Infield: Third baseman Andy Carey (1952-62) won four pennants and two World Series championships with the Mantle-Berra Yankees. He was a dependable player – a decent defender at the hot corner and a batter who would hit .260 or so, make good contact and supply a bit of pop. Playing for Casey Stengel, who platooned a lot and who liked to change his lineup around, Carey had only one season in which he had 500 at-bats (1955, when he played 135 games and came to the plate 570 time). He led the AL in triples that year with 11. Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera (2007- ) is is a fine players who contributes across the board. He'll hit .270 or so, with 15-20 home runs and passable defense. He has played in a couple of all-star games and might make one or two more before he's done. Second baseman Alberto Callaspo (2006-15) was a good contact hitter who could rip some doubles. He had a good batting eye and stuck around for 10 years, never a star but generally providing value. First baseman Allen Craig (2010- ) batted .300 with mid-range power for three straight years with the Cardinals, and had a knack for clutch hits. He made history, of a sort, in 2013 when he became the first player to score a walk-off run in a World Series game on an obstruction call. Actually, it was more of a hobble-off, or crawl-off run. Craig, playing on a badly injured foot, was on second base in the bottom of the ninth in a tie game. On a sharp ground ball, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia grabbed the carom and threw out Yadier Molina trying to score from third. Craig lumbered toward third and was in danger of being thrown out for a 4-2-5 double play. But the catcher's throw was wild, and as Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks tried to catch it, he tripped Craig near the bag. Craig, already limping, fell on his face, then got up and staggered toward the plate. The throw had him beat, and his attempt at a slide was more of a topple, but the umpires ruled that Middlebrooks had obstructed Craig's ability to run the bases, so the run counted to end Game 3. Craig batted .375 in that World Series, in a losing cause, but has been injured and ineffective since. Time is running out on his attempts to recapture his stroke.
Outfield: Right fielder Al Cowens (1974-86) was a multi-talented player who had some very good seasons but struggled with inconsistency. He could hit 20 home runs in a good year, and he stole some bases but got thrown out too much. He made good contact and hit some good line drives, and he was a fine defensive player. At his peak he was a very good ballplayer – such as in 1977, when he went .312-23-112 for the Royals and won a Gold Glove. In 1979, Texas relief pitcher Ed Farmer broke Cowens’ jaw with a fastball and also broke Frank White’s wrist with a pitch. Cowens held a grudge, and the next time he faced Farmer – in 1980, when Cowens was with Detroit and Farmer with the White Sox – Cowens charged the mound during a groundout and jumped Farmer from behind. It made for some interesting TV highlights. Center fielder Alex Cole (1990-96) could fly. As a 24-year-old rookie for Cleveland, he batted .300 and stole 40 bases (in 49 attempts) in less than half a season. He wasn’t really a .300 hitter, he never stole 40 bases again, and his success rate dropped. And, oh yeah, he wasn’t a great fielder. But he did hit for a decent average, and he did draw a few walks, and of course, he ran well, so he was an exciting and fairly functional player. Left fielder Adam Comorosky (1926-35) had a big year for Pittsburgh in 1930 – he batted .313 with 47 doubles, a league-high 23 triples, 12 home runs. He scored 112 runs and drove in 119, and for good measure, he led the league with 33 sac bunts. That was by far the best year of his career. He appears to have been a good defensive outfielder as well. He finished his career at .285, but with just 28 home runs.
Catcher: Amos Cross (1885-87) was the older brother of Lave Cross, who had 2,651 hits and who scored and drove in more than 2,700 runs. Amos had a good year at age 26 but he played just eight games the following year and was dead at age 28. It’s not clear how he died, but we’re open to suggestions.
Rotation: Andy Coakley (1902-11) won 58 games and had a 2.35 career ERA in the deadball era. He never led the league in anything, but he had two seasons with ERAs below 2.00 with well over 200 innings pitched. He went on to a long coaching career at Columbia University. Aaron Cook (2002-12) spent most of his career with the Colorado Rockies and won 76 games. Alex Cobb (2011- ) was shaping up as a very fine young starter with the Tampa Rays until elbow surgery cost him his 2015 season and most of 2016. But he's got a career record of 36-25 with a 3.44 ERA, and if he comes back strong, he could ultimately become the ace of this staff. Andrew Cashner (2010- ) is a pretty fair pitcher when he is healthy. But he's not healthy very often. He came up with the Cubs, but went to the Padres in a trade for Anthony Rizzo (in retrospect, quite a steal for the Cubs). Cashner looked very promising for San Diego for a few years, but at this point he is bouncing around the majors trying to regain his command. Lefty Adam Conley (2015- ) has shown well for parts of two seasons in Miami's rotation.
Bullpen: Cuban fireballer Aroldis Chapman (2010- ) is as overpowering as any closer we've ever seen. Seven years into his career he's got an ERA of 2.08, and he has struck out 636 batters in 377 innings (that would be 15.2 per nine innings if you do the math). He arrived with the Reds as a 22-year-old import with a fastball that lights up the radar gun at speeds approaching 105 mph. Nothing has slowed him down - not even getting hit in the head with one of his fastballs lined back up the middle. He won a World Series with the Cubs in 2016 and is now with the Yankees. If he stays healthy, his career numbers could be eye-popping. Alex Carrasquel (1939-49) was the first Venezuelan to play in the majors, and he struck out DiMaggio, Gehrig and Dickey in his debut. That was an anomaly – he was a good pitcher but not a great one, and he didn’t strike out a lot of batters. He effectively ended his major league career in 1945 when he jumped from the Senators to the outlaw Mexican League, though he came back for three games with the White Sox in 1949. Alex Colome (2013- ) was a fine set-up man for Tampa Bay in 2014, and he became the team's closer in 2015, saving 37 games and posting a 1.91 ERA. Al Corwin (1951-55) pitched for the Giants and did well enough to get by for several years. Alberto Castillo (2008-11) is a Cuban lefty who has had a long career in the minors and a few call-ups to the Orioles in his mid-30s. We'll always switch catchers when he comes in so our battery will be a coupla Alberto Castillos. Aaron Crow (2011- ) is a talented and dependable reliever with the Royals. He's a Topeka native and a former University of Missouri star who is a natural favorite in Kansas City. Al Cicotte (1957-62) was the great-nephew of disgraced Black Sox conspirator Eddie Cicotte. He was nowhere near as good as his great uncle Eddie – just a swingman who pitched for six teams in five seasons.
Outfield: Right fielder Al Cowens (1974-86) was a multi-talented player who had some very good seasons but struggled with inconsistency. He could hit 20 home runs in a good year, and he stole some bases but got thrown out too much. He made good contact and hit some good line drives, and he was a fine defensive player. At his peak he was a very good ballplayer – such as in 1977, when he went .312-23-112 for the Royals and won a Gold Glove. In 1979, Texas relief pitcher Ed Farmer broke Cowens’ jaw with a fastball and also broke Frank White’s wrist with a pitch. Cowens held a grudge, and the next time he faced Farmer – in 1980, when Cowens was with Detroit and Farmer with the White Sox – Cowens charged the mound during a groundout and jumped Farmer from behind. It made for some interesting TV highlights. Center fielder Alex Cole (1990-96) could fly. As a 24-year-old rookie for Cleveland, he batted .300 and stole 40 bases (in 49 attempts) in less than half a season. He wasn’t really a .300 hitter, he never stole 40 bases again, and his success rate dropped. And, oh yeah, he wasn’t a great fielder. But he did hit for a decent average, and he did draw a few walks, and of course, he ran well, so he was an exciting and fairly functional player. Left fielder Adam Comorosky (1926-35) had a big year for Pittsburgh in 1930 – he batted .313 with 47 doubles, a league-high 23 triples, 12 home runs. He scored 112 runs and drove in 119, and for good measure, he led the league with 33 sac bunts. That was by far the best year of his career. He appears to have been a good defensive outfielder as well. He finished his career at .285, but with just 28 home runs.
Catcher: Amos Cross (1885-87) was the older brother of Lave Cross, who had 2,651 hits and who scored and drove in more than 2,700 runs. Amos had a good year at age 26 but he played just eight games the following year and was dead at age 28. It’s not clear how he died, but we’re open to suggestions.
Rotation: Andy Coakley (1902-11) won 58 games and had a 2.35 career ERA in the deadball era. He never led the league in anything, but he had two seasons with ERAs below 2.00 with well over 200 innings pitched. He went on to a long coaching career at Columbia University. Aaron Cook (2002-12) spent most of his career with the Colorado Rockies and won 76 games. Alex Cobb (2011- ) was shaping up as a very fine young starter with the Tampa Rays until elbow surgery cost him his 2015 season and most of 2016. But he's got a career record of 36-25 with a 3.44 ERA, and if he comes back strong, he could ultimately become the ace of this staff. Andrew Cashner (2010- ) is a pretty fair pitcher when he is healthy. But he's not healthy very often. He came up with the Cubs, but went to the Padres in a trade for Anthony Rizzo (in retrospect, quite a steal for the Cubs). Cashner looked very promising for San Diego for a few years, but at this point he is bouncing around the majors trying to regain his command. Lefty Adam Conley (2015- ) has shown well for parts of two seasons in Miami's rotation.
Bullpen: Cuban fireballer Aroldis Chapman (2010- ) is as overpowering as any closer we've ever seen. Seven years into his career he's got an ERA of 2.08, and he has struck out 636 batters in 377 innings (that would be 15.2 per nine innings if you do the math). He arrived with the Reds as a 22-year-old import with a fastball that lights up the radar gun at speeds approaching 105 mph. Nothing has slowed him down - not even getting hit in the head with one of his fastballs lined back up the middle. He won a World Series with the Cubs in 2016 and is now with the Yankees. If he stays healthy, his career numbers could be eye-popping. Alex Carrasquel (1939-49) was the first Venezuelan to play in the majors, and he struck out DiMaggio, Gehrig and Dickey in his debut. That was an anomaly – he was a good pitcher but not a great one, and he didn’t strike out a lot of batters. He effectively ended his major league career in 1945 when he jumped from the Senators to the outlaw Mexican League, though he came back for three games with the White Sox in 1949. Alex Colome (2013- ) was a fine set-up man for Tampa Bay in 2014, and he became the team's closer in 2015, saving 37 games and posting a 1.91 ERA. Al Corwin (1951-55) pitched for the Giants and did well enough to get by for several years. Alberto Castillo (2008-11) is a Cuban lefty who has had a long career in the minors and a few call-ups to the Orioles in his mid-30s. We'll always switch catchers when he comes in so our battery will be a coupla Alberto Castillos. Aaron Crow (2011- ) is a talented and dependable reliever with the Royals. He's a Topeka native and a former University of Missouri star who is a natural favorite in Kansas City. Al Cicotte (1957-62) was the great-nephew of disgraced Black Sox conspirator Eddie Cicotte. He was nowhere near as good as his great uncle Eddie – just a swingman who pitched for six teams in five seasons.
Bench: In a crowded middle infield picture, Alex Cintron (2001-09) and Andujar Cedeno (1990-96) emerge as the utility guys. Cintron, given a regular job by the Diamondbacks in 2003, batted .317 with some power. He spent the rest of his career proving he wasn’t really that good. Cedeno was fascinating to baseball fans because his arrival as a 20-year-old rookie hinted that the Astros were preparing to hand their shortstop job over to a guy whose name combined references to two of the team’s most talented and famous head cases (Joaquin Andujar and Cesar Cedeno). It didn’t really work out – Andujar Cedeno batted below .250, didn’t walk, was a poor defensive shortstop and had just mid-range power – but he hung around as a part-time infielder for several years. Outfielder Allie Clark (1947-53) was a journeyman role player who won World Series titles with the Yankees in 1947 and the Indians in 1948. Archi Cianfrocco (1992-98) was versatile enough to play all over
the field, but he never fully developed as a hitter. He had a bit of
pop, but he struck out too much, didn’t walk enough and struggled to
push his batting average north of .250. Alberto “Bambino” Castillo (1995-2007) was a light-hitting backup catcher with solid defensive skills for more than a decade.
Manager: Andy Cohen was the manager of the Phillies for 24 hours in 1960. Eddie Sawyer was the team’s manager but he stepped down early in the season, and Cohen had the job on an interim basis until Gene Mauch was hired one day later. Cohen’s career record as a big-league manager was 1-0. We’ll see if he can keep on winning with the A.C. team. He’ll be assisted by longtime Dodgers executive Al Campanis.
Manager: Andy Cohen was the manager of the Phillies for 24 hours in 1960. Eddie Sawyer was the team’s manager but he stepped down early in the season, and Cohen had the job on an interim basis until Gene Mauch was hired one day later. Cohen’s career record as a big-league manager was 1-0. We’ll see if he can keep on winning with the A.C. team. He’ll be assisted by longtime Dodgers executive Al Campanis.
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