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***Official RIP Dead Ballplayers Thread -- Yer Out! (1 Viewer)

Encyclopedia Brown said:
The Banks/Beckert/Kessinger/Santo infield was one of the longest tenured in team history. Beckert batted second and Kessinger leadoff because Leo Durocher had them run a relay in spring training and Kessinger won--that's how the top of the batting order was determined in those times. 

I thought for certain Darwin Barney would be on the comp list. During Barney's time with the Cubs, he was called the reincarnation of Beckert.
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Light-hitting bat control middle infielder is the model for a #2 hitter in old school baseball lineups.

 
and speaking of light-hitting bat control middle infielders,

Damaso Garcia (1957-2020)

He made a couple of All-Star games as part of Toronto keystone combos with Alfredo Griffin and Tony Fernandez.  He was traded to Atlanta in 1987 after burning his Blue Jays uniform to try to break a slump.  He never played a full season after the trade ending his career with 7.2 WAR over half of which came in the 1982 season.

Top B-R comps

  1. Fernando Vina (941.5)
  2. Joey Cora (940.6)
  3. Dee Gordon (935.4)
  4. Tony Kubek (934.9)
  5. Rennie Stennett (925.2)
  6. Ron Oester (922.8)
  7. Jimmy Brown (921.9)
  8. Snuffy Stirnweiss (917.9)
  9. Marty Barrett (917.8)
  10. Bill Cissell (917.0)

 
Legendary minor leaguer Steve Dalkowski died from COVID-19 at age 80.  He was the hardest thrower of his era but had only the vaguest notion of command.  He struck out 1342 in 956 career IP but walked 1236 batters.  He was the inspiration for Nuke LaLoosh in Bull Durham which was written by former Orioles farmhand Ron Shelton.

More Dalkowski lore

 
I wish Dalklowski had gotten a chance and wish his fastball could’ve been measured accurately. 

 
Matt Keough. I remember him playing for Billy Martin in the early 80’s. He used to run his starters in the ground. Want to say he played for the Astros too but need to check baseball reference. 

 
RIP Bob Watson. Bad news bears and millionth run fame. He also did some good things with the Yankees. 

 
RIP Biff Pocoraba. Had an odd name and caught for the Braves for a few years. I think I’ve read before he ran a sausage business in Georgia for a long time after baseball. 

 
NREC34 said:
RIP Biff Pocoraba. Had an odd name and caught for the Braves for a few years. I think I’ve read before he ran a sausage business in Georgia for a long time after baseball. 
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He seemed to be in every other pack of baseball cards. Over a summer, you might see one or two Carlton Fisk's, or Lance Parrish, maybe a Rick Dempsey now and again, but you more than likely had a stack of cards with Biff's picture on the front (and Barry Foote, as well). 

 
Encyclopedia Brown said:
He seemed to be in every other pack of baseball cards. Over a summer, you might see one or two Carlton Fisk's, or Lance Parrish, maybe a Rick Dempsey now and again, but you more than likely had a stack of cards with Biff's picture on the front (and Barry Foote, as well). 
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Trying to think of other mediocre to decent catchers of that era (sounds like you were collecting cards for fun around the same as me...)

Jim Sundberg, John Stearns; Bo Diaz, Terry Kennedy, Rich German, Butch Wynegar, Alan Ashby of my stros 

 
Claudell Washington 1954-2020

Talented guy who never played high school baseball but still reached the majors at age 19.  More development probably would have helped him because he was a notoriously poor percentage player often among the league leaders in OF errors and caught stealing.  He still managed to carve out a long 17 year career for 7 teams mostly as a platoon OF.  he accumulated 26.5 career oWAR but gave some of that back on defense.

His B-R comps include a  lot of familiar names.

  1. Alex Rios (941.1)
  2. Jose Cardenal (938.6)
  3. Melky Cabrera (935.4)
  4. Roy White (922.0)
  5. Mark Kotsay (908.2)
  6. Devon White (907.5)
  7. Johnny Callison (903.5)
  8. Garry Maddox (902.7)
  9. Carl Crawford (901.5)
  10. Gus Bell (900.4)
 
Eephus said:
Claudell Washington 1954-2020

Talented guy who never played high school baseball but still reached the majors at age 19.  More development probably would have helped him because he was a notoriously poor percentage player often among the league leaders in OF errors and caught stealing.  He still managed to carve out a long 17 year career for 7 teams mostly as a platoon OF.  he accumulated 26.5 career oWAR but gave some of that back on defense.

His B-R comps include a  lot of familiar names.

  1. Alex Rios (941.1)
  2. Jose Cardenal (938.6)
  3. Melky Cabrera (935.4)
  4. Roy White (922.0)
  5. Mark Kotsay (908.2)
  6. Devon White (907.5)
  7. Johnny Callison (903.5)
  8. Garry Maddox (902.7)
  9. Carl Crawford (901.5)
  10. Gus Bell (900.4)
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i remember back in the dreary 70s days of the mets, i think claudell passed thru.  i used to go for .50 and sit wherever.  went to a game where he was playing RF and someone hits a ball in the corner and tries for 3.  CW fielded it in the corner and threw it on the fly, like a rope to 3rd to nail the guy.  i don’t remember the specifics, but i remember that play since i went with a couple of friends and we’d always talk about it.  he’s dead and i have no friends, so there is no corroboration.

 
Frank Bolling (1931-2020)

Frank Bolling, a two-time All-Star second baseman and the last player to hit a grand slam off Sandy Koufax, has died. He was 88.  Bolling died Saturday. He was diagnosed with cancer about five years ago, his family said.

Bolling played 12 seasons in the majors, six with Detroit and six with the Braves, and hit .254 with 106 home runs. He won a Gold Glove in 1958 with the Tigers and for part of that season, his double-play partner was his older brother, shortstop Milt Bolling.

The road leading to Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile is Bolling Brothers Blvd. Aaron is from the city and was Bolling's longtime Braves teammate, and they occasionally would visit over the years when the Hall of Famer returned to his hometown.  Last year, Bolling was added to the Wall of Honor at Miller Park in Milwaukee. He punctuated the tribute by throwing out the first ball before the Brewers hosted Philadelphia.

Years after he retired, Bolling kept playing. Boosted by a grant from Major League Baseball and working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, he created a league for physically and mentally challenged kids in Mobile.  "He loved being out there with them, he would do anything for them," Chris Bolling said. "There were children in wheelchairs, kids he would help run the bases. It was amazing to watch."The program grew beyond the city on the Alabama Gulf Coast."It caught on and spread to other parts of the country," son-in-law Sam Yarbrough said. "That was Frank. He was just a good guy."
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His B-R comps include a bunch of glove-first middle infielders

  1. Mark Ellis (948.7)
  2. Julian Javier (943.2)
  3. Denis Menke (939.9)
  4. Bill Doran (927.9)
  5. Johnny Logan (923.5)
  6. Omar Infante (913.1)
  7. Granny Hamner (912.4)
  8. Mike Bordick (912.3)
  9. Robby Thompson (909.6)
  10. Yunel Escobar (906.0)
 
Tony Taylor 1935-2020

19 year career mostly with the Phillies.  His B-R comps include some big names.

  1. Bill Russell (900.7)
  2. Jim Gilliam (896.2)
  3. Steve Sax (877.3)
  4. Kid Gleason (872.4)
  5. Garry Templeton (870.8)
  6. Willie Randolph (870.1)
  7. Bobby Lowe (868.8)
  8. Bert Campaneris (867.1)
  9. Bill Mazeroski (864.0) *
  10. Roger Peckinpaugh (862.0)
 
John McNamara 1932-2020

McNamara managed six clubs over four decades including the AL Pennant winning Red Sox in 1986.  He was there too early for of the Swingin' A's dynasty and too late for the Big Red machine.  He finally got his timing down in Boston but forgot about Dave Stapleton. 

He spent 14 years in the minors as a light hitting catcher

 
NREC34 said:
Trying to think of other mediocre to decent catchers of that era (sounds like you were collecting cards for fun around the same as me...)

Jim Sundberg, John Stearns; Bo Diaz, Terry Kennedy, Rich German, Butch Wynegar, Alan Ashby of my stros 
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John wathan

ozzie virgil

 
BobbyLayne said:
Bob Gibson deserves his own thread tbh
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He was something else. I only remember the back half of his career but, even then, he was a frightening sight on the mound. He was a helluva hitter, too.

Always loved McCarver's quote (paraphrasing): "That Gibson is so lucky. He only pitches on days the other team can't score".

Also paraphrasing Henry Aaron telling Dusty Baker: "When you go to bat against Gibson, don't look at him. Don't smile, don't frown. If you get lucky enough to hit a homer, don't run too fast and don't run too slow."

 
Uruk-Hai said:
He was something else. I only remember the back half of his career but, even then, he was a frightening sight on the mound. He was a helluva hitter, too.

Always loved McCarver's quote (paraphrasing): "That Gibson is so lucky. He only pitches on days the other team can't score".

Also paraphrasing Henry Aaron telling Dusty Baker: "When you go to bat against Gibson, don't look at him. Don't smile, don't frown. If you get lucky enough to hit a homer, don't run too fast and don't run too slow."
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Without looking it up, Gibson pitched in three World Series. Three starts each. 9 innings CG in the last 8 starts, 7-2. The only non-CG was his first start, when he pitched into the 10th but an old knuckleballer name Barney Schultz gave up a home run to lose it. Won the next 7 (1964, ‘67, & ‘68) before losing Game 7 to Mickey Lolich.

My favorite pitcher growing up & reading his first autobiography (“From Ghetto to Glory”) had a profound impact on my worldview.

 
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Uruk-Hai said:
He was something else. I only remember the back half of his career but, even then, he was a frightening sight on the mound. He was a helluva hitter, too.

Always loved McCarver's quote (paraphrasing): "That Gibson is so lucky. He only pitches on days the other team can't score".

Also paraphrasing Henry Aaron telling Dusty Baker: "When you go to bat against Gibson, don't look at him. Don't smile, don't frown. If you get lucky enough to hit a homer, don't run too fast and don't run too slow."
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Bob Costas was on MLB Network and he told the story of the last pitch Gibson ever threw in the major leagues. He gave up a grand slam to a Cubs player named Pete LaCock, got taken out of the game and never pitched again. 

Ten years later he played in an Old-Timers game, and LaCock came up to the plate. 

Gibson drilled him. 

He later told Costas the reason for hitting LaCock after all this time was because there "has to be balance in this world." 

 
Encyclopedia Brown said:
Bob Costas was on MLB Network and he told the story of the last pitch Gibson ever threw in the major leagues. He gave up a grand slam to a Cubs player named Pete LaCock, got taken out of the game and never pitched again. 

Ten years later he played in an Old-Timers game, and LaCock came up to the plate. 

Gibson drilled him. 

He later told Costas the reason for hitting LaCock after all this time was because there "has to be balance in this world." 
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Peter Marshall (of Hollywood Squares fame)'s son

 
Left handed Canadian pitcher Rheal Cormier died from cancer at the age of 53.  He came up as a starter with the Cardinals in the early 90s but found more success after converting to a reliever and eventually pitched in the majors as a LOOGY until age 40.

His top B-R comps include nine lefties and Braden Looper

  1. Chris Hammond (947.2)
  2. Dennis Cook (943.9)
  3. Kent Mercker (940.5)
  4. Dan Schatzeder (938.6)
  5. Bob McClure (934.5)
  6. Mark Guthrie (931.4)
  7. Clyde Shoun (930.5)
  8. Zach Duke (924.6)
  9. Braden Looper (922.0)
  10. Mike Remlinger (918.5)
 
Former Angels manager and longtime MLB pitching coach Norm Sherry died at age 89.  He was a big league catcher for the Dodgers and Mets, appearing in 194 games between 1959 and 1963.

 
Rennie Stennett, a Panamanian 2B who had some fine years with the 70s Pirates, died of cancer at age 70.

B-R comps

  1. Frankie Gustine (957.2)
  2. Ron Oester (940.1)
  3. Tony Kubek (937.8)
  4. Mickey Morandini (937.3)
  5. Jerry Lumpe (935.9)
  6. Mark Koenig (933.6)
  7. Buck Weaver (932.9)
  8. Fernando Vina (932.6)
  9. Cass Michaels (932.4)
  10. Tommy Helms (927.7)
 
Eephus said:
Rennie Stennett, a Panamanian 2B who had some fine years with the 70s Pirates, died of cancer at age 70.

B-R comps

  1. Frankie Gustine (957.2)
  2. Ron Oester (940.1)
  3. Tony Kubek (937.8)
  4. Mickey Morandini (937.3)
  5. Jerry Lumpe (935.9)
  6. Mark Koenig (933.6)
  7. Buck Weaver (932.9)
  8. Fernando Vina (932.6)
  9. Cass Michaels (932.4)
  10. Tommy Helms (927.7)
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He is the only player to go 7-7 in a game.

 
In the last couple of days we lost Phil Lombardi (80’s catcher for the NYY) and Joe Beckwith (Pitcher with LA and KC), both cancer.

 
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