Infield: Alfonso Soriano (1999-14) had obvious talents and obvious weaknesses. One of his weaknesses was that he was an absolutely brutal second baseman, necessitating a move to the outfield (against his wishes). But this team needs a second baseman more than it needs a left fielder, so he will stay in the infield and we'll cross our fingers. His strengths, in his prime, were power and speed. On a regular basis he would bang out 40-plus doubles and 30-40 home runs, and he would steal 40 bases at a high success rate. He also struck out a ton and didn’t walk enough, so he was never on base enough to bat at the top of the batting order. The full package adds up to an awfully good ballplayer – 412 career home runs and almost 300 steals. As long as we have an outfielder at second base, we might as well have one at third, too. Alfonso Soriano played more than 700 games at second, and Al Smith (1953-64) played almost 400 at third, though he was primarily an outfielder. Smith was a .270-.280 hitter with power. He didn’t have Soriano’s speed, but he had a better batting eye. He was a fine player, but he is perhaps best known for a funny photo from the 1959 World Series – Smith (playing for the White Sox) was watching a home run fly over the left field fence when a fan trying to catch the ball spilled his beer onto Smith’s head. At least when he plays third base for the Shores, he won’t get soaked with beer. First baseman Art Shamsky (1965-72) had his best year in 1969 for the Miracle Mets, batting .300 with 14 home runs in 303 at-bats. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons (2012- ) is your basic .250 contact hitter with no real power or speed. But in the field he is something special, probably the best defensive infielder of his generation. And he'll need that here as he plays between Soriano and Smith.
Outfield: Left fielder Al Simmons (1924-44), known as “Bucketfoot Al” for his non-traditional batting stroke, played for six teams but established his Hall of Fame legacy with the Philadelphia A’s from 1924-32. During those years he batted .358, averaging 200 hits, 128 RBI and 107 runs per 162 games. He was a key player on the powerhouse A’s teams that won three pennants and two World Series titles, batting .333 in the World Series from 1929-31. His RBI totals (he led the league with 157 in 1929) are partially attributable to the great lineup around him, but also have a lot to do with the fact that he was a line drive machine. He was also an outstanding defensive outfielder. Center fielder Amos Strunk (1908-24) was a teammate of Al Simmons on the 1924 A’s – Strunk’s last season and Simmons’ first. Strunk had made his name with Connie Mack’s previous Philadelphia A’s juggernaut, playing in four World Series (and winning three) between 1910-14. Strunk was a .285 hitter in the deadball era, with a good batting eye and excellent speed, and he had a reputation as a great defensive center fielder. Right fielder Al Spangler (1959-71) played for several teams, including the Aaron-Mathews Braves, the expansion Colt .45s and the Banks-Santo Cubs. He was a solid contact hitter but never had enough power or speed to establish himself as a fulltime player.
Catcher: Andy Seminick (1943-57) was a very valuable player over the course of 15 seasons. He didn’t hit for a high average, but he drew a good number of walks and could be counted on for 15-20 home runs given regular playing time.
Rotation: Al Spalding (1871-77) is one of the towering figures in 19th-century baseball. He was a dominant pitcher, leading the National Association in wins every year from 1871-76. He had a career record of 252-65 despite retiring as an active player in his mid-20s to focus on his work in the front office and on the Spalding sporting goods empire he was establishing with his brother. He became owner of the Chicago White Stockings and later played a central role in the development of the National League. He published the first official rulebook for the sport (stipulating, by the way, that only Spalding baseballs could be used), and he also established the Baseball Guide, the preeminent publication of its time in chronicling the sport. Lefty Al Smith (1934-45), no relation to the guy who got the beer spilled on his head, had some good seasons on his way to a career record of 99-101. Pitching for the Giants in 1936 he led the NL with four shutouts, and in 1943 he went 17-7 for the Indians. Aaron Sele (1993-2007) won 148 games in his career, highlighted by 19 and 18 for the Rangers in 1998-99. Anibal Sanchez (2006- ) has been around long enough, and had enough good years, that it's had to believe he hasn't reached 100 victories yet. But for every 2013 (when he went 14-8 with a 2.57 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 182 innings), he's got two more where he struggled. He was a hot young prospect in his early 20s when the Red Sox traded him to Florida along with Hanley Ramirez in the blockbuster deal that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowelll to Boston. He was electrifying as a rookie in 2006, going 10-3 with a 2.83 ERA, but the next few years were marked by injuries and ineffectiveness. Now in his mid-30s. Will he get to 100 wins? We'll have to wait and see. Allen Sothoron (1914-26) had his best years for the generally weak St. Louis Browns, even winning 20 games for them in 1919. His career record was 91-99.
Bullpen: Al “Doc” Severinsen (1969-72) pitched reasonably well for a couple of years before injuries ended his career. OK, so he pitched just 111 innings in his career. But he showed promise, and that’s enough to make him the nominal closer here for the time being. Art Schallock (1951-55) was a diminutive lefty who came up with Casey Stengel’s Yankees but was rarely a key figure in the bullpen. Al Schacht (1919-21) was a mediocre pitcher for the Senators who developed an elaborate comedic persona and parlayed it into a long career as “The Clown Prince of Baseball.” He would do his routines while coaching bases for Washington, and he later took his act on the road and entertained crowds at 25 World Series. Allyn Stout (1931-43) won 20 games in a journeyman career. Aaron Sanchez (2014- ) is likely going to play a big role on this team before he's done. He came up with Toronto at age 21 and posted a 1.09 ERA in 24 relief appearances. He had a good season as a swingman ini 2015, and then in 2016 he went 15-2 as a starter with a league-leading 3.00 ERA. Assuming he remains a starter, he will break into the A.S. rotation soon and could one day end up its ace. Lefty Albert Sima (1950-54) was 11-21 pitching for weak teams in the American League. Andy Sonnanstine (2007-11) won 13 games for Tampa in 2008 and then struggled with injuries. he finished his career at 28-31.
Bench: Infielder Andy Stankiewicz (1992-98) didn’t hit much but drew some walks and hung around for several years as a spare part with four teams. Infielder Andy Sheets (1996-2002) played for five teams but never hit enough to earn a fulltime job. Outfielder Al Scheer (1913-15) had a couple of good seasons in the Federal League. Outfielder Albert Shaw (1907-15) was an above-average hitter for a few years. Backup catcher Admiral Schlei (1904-11), apparently nicknamed after a Naval hero from the Spanish-American War, had a few decent years for the Reds and the Giants.
Manager: Al Spalding, who managed the White Stockings for a couple of years and was the architect of that great team from the front office, says he would like to manage this team. Who are we to tell him no? After all, he’s supplying the baseballs.
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