Infield: First baseman Dan Brouthers (1879-1904) was one of the dominant hitters of the 19th century. He played for 10 different teams, not because he was a “journeyman” per se, but more because the National League was more loosely affiliated at the time. He was a Jeff Bagwell-type hitter, with a high average, lots of walks, good power and decent speed. Brouthers (pronounced Broothers) led the league in batting and on-base five times each, and in slugging seven times. He scored and drove in a ton of runs, though his career totals are held down by the shorter schedules of his era – per 162 games, Brouthers averaged 147 runs and 125 RBI. Dick Bartell (1927-46) and Dave Bancroft (1915-30) were both fine shortstops, similar type players who both had long careers. Bancroft will stay at short on this team, and Bartell will move to third base, where he played almost 200 games. Bancroft, who had three seasons in which he scored more than 100 runs, was elected to the Hall of Fame. While he was a fine player, his selection has come to be seen as an act of favoritism by a Veterans Committee that was loaded with his old teammates. He was a very good defensive player, the first shortstop to ever turn 100 double plays in a season, and a respected team leader. He was probably a comparable player to Rick Burleson in the 1970s, or possibly Omar Vizquel in the 1990s. Bartell, a firebrand who was known in his day as Rowdy Dick (retroactively sanitized to Rowdy Richard), had very similar career stats to Bancroft. Bartell hit more than twice as many home runs, which is partly attributable to their different eras, but their per-game averages of hits, runs and RBI are very close. Second baseman David Bell (1995-2006) was the son of Buddy and the grandson of Gus (all three actually had the first name David). Bell was generally good for 10-20 home runs – he hit double-digits eight times and had 123 for his career.
Outfield: Don Buford (1963-73) will bat leadoff and score a ton of runs on this team. He never scored 100 runs in the majors, though he did manage to score exactly 99 runs for three straight seasons with the Orioles, which is a pretty good trick. He was a .264 hitter during a career plopped squarely in the pitching-dominated 1960s, but he drew a lot of walks, especially after he moved from the White Sox to Earl Weaver’s Orioles. Buford played mostly left field in the majors but will shift to right on this team. Center fielder Dusty Baker (1968-86) was a consistent run producer for the Braves and the Dodgers, hitting 242 home runs, driving in 1,013 and scoring 964. Baker played alongside Hank Aaron in Atlanta and later won three pennants and one World Series title with the Dodgers. Right fielder Don Baylor (1970-88) hit 338 home runs in his career, scoring and driving in more than 1,200. He was hit by pitches 267 times in his career, the most of any player in the 20th century, which helped push his .260 batting average to a .342 on-base percentage. He had no throwing arm to speak of, and in 822 games in the outfield, he had zero double plays – the only outfielder in history to play more than 500 games not double a single runner off base. He shifted to designated hitter in mid-career, which suited him well. A respected team leader, and the AL’s MVP in 1979, when he scored 120 runs and drove in 139 for the Angels.
Catcher: Dick Brown (19557-65), not to be confused with the cartoonist who did “Hagar the Horrible,” had some pop in his bat. He hit 16 home runs in 308 at-bats in 1961, and a year later, the only season when he played in 100 games, he hit a dozen home runs. Brown was a backup and a role player for most of his career.
Rotation: Dave Boswell (1964-71) won 20 games for the Twins in 1969 despite being sidelined for more than two weeks after manager Billy Martin beat him unconscious during a brawl in an alley behind a Detroit bar in August. Boswell was just 24 years old and seemed to have a bright future, but in Game 1 of the 1969 ALCS, he pitched into the 11th inning and at some point injured his arm. After going 20-12 in 1969, he won three games in 1970 and one game in ’71 before retiring at age 26. The same year that Boswell won 20, Dick Bosman (1966-76) led the AL with a 2.19 ERA (though neither one was mentioned on a single Cy Young Award ballot that year). Bosman won 82 games in his career. His 1971 Topps baseball card, on which he appears to be striking a “Karate Kid” pose in his Texas Rangers uniform, seemed to turn up in every other pack of cards sold in St. Louis that year. Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd (1982-91) was an immensely talented but emotionally troubled young right-hander who won 43 games for the Red Sox in 1984-86. A 6-foot-1, 155-pound stringbean, he was prone to wild mood swings – alternately charming and combustible. In 1986, he won a career-high 16 games despite being briefly committed to a psychiatric institution after flying into an uncontrollable rage when he was passed over for the all-star game. Various injuries set in, and his career ended in his early 30s because of blood clots in his arm. That is to say, his major-league career ended. Boyd insisted he was fine, even going so far as to sue the Red Sox in 1992 when they refused to sign him and invite him to spring training. He never pitched in the majors again, but he pitched off-and-on until age 45 in Mexico and in various independent leagues. As recently as 2009, he was talking about plans for a comeback in his 50s. (The nickname “Oil Can,” by the way, apparently derives from a regional slang term for a beer can.) Dave Burba (190-2004) was the opposite of Boyd and Boswell – a journeyman righty who never drew much attention to himself but managed to put up a career record of 115-87. His best years came in Cleveland, where he won 46 games between 1998-2000. Lefty Dennis Bennett (1962-68) won 43 games in his major-league career. (His brother Dave did not make the DB roster – he was a good pitcher in the minors for a decade, but his major-league career consisted of one inning at the age of 18 (career ERA: 9.00).
Bullpen: Closer Doug Bair (1976-90) was a dependable reliever for several teams over the course of his career, but had only one year when he was truly top-notch – 1978, when he had 28 saves and a 1.97 ERA in 100 innings for the Reds. He pitched in the majors until he was 40, and was almost always pretty good. Bair had 81 career saves. Doug Bird (1973-83) was a tall, thin righty who moved back and forth between the rotation and the pen, finishing his career with 73 wins and 60 saves. Danys Baez (2001- ) is a Cuban defector who pitched well for a few years but now seems to be running out of steam in his early 30s. Dave Baldwin (1966-76) was a pretty good reliever for a few years. After he retired he got a PhD in genetics and a Master’s in systems engineering. He worked as a geneticist for several years, published a book of poetry, and authored several research papers on the physics and psychology of the confrontation between batter and pitcher. He never made the Hall of Fame as a player, but one of his paintings does hang there. Daniel Bard (2009- ) has been an outstanding set-up reliever for the Red Sox. Almost 200 games (and 200 innings) into his career, he's got a 2.88 ERA and he has more strikeouts (213) than baserunners allowed (132 hits, 76 walks). He's still in his mid-20s and could end up as the closer on this team at some point. Dave Beard (1980-89) was a 6-foot-5 flamethrower for the A’s during the period when Billy Martin was trying to wring complete games out of his starters every day. As such, Beard was a September call-up at age 21, worked in eight games, and ended up tying for the team lead in saves with 3. In 1982, during his first full season in the majors, he pitched well in relief but got hammered in two starts. After that, he pretty much got hammered each time he took the mound. Who knows? If he had come up under different circumstances, he might have had a good career. (Beard will room with Dave Boswell so they can share Billy Martin stories.) Don Bessent (1955-58), affectionately known as The Weasel, overcame a spinal condition and bone-graft surgery to have a solid, if short, major-league career in which he went 14-7 with a 3.33 ERA for the Dodgers. He was part of two pennant winners, including the 1955 World Series championship team, and he pitched very well in five World Series appearances.
Bench: Outfielder Dante Bichette (1988-2001) will get plenty of playing time and might even work his way past Buford into the starting lineup. Bichette’s career stats - .299, 274 home runs, 1141 RBI – are tremendously inflated by the fact that he played his prime years in the thin air of Colorado, where in 1995 he batted .340 with 40 home runs. His career splits were .328-177-696 at home, .269-97-445 on the road. A fine player, but not as good as his basic stats would suggest. Infielder Donie Bush (1908-23) was the leadoff man on Ty Cobb’s Tigers, a sparkplug type who drew a ton of walk (leading the league five times). He scored 100 runs four times and was over 95 in three other seasons, all during the dead ball era. He was a sure-handed second baseman but not good on the double play, and like Bichette, he could end up working his way into the starting lineup ahead of David Bell. Backup catcher Damon “Blue” Berryhill (1987-97) spent a decade in the majors, mostly as a backup and a role player. Darren Bragg (1994-2004) was a very functional reserve outfielder – a 5-foot-9 lefty who stole some bases, drew a lot of walks, had a little bit of pop, and played good defense at all three outfield positions. Infielder Don Buddin (19556-62) was a very consistent player for a few years with the Red Sox, batting around .240 with a good number of walks.
Manager: Dave Bristol won 657 games for four teams but never finished higher than third place. He will get plenty of help here from players on his roster who also managed – Don Baylor, Donie Bush and Dusty Baker.
Outfield: Don Buford (1963-73) will bat leadoff and score a ton of runs on this team. He never scored 100 runs in the majors, though he did manage to score exactly 99 runs for three straight seasons with the Orioles, which is a pretty good trick. He was a .264 hitter during a career plopped squarely in the pitching-dominated 1960s, but he drew a lot of walks, especially after he moved from the White Sox to Earl Weaver’s Orioles. Buford played mostly left field in the majors but will shift to right on this team. Center fielder Dusty Baker (1968-86) was a consistent run producer for the Braves and the Dodgers, hitting 242 home runs, driving in 1,013 and scoring 964. Baker played alongside Hank Aaron in Atlanta and later won three pennants and one World Series title with the Dodgers. Right fielder Don Baylor (1970-88) hit 338 home runs in his career, scoring and driving in more than 1,200. He was hit by pitches 267 times in his career, the most of any player in the 20th century, which helped push his .260 batting average to a .342 on-base percentage. He had no throwing arm to speak of, and in 822 games in the outfield, he had zero double plays – the only outfielder in history to play more than 500 games not double a single runner off base. He shifted to designated hitter in mid-career, which suited him well. A respected team leader, and the AL’s MVP in 1979, when he scored 120 runs and drove in 139 for the Angels.
Catcher: Dick Brown (19557-65), not to be confused with the cartoonist who did “Hagar the Horrible,” had some pop in his bat. He hit 16 home runs in 308 at-bats in 1961, and a year later, the only season when he played in 100 games, he hit a dozen home runs. Brown was a backup and a role player for most of his career.
Rotation: Dave Boswell (1964-71) won 20 games for the Twins in 1969 despite being sidelined for more than two weeks after manager Billy Martin beat him unconscious during a brawl in an alley behind a Detroit bar in August. Boswell was just 24 years old and seemed to have a bright future, but in Game 1 of the 1969 ALCS, he pitched into the 11th inning and at some point injured his arm. After going 20-12 in 1969, he won three games in 1970 and one game in ’71 before retiring at age 26. The same year that Boswell won 20, Dick Bosman (1966-76) led the AL with a 2.19 ERA (though neither one was mentioned on a single Cy Young Award ballot that year). Bosman won 82 games in his career. His 1971 Topps baseball card, on which he appears to be striking a “Karate Kid” pose in his Texas Rangers uniform, seemed to turn up in every other pack of cards sold in St. Louis that year. Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd (1982-91) was an immensely talented but emotionally troubled young right-hander who won 43 games for the Red Sox in 1984-86. A 6-foot-1, 155-pound stringbean, he was prone to wild mood swings – alternately charming and combustible. In 1986, he won a career-high 16 games despite being briefly committed to a psychiatric institution after flying into an uncontrollable rage when he was passed over for the all-star game. Various injuries set in, and his career ended in his early 30s because of blood clots in his arm. That is to say, his major-league career ended. Boyd insisted he was fine, even going so far as to sue the Red Sox in 1992 when they refused to sign him and invite him to spring training. He never pitched in the majors again, but he pitched off-and-on until age 45 in Mexico and in various independent leagues. As recently as 2009, he was talking about plans for a comeback in his 50s. (The nickname “Oil Can,” by the way, apparently derives from a regional slang term for a beer can.) Dave Burba (190-2004) was the opposite of Boyd and Boswell – a journeyman righty who never drew much attention to himself but managed to put up a career record of 115-87. His best years came in Cleveland, where he won 46 games between 1998-2000. Lefty Dennis Bennett (1962-68) won 43 games in his major-league career. (His brother Dave did not make the DB roster – he was a good pitcher in the minors for a decade, but his major-league career consisted of one inning at the age of 18 (career ERA: 9.00).
Bullpen: Closer Doug Bair (1976-90) was a dependable reliever for several teams over the course of his career, but had only one year when he was truly top-notch – 1978, when he had 28 saves and a 1.97 ERA in 100 innings for the Reds. He pitched in the majors until he was 40, and was almost always pretty good. Bair had 81 career saves. Doug Bird (1973-83) was a tall, thin righty who moved back and forth between the rotation and the pen, finishing his career with 73 wins and 60 saves. Danys Baez (2001- ) is a Cuban defector who pitched well for a few years but now seems to be running out of steam in his early 30s. Dave Baldwin (1966-76) was a pretty good reliever for a few years. After he retired he got a PhD in genetics and a Master’s in systems engineering. He worked as a geneticist for several years, published a book of poetry, and authored several research papers on the physics and psychology of the confrontation between batter and pitcher. He never made the Hall of Fame as a player, but one of his paintings does hang there. Daniel Bard (2009- ) has been an outstanding set-up reliever for the Red Sox. Almost 200 games (and 200 innings) into his career, he's got a 2.88 ERA and he has more strikeouts (213) than baserunners allowed (132 hits, 76 walks). He's still in his mid-20s and could end up as the closer on this team at some point. Dave Beard (1980-89) was a 6-foot-5 flamethrower for the A’s during the period when Billy Martin was trying to wring complete games out of his starters every day. As such, Beard was a September call-up at age 21, worked in eight games, and ended up tying for the team lead in saves with 3. In 1982, during his first full season in the majors, he pitched well in relief but got hammered in two starts. After that, he pretty much got hammered each time he took the mound. Who knows? If he had come up under different circumstances, he might have had a good career. (Beard will room with Dave Boswell so they can share Billy Martin stories.) Don Bessent (1955-58), affectionately known as The Weasel, overcame a spinal condition and bone-graft surgery to have a solid, if short, major-league career in which he went 14-7 with a 3.33 ERA for the Dodgers. He was part of two pennant winners, including the 1955 World Series championship team, and he pitched very well in five World Series appearances.
Bench: Outfielder Dante Bichette (1988-2001) will get plenty of playing time and might even work his way past Buford into the starting lineup. Bichette’s career stats - .299, 274 home runs, 1141 RBI – are tremendously inflated by the fact that he played his prime years in the thin air of Colorado, where in 1995 he batted .340 with 40 home runs. His career splits were .328-177-696 at home, .269-97-445 on the road. A fine player, but not as good as his basic stats would suggest. Infielder Donie Bush (1908-23) was the leadoff man on Ty Cobb’s Tigers, a sparkplug type who drew a ton of walk (leading the league five times). He scored 100 runs four times and was over 95 in three other seasons, all during the dead ball era. He was a sure-handed second baseman but not good on the double play, and like Bichette, he could end up working his way into the starting lineup ahead of David Bell. Backup catcher Damon “Blue” Berryhill (1987-97) spent a decade in the majors, mostly as a backup and a role player. Darren Bragg (1994-2004) was a very functional reserve outfielder – a 5-foot-9 lefty who stole some bases, drew a lot of walks, had a little bit of pop, and played good defense at all three outfield positions. Infielder Don Buddin (19556-62) was a very consistent player for a few years with the Red Sox, batting around .240 with a good number of walks.
Manager: Dave Bristol won 657 games for four teams but never finished higher than third place. He will get plenty of help here from players on his roster who also managed – Don Baylor, Donie Bush and Dusty Baker.
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