Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

TOXIC ASSETS
Posts: 764
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat Apr 19, 2014 9:20 am

Thought this would be a fun topic which I will update each week. I started watching baseball around 1980, collecting baseball cards, etc. Watched the Phillies win their first world series in that same year. Of course there was no fantasy baseball back then, probably a good thing because otherwise I would have been risking my lunch money on it. Everyone remembers the stars, but how about the nobodies, especially those guys who played for quite a while and never really accomplished much in the way of either individual or team awards. So with that in mind, I bring you the first weekly update for--- Kurt Bevacqua. This guy hung around for 15 years, hitting a total of 27 home runs, and 275 RBI's. Career average of .236. I count a total of 7 different teams.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... ku01.shtml

User avatar
Yah Mule
Posts: 1289
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2013 3:12 am
Location: Greeley, CO

Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

Post by Yah Mule » Sat Apr 19, 2014 9:38 am

You have to mention his career highlight.

Image

User avatar
Yah Mule
Posts: 1289
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2013 3:12 am
Location: Greeley, CO

Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

Post by Yah Mule » Sat Apr 19, 2014 9:43 am

Not to mention this beauty courtesy of Tommy Lasorda.

Very NSFW, like most of Tommy's enduring contributions to modern culture.

http://youtu.be/fzjWQF1oP2M

King of Queens
Posts: 3602
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 6:00 pm
Contact:

Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

Post by King of Queens » Sat Apr 19, 2014 4:10 pm

Always wondered: any relation to Bruce Bevacqua (NFBC player)?

TOXIC ASSETS
Posts: 764
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat Apr 26, 2014 4:59 am

This week's player is one that many will remember, and yes, he hit a lot of home runs. But if you had him anywhere near your fantasy baseball team, you probably wish you didn't. I remember well a quote about Rob Deer --- "he swings a bat as if his off season hobby is killing flies with a sledgehammer'. Classic.


http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... ro01.shtml

TOXIC ASSETS
Posts: 764
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat May 03, 2014 10:56 am

The only thing I can really remember about this guy was that his first & last name rhymed.

Mark Clark

http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... ma01.shtml

    User avatar
    Navel Lint
    Posts: 1723
    Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:00 pm
    Contact:

    Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

    Post by Navel Lint » Sat May 03, 2014 5:46 pm

    TOXIC ASSETS wrote:The only thing I can really remember about this guy was that his first & last name rhymed.

    Mark Clark

    http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... ma01.shtml
      I barely remembered the name, but could not remember him.

      I was really surprised to see that he started 42 games over 2 seasons for the Cubs. I totally blanked him from my mind :shock:

      Image
      Russel -Navel Lint

      "Fans don't boo nobodies"
      -Reggie Jackson

      The Mighty Men
      Posts: 930
      Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 6:00 pm
      Contact:

      Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

      Post by The Mighty Men » Sun May 04, 2014 7:42 am

      Navel Lint wrote:
      TOXIC ASSETS wrote:The only thing I can really remember about this guy was that his first & last name rhymed.

      Mark Clark

      http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... ma01.shtml
        I barely remembered the name, but could not remember him.

        I was really surprised to see that he started 42 games over 2 seasons for the Cubs. I totally blanked him from my mind :shock:

        Image
        I met Mark Clark. My best friend in high school was a #1 pick for St. Louis in the late 80's. He played with and became friends with Mark Clark in the minors. When my friend got married, I met Clark at his wedding.

        Actually, my high school friend would fit perfectly in this thread category of 80's/90's scrub. :)
        Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, proclaiming victory, mighty to save.” Isaiah 63:1

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sun May 04, 2014 9:56 am

        MM - good stuff.
        One of the more amazing things on Clark's stat sheet is the salary he had at the end of his career.
        1999 = $4,000,000
        2000 = $5,000,000

        The GM of Texas must have gotten crushed on talk radio for this signing.

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat May 10, 2014 4:59 am

        Had very little trouble finding this week's addition to this list. A guy best remembered in Philly for getting caught with sandpaper while on the mound. I didn't remember Kevin Gross doing a whole lot else in his career, and a quick check of his stats proved me right. The only interesting thing I see on the numbers sheet is that he led the league in hit batters for three straight years -- 1986, 1987 and 1988.

        This guy would have hurt many a fantasy team in most of the years he pitched.

        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... ke01.shtml

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat May 17, 2014 4:11 am

        For this week's player we go pitching and we go with Steve "Rainbow" Trout.

        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... st01.shtml

        Proof that a lefthander will continue to find work when maybe he shouldn't. Interesting thing here: Every year between 1979 and 1987, except for one, he gave up more hits than innings pitched. Poor strikeout totals as well.

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat May 24, 2014 4:08 am

        For the Memorial Day Weekend edition of this topic, we go back to hitting and we go with:

        Kevin "Smallmouth" Bass. He had a couple of decent seasons, but a .411 career slugging percentage for an OF isn't going to win you a lot of games.


        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... ke01.shtml

        User avatar
        Navel Lint
        Posts: 1723
        Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:00 pm
        Contact:

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by Navel Lint » Sat May 24, 2014 9:03 pm

        TOXIC ASSETS wrote:For this week's player we go pitching and we go with Steve "Rainbow" Trout.

        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... st01.shtml

        Proof that a lefthander will continue to find work when maybe he shouldn't. Interesting thing here: Every year between 1979 and 1987, except for one, he gave up more hits than innings pitched. Poor strikeout totals as well.
        It took me a week to find this photo, but here is a picture of me and my sister and the sign we made before heading to Wrigley for a game. Steve Trout was pitching that day for the Cubs.

        For anyone that remembers Steve "Rainbow" Trout, his "out :roll: " pitch was a sinker and we made the obvious play on words with this sign.

        Trout now runs a baseball camp in the Chicagoland area and my sister took her son to the camp. She told me that Trout was great with the kids. She also took this picture and showed it to Steve 30 years after the fact. I guess Steve thought it was cool and he graciously took new pictures with my sister and her son.

        Thanks for remembering Steve Trout and bringing back memories for me. 8-)
        IMG_5142.jpg
        IMG_5142.jpg (95.05 KiB) Viewed 9777 times
        Russel -Navel Lint

        "Fans don't boo nobodies"
        -Reggie Jackson

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat May 31, 2014 5:01 am

        No cool nickname guy this week. I could not believe that this guy has been out of the game since 1998:

        Melvin Nieves

        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... me01.shtml

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat Jun 07, 2014 4:54 am

        Going back to pitching this week, I was quite surprised at Pat Hentgen's overall numbers looked-- a lot worse than I expected. And that earns him a spot on this ongoing list. Had a great 1996 and a good 1997, but all we care about here are the career numbers and mostly how they relate to fantasy baseball.....

        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... pa01.shtml

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat Jun 14, 2014 4:18 am

        Wanted to find someone who was on the Expos to add to the list, so I grabbed a random year 1990 and was surprised to see it was a good year for them.....they went 85-77 that season. So I jump of to 1991 and that year was more typical - 71-90, and I find this guy, perfect for our list. Mark Gardner..... 13 seasons in the big leagues and just 2 years with an ERA below 4.00. Don't remember much about him.

        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... ma01.shtml

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat Jun 21, 2014 6:39 am

        This guy had some great stolen base seasons, so this week we remember Dave Collins.....

        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... da02.shtml

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat Jun 28, 2014 4:55 am

        Does anyone remember what happened with this guy? Real good year in '87, then production tanked for next three years. Just looked up his Wikipedia profile - looks like he played in Japan in '92, then back in MLB for '93 when he played a few games with Seattle. Then gone.

        Larry Sheets
        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... la01.shtml

        User avatar
        Atlas
        Posts: 598
        Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 6:00 pm
        Contact:

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by Atlas » Sat Jun 28, 2014 6:42 am

        Navel Lint wrote:
        TOXIC ASSETS wrote:For this week's player we go pitching and we go with Steve "Rainbow" Trout.

        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... st01.shtml

        Proof that a lefthander will continue to find work when maybe he shouldn't. Interesting thing here: Every year between 1979 and 1987, except for one, he gave up more hits than innings pitched. Poor strikeout totals as well.
        It took me a week to find this photo, but here is a picture of me and my sister and the sign we made before heading to Wrigley for a game. Steve Trout was pitching that day for the Cubs.

        For anyone that remembers Steve "Rainbow" Trout, his "out :roll: " pitch was a sinker and we made the obvious play on words with this sign.

        Trout now runs a baseball camp in the Chicagoland area and my sister took her son to the camp. She told me that Trout was great with the kids. She also took this picture and showed it to Steve 30 years after the fact. I guess Steve thought it was cool and he graciously took new pictures with my sister and her son.

        Thanks for remembering Steve Trout and bringing back memories for me. 8-)
        IMG_5142.jpg
        Wasn't it Steve Trout that the Yankees acquired mid season and George Steinbrenner informed his manager that he just won him the pennant with this acquisition?

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat Jul 05, 2014 5:42 am

        For the July 4th weekend edition I wanted to find a player with ties to Philadelphia. And I found this guy, who never quite panned out, although he hung around MLB for quite a while:

        Chris James

        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... ch02.shtml

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat Jul 12, 2014 5:12 am

        The last 3 weeks were all hitters, so we move back to the pitching side of things and I find this guy: Tim Leary.

        After looking at the career numbers, my first thought was....Who was wearing his uniform in 1988?
        Nice year there. Rest of career was a big pile of losing baseball.

        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... ti01.shtml

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat Jul 19, 2014 5:20 am

        Here's a guy who that had one of the more unique names, and given more playing time might not be on this list, as it looks like he showed some potential. But for whatever reason he seemed to have "career backup' stamped on him by his teams. Actually make that the Tigers, as that's where he played for almost his entire career.

        John Wockenfuss


        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... jo01.shtml

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat Jul 26, 2014 5:06 am

        This guy somehow played for 12 years, hitting 14 home runs (half of them in one year - 1988). I guess he was a good fielder?

        Jose Oquendo
        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... jo01.shtml

        User avatar
        Yah Mule
        Posts: 1289
        Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2013 3:12 am
        Location: Greeley, CO

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by Yah Mule » Sun Jul 27, 2014 2:24 pm

        TOXIC ASSETS wrote:This guy somehow played for 12 years, hitting 14 home runs (half of them in one year - 1988). I guess he was a good fielder?

        Jose Oquendo
        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... jo01.shtml
        Oquendo was a super-sub who was much loved in St Louis. He was the last guy to play all nine innings in a game and the first since Bert Campaneris.

        TOXIC ASSETS
        Posts: 764
        Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:00 pm

        Re: Player of the week: 80's/ 90's scrub

        Post by TOXIC ASSETS » Sat Aug 02, 2014 11:36 am

        Here's a guy I drafted once or twice.

        12 years - 4.72 career ERA - 1.461 career WHIP
        I also remember one year, maybe 1998, the best pitch he threw all year was the one he fired through a big screen TV in his team's clubhouse!

        Jaime Navarro
        http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... ja01.shtml

        Post Reply