Sometimes, a Bizarro Hall of Fame class is characterized for me by the players who are missing. I’ll never forget the year that Mike Morgan and Rich Garces were left off the ballot completely, thus depriving them the chance at Bizarro immortality. Likewise, when a single writer case a vote for Tim Wakefield, my wife’s favorite player, it broke my heart a little.
Another name was added to that list this year when someone voted for Barry Zito. Now, Barry Zito was a very fine pitcher and seems to be a very fine human, a guy who started his career strong, struggled, and ultimately came back around at the end to help his team to a World Series win. And, in a field where a lot of guys seem to struggle when figuring out what’s next, he’s got a nice post-baseball career as a successful musician. I love all that.
What puts him into a different category, however, is that he is my friend Trish’s favorite player. She’s his number one fan. And that one writer who threw a courtesy vote his way means I don’t get to tell her that he is a Bizarro Hall of Famer, which is clearly the best individual honor a player can achieve, and one she would have delighted in. That makes me sad.
A.J. Burnett – On May 12, 2001, Burnett threw what is widely regarded as one of the worst no-hitters in major league history, walking nine batter and hitting another in a performance that would have made Nuke LaLoosh proud. It was the 250th no-no in major league history, and of course there were Bizarro connections: Burnett’s catcher was Charles Johnson (’11), who caught three no-hitters in his career, and the last out was made by Phil Nevin (’12).
Michael Cuddyer – Minnesota’s first round pick (ninth overall) in 1997, Cuddyer spent his first eleven seasons with the Twins before signing with Colorado following the 2011 season. He won the 2013 National League batting title with the Rockies. He signed with the Mets in 2015 and made his only World Series appearance that season, but it was bittersweet: his final major league appearance came in Game 1 against the Royals, when he was brought in as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning, struck out three times, and was eventually removed for a pinch-hitter.
Dan Haren – A quality, durable (he started 30+ games for eleven consecutive seasons) pitcher in his own right, Haren made an interesting sub-career out of being involved in trades for quality-ish pitchers: he was dealt five times between 2004-15 in deals that included Mark Mulder, Brett Anderson, Patrick Corbin, Joe Saunders, Tyler Skaggs, and Andrew Heaney. The right-hander ultimately played for eight teams, only two of which (Washington in 2013 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014) were of his choosing (and the Dodgers traded him following his first season there).
Nick Swisher – With all the players I’ve looked at for this series over the years, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone’s reaction to appearing on the ballot. When this year’s ballot was released, Swisher wrote on Twitter, “Grateful! Humbled! Honored! You always hear “it’s an honor just to be nominated” and I can officially say it’s true! Just to be considered with my peers means the world to me! #blessed”. I enjoy that response.
Fun fact: Swisher pitched once in his major league career, early in the 2009 season for the eventual world champion Yankees (his only World Series ring). He recorded three outs; the second was Carlos Pena (’20), the third was Pat Burrell (’17).
Shane Victorino – One of the best Hawaiian-born players in major league history (he’s third in WAR behind Charlie Hough and Sid Fernandez), most fans probably remember Victorino as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, where he played eight seasons in his prime. I have a Shane Victorino Red Sox shirsey, however, from the three years he spent in Boston. The best of those was 2013, when he hit .294 with 15 homeruns, 61 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and won a Gold Glove.
He got off to a strong start in the postseason that year, hitting safely in all four ALDS games against Tampa Bay before slumping badly in the ALCS. He was just 2-for-23 with nine strikeouts when he came to bat in the seventh inning of Game 6, his Red Sox trailing the Tigers 2-1. Max Scherzer had started the inning but yielded to Drew Smyly after allowing the first two batters to reach base. Smyly faced Jacoby Ellsbury, who reached on an error, before turning the ball over to Jose Veras. And after Veras got Victorino down in the count, 0-2, the struggling outfielder popped a grand slam over the Green Monster to put Boston on top, 5-2, in a game they would eventually win to reach the World Series. It’s one of my favorite redemption moments.
(I should also note that he did the exact same thing in the World Series. After starting 0-10 and sitting for Games 4 and 5, he went 2-3 with four RBI in the deciding Game 6, including a bases-loaded double that gave the Red Sox all the runs they would need.)
0 Comments:
Post a Comment