Infield: Third baseman Brooks Robinson (1955-77) became a beloved and respected institution in his long career with the Orioles. He played third base as though he’d invented the position, winning 16 Gold Gloves and putting on an exhibition during the 1970 World Series that still turns up on highlight reels. He was a slow runner, but he had decent power – 482 doubles and 268 home runs in his career – and he won an MVP award in 1964 when he drove in a league-leading 118 runs. Robinson was (and still is) a warm, genial southern gentleman who is beloved by fans. (When Reggie Jackson went to New York and became a marketing icon, one observer noted: “In Baltimore, they don’t name candy bars after Brooks Robinson – they name their children after him.”) Second baseman Brian Roberts (2001- ), like Brooks, has spent his entire career with the Orioles (so far). He’s a .280-.290 batter who hits a ton of doubles (three seasons of 50 or more), steals bases (274 career, led the league once) and can reach double digits in home runs. He’s not the greatest defensive infielder, but he’s scored 100 runs four times. Shortstop Billy Rogell (1925-40) was a fixture in Detroit, a firebrand who teamed with mild-mannered Charlie Gehringer to form a spectacular double play combination for many years. Rogell hit for a modest average but had a great batting eye, and he was a key player on two pennant winners and a World Series champion. After he retired, he stayed in Detroit and served on City Council for many years. He lived to be almost 100 years old, and at age 94 he threw out the first pitch for the last game ever played at Tiger Stadium. First baseman Bob Robertson (1967-79) was a righty slugger for the Pirates, hitting 115 home runs despite the fact that he had only one season in which he came to the plate 500 times. He had back problems, and he was generally stuck behind one of the slugging first basemen and corner outfielders on the Pirates’ roster, but the man could hit.
Outfield: Right fielder Babe Ruth (1914-35) was the best player who ever lived. We’ll start with that foundation and go from there. He was a brilliant young lefthanded pitcher (an ERA champ, a two-time 20-game winner and a World Series legend before he turned 24) who moved to the outfield in order to take full advantage of his bat. All he did was reinvent the game – arriving with the Yankees at the same time that the spitball was banned and the “lively ball” was introduced, he began hitting home runs at a higher rate than anyone had ever believed to be even remotely possible. He became a famous and beloved star, and to this day he remains an American icon of the Roaring ‘20s – a hard-drinking, hard-partying, fun-loving guy who took full advantage of the fact that his status offered him considerable leeway with the rules. How great was he? Try this on for size: He won 10 pennants and seven World Series titles, and his career stats in the World Series are a .346 batting average (.467 on-base and .744 slugging), as well as three starts as a pitcher (one of them a 14-inning complete game) in which he went 3-0 with an ERA of 0.87. Bill Russell (1969-86) came up as a center fielder but moved to shortstop because the Dodgers had lots of outfielders but no shortstops; on this team, which has two very good shortstops but a serious shortage of outfielders, he moves in the other direction and returns to his original position. Russell was a .260-.270 hitter with no power and just a little bit of speed, but he played in four World Series and was a fixture for the fine Dodgers teams of the 1970s and early 1980s. Left fielder Bill Robinson (1966-83) was one of those guys who made it hard for Bob Robertson to get playing time in Pittsburgh. Robinson didn’t hit his stride until he turned 30 years old, but in his 30s he batted .274 with 142 home runs and 585 RBI despite the fact that he was generally a part-time player. For his career hit 166 home runs.
Catcher: Buddy Rosar (1939-51) edges out Bedford Bill Rariden (1909-20) in a spirited battle. They’re both righties, or otherwise it would be an easy platoon to set up. Rosar came up with the Yankees and went on to play with the Indians, the A’s and the Red Sox. He batted .260 for his career and walked twice as often as he struck out. Rosar was highly respected during his career despite the fact that he never batted 500 times in a season and rarely played in 100 games. He appeared in five all-star games, including the 1942 contest when he batted .230 in 69 games.
Rotation: Bullet Rogan was a Negro League star, arguably the second-best pitcher in the history of black baseball behind Satchel Paige. He was a small man who used a no-windup deliver to bring a blazing fastball and a variety of breaking pitches. Rogan was a terrific hitter as well, and frequently played outfield on days when he wasn’t pitching. Bob Rush (194860) was a good pitcher on some bad Chicago Cubs teams, so he had a career record of 127-152 despite a very good career ERA of 3.65. Brad Radke (1995-2006) pitched for a lot of bad Twins teams, but he went 148-139, winning 20 in 1997. He was a durable, consistent pitcher who had great control but tended to give up the long ball (the MetroDome didn’t help). Radke retired at age 33 (after going 12-9 in his final season) because his shoulder had come to hurt so much that he had to brush his teeth left-handed. Bryan Rekar (1995-2002) wasn’t a very good pitcher, and he came up with the post-expansion Rockies in the thin air of Coors Field. He left the Rockies after a few years to pitch for the post-expansion Rays before they got to be any good. Hence, the 25-49 record with the 5.62 ERA. Bugs Raymond (1904-11) was a talented pitcher but a heavy drinker (Rube Marquard suggested that Raymond didn’t throw a spitball – he just breathed on the ball until it was drunk). When Raymond was with the Giants, John McGraw tried hard to keep him sober, but it was a losing battle. Trying to keep money out of the man’s hands, McGraw bought Raymond a new suit – but Raymond exchanged it for a cheaper suit and used the change to buy booze. He drifted out of baseball in an alcholic haze, went around looking for (and generally finding) trouble, and died at the age of 30 from a fractured skull that apparently happened when he was attacked by a fan while pitching in a semipro game. His career record in the majors was 45-57, but folks who saw him say he could really pitch.
Bullpen: Closer B.J. Ryan (1999-2009) was a big, strapping lefty who had some very good seasons. From 2005-08 he had an ERA of 2.41 and 109 saves despite missing almost the entire 2007 season with injuries. The injuries took their toll on his fastball, and he left the game at age 33. Bob Reynolds (1969-75) played for six teams in six seasons, including four years with Baltimore. He wasn’t bad – career ERA of 3.15 – but he was done because of injuries before he turned 30. Bruce Ruffin (1986-97) was a lefty swingman who had a few good years as a part-time closer for the Rockies late in his career. Bert Roberge (1979-86) kept the ball low and didn’t give up the long ball, but he put a lot of runners on base and had a very mediocre career. Bill Risely (1992-98) pitched for the Expos, Mariners and Blue Jays – the Northern Exposure trio - and had a 15-13 record before arm injuries took their toll. Britt Reames (2000-06) had a career ERA of 5.28. Bill Reidy (1896-1904) was a turn-of-the-century pitcher wh went 27-41.
Bench: Bip Roberts (1986-98) was a tremendously valuable guy, a good outfielder who could be stretched to play second or third base, and who had terrific speed. He was a .300 hitter in his better seasons, drew a few walks, and given a full-time job he would steal 40 bases a year at a high success rate. Outfielder Bombo Rivera (1975-82) batted .265 for his career, but he had no power, no speed and didn’t draw many walks. Bobby Reeves (1926-31) was a utility infielder who split his career between the Senators and the Red Sox. Bob Ramazzotti (1946-53) was a utility infielder who couldn’t hit. Backup catcher Bill Rariden (1909-20) was about as productive as starting catcher Buddy Rosar, so they’ll both see some playing time in order to stay fresh.
Manager: Bill Rigney was the manager who moved west with the Giants, and he later managed the expansion Angels and the Twins. He won 1,239 games in his career, and though he never won a pennant, his career winning percentage of .484 isn’t half bad when you consider that he managed the Angels for their first nine seasons. He will operate under the watchful eye of esteemed general manager Branch Rickey.
Outfield: Right fielder Babe Ruth (1914-35) was the best player who ever lived. We’ll start with that foundation and go from there. He was a brilliant young lefthanded pitcher (an ERA champ, a two-time 20-game winner and a World Series legend before he turned 24) who moved to the outfield in order to take full advantage of his bat. All he did was reinvent the game – arriving with the Yankees at the same time that the spitball was banned and the “lively ball” was introduced, he began hitting home runs at a higher rate than anyone had ever believed to be even remotely possible. He became a famous and beloved star, and to this day he remains an American icon of the Roaring ‘20s – a hard-drinking, hard-partying, fun-loving guy who took full advantage of the fact that his status offered him considerable leeway with the rules. How great was he? Try this on for size: He won 10 pennants and seven World Series titles, and his career stats in the World Series are a .346 batting average (.467 on-base and .744 slugging), as well as three starts as a pitcher (one of them a 14-inning complete game) in which he went 3-0 with an ERA of 0.87. Bill Russell (1969-86) came up as a center fielder but moved to shortstop because the Dodgers had lots of outfielders but no shortstops; on this team, which has two very good shortstops but a serious shortage of outfielders, he moves in the other direction and returns to his original position. Russell was a .260-.270 hitter with no power and just a little bit of speed, but he played in four World Series and was a fixture for the fine Dodgers teams of the 1970s and early 1980s. Left fielder Bill Robinson (1966-83) was one of those guys who made it hard for Bob Robertson to get playing time in Pittsburgh. Robinson didn’t hit his stride until he turned 30 years old, but in his 30s he batted .274 with 142 home runs and 585 RBI despite the fact that he was generally a part-time player. For his career hit 166 home runs.
Catcher: Buddy Rosar (1939-51) edges out Bedford Bill Rariden (1909-20) in a spirited battle. They’re both righties, or otherwise it would be an easy platoon to set up. Rosar came up with the Yankees and went on to play with the Indians, the A’s and the Red Sox. He batted .260 for his career and walked twice as often as he struck out. Rosar was highly respected during his career despite the fact that he never batted 500 times in a season and rarely played in 100 games. He appeared in five all-star games, including the 1942 contest when he batted .230 in 69 games.
Rotation: Bullet Rogan was a Negro League star, arguably the second-best pitcher in the history of black baseball behind Satchel Paige. He was a small man who used a no-windup deliver to bring a blazing fastball and a variety of breaking pitches. Rogan was a terrific hitter as well, and frequently played outfield on days when he wasn’t pitching. Bob Rush (194860) was a good pitcher on some bad Chicago Cubs teams, so he had a career record of 127-152 despite a very good career ERA of 3.65. Brad Radke (1995-2006) pitched for a lot of bad Twins teams, but he went 148-139, winning 20 in 1997. He was a durable, consistent pitcher who had great control but tended to give up the long ball (the MetroDome didn’t help). Radke retired at age 33 (after going 12-9 in his final season) because his shoulder had come to hurt so much that he had to brush his teeth left-handed. Bryan Rekar (1995-2002) wasn’t a very good pitcher, and he came up with the post-expansion Rockies in the thin air of Coors Field. He left the Rockies after a few years to pitch for the post-expansion Rays before they got to be any good. Hence, the 25-49 record with the 5.62 ERA. Bugs Raymond (1904-11) was a talented pitcher but a heavy drinker (Rube Marquard suggested that Raymond didn’t throw a spitball – he just breathed on the ball until it was drunk). When Raymond was with the Giants, John McGraw tried hard to keep him sober, but it was a losing battle. Trying to keep money out of the man’s hands, McGraw bought Raymond a new suit – but Raymond exchanged it for a cheaper suit and used the change to buy booze. He drifted out of baseball in an alcholic haze, went around looking for (and generally finding) trouble, and died at the age of 30 from a fractured skull that apparently happened when he was attacked by a fan while pitching in a semipro game. His career record in the majors was 45-57, but folks who saw him say he could really pitch.
Bullpen: Closer B.J. Ryan (1999-2009) was a big, strapping lefty who had some very good seasons. From 2005-08 he had an ERA of 2.41 and 109 saves despite missing almost the entire 2007 season with injuries. The injuries took their toll on his fastball, and he left the game at age 33. Bob Reynolds (1969-75) played for six teams in six seasons, including four years with Baltimore. He wasn’t bad – career ERA of 3.15 – but he was done because of injuries before he turned 30. Bruce Ruffin (1986-97) was a lefty swingman who had a few good years as a part-time closer for the Rockies late in his career. Bert Roberge (1979-86) kept the ball low and didn’t give up the long ball, but he put a lot of runners on base and had a very mediocre career. Bill Risely (1992-98) pitched for the Expos, Mariners and Blue Jays – the Northern Exposure trio - and had a 15-13 record before arm injuries took their toll. Britt Reames (2000-06) had a career ERA of 5.28. Bill Reidy (1896-1904) was a turn-of-the-century pitcher wh went 27-41.
Bench: Bip Roberts (1986-98) was a tremendously valuable guy, a good outfielder who could be stretched to play second or third base, and who had terrific speed. He was a .300 hitter in his better seasons, drew a few walks, and given a full-time job he would steal 40 bases a year at a high success rate. Outfielder Bombo Rivera (1975-82) batted .265 for his career, but he had no power, no speed and didn’t draw many walks. Bobby Reeves (1926-31) was a utility infielder who split his career between the Senators and the Red Sox. Bob Ramazzotti (1946-53) was a utility infielder who couldn’t hit. Backup catcher Bill Rariden (1909-20) was about as productive as starting catcher Buddy Rosar, so they’ll both see some playing time in order to stay fresh.
Manager: Bill Rigney was the manager who moved west with the Giants, and he later managed the expansion Angels and the Twins. He won 1,239 games in his career, and though he never won a pennant, his career winning percentage of .484 isn’t half bad when you consider that he managed the Angels for their first nine seasons. He will operate under the watchful eye of esteemed general manager Branch Rickey.
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