Infield: Gil McDougald (1951-60) was an infielder on the great Yankees teams of the 1950s, moving freely among second, third and shortstop as manager Casey Stengel re-tooled his lineup from one day to the next, and he was a very good defensive player at all three positions. He was a good hitter – a .280 stick with mid-range power and as many walks as strikeouts – and his versatility was very important to the Yankees teams that won eight pennants and five World Series titles in his time. He was rookie of the year and a five-time all-star, and he retired in mid-career rather than report to the Washington Senators after the Yankees traded him. He will be the regular second baseman on this team, but look for him to move around. First baseman George McQuinn (1936-48) was a Mark Grace-type player – a solid average, outstanding batting eye, lots of doubles and a bit of power, plus a fine defensive first baseman utilizing a specially hinged glove known as the McQuinn Claw. He was originally with the Yankees, but the team let him go (not realizing that Gehrig by that point was playing on borrowed time). He landed with the St. Louis Browns and had many fine seasons for bad teams, though he did bat .438 in a losing effort when the wartime Browns made their appearance in the 1944 World Series. At the end of his career he returned to the Yankees and was part of the team that won the 1947 World Series. Shortstop George McBride (1901-20) holds the distinction of having the lowest batting average (.218) of any player with 5,000 or more at-bats. He had no extra-base power and wasn’t exactly a speedster, but he was a terrific defensive infielder and he played shortstop every day for the Washington Senators. Third baseman George Moriarty (1903-16) was a smart, fiery utility player and a daring baserunner with a penchant for stealing home. He became more famous for his endeavors after his playing career was over. He spent many years as a respected AL umpire, and in one infamous incident he got into a postgame brawl on the field with four White Sox players who objected to some of his calls. According to the media reports in 1932, the four men attacked him simultaneously but he fought them so ferociously that it was declared a draw. He also became famous for composing poetry, including verses written as elegies for noteworthy baseball players.
Outfield: They used to say that two-thirds of the Earth’s surface was covered by water, and that Garry Maddox (1972-86) could cover the other third. A remarkable defensive center fielder, he was a key player on the great Philadelphia Phillies teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was a .290 hitter with good speed and some line drive power, but he was best known for his range in center, a skill that was made all the more important by the barely ambulatory presence of Greg Luzinski in left field. Maddox served in the U.S. Army and did a tour of duty in Vietnam, making him perhaps the last major-league player to have done active combat duty. Maddox and Gary “Sarge” Matthews (1972-87) were both drafted by San Francisco in 1968, but they arrived at a period when the Giants had develop a bad habit of discarding all-star outfielders – not just Maddox and Matthews, but also guys like Bobby Bonds, Dave Kingman, and the Alou brothers. Matthews signed a big free agent contract with the Braves, later rejoined Maddox for a few years in Philadelphia and was part of the Cubs team that came so close to winning the 1984 pennant. He was a very solid player who would generally hit .280-.300 with some walks, and he had 234 career home runs. He’ll be in left field here, and his son Gary Matthews Jr. (1999- ) will be in right. Junior is not nearly as good as Dad was (other than a career year he had in 2006 while in the walk year of a contact), but he hasn’t been a bad player throughout an itinerant career.
Catcher: Gus Mancuso (1930-45) bounced around the National League for many years. He was generally with good teams, and he played in five World Series, winning championships with the Cardinals in 1931 and the Giants in 1933. He wasn’t anything special as a hitter, but he wasn’t terrible either, and he was a good defender. He was respected enough to finish in the top 10 in a couple of MVP votes while having seasons that weren’t exactly eye-popping.
Rotation: What can one say about Greg Maddux (1986-2008)? He won more games than any post-deadball pitcher other than Warren Spahn, and at 355-227 he had a very impressive .610 winning percentage. He led the NL three times in wins, four times in ERA and won four Cy Young Awards (and, for good measure, 18 Gold Gloves). He came off like a nice, professorial type and he was popular everywhere he went. He was part of an amazing generation of historically great pitchers (along with Clemens, Pedro and the Big Unit), and he was the anchor for the superb pitching staffs that led Atlanta to a decade of dominance in the NL East. No one ever said a bad word about him. Wabash George Mullin (1902-15) went 29-8 for Detroit in 1909 and had four other seasons of 20 or 21 victories. For his career, he won 212 games in the AL and another 16 in the upstart Federal League. For the Tigers, he pitched in three World Series. The team lost all three, but Mullin had an ERA of 1.86 in seven postseason games, and in 1909 he set a record that isn’t likely to be broken by pitching 32 innings in a seven-game World Series. George McQuillan (1907-18) did not allow a run in the first 25 innings of his major-league career, a record that lasted more than a century until it was broken by A’s reliever Brad Ziegler. McQuillan went on to win 85 games, highlighted by a 23-17 record for the Phillies in 1908. Gil Meche (1999- ) has spent his career as a highly functional back-of-the-rotation guy. He’ll never win a Cy Young Award, but he’s durable and efficient and if you give him some offensive and defensvie support he could win a dozen games or more. Lefty George Mogridge (1911-27) spent most of his career with the pre-Ruth Yankees and the Washington Senators toward the end of Walter Johnson’s career. He won 132 games and was generally an average or slightly better than average pitcher.
Bullpen: Closer Greg Minton (1975-90) was a slightly flaky reliever who saved 150 games for the Giants and the Angels. He was a sinkerball specialist who avoided the big fly. In fact, from 1978 until early in the 1982 season, Minton worked 178 games (269 innings) without allowing a single home run. Greg McMichael (1993-2000) was a sidearmer who had one outstanding season as a fill-in closer for the Braves, followed by several seasons as a very effective set-up guy. Guillermo Mota (1999- ) is a big, flame-throwing righthander has bounced around the majors as an effective middle reliever and set-up man. He tested positive for steroids in 2006, but he wasn’t a big power hitter so no one really cared. Greg Mathews (1986-92) was a promising lefty for the Cardinals in the late 1980s. He could never stay healthy, and for several years, the Cardinals explained disappointing seasons by saying, “Well, if Greg Mathews had stayed healthy … “ Gary Majewski (2004-08) stayed busy for a few years as a middle reliever but didn’t last long. Guy Morton (1914-24), known as The Alabama Blossom, went 1-13 for a dreadful Cleveland team as a rookie, but as the team improved, Morton went on to win 98 games in his career. Any pitcher who goes 1-13 as a rookie and finishes his career 12 games over .500 has done a pretty good job. Garrett Mock (2008- ) is a big righty in mid-career.
Bench: Greg Myers (1987-2005) and George Mitterwald (1966-77) will share the backup catching duties. Myers had a long, distinguished career as a part-time catcher for seven different teams, batting .255 with a little bit of pop. Mitterwald wasn’t quite as good as Myers. He played a bit more regularly, but in a shorter career with the Twins and the Cubs. There’s something to be said for a catcher who has the word “Mitt” in his name. Gene Michael (1966-75) was a Yankees infielder during the dull period between the Mantle dynasty and the Reggie Era. He was nicknamed “Stick” because was tall and skinny, not because he could hit. In fact, he hit about as little as a guy can hit and still retain a job, but he ingratiated himself with the organization and was part of the managerial revolving door during the period when Steinbrenner was hiring and firing Billy Martin on a regular basis. George Magoon (1898-1903) will share the utility infield duties with Michael. Outfielder Rowdy Gene Moore (1931-45) had a couple of pretty good seasons with the Boston Bees in the hard-hitting 1930s, putting up double-digits in doubles, triples and home runs in 1936 and ’37. He’ll probably spell Little Sarge in right field.
Manager: Gene Mauch had a storied managerial career. He had a fine reputation despite a losing record and despite never winning a pennant in 27 seasons. He had a long history of taking over weak teams and making them better. He came close in 1964, when his Phillies blew a commanding lead down the home stretch, and again in 1986 when his Angels won the AL West but imploded in the ALCS against the Red Sox.
Outfield: They used to say that two-thirds of the Earth’s surface was covered by water, and that Garry Maddox (1972-86) could cover the other third. A remarkable defensive center fielder, he was a key player on the great Philadelphia Phillies teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was a .290 hitter with good speed and some line drive power, but he was best known for his range in center, a skill that was made all the more important by the barely ambulatory presence of Greg Luzinski in left field. Maddox served in the U.S. Army and did a tour of duty in Vietnam, making him perhaps the last major-league player to have done active combat duty. Maddox and Gary “Sarge” Matthews (1972-87) were both drafted by San Francisco in 1968, but they arrived at a period when the Giants had develop a bad habit of discarding all-star outfielders – not just Maddox and Matthews, but also guys like Bobby Bonds, Dave Kingman, and the Alou brothers. Matthews signed a big free agent contract with the Braves, later rejoined Maddox for a few years in Philadelphia and was part of the Cubs team that came so close to winning the 1984 pennant. He was a very solid player who would generally hit .280-.300 with some walks, and he had 234 career home runs. He’ll be in left field here, and his son Gary Matthews Jr. (1999- ) will be in right. Junior is not nearly as good as Dad was (other than a career year he had in 2006 while in the walk year of a contact), but he hasn’t been a bad player throughout an itinerant career.
Catcher: Gus Mancuso (1930-45) bounced around the National League for many years. He was generally with good teams, and he played in five World Series, winning championships with the Cardinals in 1931 and the Giants in 1933. He wasn’t anything special as a hitter, but he wasn’t terrible either, and he was a good defender. He was respected enough to finish in the top 10 in a couple of MVP votes while having seasons that weren’t exactly eye-popping.
Rotation: What can one say about Greg Maddux (1986-2008)? He won more games than any post-deadball pitcher other than Warren Spahn, and at 355-227 he had a very impressive .610 winning percentage. He led the NL three times in wins, four times in ERA and won four Cy Young Awards (and, for good measure, 18 Gold Gloves). He came off like a nice, professorial type and he was popular everywhere he went. He was part of an amazing generation of historically great pitchers (along with Clemens, Pedro and the Big Unit), and he was the anchor for the superb pitching staffs that led Atlanta to a decade of dominance in the NL East. No one ever said a bad word about him. Wabash George Mullin (1902-15) went 29-8 for Detroit in 1909 and had four other seasons of 20 or 21 victories. For his career, he won 212 games in the AL and another 16 in the upstart Federal League. For the Tigers, he pitched in three World Series. The team lost all three, but Mullin had an ERA of 1.86 in seven postseason games, and in 1909 he set a record that isn’t likely to be broken by pitching 32 innings in a seven-game World Series. George McQuillan (1907-18) did not allow a run in the first 25 innings of his major-league career, a record that lasted more than a century until it was broken by A’s reliever Brad Ziegler. McQuillan went on to win 85 games, highlighted by a 23-17 record for the Phillies in 1908. Gil Meche (1999- ) has spent his career as a highly functional back-of-the-rotation guy. He’ll never win a Cy Young Award, but he’s durable and efficient and if you give him some offensive and defensvie support he could win a dozen games or more. Lefty George Mogridge (1911-27) spent most of his career with the pre-Ruth Yankees and the Washington Senators toward the end of Walter Johnson’s career. He won 132 games and was generally an average or slightly better than average pitcher.
Bullpen: Closer Greg Minton (1975-90) was a slightly flaky reliever who saved 150 games for the Giants and the Angels. He was a sinkerball specialist who avoided the big fly. In fact, from 1978 until early in the 1982 season, Minton worked 178 games (269 innings) without allowing a single home run. Greg McMichael (1993-2000) was a sidearmer who had one outstanding season as a fill-in closer for the Braves, followed by several seasons as a very effective set-up guy. Guillermo Mota (1999- ) is a big, flame-throwing righthander has bounced around the majors as an effective middle reliever and set-up man. He tested positive for steroids in 2006, but he wasn’t a big power hitter so no one really cared. Greg Mathews (1986-92) was a promising lefty for the Cardinals in the late 1980s. He could never stay healthy, and for several years, the Cardinals explained disappointing seasons by saying, “Well, if Greg Mathews had stayed healthy … “ Gary Majewski (2004-08) stayed busy for a few years as a middle reliever but didn’t last long. Guy Morton (1914-24), known as The Alabama Blossom, went 1-13 for a dreadful Cleveland team as a rookie, but as the team improved, Morton went on to win 98 games in his career. Any pitcher who goes 1-13 as a rookie and finishes his career 12 games over .500 has done a pretty good job. Garrett Mock (2008- ) is a big righty in mid-career.
Bench: Greg Myers (1987-2005) and George Mitterwald (1966-77) will share the backup catching duties. Myers had a long, distinguished career as a part-time catcher for seven different teams, batting .255 with a little bit of pop. Mitterwald wasn’t quite as good as Myers. He played a bit more regularly, but in a shorter career with the Twins and the Cubs. There’s something to be said for a catcher who has the word “Mitt” in his name. Gene Michael (1966-75) was a Yankees infielder during the dull period between the Mantle dynasty and the Reggie Era. He was nicknamed “Stick” because was tall and skinny, not because he could hit. In fact, he hit about as little as a guy can hit and still retain a job, but he ingratiated himself with the organization and was part of the managerial revolving door during the period when Steinbrenner was hiring and firing Billy Martin on a regular basis. George Magoon (1898-1903) will share the utility infield duties with Michael. Outfielder Rowdy Gene Moore (1931-45) had a couple of pretty good seasons with the Boston Bees in the hard-hitting 1930s, putting up double-digits in doubles, triples and home runs in 1936 and ’37. He’ll probably spell Little Sarge in right field.
Manager: Gene Mauch had a storied managerial career. He had a fine reputation despite a losing record and despite never winning a pennant in 27 seasons. He had a long history of taking over weak teams and making them better. He came close in 1964, when his Phillies blew a commanding lead down the home stretch, and again in 1986 when his Angels won the AL West but imploded in the ALCS against the Red Sox.
