Friday, October 23, 2009

Sorry to see you go, Welcome to the tribe













I suppose I've put this off long enough. In terms of classification, JMLs who are converts invite controversy. While we've gained many players through conversion, we've also lost a lot through conversion.

Players who have left the tribe:

Bo Belinsky (LH SP) - Threw a no-no as a rookie in 1962 against the Orioles, was teammates with Barry Latman in 1964 on the Angels and again in 1967 on the Astros along with Norm Miller and Larry Sherry, was known more for his exploits off the field than on the field.

Lou Boudreau (SS/Manager) - Member of the Hall of Fame, won 1948 MVP, batting champion in 1944, led the AL in doubles 3 times, was a terrific two-way player, managed and played for the last Indians team to win the World Series.

Harry Feldman (RH SP) - was teammates with Sid Gordon, Harry Danning, and Morrie Arnovich on the 1941 New York Giants, was teammates with Phil Weintraub in 1944 and 1945, had a 3.27 ERA and a 1.296 WHIP in 217 innings in 1945.

Doug Johns (LH SP) - Played for the Orioles and the A's in the late 1990s, had a 4.47 ERA and a 1.223 WHIP in 86 innings in 1999.

Ryan Karp (LH RP) - Was teammates with Mike Lieberthal and Ruben Amaro Jr. on the Phillies in the 1990s, had 20 Ks in 17 innings of relief.

Bob Melvin (C/Manager) - Not an offensive catcher, threw out 176 of 552 attempted base stealers (32%), has won 90 or more games twice as a manager.

David Newhan (UT) - His father, Ross Newhan, is a Hall of Fame baseball writer, had a 113 OPS+ with the Orioles in 2004.

Jon Perlman (RH RP) - Logged a total of 39 2/3 innings of relief in 3 seasons in the 1980s, was teammates with Melvin in 1987 on the Giants.

Fred Sington (OF) - Played with Buddy Myer in Washington and Goody Rosen in Brooklyn, had 36 doubles and 85 RBIs in 516 career ABs, walked more than he struck out.

Players who have joined the tribe:

Lloyd Allen (RH RP) - Had 15 saves, a 2.49 ERA, and a 1.223 WHIP in 94 innings in 1971 for the Angels. Played under Jewish manager Lefty Phillips.

Jim Gaudet (C) - Had two cups of coffee with the Royals in the late 1970s.

Joe Horlen (RH SP) - Threw a no-no in 1967 against the Tigers, finished 2nd in Cy Young Voting in 1967, led the AL in ERA once and WHIP twice, won a World Series in 1972 with Ken Holtzman and Mike Epstein on the A's.

Skip Jutze (C) - Played in the 1970s, not much of a hitter, threw out 63 of 191 attempted base stealers (33%).

Elliot Maddox (OF) - Finished 8th in MVP voting in 1974 with the Yankees, stole 20 bases in 1972 with the Rangers, was teammates with Mike Epstein and Richie Scheinblum in 1971 on the Washington Senators under Ted Williams, walked more than he struck out, played every position but catcher and pitcher.

Jeff Newman (C) - An All-Star in 1979 for the A's, hit 22 HRs and drove in 71 runs that season, threw out 160 of 406 attempted base stealers (39%).

Bob Tufts (LH RP) - Logged a total of 42 innings of relief in 3 seasons in the 1980s.

Dan Warthen (LH SP) - Played in the 1970s, had a 3.11 ERA and a 1.294 WHIP in 167 innings in his rookie season with the Expos.

Steve Yeager (C) - Named World Series MVP in 1981, hit 16 HRs for the Dodgers in 1977, threw out 363 of 595 attempted base stealers (38%).

2 comments:

William J. Tasker said...

So what are you saying, Josh? Do the guys that joined the tribe count? Or do they not count? And those that were born jewish, but left the faith aren't counted? Seems like a slippery slope. Obviously, you are better equipped to deal with the answer than me. But then again, I'm an ex-Catholic and there's no way I could be counted as one, so there you go.

Josh Borenstein said...

I guess I would count the guys who join and no longer count the guys who leave. Tough call. It's tempting to keep Boudreau, though. Other than him, we're a little short at shortstop.