts for three straight years, but he also hit 164 career home runs despite not earning a full-time job in the majors until his late 20s. He ran well enough to lead the league in triples one time, but he was no threat to steal bases and he was a weak defensive outfielder. Center fielder Jim Landis (1957-67) was a brilliant glove man for the White Sox. He was a .250 hitter who drew a few walks and hit 15 home runs a year or so, but his primary value was as a top-flight center fielder. Left fielder Jeffrey “Hac Man” Leonard (1977-90) had a habit of pissing off pitchers. Sometimes, after hitting home runs, he would run the bases with one arm pumping and the other stationary. “One flap down,” he called it, and he said it was his way of saying that this particular home run was no big deal because the pitch (or the pitcher) wasn’t all that good. He was also known, at times, to hit a home run and round the bases at such a leisurely pace that opposing pitchers would feel the need to hit him in the ribs the next time he came up as a helpful hint to maybe run a little faster. He had such a cheerful demeanor that other players nicknamed him “Penitentiary Face.” He was a pretty fair player – a .270 hitter who knocked out 144 career home runs – and in the 1987 NLCS he batted .417 with four home runs, while also playing a central role in a series of fights, arguments and pissing matches between the Giants and Cardinals.
Catcher: Javy Lopez (1992-2006) was the catcher on those Braves teams that won the NL East every year. He was a .280 hitter with power (260 career home runs). For whatever it’s worth, Greg Maddux didn’t like pitching to Lopez, who worked too slowly to suit Maddux.
Rotation: Jim Lonborg (1965-79) went 22-9 for the pennant-winning Red Sox of 1967. He stuck around long enough to win 157 games, but he will always be remembered for his role in that “Impossible Dream” season. John Lackey (2002- ) is a big fellow who won 102 games for the Angels as a solid, durable starter. He moved to the Red Sox in mid-career and is still trying to adjust to Fenway Park. His current teammate, Jon Lester (2006- ) is well on his way to becoming a legend. He was a cancer survivor, a no-hitter thrower and a World Series hero, all before turning 27. His winning percentage is extraordinary, and he has been durable and consistent. If he stays healthy and stays with the Red Sox he should keep winning for the foreseeable future. Jon Lieber (1994-2008) won 20 for the Cubs in 2001 and won 131 in his career. Jose Lima (1994-2006) won 21 for the Astros in 1999 and won 89 in his career. He was only a so-so pitcher, but as a bonus he has a lovely singing voice. While pitching for the Norfolk Tides in 2006, he surprised the crowd one night by taking the microphone during Seventh Inning Stretch and brought the house down with “God Bless America.”
Bullpen: Jeff Lahti (1982-86) was a pretty fair, if anonymous, reliever who was sort of the chairman of the board of Whitey Herzog’s “Closer by Committee” in 1985 before rookie Todd Worrell showed up. He’ll be the closer here. Johnny Lindell (1941-54) was a combination pitcher-outfielder for the Yankees. He was more of an outfielder and a pitcher, and he was certainly a better hitter than he was a pitcher, but we’re deep in the outfield and shallow in the pen, so he’s going to get more work on the mound (though he’ll get his share of at-bats, too). Johnny Lush (1904-10) was also an outfielder-pitcher, but he was more of a pitcher. Javier Lopez (2003- ) does pretty well in the lefty “one-out specialist” role. Jack Lamabe (1962-68) was known as “Old Tomato Face,” which can’t possibly be a compliment. Johnny Lanning (1936-47) was known as “Tobacco Chewin’ Johnny” (yes, with the apostrophe), which if nothing else is better than “Old Tomato Face.” Lanning had some good years with the Braves and the Pirates. Jim Lindsey (1922-37) won 143 games in the minors. He didn’t really establish himself in the majors until 1930, when he was 34 years old, but he was a decent pitcher in the bigs.
Bench: This is one ass-kicking bench. In addition to Lindell and Lush being available as pinch-hitters, you’ve got Johnny Logan as a backup infielder and a group of fantastic bench players like Jim Leyritz, Jerry Lynch and John Lowenstein. Leyritz (1990-2000) was a catcher who could also play first, third and the outfield. He was a .260 hitter who, given even a part-time role, would reach double digits in home runs. (After his playing career ended, he killed a woman in a DUI accident and then compounding matters by giving a series of interviews in which he suggested that the real tragedy in the incident was his lost income.) Lynch (1954-66) was an outfielder best known as a pinch-hitter for the Reds. In 1961, he played a key role in the Reds run to the World Series, batting .315/.407/.624 with 50 RBI in just 181 at-bats. Lowenstein (1970-85) was a quirky dude who was a poor defensive outfielder who could also be stretched to be a poor defensive infielder, but he was a decent lefty hitter and a guy who gave good effort, and in his 30s he emerged as one of Earl Weaver’s platoon specialists and knocked the crap out of right-handed pitching for a few years. He was an odd character. He once plowed into the outfield wall and, despite being shaken up, decided to entertain the fans by pretending to be unconscious and the suddenly sitting bolt upright on the stretcher and pumping his fists. Logan (1951-63) was a scrappy shortstop for the fine Braves teams of the Aaron-Spahn-Mathews era. “Scrappy” in this instance means a little guy who played hard, as well as a guy who tended to get into a lot of fistfights on the field. He was a good ballplayer – a fine defensive shortstop, a decent hitter (.270 with 10-15 home runs per year) and a respected team leader. Jason LaRue (1999-2010) is the backup catcher who will work with any starting pitcher who shares Greg Maddux’s opinion of Javy Lopez. A backup catcher with almost 100 career home runs – a good way to complete one heck of a good bench. LaRue was catching for the Cardinals in 2010 when a brawl broke out with the Reds. Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Cueto gave LaRue a karate kick to the face, causing a concussion that ended LaRue's career.
Manager: Jim Leyland will be smoking his Marlboros in the JL dugout. He had some fine years in Pittsburgh, then won a World Series in Florida and an AL pennant in Detroit.
Outfield: Right fielder Jim Lemon (1950-63) led the American League in strikeouts for three straight years, but he also hit 164 career home runs despite not earning a full-time job in the majors until his late 20s. He ran well enough to lead the league in triples one time, but he was no threat to steal bases and he was a weak defensive outfielder. Center fielder Jim Landis (1957-67) was a brilliant glove man for the White Sox. He was a .250 hitter who drew a few walks and hit 15 home runs a year or so, but his primary value was as a top-flight center fielder. Left fielder Jeffrey “Hac Man” Leonard (1977-90) had a habit of pissing off pitchers. Sometimes, after hitting home runs, he would run the bases with one arm pumping and the other stationary. “One flap down,” he called it, and he said it was his way of saying that this particular home run was no big deal because the pitch (or the pitcher) wasn’t all that good. He was also known, at times, to hit a home run and round the bases at such a leisurely pace that opposing pitchers would feel the need to hit him in the ribs the next time he came up as a helpful hint to maybe run a little faster. He had such a cheerful demeanor that other players nicknamed him “Penitentiary Face.” He was a pretty fair player – a .270 hitter who knocked out 144 career home runs – and in the 1987 NLCS he batted .417 with four home runs, while also playing a central role in a series of fights, arguments and pissing matches between the Giants and Cardinals.
Catcher: Javy Lopez (1992-2006) was the catcher on those Braves teams that won the NL East every year. He was a .280 hitter with power (260 career home runs). For whatever it’s worth, Greg Maddux didn’t like pitching to Lopez, who worked too slowly to suit Maddux.
Rotation: Jim Lonborg (1965-79) went 22-9 for the pennant-winning Red Sox of 1967. He stuck around long enough to win 157 games, but he will always be remembered for his role in that “Impossible Dream” season. John Lackey (2002- ) is a big fellow who won 102 games for the Angels as a solid, durable starter. He moved to the Red Sox in mid-career and is still trying to adjust to Fenway Park. His current teammate, Jon Lester (2006- ) is well on his way to becoming a legend. He was a cancer survivor, a no-hitter thrower and a World Series hero, all before turning 27. His winning percentage is extraordinary, and he has been durable and consistent. If he stays healthy and stays with the Red Sox he should keep winning for the foreseeable future. Jon Lieber (1994-2008) won 20 for the Cubs in 2001 and won 131 in his career. Jose Lima (1994-2006) won 21 for the Astros in 1999 and won 89 in his career. He was only a so-so pitcher, but as a bonus he has a lovely singing voice. While pitching for the Norfolk Tides in 2006, he surprised the crowd one night by taking the microphone during Seventh Inning Stretch and brought the house down with “God Bless America.”
Bullpen: Jeff Lahti (1982-86) was a pretty fair, if anonymous, reliever who was sort of the chairman of the board of Whitey Herzog’s “Closer by Committee” in 1985 before rookie Todd Worrell showed up. He’ll be the closer here. Johnny Lindell (1941-54) was a combination pitcher-outfielder for the Yankees. He was more of an outfielder and a pitcher, and he was certainly a better hitter than he was a pitcher, but we’re deep in the outfield and shallow in the pen, so he’s going to get more work on the mound (though he’ll get his share of at-bats, too). Johnny Lush (1904-10) was also an outfielder-pitcher, but he was more of a pitcher. Javier Lopez (2003- ) does pretty well in the lefty “one-out specialist” role. Jack Lamabe (1962-68) was known as “Old Tomato Face,” which can’t possibly be a compliment. Johnny Lanning (1936-47) was known as “Tobacco Chewin’ Johnny” (yes, with the apostrophe), which if nothing else is better than “Old Tomato Face.” Lanning had some good years with the Braves and the Pirates. Jim Lindsey (1922-37) won 143 games in the minors. He didn’t really establish himself in the majors until 1930, when he was 34 years old, but he was a decent pitcher in the bigs.
Bench: This is one ass-kicking bench. In addition to Lindell and Lush being available as pinch-hitters, you’ve got Johnny Logan as a backup infielder and a group of fantastic bench players like Jim Leyritz, Jerry Lynch and John Lowenstein. Leyritz (1990-2000) was a catcher who could also play first, third and the outfield. He was a .260 hitter who, given even a part-time role, would reach double digits in home runs. (After his playing career ended, he killed a woman in a DUI accident and then compounding matters by giving a series of interviews in which he suggested that the real tragedy in the incident was his lost income.) Lynch (1954-66) was an outfielder best known as a pinch-hitter for the Reds. In 1961, he played a key role in the Reds run to the World Series, batting .315/.407/.624 with 50 RBI in just 181 at-bats. Lowenstein (1970-85) was a quirky dude who was a poor defensive outfielder who could also be stretched to be a poor defensive infielder, but he was a decent lefty hitter and a guy who gave good effort, and in his 30s he emerged as one of Earl Weaver’s platoon specialists and knocked the crap out of right-handed pitching for a few years. He was an odd character. He once plowed into the outfield wall and, despite being shaken up, decided to entertain the fans by pretending to be unconscious and the suddenly sitting bolt upright on the stretcher and pumping his fists. Logan (1951-63) was a scrappy shortstop for the fine Braves teams of the Aaron-Spahn-Mathews era. “Scrappy” in this instance means a little guy who played hard, as well as a guy who tended to get into a lot of fistfights on the field. He was a good ballplayer – a fine defensive shortstop, a decent hitter (.270 with 10-15 home runs per year) and a respected team leader. Jason LaRue (1999-2010) is the backup catcher who will work with any starting pitcher who shares Greg Maddux’s opinion of Javy Lopez. A backup catcher with almost 100 career home runs – a good way to complete one heck of a good bench. LaRue was catching for the Cardinals in 2010 when a brawl broke out with the Reds. Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Cueto gave LaRue a karate kick to the face, causing a concussion that ended LaRue's career.
Manager: Jim Leyland will be smoking his Marlboros in the JL dugout. He had some fine years in Pittsburgh, then won a World Series in Florida and an AL pennant in Detroit.
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