Infield: Shortstop Derek Jeter (1995- ) is at once the most popular and the most polarizing player in the game. No one denies his talent, or his “baseball IQ,” or his status as a very deserving (future) Hall of Famer and recent 3,000-hit man. But there’s a question of degree that divides people, often bitterly. For example, he has won five Gold Gloves, but statistical analysts point out that he is closer to the worst defensive shortstop in baseball than the best. His fans respond by claiming that he does dozens of things that don’t show up in statistics, and they point to individual plays in which he runs headlong into the stands or retrieves an errant throw and relays it to home plate. He is known as “Captain Clutch,” and yet his postseason numbers – while very, very good – are no better than those of his teammate and foil Alex Rodriguez, who is often dismissed by fans as a choker. He is given credit for “lifting his teammates to a higher level,” even though he has been surrounded by Hall of Famers and near-Hall of Famers for his entire career; when the Yankees win the World Series, Jeter is given credit for “knowing how to win,” but when they fall short no one ever suggests that he has forgotten. For now, we put all of that aside and acknowledge that he is one of the top 10 shortstops of all time, a durable and consistent .300 hitter with some pop in his bat, decent speed and strike zone judgement, and a good head on his shoulders. Second baseman Davey Johnson (1965-78) hit 43 home runs in 1973, joining Henry Aaron and Darrell Evans as the only trio of teammates to hit 40 home runs in the same season. That was a bit deceptive, really, since Johnson’s 1973 home run total is equal to the sum of his next three best seasons combined. That said, he was a legitimate Gold Glove infielder, part of the famous defense that helped the Orioles win four pennants and two World Series titles, and a good hitter with some pop. He was Bobby Grich Lite (to invoke the name of the guy who replaced him in Baltimore). First baseman Deron Johnson (1960-76) was a journeyman right-handed slugger who hit 245 career home runs and led the NL with 130 RBI in 1965. He was a two-sport star from San Diego who turned down football scholarships from all of the nation’s top college programs in order to play professional baseball. Third baseman Dalton Jones (1964-72) was a utility infielder who was a starter with the Red Sox at age 20 and whose best season came during Boston’s “Impossible Dream” pennant run in 1967. He batted .235 for his career.
Outfield: Left fielder Davy Jones (1901-18) spent most of his career in Detroit playing alongside Ty Cobb. Jones was college educated, with a law degree, but also had a temper on him and was reportedly one of the players who in 1912 encouraged Cobb to lunge into the stands and punch out a heckler in a famous incident. Jones was a .270 hitter in the deadball era, and a good fielder with decent speed. He will keep his clothes and his valuables in a clubhouse stall that shall be designated as Davy Jones’ Locker. (Yeah, it’s easy, but we had to go there.) Right fielder David Justice (1989-2002) played for four different franchises, made the playoffs with all four, and played in the postseason 10 times in his 14-year career. For a while, he held the career record for postseason RBI (63). Justice was a good hitter – his career average was .279, with 305 home runs, 1,017 RBI and lots of walks – who was known for his sweet lefty stroke and his marriage to Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry. Center fielder Darrin Jackson (1985-99) was a slick glove man who was mostly a role player in a career that saw him move around seven teams in nine seasons. He was basically a .260 hitter with a little bit of pop and a little bit of speed but no command of the strike zone.
Catcher: Duane Josephson (1965-72) only had one season in which he played more than 100 games. That was 1968, when he batted .247 with six home runs and a .284 on-base percentage. He was picked for the all-star team, which even in “The Year of the Pitcher” is a little bit crazy.
Rotation: Lefty Danny Jackson (1983-97) was part of the Kansas City Royals’ outstanding staff in the mid-1980s, winning 14 games for the 1985 World Series champs and going 23-8 for Cincinnati three years later. He was still just 26 years old, but arm troubles began to set in and his career was spotty after that. He finished with a career record of 112-131. Dave Johnson (1987-93) was out of baseball and driving a truck when his hometown Orioles signed him before the 1989 season he pitched reasonably well in 14 starts that year and then won 13 games in 1990. He wasn’t a great pitcher, but he filled a role for a few years. Though he was right-handed, he allowed just one stolen base in 368 career innings. Lefty Darrell Jackson (1978-82) was a 20-game winner for the Minnesota Twins. That’s right. He won 20 games in his five-year career. Lefty Doug Johns (1995-99) was a 20-game winner, too. Career record of 20-22 with the A’s and the Orioles. Don Johnson (1947-58) – no relation to the sockless, stubbled star of “Miami Vice” – was a journeyman who walked more batters than he struck out.
Bullpen: Closer Doug Jones (1982-2000) worked in 846 games for seven teams, saving 303 in his career. For several years he was very good – 155 saves from 1988-92, with a 2.72 ERA and less than two walks per nine innings – and after that he was just very ordinary and got by on the reputation of a former closer. Dave Jolly (1953-57) had a fine years for the Braves in 1954, winning 11, saving 10 and posting a 2.43 ERA in 111 innings of work. But he walked more than he struck out, even in that season, and the rest of his career was not nearly as good. Dane Johnson (1994-97) was a career minor-leaguer who fell off the map for a few years in mid-career but eventually made it to the majors for 63 games with three different teams in his 30s. He allowed almost 16 baserunners per nine innings but managed a winning record (6-2) and an ERA right around the league average (4.70). Delvin James (2002) went 0-3 for Tampa Bay. Domingo Jean (1993) was a promising pitcher from San Pedro de Macoris who had a long minor-league career, but his time in the majors was limited to 10 games with the Yankees at age 24 (though, unlike Delvin James, he did manage one career victory). Deacon Jones (1916-18) predated the famous defensive lineman (and “Brady Bunch” crooner) by several decades. He had a career record of 7-6 for Ty Cobb’s Tigers.
Bench: Infielder D’Angelo Jimenez (1999-2007) was one of the top prospects in baseball in 1999. The Yankees had both Jimenez and Alfonso Soriano as young middle infield prospects, and with Derek Jeter entrenched at shortstop it was unclear what the Yankees were going to do with them. At age 21, he batted .327 in Triple-A with gap power, some speed and decent strike-zeone judgement, and when he joined the Yankees at the end of the season he had eight hits in 20 at-bats. That winter, he was involved in a serious car accident and suffered a broken neck. His recovery was slow, but given regular playing time in the majors he was still effective – a .270 hitter who drew a good number of walks, hit a dozen homers , stole some bases and played decent defense. But lingering injury problems, and questions about conditioning and motivation, derailed his career before he turned 30. Backup catcher Darrell Johnson (1952-62) was an absolutely terrible hitter but went on to manage the Red Sox to the 1975 pennant. First baseman Doc Johnston (1909-22) spent most of his career with the Indians. His real name was Wheeler Johnston, and if you had a cool first name like Wheeler, we have no clue why you would let people call you Doc. Utility infielder Damian Jackson (1996-2006) wasn’t a great hitter but he had some speed. Dan Johnson (2005- ) is the classic player to come up with the contemporary Oakland A’s – low average, lots of walks, good power, no speed. He’s a first baseman, suggesting that it would benefit either him or Doc Johnston to learn to play corner outfield.
Manager: Davey Johnson will work as player-manager. He has had an outstanding managerial career, with more than 1,100 victories, and he recently returned to the dugout to take over the Washington Nationals. He has had just one losing record in any full season. He won the World Series with the 1986 Mets. In 1997 he led the Orioles to 98 wins and a division title. He was named the AL’s Manager of the Year on the same day that he was fired by owner Peter Angelos over a petty disagreement. The Orioles have not had a winning season since Johnson was fired.
Outfield: Left fielder Davy Jones (1901-18) spent most of his career in Detroit playing alongside Ty Cobb. Jones was college educated, with a law degree, but also had a temper on him and was reportedly one of the players who in 1912 encouraged Cobb to lunge into the stands and punch out a heckler in a famous incident. Jones was a .270 hitter in the deadball era, and a good fielder with decent speed. He will keep his clothes and his valuables in a clubhouse stall that shall be designated as Davy Jones’ Locker. (Yeah, it’s easy, but we had to go there.) Right fielder David Justice (1989-2002) played for four different franchises, made the playoffs with all four, and played in the postseason 10 times in his 14-year career. For a while, he held the career record for postseason RBI (63). Justice was a good hitter – his career average was .279, with 305 home runs, 1,017 RBI and lots of walks – who was known for his sweet lefty stroke and his marriage to Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry. Center fielder Darrin Jackson (1985-99) was a slick glove man who was mostly a role player in a career that saw him move around seven teams in nine seasons. He was basically a .260 hitter with a little bit of pop and a little bit of speed but no command of the strike zone.
Catcher: Duane Josephson (1965-72) only had one season in which he played more than 100 games. That was 1968, when he batted .247 with six home runs and a .284 on-base percentage. He was picked for the all-star team, which even in “The Year of the Pitcher” is a little bit crazy.
Rotation: Lefty Danny Jackson (1983-97) was part of the Kansas City Royals’ outstanding staff in the mid-1980s, winning 14 games for the 1985 World Series champs and going 23-8 for Cincinnati three years later. He was still just 26 years old, but arm troubles began to set in and his career was spotty after that. He finished with a career record of 112-131. Dave Johnson (1987-93) was out of baseball and driving a truck when his hometown Orioles signed him before the 1989 season he pitched reasonably well in 14 starts that year and then won 13 games in 1990. He wasn’t a great pitcher, but he filled a role for a few years. Though he was right-handed, he allowed just one stolen base in 368 career innings. Lefty Darrell Jackson (1978-82) was a 20-game winner for the Minnesota Twins. That’s right. He won 20 games in his five-year career. Lefty Doug Johns (1995-99) was a 20-game winner, too. Career record of 20-22 with the A’s and the Orioles. Don Johnson (1947-58) – no relation to the sockless, stubbled star of “Miami Vice” – was a journeyman who walked more batters than he struck out.
Bullpen: Closer Doug Jones (1982-2000) worked in 846 games for seven teams, saving 303 in his career. For several years he was very good – 155 saves from 1988-92, with a 2.72 ERA and less than two walks per nine innings – and after that he was just very ordinary and got by on the reputation of a former closer. Dave Jolly (1953-57) had a fine years for the Braves in 1954, winning 11, saving 10 and posting a 2.43 ERA in 111 innings of work. But he walked more than he struck out, even in that season, and the rest of his career was not nearly as good. Dane Johnson (1994-97) was a career minor-leaguer who fell off the map for a few years in mid-career but eventually made it to the majors for 63 games with three different teams in his 30s. He allowed almost 16 baserunners per nine innings but managed a winning record (6-2) and an ERA right around the league average (4.70). Delvin James (2002) went 0-3 for Tampa Bay. Domingo Jean (1993) was a promising pitcher from San Pedro de Macoris who had a long minor-league career, but his time in the majors was limited to 10 games with the Yankees at age 24 (though, unlike Delvin James, he did manage one career victory). Deacon Jones (1916-18) predated the famous defensive lineman (and “Brady Bunch” crooner) by several decades. He had a career record of 7-6 for Ty Cobb’s Tigers.
Bench: Infielder D’Angelo Jimenez (1999-2007) was one of the top prospects in baseball in 1999. The Yankees had both Jimenez and Alfonso Soriano as young middle infield prospects, and with Derek Jeter entrenched at shortstop it was unclear what the Yankees were going to do with them. At age 21, he batted .327 in Triple-A with gap power, some speed and decent strike-zeone judgement, and when he joined the Yankees at the end of the season he had eight hits in 20 at-bats. That winter, he was involved in a serious car accident and suffered a broken neck. His recovery was slow, but given regular playing time in the majors he was still effective – a .270 hitter who drew a good number of walks, hit a dozen homers , stole some bases and played decent defense. But lingering injury problems, and questions about conditioning and motivation, derailed his career before he turned 30. Backup catcher Darrell Johnson (1952-62) was an absolutely terrible hitter but went on to manage the Red Sox to the 1975 pennant. First baseman Doc Johnston (1909-22) spent most of his career with the Indians. His real name was Wheeler Johnston, and if you had a cool first name like Wheeler, we have no clue why you would let people call you Doc. Utility infielder Damian Jackson (1996-2006) wasn’t a great hitter but he had some speed. Dan Johnson (2005- ) is the classic player to come up with the contemporary Oakland A’s – low average, lots of walks, good power, no speed. He’s a first baseman, suggesting that it would benefit either him or Doc Johnston to learn to play corner outfield.
Manager: Davey Johnson will work as player-manager. He has had an outstanding managerial career, with more than 1,100 victories, and he recently returned to the dugout to take over the Washington Nationals. He has had just one losing record in any full season. He won the World Series with the 1986 Mets. In 1997 he led the Orioles to 98 wins and a division title. He was named the AL’s Manager of the Year on the same day that he was fired by owner Peter Angelos over a petty disagreement. The Orioles have not had a winning season since Johnson was fired.
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