Infield: Third baseman Floyd Rayford (1980-87) was nicknamed “Sugar Bear,” and if you saw him you understood why. He was listed at 5-10 and 190, but that doesn’t do justice to the roly-poly quality that he projected. He wasn’t fat, but he was … well … he looked like a Sugar Bear. He was your basic .250 hitter – didn’t walk enough, had a bit of pop, no speed, could catch if you needed him to. Fred Raymer (1901-05) was a weak-hitting second baseman (.218 career batting average with no power) who will be stretched to play shortstop on this team. Fred Roat (1890-92) is a light-hitting third baseman (.220 career batting average with no power) who will be stretched to play second on this team. First baseman Fred Richards (1951) arrived with the Cubs at age 23, batted .296 in 10 games, and then went back to the minors and played for several years as a decent but hardly spectacular hitter. So that’s the F.R. infield: a portly third baseman, a first baseman whose career was limited to a cup o’coffee, and a double play combination playing out of position and providing no offense.
Outfield: Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (1956-76) is one of the great outfielders of all time. His resume includes Rookie of the Year, two MVPs, a triple crown, five pennants and two World Series titles. A right fielder who was very comparable to Henry Aaron, he will be stretched to play center field on this team. His career stats include a .294 average, 586 home runs (which put him in the top five all time until the power surge of the 1990s), 1,812 RBI and 1,829 runs. He starred for the Cincinnati Reds for a decade, and then for the Orioles for several more years. Right fielder Floyd Robinson (1960-68) was a very solid player for the White Sox for several years, a .280-.290 hitter with a good batting eye and enough gap power to hit a league-leading 45 doubles in 1962. Left fielder Frog Redus was a longtime Negro League star, a 5-foot-5 spark plug who hit with a fair amount of power. He played for several years alongside Cool Papa Bell before commencing to wander about the league. Look for him to bat leadoff on this team, ahead of Floyd and Frank Robinson. The lineup goes downhill fast after that, with Sugar Bear Rayford batting cleanup.
Catcher: Negro Leaguer Frazier Robinson was a slap hitter and a slow runner, but he fashioned a long career – in and out of the starting lineup – because of hustle and a strong arm behind the plate.
Rotation: Flint Rehm (1924-36) won 105 games, mostly for the Cardinals. He led the NL with 20 victories in 1926, but he was mostly a back-of-the-rotation guy who generally moved to the bullpen when the postseason rolled around (he appeared in four World Series with the Cardinals but worked just 10 innings). Frankie Rodriguez (1995-2001) was a converted shortstop who became won 13 games for the Twins in 1996 but wasn’t able to hold onto a spot in the rotation for very long. Frank Reberger (1968-72) was a 6-foot-5 swingman, picked by the Padres off the Chicago Cubs’ roster in the 1969 expansion draft. He went on to win 14 games – not in one season, but in his career. Frank Ragland (1932) got hammered in a few games for the Senators in 1932 and then got hammered in a few games for the Phillies in 1933. Career stats: 1-4, 7.11 ERA. Farmer Ray (1910) went 4-10 for the St. Louis Browns in 1910. Not much to say about him, other than that he hit seven batters in 140 innings but never threw a wild pitch, leading one to wonder if Farmer was a headhunter.
Bullpen: The rotation is weak, but the bullpen is much stronger. The closer is Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez (2002- ), he of the 11 strikeouts per nine innings. He led the AL in saves three times, including a major-league record 62 in 2008, but since signing a lucrative free agent contract with the Mets he has struggled with inconsistency, injuries and off-field issues. Still, he is close to 300 saves and he is still in mid-career. Righty set-up man Felix Rodriguez (1995-2006) was generally good and occasionally very good for a decade. His best seasons came with the Giants, including a 1.68 ERA in 80 appearances in 2001. Fernando Rodney (2002- ) has been primarily a set-up man but has filled in as closer as needed, saving 37 for the Tigers in 2009. Francisco Rodriguez (2010- ), no relation to K-Rod or Frankie, made it to the majors with the Angels at age 27 and pitched well enough. We’ll see where he goes from here. Francisco Rosario (2006-07) had a 6.02 career ERA in 40 games. Freddy Rodriguez (1958-59) pitched a few games with the Cubs and one game with the Phillies and rarely got anyone out. Fred Rath Sr. (1968-69) pitched a handful of games for the White Sox and had a son (Fred Jr.) who had a 1.69 ERA in two games for the Rockies in 1998. If you’re keeping track of such things, the bullpen consists of three Dominicans, a Venezuelan, a Mexican, a Cuban and a guy from Arkansas named Fred.
Bench:Backup catcher Frank Roth (1903-10) spent several years in that role (backup catcher) with four teams. Infielder Frank Rooney (1914) played a few games in the Federal League and batted .200. He may or may not have been related to Ferris Bueller’s principal. Infielder Fred Robinson (1884), who grew up during the Civil War had three hits for the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds. Outfielder Fraley Rogers (1872-73), who for all we know may have fought in the Civil War, holds the career record for most runs (41) by a player named Fraley. Outfielder Fernando Ramsey (1992) was a minor-league speedster who made a few appearances with the Cubs. When he enters the game, they will play the ABBA song “Fernando” on the PA.
Manager: Frank Robinson, baseball’s first black manager, will be player-manager. His managerial record isn’t very good (1,065-1,176 with no playoff appearances), but he often had teams that were pretty weak to begin with. Holds the distinction of being the last manager of the Expos and the first manager of the Washington Nationals.
Outfield: Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (1956-76) is one of the great outfielders of all time. His resume includes Rookie of the Year, two MVPs, a triple crown, five pennants and two World Series titles. A right fielder who was very comparable to Henry Aaron, he will be stretched to play center field on this team. His career stats include a .294 average, 586 home runs (which put him in the top five all time until the power surge of the 1990s), 1,812 RBI and 1,829 runs. He starred for the Cincinnati Reds for a decade, and then for the Orioles for several more years. Right fielder Floyd Robinson (1960-68) was a very solid player for the White Sox for several years, a .280-.290 hitter with a good batting eye and enough gap power to hit a league-leading 45 doubles in 1962. Left fielder Frog Redus was a longtime Negro League star, a 5-foot-5 spark plug who hit with a fair amount of power. He played for several years alongside Cool Papa Bell before commencing to wander about the league. Look for him to bat leadoff on this team, ahead of Floyd and Frank Robinson. The lineup goes downhill fast after that, with Sugar Bear Rayford batting cleanup.
Catcher: Negro Leaguer Frazier Robinson was a slap hitter and a slow runner, but he fashioned a long career – in and out of the starting lineup – because of hustle and a strong arm behind the plate.
Rotation: Flint Rehm (1924-36) won 105 games, mostly for the Cardinals. He led the NL with 20 victories in 1926, but he was mostly a back-of-the-rotation guy who generally moved to the bullpen when the postseason rolled around (he appeared in four World Series with the Cardinals but worked just 10 innings). Frankie Rodriguez (1995-2001) was a converted shortstop who became won 13 games for the Twins in 1996 but wasn’t able to hold onto a spot in the rotation for very long. Frank Reberger (1968-72) was a 6-foot-5 swingman, picked by the Padres off the Chicago Cubs’ roster in the 1969 expansion draft. He went on to win 14 games – not in one season, but in his career. Frank Ragland (1932) got hammered in a few games for the Senators in 1932 and then got hammered in a few games for the Phillies in 1933. Career stats: 1-4, 7.11 ERA. Farmer Ray (1910) went 4-10 for the St. Louis Browns in 1910. Not much to say about him, other than that he hit seven batters in 140 innings but never threw a wild pitch, leading one to wonder if Farmer was a headhunter.
Bullpen: The rotation is weak, but the bullpen is much stronger. The closer is Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez (2002- ), he of the 11 strikeouts per nine innings. He led the AL in saves three times, including a major-league record 62 in 2008, but since signing a lucrative free agent contract with the Mets he has struggled with inconsistency, injuries and off-field issues. Still, he is close to 300 saves and he is still in mid-career. Righty set-up man Felix Rodriguez (1995-2006) was generally good and occasionally very good for a decade. His best seasons came with the Giants, including a 1.68 ERA in 80 appearances in 2001. Fernando Rodney (2002- ) has been primarily a set-up man but has filled in as closer as needed, saving 37 for the Tigers in 2009. Francisco Rodriguez (2010- ), no relation to K-Rod or Frankie, made it to the majors with the Angels at age 27 and pitched well enough. We’ll see where he goes from here. Francisco Rosario (2006-07) had a 6.02 career ERA in 40 games. Freddy Rodriguez (1958-59) pitched a few games with the Cubs and one game with the Phillies and rarely got anyone out. Fred Rath Sr. (1968-69) pitched a handful of games for the White Sox and had a son (Fred Jr.) who had a 1.69 ERA in two games for the Rockies in 1998. If you’re keeping track of such things, the bullpen consists of three Dominicans, a Venezuelan, a Mexican, a Cuban and a guy from Arkansas named Fred.
Bench:Backup catcher Frank Roth (1903-10) spent several years in that role (backup catcher) with four teams. Infielder Frank Rooney (1914) played a few games in the Federal League and batted .200. He may or may not have been related to Ferris Bueller’s principal. Infielder Fred Robinson (1884), who grew up during the Civil War had three hits for the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds. Outfielder Fraley Rogers (1872-73), who for all we know may have fought in the Civil War, holds the career record for most runs (41) by a player named Fraley. Outfielder Fernando Ramsey (1992) was a minor-league speedster who made a few appearances with the Cubs. When he enters the game, they will play the ABBA song “Fernando” on the PA.
Manager: Frank Robinson, baseball’s first black manager, will be player-manager. His managerial record isn’t very good (1,065-1,176 with no playoff appearances), but he often had teams that were pretty weak to begin with. Holds the distinction of being the last manager of the Expos and the first manager of the Washington Nationals.
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