Infield: Third baseman Carney Lansford (1978-92) was a solid, consistent hitter for more than a decade – generally good for a .280-.300 average with 80 runs, 70 RBI and double-digit home run totals. Other than the batting title he won (.336 for Boston in the strike-shortened 1981 season), he was never great at anything – he hit 19 home runs three times but never hit 20, and he could steal a few bases but he wasn’t anyone’s idea of a speed burner. Pushed past 2,000 hits and 1,000 runs before he was done. Playing for Oakland in 1989, he batted .455 in the ALCS and then .438 as the A’s swept San Francisco in the earthquake World Series. Second baseman Cookie Lavagetto (1934-47) was a fine player who made four all-star games as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but he is primarily remembered today for the last hit of his major-league career: In Game 4 of the 1947 World Series, Yankees pitcher Bill Bevens took a no-hitter (and a 1-0 lead) into the ninth. Bevens got two outs, but walked two batters and then - one out away from the first no-hitter in World Series history - he gave up a walk-off pinch-hit double to Lavagetto. First baseman Candy LaChance (1893-1905) – yes, yes, we know, his name sounds like a stripper, but he was actually a baseball player – was a decent hitter and a good fielder. In one well known anecdote, LaChance tried to throw Rube Waddell – the Philadelphia A’s manchild pitching star – off his game by goading him into a pregame wrestling match on the field, only to have Waddell body slam him and then pitch a complete game victory. Shortstop Carl “Hooks” Lind (1927-30) had only one season as a starter in the majors – at age 24, playing second base and batting leadoff for the Indians in 1928, he hit .294 with 42 doubles and scored 102 runs.
Outfield: Center fielder Chet “The Jet” Lemon (1975-90) was an awfully good ballplayer. He batted .300 in his better seasons (.273 career), had enough power to hit 215 home runs and almost 400 doubles, plus he drew a decent number of walks and he led the league in getting hit by pitches four times. He was fast, but not a good baserunner – 58 stolen bases in his career and (ouch) 76 times caught stealing. He never won a Gold Glove, but he was a fine outfielder with good hands and a strong arm. Left fielder Carlos Lee (1999- ) has been a consistent run producer for a decade. He has batted .300 six times, and he is well over 300 home runs and 1,200 RBI for his career, though he seems to have run out of gas in his mid-30s. In his prime years he was surprisingly quick for a big guy – 6-2, 265 pounds – but he was never a good defensive outfielder. Right fielder Chet Laabs (1937-47) had some good years for the Browns, with a deceng batting eye and enough power to hit 20 home runs in a good year (117 in his career).
Catcher: Charlie Lau (1956-67) had a long career as a backup and a role player, batting .255 for five teams. He gained fame in the 1970s as a “hitting guru,” primarily with the Kansas City Royals, where he was given a lot of credit for the development of players such as George Brett, Willie Wilson and Hal McRae. His philosophy of hitting – a specific set of mechanics, as well as “hitting the ball where it’s pitched” rather than trying to pull everything – became widespread, and he wrote a book on “The Art of Hitting .300.”
Rotation: Lefty Cliff Lee (2002- ) is in middle of what looks to be a very, very fine career. His won-lost record is outstanding, his K-BB ratio is sensational, he's won a Cy Young Award and he has a burgeoning resume of postseason success (7-2, 2.13 ERA in 10 postseason starts). He changed teams four times in 18 months between mid-season 2009 and the December 2010 when he signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Phillies. Now let’s see what he does with his 30s. Lefty Charlie Leibrandt (1979-93) won 140 games as a dependable middle-of-the-rotation starter. He never won 20, but he won 15-17 games four times, including a 17-9 record for the 1985 World Series champion Royals. Charlie Lea (1980-88) was a promising pitcher who threw a no-hitter in 1981 and went 43-31 for the Expos from 1982-84 before shoulder problems set in. He missed the 1985 and ’86 seasons and was never effective after he came back. Cory Lidle (1997-2006) went 82-72 for seven teams and might have reached 100 wins if he hadn’t died at age 34. He went 12-10 that season for the Phillies and Yankees, but after New York lost in the ALDS, Lidle – working to become a licensed pilot – was killed when the plane he was co-piloting crashed into a building in New York. Carl Lundgren (1902-09) pitched for the great Cubs teams in the first decade of the 20th century, going 91-55 with a career ERA of 2.42. In 1907 he went 18-7 with a 1.17 ERA, as the Cubs’ starting rotation had five of the six lowest ERAs in the National League.
Bullpen: Closer Clem Labine (1950-62) was a fine reliever during the era when aces were used in any key situation late in the game, frequently working two and even three innings at a time. He won 77 games and saved 96, mostly for the Dodgers. He won four pennants with the Dodgers and played for three World Series champions – the Dodgers in 1955 and ’59, as well as the 1960 Pirates. Craig Lefferts (1983-94) was a dependable lefty setup man who slid into the closer role from time to time and saved 101 games in his career. Curt Leskanic (1993-2004) was a good reliever whose numbers were skewed early in his career because he was pitching in Denver’s Mile High launching pad. For his career, he won 50 and saved 55. Colby Lewis (2002- ) was a starter for the Rangers in 2003 when he gave up 11.6 hits and 5 walks per nine innings en route to a 7.30 ERA – and a winning record. He’s still trying to get his career going at the major-league level, though he pitched reasonably well in 2010. He’s not ready to break into the CL rotation, but he might get a few spot starts. Chris Leroux (2009- ), along with Labine, gives this bullpen two native French-Canadians. LeRoux has yet to pitch well in the majors. Chip Lang (1975-76) pitched briefly for the Expos. Calisle Littlejohn (1927-28) went 5-2 for the Cardinal when he wasn't galavanting about with Robin Hood and Friar Tuck.
Bench: Utility man Clifford Walker Lee (1919-26), hereinafter known as The Other Cliff Lee, also serves as the team’s backup catcher. He was a pretty decent batter – a .300 hitter with some pop – but he never became a full-time player in the majors. Infielder Chris “The Crab” Lindsay (1905-06) was done after he batted .224 for the Tigers in 1906. Infielder Charlie Letchas (1939-46) had 2,000 hits in the minors but never hit well in the majors. Outfielder Carlos Lopez (1976-78) batted .260 with a little bit of pop in a brief major-league career. Outfielder Chris Latham (1997-2003) had some promising years in the minors but never hit in the majors.
Manager: Cookie Lavagetto will be the player-manager. He spent several years managing the Washington Senators as the team was making the move to Minnesota. He also had a long career as a coach.
Outfield: Center fielder Chet “The Jet” Lemon (1975-90) was an awfully good ballplayer. He batted .300 in his better seasons (.273 career), had enough power to hit 215 home runs and almost 400 doubles, plus he drew a decent number of walks and he led the league in getting hit by pitches four times. He was fast, but not a good baserunner – 58 stolen bases in his career and (ouch) 76 times caught stealing. He never won a Gold Glove, but he was a fine outfielder with good hands and a strong arm. Left fielder Carlos Lee (1999- ) has been a consistent run producer for a decade. He has batted .300 six times, and he is well over 300 home runs and 1,200 RBI for his career, though he seems to have run out of gas in his mid-30s. In his prime years he was surprisingly quick for a big guy – 6-2, 265 pounds – but he was never a good defensive outfielder. Right fielder Chet Laabs (1937-47) had some good years for the Browns, with a deceng batting eye and enough power to hit 20 home runs in a good year (117 in his career).
Catcher: Charlie Lau (1956-67) had a long career as a backup and a role player, batting .255 for five teams. He gained fame in the 1970s as a “hitting guru,” primarily with the Kansas City Royals, where he was given a lot of credit for the development of players such as George Brett, Willie Wilson and Hal McRae. His philosophy of hitting – a specific set of mechanics, as well as “hitting the ball where it’s pitched” rather than trying to pull everything – became widespread, and he wrote a book on “The Art of Hitting .300.”
Rotation: Lefty Cliff Lee (2002- ) is in middle of what looks to be a very, very fine career. His won-lost record is outstanding, his K-BB ratio is sensational, he's won a Cy Young Award and he has a burgeoning resume of postseason success (7-2, 2.13 ERA in 10 postseason starts). He changed teams four times in 18 months between mid-season 2009 and the December 2010 when he signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Phillies. Now let’s see what he does with his 30s. Lefty Charlie Leibrandt (1979-93) won 140 games as a dependable middle-of-the-rotation starter. He never won 20, but he won 15-17 games four times, including a 17-9 record for the 1985 World Series champion Royals. Charlie Lea (1980-88) was a promising pitcher who threw a no-hitter in 1981 and went 43-31 for the Expos from 1982-84 before shoulder problems set in. He missed the 1985 and ’86 seasons and was never effective after he came back. Cory Lidle (1997-2006) went 82-72 for seven teams and might have reached 100 wins if he hadn’t died at age 34. He went 12-10 that season for the Phillies and Yankees, but after New York lost in the ALDS, Lidle – working to become a licensed pilot – was killed when the plane he was co-piloting crashed into a building in New York. Carl Lundgren (1902-09) pitched for the great Cubs teams in the first decade of the 20th century, going 91-55 with a career ERA of 2.42. In 1907 he went 18-7 with a 1.17 ERA, as the Cubs’ starting rotation had five of the six lowest ERAs in the National League.
Bullpen: Closer Clem Labine (1950-62) was a fine reliever during the era when aces were used in any key situation late in the game, frequently working two and even three innings at a time. He won 77 games and saved 96, mostly for the Dodgers. He won four pennants with the Dodgers and played for three World Series champions – the Dodgers in 1955 and ’59, as well as the 1960 Pirates. Craig Lefferts (1983-94) was a dependable lefty setup man who slid into the closer role from time to time and saved 101 games in his career. Curt Leskanic (1993-2004) was a good reliever whose numbers were skewed early in his career because he was pitching in Denver’s Mile High launching pad. For his career, he won 50 and saved 55. Colby Lewis (2002- ) was a starter for the Rangers in 2003 when he gave up 11.6 hits and 5 walks per nine innings en route to a 7.30 ERA – and a winning record. He’s still trying to get his career going at the major-league level, though he pitched reasonably well in 2010. He’s not ready to break into the CL rotation, but he might get a few spot starts. Chris Leroux (2009- ), along with Labine, gives this bullpen two native French-Canadians. LeRoux has yet to pitch well in the majors. Chip Lang (1975-76) pitched briefly for the Expos. Calisle Littlejohn (1927-28) went 5-2 for the Cardinal when he wasn't galavanting about with Robin Hood and Friar Tuck.
Bench: Utility man Clifford Walker Lee (1919-26), hereinafter known as The Other Cliff Lee, also serves as the team’s backup catcher. He was a pretty decent batter – a .300 hitter with some pop – but he never became a full-time player in the majors. Infielder Chris “The Crab” Lindsay (1905-06) was done after he batted .224 for the Tigers in 1906. Infielder Charlie Letchas (1939-46) had 2,000 hits in the minors but never hit well in the majors. Outfielder Carlos Lopez (1976-78) batted .260 with a little bit of pop in a brief major-league career. Outfielder Chris Latham (1997-2003) had some promising years in the minors but never hit in the majors.
Manager: Cookie Lavagetto will be the player-manager. He spent several years managing the Washington Senators as the team was making the move to Minnesota. He also had a long career as a coach.
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