Hall of Scrubs

When people think of Julio Gonzalez, they typically envision the famous boxer or the Spanish-born French abstract sculpter or even the infamous Cuban-born warehouse worker who became an arsonist.  Few people recall one of the scrubbiest Julio Gonzalez’s of all-time.  This Julio played shortstop for the Astros, Cardinals and Tigers in the late seventies and early eighties.

Julio sported a thick mustache and was often mistaken for Aurelio Lopez when he playd briefly for the Tigers in ‘83.  He was a hefty, slick-fielding shortstop who could not hit the baseball.

 Julio was given a shot to start for the Astros in ‘77, but only managed to hit .245.  He scuffled for several more years until he was shipped off to the Cardinals in 1981.  He played sparingly for the Cards before being released and picked up by the Tigers in 1983.  The Tigers kept him in Evansville most of the year.  He was called up when Alan Trammell went down with injuries.  He managed to hit .183 in 21 at bats.  Thats only 3 hits for those who are counting.

 You can view Julio’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Julio’s stats

This will be a short post. There is not much to say about Rob Richie. If he did not decide to retire prematurely in the winter after the 1989 season, he probably would be finishing up a Hall of Fame career right about now.

Unfortunately, Rob did retire after being the lone shining star in a dreadful 1989 Detroit season. Rob tore up Triple A pitching and then came to the majors to nail down the right field job at the end of the dismal campaign. Perhaps if Sparky Anderson had proclaimed him as the next Willie Horton or Al Kaline, he would have stuck around.

So why did Rob retire? He must have been independently wealthy? No, he retired to become a probation officer. One of the strangest decisions in baseball history. It was connected with his religion, but nevertheless… very strange.

You can view Rob’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Rob’s stats

Many Phillies fans may dispute Jeff Stone’s status as a scrub. Of course, those Phillies fans who do still think of Jeff as a future superstar are stuck in a 1984 time warp.

Jeff Stone was an outfielder for the Phillies from 1983 thru 1987. In 1984, he came out of nowhere to hit .362 in 185 at bats. His strat-o-matic card from that year is a classic.

Unfortunately, Jeff could not continue at that pace. He hit .265 in ‘85, .277 in ‘86 and .256 in ‘87. The Phillies managed to trade him along with the future Mike Schmidt - Mr. Rick Schu, to the Orioles, who no doubt thought they were going to resurrect both Stone’s career and Schu’s careers. Unfortunately, Stone stunk. He was released by the Orioles at the end of the season.

He stunk for the Rangers the next year and then came back strong in 1990, hitting .500 for the Red Sox. Of course, he only had 2 at bats that year.

Stone will always be remembered in Philly as a future superstar. Many fans will always think about what could have been if he could have maintained an average in the .350 - .375 range.

You can view Jeff’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Jeff’s stats

As we watch Jack Cust lead the Athletics in home runs after spending so many years as a Triple-A slugger, we can’t help but think of another great Triple-A slugger who was never given a chance to prove himself in the majors - Bernardo Brito.  For anyone who followed the minor leagues in the late eighties and early nineties, this name is very familiar.  He consistently led the minors in homers with his prodigious power as he accumulated 6 home run titles in various leagues.  Yet he was never given more than a handful of at bats with the Twins.  Why?  Mainly because he could not field and did not hit for average. 

But if he was capable of hitting thirty homers a year, why wouldn’t they give him an everyday job?  It never made sense.

Bernardo played in only three seasons with the Twins.  He got 14 whopping at bats in 1992, 54 in 1993 and another 5 in 1995.  Altogether, he had 73 at bats and 5 home runs in his major league career.  Projecting that out over the course of the year, he would have had 38 homers as a full-time DH.  I would take that.

As I watched my favorite team trot out Dave Bergman as a DH on occasion, I could not help but dream of a blockbuster trade for Mr. Brito.  Unfortunately, it never happened.

You can view Bernardo’s meager major league stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Bernardo’s stats

In 1979, two rookies appeared in the American League with the same last name - Jones.  Few people realized that these 2 rookies were in fact brothers.  Lynn and Darryl debuted for the Tigers and Yankees respectively.  Lynn went on to be named Rookie of the Year (for the Tigers) while Darryl played sparingly for the Yanks and was never called upon again to play in the majors.

How did this happen?  It all started when the brothers were drafted out of college.  Darryl, the eldest, was drafted in ‘72.  Lynn was drafted in ‘74.  While Darryl worked his way up through the Yankees farm system, Lynn played in the Reds system.  In 1978, the Tigers plucked Lynn from the Reds system in the Rule 5 draft.  They were forced to carry him on the roster or lose him.  The gamble paid off as Lynn hit .296 with 4 homers. 

Not to be outdone, Darryl joined the the Yankees in June.  Unfortunately, he hit only .255 with no homers and never appeared again in the majors.

Lynn lived off his rookie year stats and hung on with the Tigers for 4 more years.  He was dumped before 1984, so he did not get a World Series ring in Detroit.  He did join the Royals and got a ring in 1985.

Lynn is still coaching in the majors.  Darryl is not and never was.

Together, the two brothers combined for 7 career homers.

You can view Lynn’s and Darryl’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Lynn’s stats
Darryl’s stats

Steve Hovley’s brief career is immortalized in the great baseball book, Ball Four by Jim Bouton. Had it not been for this spectacular chronicle of the Seattle Pilots’ only season, Steve would have been barely remembered.

He was the typical contact hitting outfielder with very little speed and very little power. This type of extra outfielder graces the roster of most teams. Once in awhile they get on hot streaks, but eventually end up with a .273, 3 HR, 4 SB type year.

In the Ball Four book, Jim Bouton made Steve out to be this extraordinary intellect (because he read books) who came up from the minors to hit .450 with 60 homers. Reading the book, you would think he was the intelligent version of Ted Williams. In reality, he only hit .277 that year with 3 dingers.

Steve moved with the team to Milwaukee and was later traded to the Athletics.  After struggling in Oakland, he was selected in the Rule 5 draft by Kansas City in 1971.

He finished his career in 1973 and returned to be an intellectual plumber in California.

You can view Steve Hovley’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Steve’s stats

As many of you know, Cale Iorg was recently drafted and signed by the Detroit Tigers in the 6th Round this year. Cale comes from a tremendous baseball family. His brother, Eli, plays in the minors and his father, Garth, and uncle, Dane, played in the majors.

Dane, the older brother, started his career with the Phillies, but was quickly traded to the Cardinals in a deal for Bake McBride. Dane made a name for himself as an excellent utility player in St. Lous. His scrubby play helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1982.

Dane was sold to the Royals in ‘84. His numbers dipped in the American League. He went from a consistent .280-.300 hitter to a low .255. After scuffling for the Royals, he signed as a free agent with San Diego and finished out his career in 1986.

Dane was purely a contact hitter. He had no power or speed.

You can view Dane’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Dane’s stats