Infield: Second baseman Johnny Evers (1902-29), he of “Tinker to Evers to Chance” fame, was a key player on the Chicago Cubs championship teams in the first decade of the 20th Century. (For the record, his name was pronounced to rhyme with “weavers.”) Intensely smart and competitive, drew a lot of walks, ran well, batted .316 in 20 World Series games, turned a mean double play. Evers was a 125-pound powder keg, a hothead who argued with umpires, fought with opponents and got ejected with alarming frequency. He was always looking for a fistfight (usually finding one), and his most legendary feud was with his teammate Joe Tinker. Depending on your source, the feud either started when one of them threw a ball too hard to the other, or when one of them aced the other of a taxi cab outside the ballpark after a game. Whatever the origin, the two men went several years without speaking to each other despite the fact that they were teammates and double play partners. Evers left the Cubs in an acrimonious salary dispute and landed with the Boston Braves and became the team’s captain, a hard-driving taskmaster who pushed his teammates mercilessly – along the way engineering the “Miracle Braves” of 1914 as the team rallied from last place to win the pennant and sweep the World Series. Evers won the NL MVP and batted .438 in the four World Series games. John Ellis (1969-81) split his career between catcher and first base, but the JE team needs him more at first. He was a .260 hitter who would knock about 12-15 home runs given regular playing time. Third baseman Joe Evans (1915-25) was a weak hitter and a mediocre fielder, but he did play well in the 1920 World Series, helping the Indians win the championship. Shortstop Jimmy Esmond (1911-15), not to be confused with Jimmy Osmond, led the Federal League in triples in 1915.
Outfield: Center fielder Jim Edmonds (1993-2010) won eight Gold Gloves and was a regular on ESPN highlight reels, though there were those who accused him of hotdogging in order to make catches look more difficult than they actually were. He was a lot of fun to watch in the field, and he could hit a bit, too, as evidenced by a .282/.376/.527 career batting line, with 393 home runs, 1,199 RBI and 1,251 runs. He was a good player in California but had his best years after his trade to St. Louis, where he teamed with Albert Pujols on several playoff teams and stuck around long enough to enjoy the championship season of 2006. Right fielder Jim Eisenreich (1982-98) had a solid career that was disrupted and altered, but not stopped, by the nervous disorder Tourette Syndrome. He missed most of 1984-87 while being diagnosed and treated for the disorder, but once he got his symptoms under control he returned to the game and had a fine career in his 30s, batting .290 and helping the Florida Marlins to their 1997 World Series championship. He established a foundation to help children with Tourettes. Left fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (2007- ) completes a spectacular defensive outfield. He’s just hitting his prime with the Red Sox, but he’s already a World Series hero and two-time stolen base champ.
Catcher: Johnny Edwards (1961-74) was a weak hitter but a very good defensive catcher. He won a couple of Gold Gloves and probably would have won a few more if not for Johnny Bench.
Rotation: Jumbo Elliot (1923-34) was a 235-pound lefty who led the NL with 19 victories while pitching for Philadelphia in 1931. He was a pretty average pitcher, won 63 games in the majors and had three 20-win seasons in the minors. After he was done, he went home to Indiana, had a career in law enforcement, ran for sheriff but lost the election to basketball legend Clyde Lovellette. Juan Eichelberger (1978-88) was a mediocre righty for the San Diego Padres. John Ewing (1888-91) was the brother of Hall of Famer Buck Ewing. History did not record his middle name, so we don’t know if he was J.R. Ewing, but he was known in his time as “Long John,” either because he was tall and lanky or because he favored full-length underwear. In 1891, at the age of 28, he went 21-8 for the New York Giants, leading the National League in both winning percentage and ERA (2.27). His ensuing salary holdout was quickly rendered unnecessary by the onset of a serious illness of some sort. He never played baseball again, and he died in 1895 at age 31. James Edwards (1922-28) was known as “Little James” even though he was an inch taller than Long John Ewing. Go figure. He was sort of a lefty version of Juan Eichelberger. Joe Engel (1912-20) had an uneventful playing career followed by a long, prosperous run as a scout who played a key role in signing such future stars as Joe Cronin, Goose Goslin and Bucky Harris.
Bullpen: Gentleman John Enzmann (1914-20) will get first shot at the closer role. He tended to give up a ton of hits but had a career ERA of 2.84. He won almost 200 games in a long minor-league career, mostly in the International League, but pitched mainly in relief in the majors. Jamie Easterly (1974-87) was a mediocre pitcher who hung around for a long time because teams were always willing to give a lefty one more shot. Joey Eischen (1994-2006) is another lefty, much better than Easterly. He had emerged as a dependable one-out specialist and was still going strong in his mid-30s when a shoulder injury ended his career. John Ericks (1995-97) was a 6-foot-7 righty who emerged from University of Illinois and immediately struck out 211 batters (most in all of the minors that year) in the Single-A South Atlantic League in 1989. He eventually made it to the majors but had a short, forgettable career. Jack Easton (1889-94) was a pitcher and outfielder. He was a better pitcher than a hitter, but he didn’t exactly set the world on fire at either one. Jim Ellis (1967-69) had two brief trials in the majors and pitched well enough both times but never stuck around long. In his first at-bat, he hit an RBI double off Hall of Famer Jim Bunning. It was the only hit of his major-league career. John Ely (2010- ) is just getting started with the Dodgers.
Bench: Juan Encarnacion (1997-2007) was a useful outfielder, a .270 hitter with 156 career home runs and 127 career steals. His career ended abruptly at age 31 when he was hit in the face with a line drive while standing in the on-deck circle, shattering the bones around his left eye. Jewel Ens (1922-25) was an infielder who batted .290 in a very brief career with Pittsburgh. His full name was Jewel Winklemeyer Ens, which suggests that his parents had a sense of humor. Joe Ellick (1875-84) was a utility guy in those picturesque post-Civil War days, and he spent his time bouncing among teams such as the Worcester Ruby Legs and the Baltimore Monumentals. Jason Ellison (2005-08) is an outfielder who never hit much. Backup catcher Johnny Estrada (2001-08) played at all-star level in 2004 and 2006, but he went downhill fast.
Manager: Jim Essian might very well be the best catcher ever with the initials J.E., but he’s in a very close mix with Johnny Edwards and Johnny Estrada and John Ellis. He is, however, the only manager ever with those initials, so we’re going to let him run things.
Outfield: Center fielder Jim Edmonds (1993-2010) won eight Gold Gloves and was a regular on ESPN highlight reels, though there were those who accused him of hotdogging in order to make catches look more difficult than they actually were. He was a lot of fun to watch in the field, and he could hit a bit, too, as evidenced by a .282/.376/.527 career batting line, with 393 home runs, 1,199 RBI and 1,251 runs. He was a good player in California but had his best years after his trade to St. Louis, where he teamed with Albert Pujols on several playoff teams and stuck around long enough to enjoy the championship season of 2006. Right fielder Jim Eisenreich (1982-98) had a solid career that was disrupted and altered, but not stopped, by the nervous disorder Tourette Syndrome. He missed most of 1984-87 while being diagnosed and treated for the disorder, but once he got his symptoms under control he returned to the game and had a fine career in his 30s, batting .290 and helping the Florida Marlins to their 1997 World Series championship. He established a foundation to help children with Tourettes. Left fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (2007- ) completes a spectacular defensive outfield. He’s just hitting his prime with the Red Sox, but he’s already a World Series hero and two-time stolen base champ.
Catcher: Johnny Edwards (1961-74) was a weak hitter but a very good defensive catcher. He won a couple of Gold Gloves and probably would have won a few more if not for Johnny Bench.
Rotation: Jumbo Elliot (1923-34) was a 235-pound lefty who led the NL with 19 victories while pitching for Philadelphia in 1931. He was a pretty average pitcher, won 63 games in the majors and had three 20-win seasons in the minors. After he was done, he went home to Indiana, had a career in law enforcement, ran for sheriff but lost the election to basketball legend Clyde Lovellette. Juan Eichelberger (1978-88) was a mediocre righty for the San Diego Padres. John Ewing (1888-91) was the brother of Hall of Famer Buck Ewing. History did not record his middle name, so we don’t know if he was J.R. Ewing, but he was known in his time as “Long John,” either because he was tall and lanky or because he favored full-length underwear. In 1891, at the age of 28, he went 21-8 for the New York Giants, leading the National League in both winning percentage and ERA (2.27). His ensuing salary holdout was quickly rendered unnecessary by the onset of a serious illness of some sort. He never played baseball again, and he died in 1895 at age 31. James Edwards (1922-28) was known as “Little James” even though he was an inch taller than Long John Ewing. Go figure. He was sort of a lefty version of Juan Eichelberger. Joe Engel (1912-20) had an uneventful playing career followed by a long, prosperous run as a scout who played a key role in signing such future stars as Joe Cronin, Goose Goslin and Bucky Harris.
Bullpen: Gentleman John Enzmann (1914-20) will get first shot at the closer role. He tended to give up a ton of hits but had a career ERA of 2.84. He won almost 200 games in a long minor-league career, mostly in the International League, but pitched mainly in relief in the majors. Jamie Easterly (1974-87) was a mediocre pitcher who hung around for a long time because teams were always willing to give a lefty one more shot. Joey Eischen (1994-2006) is another lefty, much better than Easterly. He had emerged as a dependable one-out specialist and was still going strong in his mid-30s when a shoulder injury ended his career. John Ericks (1995-97) was a 6-foot-7 righty who emerged from University of Illinois and immediately struck out 211 batters (most in all of the minors that year) in the Single-A South Atlantic League in 1989. He eventually made it to the majors but had a short, forgettable career. Jack Easton (1889-94) was a pitcher and outfielder. He was a better pitcher than a hitter, but he didn’t exactly set the world on fire at either one. Jim Ellis (1967-69) had two brief trials in the majors and pitched well enough both times but never stuck around long. In his first at-bat, he hit an RBI double off Hall of Famer Jim Bunning. It was the only hit of his major-league career. John Ely (2010- ) is just getting started with the Dodgers.
Bench: Juan Encarnacion (1997-2007) was a useful outfielder, a .270 hitter with 156 career home runs and 127 career steals. His career ended abruptly at age 31 when he was hit in the face with a line drive while standing in the on-deck circle, shattering the bones around his left eye. Jewel Ens (1922-25) was an infielder who batted .290 in a very brief career with Pittsburgh. His full name was Jewel Winklemeyer Ens, which suggests that his parents had a sense of humor. Joe Ellick (1875-84) was a utility guy in those picturesque post-Civil War days, and he spent his time bouncing among teams such as the Worcester Ruby Legs and the Baltimore Monumentals. Jason Ellison (2005-08) is an outfielder who never hit much. Backup catcher Johnny Estrada (2001-08) played at all-star level in 2004 and 2006, but he went downhill fast.
Manager: Jim Essian might very well be the best catcher ever with the initials J.E., but he’s in a very close mix with Johnny Edwards and Johnny Estrada and John Ellis. He is, however, the only manager ever with those initials, so we’re going to let him run things.
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