The 25th Man

Jason Michael Barker

Two weeks ago I presented my All-Rookie Team. The team featured only 24 players, so I challenged readers to email me their nominations for the 25th man, and lo and behold, you responded. Here's a sampling of the nominations, and I'll make my choice known at the end of this piece.

Mac writes:

Randall Simon. He wasn't that great, but he should have been on the postseason roster instead of [Otis] Nixon and this way he at least gets some recognition.

I certainly agree that he should have been on the roster instead of Otis Nixon, but don't sell Simon short -- he had a nice little season, although little is the key word, as he had just 218 at-bats. A left-handed batter, his primary role was to pound right-handed pitching, and he did just that, to the tune of a .379/.460 (OBP/SLG). However, we already have two left-hand hitting first basemen on the club (Brian Daubach and Erubiel Durazo), so I'm going to take a pass on Simon.

Next up is Robert, who chimes in:

How about Eric Chavez? His season wasn't quite as good as was expected, but it was decent. He provided a solid bat at the corner for the third highest scoring team in the American League. Had fairly good power also even though he played in a pitcher's park.

Chavez was a disappointment this season, mostly due to a horrible first half (he hit .344/.472 after the All-Star Break). His full-season numbers (.333/.427) are certainly better than the likes of Russ Davis, but his numbers aren't anything special, and for the final player on this roster, I'm looking for either some versatility or a player who brings something not already represented.

Continuing the theme of infielders, Michael writes:

One nominee is Carlos Febles. While his OPS of .747 is less than the two second basemen you picked, it's higher than Alex Gonzalez' so it's at least respectable for a middle infielder. He looked good in the field to me and shows enough plate discipline that he'd good room to grow as a hitter.

I'm actually a big fan of Febles, and if not for Ronnie Belliard's strong showing, he likely would have made the team. Febles suffered from two things this season: playing in the shadow of Rookie of the Year Carlos Beltran, and a nagging injury that likely diminished his production. You're right about both his plate discipline and his defense, and I expect good things from him next year -- he could be one of the top two or three AL second basemen in another year or two. I'm still going to pass, however, since we already have two regular 2B with better 1999 numbers.

Next, we come to Tom:

Joe McEwing, St. Louis. Despite tailing off in the last half of the year, McEwing batted .275, with 9 home runs. Not great numbers, but I think his value was based on his "intangibles." He played every position but catcher for the Cards (with a .982 fielding percentage), filling in for big names such as J. D. Drew and McGwire when they were hurt. He led off much of the year, setting the plate for McGwire; and he ended up playing in 152 games, which shows just how valuable he was in whatever he was asked to do. Thus, I think he should be your 25th player, perfectly fitting into the "Utility" position.

I thought about putting McEwing on the team for exactly this reason, but decided against it in favor of Ronnie Belliard, who put in time at three infield positions. Overall I agree with your assessment of McEwing, and although he didn't hit all that well (.333/.398), this is one time where you have to look beyond the stats, or at least discount them a bit. As you said, he played all seven positions (all but catcher and pitcher), and appeared in 152 games. Talk about versatility!

I was ready to crown McEwing the 25th man until I got this email from Joseph:

Hello, I know there is probably a better rookie out there (that's not already on your list) than the one I'm about to suggest but... I haven't seen him. I'm suggesting Scott Sauerbeck, a converted middle reliever for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Here are the stats: G (65) IP (67.2) H (53) R (19) ER (15) HR (6) BB (38) SO (55) W (4) L (1) S (2) ERA (2.00) I've actually met him, I've been a clubhouse assistant for AA affiliate of the Mets (Binghamton) for a couple years now. He really stood out as a great player as well as a guy during his time there. He's somebody who appears to play the game because he loves it, not because of the money. Given he's not exactly seeing a lot of money yet but hey, he's only 28. For these reasons I followed him this season.

Great nomination Joseph, and it's always nice to hear a bit of personal testimony to a player's character go along with the statistics. I must admit that this is the first I've heard of Sauerbeck, although he did have a very good rookie season. It just goes to show that no matter how much research I think I've done, there are always players who slip though the cracks. Moreover, they're usually middle relievers who, with the exception of Jeff Zimmerman, don't get much press.

The best thing about him? He's left-handed, filling the lefty short relief void on the All-Rookie Team pitching staff. To refresh your memory, our bullpen consisted of John Halama (the only lefty, and really a starter anyway) and five right-handers. So Sauerbeck it is, and congrats to Joseph for nominating him. I only wish we had something to give him.

The inclusion of Sauerbeck means we're carrying an unorthodox twelve-man pitching staff, whereas most teams carry ten or eleven pitchers. You can never be too careful with young pitchers, though, and having an extra man in the bullpen means you can reduce the workload on the entire staff, saving wear and tear on the young arms.

Thanks again to everyone who wrote in with a nomination, and even if your comments weren't featured here, I hope you feel it was worth your while.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker is disappointed that nobody wrote in suggesting that he'd make a fabulous 25th man on this squad. Console him by telling him he'd be just as good a 25th man as Ron Coomer was on the All-Star Team at jmb@strikethree.com.