Infield: Second baseman Eddie Collins (1906-30) is on the
short list of the greatest second basemen of all time. Some, in fact, would
argue that he edges past Rogers Hornsby and Joe Morgan to sit on top of that
list. He was a .333 hitter who led the American League three times in runs and
three times in steals. His 3,315 hits are 10th all-time (until Jeter
passes him in early 2013), and he scored 1,821 runs. He drew lots of walks and
never struck out, holds the career record for sac bunts and was a wonderful
defensive infielder. Almost as important, he was an Ivy League college boy with
a sharp intellect and a reputation as a great leader. Collins began his career
in Philadelphia as part of Connie Mack’s fabled Million Dollar Infield (which
remains a quaint phrase in these days of millon-dollar utility infielders) and
then moved to the White Sox (and if Shoeless Joe had fallen in with Collins
instead of the gamblers, he would be in the Hall of Fame today). A gentleman
and a competitor. Third baseman Eric Chavez (1998- ) won six Gold Gloves and is
coming up on 250 career home runs. Once arguably the best third baseman in the
game, he is now a valuable role player in his mid-30s. First baseman Enos
Cabell (1972-86) was sort of a transitional player – a guy who was in his prime
as the sabermetric wave hit baseball, and who was considered a good player
before the wave (decent average, hustle, good reputation) and a bad player
after (miserable batting eye, poor stolen base percentage, weak defensive stats).
This point was brought home in a memorable comment from an early Bill James
Baseball Abstract, when James quoted Sparky Anderson praising Cabell’s attitude
and then went on to say that attitude means very little when a guy simply can’t
play baseball. In the end, Cabell had a .277 batting average, but was barely
over .300 in on-base and well below .400 in slugging. Shortstop Ed Caskin
(1879-86) batted .226 but had the reputation as a slick fielder.
Outfield: Center fielder Earle Combs (1924-35) was the
leadoff batter for the Murderers Row Yankees, and as such he scored 996 runs in
an eight-year stretch during his prime. He batted .325, drew some walks and led
the league in triples three times. He played on four championship teams and
batted .350 in the World Series. Combs (pronounced to rhyme with “rooms”) was a
fleet runner and good outfielder, but he had a notoriously weak throwing arm.
Injuries in 1934 (concussion) and 1935 (broken collarbone) ended his career,
but if you take a look at what Joe DiMaggio was doing in the minors at that
time, you know it was just a matter of time anyway. Left fielder Endy Chavez (2001-
) makes contact, runs well and plays a decent outfield. He doesn’t get on base
enough to be a productive starter, but he has his attributes. Chavez was the
last player to come to the plate wearing a Montreal Expos uniform. Right
fielder Ed Coleman (1932-36) was a longtime minor-league star who arrived in
the majors at age 30 and hit .342 in a trial with the Philadelphia A’s. He
settled in and batted .280 for several years, and then went back to the minors
and kept playing until he was 40.
Catcher: Ed Connolly Sr. (1929-32) batted .178 in four
seasons as a reserve for the Red Sox between the ages of 20-23. His son, Ed
Junior, came to the majors and was every bit as ineffective as a pitcher as Ed
Senior was as a hitter.
Rotation: Knuckleballer (and legal spitballer) Eddie Cicotte (1905-20)
was, after Shoeless Joe Jackson, the second-best player among the Black Sox
players who were banned for throwing the 1919 World Series. If he hadn’t falled
in with the crooks, in fact, Cicotte would have been a good candidate for the
Hall of Fame. His career record was 209-148, and while he was in his mid-30s at
the time of his banishment, Cicotte went 21-10 in his last season and still
seemed to have a few thousand knucklers left in his arm. He agreed to be part
of the fix because he hated the White Sox’s cheapsake owner Charlie Comiskey,
and as the Game 1 starter, it was Cicotte who plunked Cincinnati leadoff batter
Morrie Rath as the signal to the gamblers that the fix was on. His stats in his
three starts during the 1919 World Series aren’t all that alarming, but he gave
up crucial hits and apparently fielded his position like Helen Keller. An
outstanding pitcher with a tarnished legacy. Ed “Cannonball” Crane (1884-93)
led the American Association in ERA in 1891. Perhaps his nickname should have
been “Scattershot,” because he walked a ton of batters and uncorked plenty of
wild pitches. Crane started out as an outfielder but shifted to the mound
because of his live arm. He was an umpire for a few years after his playing
career, but his drinking became problematic. Lefty Ed Cushman (1883-90) went
62-81 for five teams. Edwin Correa (1985-87) was in the majors at 19 and done
by 21. He had a powerful but erratic arm, averaging 8 strikeouts and 6 walks per
nine innings. He pitched 202 innings at the age of 20, striking out 189 and
walking 126, so you know his pitch counts were high, and his arm blew out
midway through the next season. As a side note, Correa was a Seventh Day
Adventist, so his managers had to work the rotation so that he could avoid
pitching the Sabbath. Ed Connolly Jr.
(1964-67) went 6-12 with a 5.88 ERA. We’ll see if pitching to Dad helps any.
Bullpen: Closer Ernie
Camacho (1980-90) had one decent season in the closer role for the Indians,
saving 23 games with a 2.43 ERA in 1984. He couldn’t pitch well enough to hold
that job, and he finished his career with 45 saves. Other than that one season,
he was never more than an ordinary pitcher. Earl “Teach” Caldwell (1928-48)
pitched in the minors until he was almost 50, winning more than 300 games.
Along the way, he got enough time in the
majors to log 200 games and a 23-43 record. Ed Cole (1938-39) went 1-7 for the
St. Louis Browns, averaging 17 baserunners and three strikeouts per nine innings.
Esmailin Caridad (2009- ) pitched well for the Cubs in a few games in 2009 but
then got pounded in a few games in 2010. Still hanging around the minors and
could resurface. Ed Carroll (1929) finished his career with a 1-0 record, and
if you stop there he looks pretty good. If you look beyond that, not so much.
Ed Chandler (1947) went 0-1 and gave up seven home runs in 30 innings. Lefty
Ensign Cottrell (1911-15) had a
five-year career, but in four of those seasons he appeared in only 1 or 2
games, finishing with a dozen appearances during his career. His given name was
Ensign Stover Cottrell, and he goes on some sort of specialty team with others
players such as General Crowder, Admiral Schlei and perhaps Cap Anson.
Bench: Infielder Ed
Charles (1962-69) was a solid ballplayer for many years, with a little bit of
pop and a little bit of speed. He will always be remembered as the third
baseman for the 1969 World Series champion Mets. Google the phrase “Miracle
Mets” and you will inevitably get a photograph of Charles dancing in from third
base while Jerry Grote and Jerry Koosman celebrate on the mound. He was also
known as The Poet Laureate of Baseball; he would recite his original poems on
TV shows and send them to kids who wrote to him for autographs. Outfielder
Estel Crabtree (1929-44) was a decent lefty hitter for the Cardinals and the
Reds, and he will certainly get some playing time in left and right. Catcher Ed
Colgan (1884) batted .155 in his only season. First baseman Ed Cartwright (1890-97)
was 5-foot-10 and weighed 220 pounds, for which reason he was nicknamed “Jumbo,”
but we will retroactively call him “Hoss.” He ran well enough to pile up lots of
steals and triples, and he batted .295, so we’ll ride the Hoss plenty off the
bench (if he doesn’t take the starting job away from Enos Cabell, that is).
Ernie Courtney (1902-08) was a solid utility player, mostly for the Phillies.
Manager: Eddie Collins will serve as player-manager. He
managed the White Sox for a few years in the 1920s, compiling a 174-160 record,
before he was released as a player and returned to Connie Mack and the A’s to
finish his career. Spent several more years as a coach and general manager.
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