Good/great forgotten players of yesteryear

[broncosmitty]

I forgot to mention, do you realize that Lou Gehrig actually died of Lou Gehrig's disease? How crazy is that?

Pretty good odds he didn't have ALS.

Which is weirder.

 

[Cedrique]

Pretty good odds he didn't have ALS.

Which is weirder.

My mind is blown

 

[broncosmitty]

My mind is blown

AIDS also never helped anyone.

 

[obxyankeefan]

AIDS also never helped anyone.

I was in the grocery store yesterday. a lady cut me off at the register, she had a bottle of wine, tampons, and an icepick in her cart. I let her go.

 

[Chewbaccer]

Wally Berger

 

[Omar 382]

AIDS also never helped anyone.

This is deep.

 

[Omar 382]

I forgot to mention, do you realize that Lou Gehrig actually died of Lou Gehrig's disease? How crazy is that?

 

[Cedrique]

Yes, Tony I am going to make that same stupid joke every fucking time it comes up

 

[Omar 382]

Yes, Tony I am going to make that same stupid joke every fucking time it comes up

RIP

 

[navamind]

I forgot to mention, do you realize that Lou Gehrig actually died of Lou Gehrig's disease? How crazy is that?

I wonder if Tommy John ever had Tommy John Surgery.

 

[msgkings322]

Is Harold Baines obscure enough for this list?

JR Richard?

Ron Cey?

 

[Cedrique]

Is Harold Baines obscure enough for this list?

JR Richard?

Ron Cey?

Yeah, JR Richard is a good example of someone that is forgotten. Unfortunately the reason in his case is because his career was shortened due to injuries. He was crazy good those last couple years.
Harold Baines kind of flew under the radar even when he was playing. He was always a good hitter but he was almost too consistent. He never had that crazy outlier year where he hit 40 homeruns or led the league in hitting. A little like Eddie Murray, although Murray was more well known because he played on some World Series teams and eventually did it long enough to reach all of the hall of fame milestones.

 

[navamind]

Baines is probably a bit overrated (I've seen a fair amount of articles over the years try to talk him up as a HOFer) and while he was a consistent hitter, a 121 OPS+ from a guy that primarily played DH and RF just isn't HOF worthy. He only had four seasons in the top 10 (never finished higher than 5th). His best OPS+ over a full season was 144, which was Lance Berkman's career OPS+. There's just no real peak or excellence, his WAA is only 1.5 and he only had two seasons north of 3 WAR (career high of 4.3).

that being said, impressive career. 22 years of solid production and over 11000 PA is nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

Is Harold Baines obscure enough for this list?

JR Richard?

Ron Cey?

pretty sad story with JR Richard

Ended up homeless living under an overpass

 

[navamind]

Yeah, JR Richard is a good example of someone that is forgotten. Unfortunately the reason in his case is because his career was shortened due to injuries. He was crazy good those last couple years.
Harold Baines kind of flew under the radar even when he was playing. He was always a good hitter but he was almost too consistent. He never had that crazy outlier year where he hit 40 homeruns or led the league in hitting. A little like Eddie Murray, although Murray was more well known because he played on some World Series teams and eventually did it long enough to reach all of the hall of fame milestones.

they're both compilers, but Murray had a reputation for a good glove (+61 rfield for career and he did have 3 Gold Gloves) and Murray had nine seasons in the top 10 in OPS+. Some similarities for sure though.

 

[Voltaire26]

I wonder if Tommy John ever had Tommy John Surgery.

Yes and I think the below picture is the incident that cause him to have the surgery. He threw at Dick McAuliffe (another forgotten player)

 

[JohnU]

I suppose good-to-sorta great would be pretty much up to the fans of a particular team.
But the sort of player on this list to me is Tony Taylor, whose career was almost 20 years. He didn't have any league leading numbers but ... 19 FIFTY 8 to 19 SEVENTY 6 ... of course, he didn't play for New York.

TONY TAYLOR

 

[JohnU]

Actually, that was proven false. (I wouldn't want you having to pay some asshole's tab for having misinformation)

It may have been proven false but I think nearly everyone would yield to the story of it being Watson since the guy who claims it was disproven has yet to have the gumption to say who actually did score the run.

 

[Voltaire26]

I suppose good-to-sorta great would be pretty much up to the fans of a particular team.
But the sort of player on this list to me is Tony Taylor, whose career was almost 20 years. He didn't have any league leading numbers but ... 19 FIFTY 8 to 19 SEVENTY 6 ... of course, he didn't play for New York.

TONY TAYLOR

I remember him playing in Detroit ... like you said, not great but solid!!!

 

[Omar 382]

Yeah, JR Richard is a good example of someone that is forgotten. Unfortunately the reason in his case is because his career was shortened due to injuries. He was crazy good those last couple years.

To me, JR Richard is a guy who almost isn't forgotten, simply because everyone is always talking about how great he could have been had he stayed healthy. I'm sure to casual fans who didn't live in the late '70s/early '80s he may be unknown, but if you read enough about baseball, you'll probably come across him, regardless of when you lived. You'll also probably remember him because if/when he does come up, everyone and their mother talks endlessly about how great a talent he was or how he was a better pitcher than Nolan Ryan when they were on the same 1980 team (I had to look up which year they pitched together. I never realized that '80 was Richard's actual last year).

He's kind of like the Len Bias of baseball.