Infield: Second baseman Dustin Pedroia (2006- ) is a diminutive sparkplug for the Red Sox who won the American League Rookie of the Year in 2007 and the MVP in 2008. He’s a .300 hitter who draws walks, steals bases, bangs doubles and plays Gold Glove defense. Combine all that with the “plucky little guy” image and the high profile afforded to a Boston Red Sox star, and you’ve got a sensation. Still in his prime and going strong. First baseman Del Pratt (1912-24) was primarily a second baseman, and a good one, but he’ll move to his secondary position on this team and start at first base. Pratt was a .300 hitter with power. Playing for the St. Louis Browns in 1916, he led the AL with 103 RBI, a total that represented 17 percent of all runs scored by the Browns that season. Finished his career with 968 RBI. Third baseman Dean Palmer (1989-2003) batted .250, hit home runs (275 in his career) and struck out a lot. Per 162 games, he averaged 33 home runs, 101 RBI and 159 strikeouts. He had four seasons with 100 or more RBI, and he drove in 849 in his career. Shortstop Dickey Pearce (1871-77) will make double play partner Dustin Pedroia look like the Jolly Green Giant. Pearce, listed at 5-foot-3 and sporting a bushy handlebar mustache, basically invented the defensive position of shortstop. He was born in 1836 and was already in his mid-30s by the time professional baseball began to emerge in the years following the Civil War. At the time, the infielders played close to their bases and the shortstop played sort of a “rover” position in the shallow outfield. Pearce made the strategic decision to shift to a shallower spot in the hole between second and third, thus establishing the shortstop position as we now know it. He remained in the sport in various capacities for many years after his playing career ended, and his impact on the game far exceeds anything represented by his statistical line.
Outfield: Right fielder Dave Parker (1973-91) came up with the Pirates as a lean, powerful kid nicknamed “Cobra,” who won batting titles and Gold Gloves and the 1978 MVP award. He had a powerful arm that brought back memories of Clemente, and in the late 1970s he was probably as good a player as there was in the sport. He had good speed and was a very aggressive, intimidating baserunner – while recuperating from a fractured cheekbone in 1978, he attached a football facemask to his batting helmet and began running over infielders like a fullback. (His first attempt was a hard plastic hockey goaltender’s mask, painted Pirates gold, but he abandoned that after one pinch-hitting appearance because if affected his vision too much.) His 6-foot-5 frame grew a lot bulkier – he was one of the first players to have a weight clause written into his contract – and he eventually became much slower and less graceful, due in part to a drug problem he developed when cocaine took root in the game’s clubhouses. In the long run, people lost sight of how good he really was – a borderline Hall of Fame candidate who finished with more than 2,700 hits (including 526 doubles and 339 home runs) and almost 1,500 RBI. Center fielder Dode Paskert (1907-21) was an outstanding all-around player who hit for a decent average, drew some walks, ran well, had gap power and played a very good center field. He did this during the dead ball era, splitting his career among three teams, so he is not much remembered today. But he was a fine player – Bill James notes that when Richie Ashburn was emerging as a star he was described as “the new Dode Paskert,” though James also notes that this was the rare occurrence when the “new” somebody turned out to be better than the original. Left fielder Dave Philley (1941-62) did indeed play for the Phillies, as well as seven other teams. He spent the biggest part of his career with the White Sox. A switch-hitter who lost several prime years to World War II, he was a solid, unspectacular player who generally helped the teams that he played for. Was a renowned pinch-hitter in the second half of his career, but he’ll be a starter here.
Catcher: Darrell Porter (1971-87) was a fascinating story, both tragic and uplifting. At his peak he was a power hitter and a strong defensive catcher, and in 1979 he led the AL with 121 RBI. But he was part of a Kansas City Royals clubhouse that was falling under the influence of drugs, and he realized that he had become an alcoholic and an addict. He cleaned himself up and devoted himself to God, but for whatever reason, he was never quite as good as a player. He was solid but unspectacular, and he was wonderfully friendly and popular. He was MVP of the 1982 World Series for the Cardinals (who celebrated with milk instead of champagne out of respect to Porter’s alcholism). He hit 188 home runs and drove in 826 runs, and the story of his recovery from addicition and his dedication to religious faith was one of baseball’s feel-good stories in the 1980s. He suddenly died in 2002 at age 50. He had cocaine in his system, in amounts that suggested regular recreational use. Addiction sucks.
Rotation: Deacon Phillippe (1899-1911) won 189 games in the majors and has many, many footnotes to his life and career. He was the winning pitcher in the first ever World Series game, pitching for the Pirates and beating Cy Young and the Boston Americans in Game 1 of the inaugural 1903 World Series. He threw a no-hitter as a rookie, and for his career he averaeged 1.3 walks per nine innings, the lowest average of any pitcher who worked his whole career from the current distance of 60 feet, 6 inches. His nickname reflected the fact that he had a quiet, respectful demeanor that stood out among the ruffians and roustabouts of turn-of-the-century baseball. He was a distant relative of actor Ryan Phillipe, who had a son with Reese Witherspoon and named him Deacon. Dan Petry (1979-91) was not terribly memorable. He was an average pitcher but very durable, and if he had a good team around him he could put up good numbers, such as an 18-8 record with the great Tigers team of 1984. He won 125 games in his career, mostly for Detroit. Lefty David Price (2008- ) was picked by the Tampa Rays with the first pick of the 2007 draft and has established himself as part of the team’s foundation. He won 19 games for the Rays in 2010 at age 24 and should be just entering his prime years. He is, to date, the only pitcher to win a World Series game for the Tamap Rays. David Palmer (1978-89) was a solid pitcher who once threw a rain-shortened five-inning perfect game. He won 64 games in his career. Duane Pillette (1949-56) went 38-66 in his major-league career, mostly with the Browns and Orioles. In 1951, he went 6-14 for the Browns, leading the AL in losses. His father, minor-league legend Herman “Old Folks” Pillette, went 14-19 for the Detroit Tigers in 1923, making them the only father and son in major-league history to each lead the league in losses.
Bullpen: Closer Dan Plesac (1986-2003) is on the short list of pitchers who worked in more than 1,000 games (1,064, sixth all-time). He won 65, saved 158 and had a career ERA of 3.64. He was not terribly memorable, as closers go, but he was a very effective pitcher, striking out more batters than he allowed hits over the course of a very long career. Danny Patterson (1996-2004) won 24 games for the Tigers and the Rangers. He threw a pitch called the “Vulcan change-up,” which was basically a forkball held between the middle and ring fingers instead of the middle and first fingers. Darryl Patterson (1968-74) went 11-9 in his career, mostly for the Tigers. Donn Pall (1988-98) was a reliable set-up man for the White Sox who wandered around the majors in the second half of his career. And, yes, he spelled his first name with two N’s, which suggests that somehow at some point he should have worked with catcher Dann Billardello. Dave Pagan (1973-77) was a Canadian right-hander who had trouble getting people out. Lefty Dennis Powell (1985-93) was occasionally effective but usually not. Dick Pole (1973-78) is Beavis & Butt-Head’s favorite player. He pitched for the pennant-winning 1975 Red Sox.
Bench: Outfielder Dan Pasqua (1985-94) was a lefty slugger who spent most of his career in a platoon role, hitting for a low average but hitting 15-20 home runs per year. Catcher Don Pavletich (1957-71) had a little bit of pop and was a pretty fair player. Catcher-outfielder Don “Life’s Rich” Padgett (1938-48) was a role player for the post-Gashouse Gang Cardinals, and the finest player ever to come out of Lenoir-Rhyne College. Outfielder Dick Porter (1929-34) was a .300 hitter who knocked out of a lot of doubles. He had two nicknames – “Wiggles” and “Twitches” – and somehow we don’t really want to know the derivation. Infielder Dick Padden (1896-1905) was nicknamed “Brains,” which is nicer than Ol’ Wiggles and Twitches.
Manager: The immortal Doc Prothro managed the moribund Philadelphia Phillies for three seasons, amassing 320 losses and a princely .301 winning percentage. Not really his fault – the team was awful before he got there and awful after he left. We’ll see what Doc can do with this team. He’ll get some help from Dickey Pearce and pitching coach Dick Pole.
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