Infield: First baseman Darrell Evans (1969-89) batted .248 for his career, but don’t be fooled. Bill James called him the most underrated player in baseball history. Because he drew 100 walks a year and hit 414 career home runs, Evans was constantly either scoring runs (1,344 career runs) or driving them in (1,354 career RBI). He was a solid defensive player at third base or first, and a soft-spoken guy who never made headlines in a career divided among phases in Atlanta, San Francisco and Detroit. Shortstop David Eckstein (2001- ) has never blown anyone away with any facet of his game, but he has always managed to contribute – he hits for an OK average, draws a few walks, hits 20 doubles, runs alright and isn’t a terrible defensive infielder. He’s listed at 5-7 and 175 pounds but looks smaller, and he always hustles. He was MVP of the 2006 World Series for the Cardinals. Second baseman Damion Easley (1992-2008) played for six teams but had his best seasons with Detroit. Given full-time play he would generally give you 30 doubles, 20 home runs and decent defense. He hit 163 career home runs. Third baseman Dude Esterbrook (1880-91) abides. He was an eccentric fellow who wore a bushy handlebar mustache that made Rollie Fingers look like an eighth-grader getting his first whiskers. A native of Staten Island, he spent most of his career playing in or near his home in New York. Esterbrook was a .260 hitter with decent speed. He died at age 43 when he leaped from a train that was transporting him to a mental institution, though it is lost from the history books why he was being committed and whether it was a suicide or an attempt to flee.
Outfield: Right fielder Dwight Evans (19792-91) rivals Darrell Evans (no relation) for the Most Underrated title. Dwight Evans batted .272 for his career, and like Darrell, he spiked that with walks and home runs – he drew 100 walks regularly and led the league three times, and he hit 385 career home runs (probably would have hit 400 if not for the strike in 1981). He scored 1,470 runs and drove in 1,381, and as an added bonus, he won eight Gold Gloves and had a cannon for an arm. His spectacular catch of Joe Morgan’s fly ball in the right field corner – turning a potential two-run homer into an inning-ending double play – is one of the highlights of the legendary sixth game of the 1975 World Series. Center fielder Darin Erstad (1996-2009) was the punter on Nebraska’s 1994 national championship football team (averaging 42 yards per punt, among the best in the nation). He was a .280 hitter with decent speed and Gold Glove defense in center field – except for the year 2000, when he turned into a superstar. That year he banged out 240 hits en route to a .355 average, with 25 home runs, 100 RBI and 121 runs scored. It was the only time in his career that he batted .300, the only time he scored or drove in 100 runs, and it was his career high in hits by a margin of 63. He was a solid player – and he batted .339 in 29 postseason games – but for one year he captured lightning in a bottle. Left fielder Del Ennis (1946-59) averaged 108 RBI over the space of a decade for the Phillies.His career triple crown stats are .284, with 288 home runs and 1,284 RBI. For reasons known only to them, Phillies fans hated Ennis and booed him mercilessly throughout his career.
Catcher: Dave Engle (1981-89) only had two years as a starter, but he did pretty well in one of them (.305 in 120 games in 1983). A career .262 hitter.
Rotation: Dock Ellis (1968-79) might have been the most colorful player of the 1970s, and that’s saying something. Intensely smart and highly troubled, he once pitched a no-hitter while on an LSD trip (he dropped acid before he realized he was scheduled to pitch that day, and he had to ask his catcher to wear reflective tape on his fingers so Ellis could see the pitch signals through his hallucinatory daze). In another famous episode, he decided at the start of the game to drill everyone in the Cincinnati Reds lineup. He hit Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Dan Driessen to load the bases. Tony Perez ducked four times to draw an RBI walk. After Ellis threw two pitches at Johnny Bench, manager Danny Murtaugh came out to remove him. He eventually cleaned up and spent several years after his playing career working as a drug counselor. His career record was 138-119 with a 3.46 ERA. Lefty Dick Ellsworth (1958-71) won 22 games for the Cubs in 1963, en route to a career record of 115-137. Lefty Duke Esper (1890-98) will challenge Dude Esterbrook in the team’s mustache contest. He went 101-100 for his career, losing 28 games for the Washington Senators in 1893. Dick Errickson (1938-42), who quite naturally was nicknamed Lief, was a swingman who won 36 games in his short major-league career. Contemporary lefty Dana Eveland (2005- ) has shown no signs of being an especially good pitcher, and if he’s going to do anything noteworthy in his career, he should start real soon.
Bullpen: Closer Dennis Eckersley (1975-98) had a very distinctive and eventful career on his way to the Hall of Fame. He was a fine starting pitcher – no-hitter for Cleveland at age 22, and 20 wins for the Red Sox at age 23 – but his career imploded in the mid-1980s due to arm trouble and alcoholism. He stopped drinking and, scrambling to find work, agreed to pitch out of the Oakland bullpen. The results were historic: In the five-year stretch from 1988-92, he had 220 saves, a 1.90 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of almost 15-to-1. He finished his career with 197 wins and 390 saves. He is credited with introducing the phrase “walk-off” into the language of baseball – in describing Kirk Gibson’s famous home run in the 1988 World Series, Eckersley told ESPN it was a “walk-off home run,” and when the interviewer asked what that meant, Eckersley shrugged and said: “He ran around the bases, and all I could do was walk off.” Don Elston (1953-64) was a Chicago Cubs workhorse who won 49 games and saved 63 in his career. Don Eddy (1970-71) – apparently no relation to the guitar god who will accompany Dave Edmunds on the wicked pre-game National Anthem – had a 2.36 ERA in 29 relief appearances for the White Sox but was out of the majors by age 24 and done completely by 26. One assumes injuries, since teams can generally find work for healthy lefties who get batters out. He doubled in his only major-league at-bat. Derrin Ebert (1999), another lefty, got hit hard in a few games for Atlanta at age 22 and then went back to the minors for another six or seven years before hanging it up. Donnie Elliott (1994-95) went 0-1 for the Padres. Dave Eiland (1988-2000) was a hot prospect with the Yankees but never became a decent major-league pitcher – career ERA of 5.74, and his only season below 5.00 was a year when he worked 30 innings. Dave Elder (2002-03) went 1-3 for the Indians.
Bench: Shortstop Danny Espinosa (2010- ) batted .236 and struck out 166 times as a Washington Nationals rookie in 2011, but on the other hand, he he hit 21 homers, stole 17 bases and led the league with 19 times being hit by pitches. Given his skill set, his career could go in either direction, but he is certainly promising. Infielder Dick Egan (1908-16) was a slap hitter who stole some bases. Backup catcher Doc Edwards (1962-70) got his nickname serving in the U.S. Marines medical corps. He was a .238 hitter. Outfielder Dave Edwards (1978-82) had the same career batting average as Doc Edwards. Center fielder Dave Eggler (1871-85) was a solid player for several years. He will get some playing time in the outfield, with Erstad shifting to first base and Darrell Evans to third base.
Manager: Doc Edwards, who managed the Indians for a few years in the 1980s, will serve as player-manager.
Outfield: Right fielder Dwight Evans (19792-91) rivals Darrell Evans (no relation) for the Most Underrated title. Dwight Evans batted .272 for his career, and like Darrell, he spiked that with walks and home runs – he drew 100 walks regularly and led the league three times, and he hit 385 career home runs (probably would have hit 400 if not for the strike in 1981). He scored 1,470 runs and drove in 1,381, and as an added bonus, he won eight Gold Gloves and had a cannon for an arm. His spectacular catch of Joe Morgan’s fly ball in the right field corner – turning a potential two-run homer into an inning-ending double play – is one of the highlights of the legendary sixth game of the 1975 World Series. Center fielder Darin Erstad (1996-2009) was the punter on Nebraska’s 1994 national championship football team (averaging 42 yards per punt, among the best in the nation). He was a .280 hitter with decent speed and Gold Glove defense in center field – except for the year 2000, when he turned into a superstar. That year he banged out 240 hits en route to a .355 average, with 25 home runs, 100 RBI and 121 runs scored. It was the only time in his career that he batted .300, the only time he scored or drove in 100 runs, and it was his career high in hits by a margin of 63. He was a solid player – and he batted .339 in 29 postseason games – but for one year he captured lightning in a bottle. Left fielder Del Ennis (1946-59) averaged 108 RBI over the space of a decade for the Phillies.His career triple crown stats are .284, with 288 home runs and 1,284 RBI. For reasons known only to them, Phillies fans hated Ennis and booed him mercilessly throughout his career.
Catcher: Dave Engle (1981-89) only had two years as a starter, but he did pretty well in one of them (.305 in 120 games in 1983). A career .262 hitter.
Rotation: Dock Ellis (1968-79) might have been the most colorful player of the 1970s, and that’s saying something. Intensely smart and highly troubled, he once pitched a no-hitter while on an LSD trip (he dropped acid before he realized he was scheduled to pitch that day, and he had to ask his catcher to wear reflective tape on his fingers so Ellis could see the pitch signals through his hallucinatory daze). In another famous episode, he decided at the start of the game to drill everyone in the Cincinnati Reds lineup. He hit Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Dan Driessen to load the bases. Tony Perez ducked four times to draw an RBI walk. After Ellis threw two pitches at Johnny Bench, manager Danny Murtaugh came out to remove him. He eventually cleaned up and spent several years after his playing career working as a drug counselor. His career record was 138-119 with a 3.46 ERA. Lefty Dick Ellsworth (1958-71) won 22 games for the Cubs in 1963, en route to a career record of 115-137. Lefty Duke Esper (1890-98) will challenge Dude Esterbrook in the team’s mustache contest. He went 101-100 for his career, losing 28 games for the Washington Senators in 1893. Dick Errickson (1938-42), who quite naturally was nicknamed Lief, was a swingman who won 36 games in his short major-league career. Contemporary lefty Dana Eveland (2005- ) has shown no signs of being an especially good pitcher, and if he’s going to do anything noteworthy in his career, he should start real soon.
Bullpen: Closer Dennis Eckersley (1975-98) had a very distinctive and eventful career on his way to the Hall of Fame. He was a fine starting pitcher – no-hitter for Cleveland at age 22, and 20 wins for the Red Sox at age 23 – but his career imploded in the mid-1980s due to arm trouble and alcoholism. He stopped drinking and, scrambling to find work, agreed to pitch out of the Oakland bullpen. The results were historic: In the five-year stretch from 1988-92, he had 220 saves, a 1.90 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of almost 15-to-1. He finished his career with 197 wins and 390 saves. He is credited with introducing the phrase “walk-off” into the language of baseball – in describing Kirk Gibson’s famous home run in the 1988 World Series, Eckersley told ESPN it was a “walk-off home run,” and when the interviewer asked what that meant, Eckersley shrugged and said: “He ran around the bases, and all I could do was walk off.” Don Elston (1953-64) was a Chicago Cubs workhorse who won 49 games and saved 63 in his career. Don Eddy (1970-71) – apparently no relation to the guitar god who will accompany Dave Edmunds on the wicked pre-game National Anthem – had a 2.36 ERA in 29 relief appearances for the White Sox but was out of the majors by age 24 and done completely by 26. One assumes injuries, since teams can generally find work for healthy lefties who get batters out. He doubled in his only major-league at-bat. Derrin Ebert (1999), another lefty, got hit hard in a few games for Atlanta at age 22 and then went back to the minors for another six or seven years before hanging it up. Donnie Elliott (1994-95) went 0-1 for the Padres. Dave Eiland (1988-2000) was a hot prospect with the Yankees but never became a decent major-league pitcher – career ERA of 5.74, and his only season below 5.00 was a year when he worked 30 innings. Dave Elder (2002-03) went 1-3 for the Indians.
Bench: Shortstop Danny Espinosa (2010- ) batted .236 and struck out 166 times as a Washington Nationals rookie in 2011, but on the other hand, he he hit 21 homers, stole 17 bases and led the league with 19 times being hit by pitches. Given his skill set, his career could go in either direction, but he is certainly promising. Infielder Dick Egan (1908-16) was a slap hitter who stole some bases. Backup catcher Doc Edwards (1962-70) got his nickname serving in the U.S. Marines medical corps. He was a .238 hitter. Outfielder Dave Edwards (1978-82) had the same career batting average as Doc Edwards. Center fielder Dave Eggler (1871-85) was a solid player for several years. He will get some playing time in the outfield, with Erstad shifting to first base and Darrell Evans to third base.
Manager: Doc Edwards, who managed the Indians for a few years in the 1980s, will serve as player-manager.
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