Hall of Scrubs

Carlos Martinez appears on every show about sports greatest bloopers.  He is the one who hit the “home run” that bounced off Jose Canseco’s head.  You can see the smirk (or scowl) on his face as he rounds first.

At this time in his career, Carlos was a failed prospect who gained a reputation for being a malcontent.  He was just another player who never lived up to his potential.  After being acquired from the Yankees for the great Ron Kittle, Carlos reached the majors in 1989 with the Chicago White Sox.  As their regular third baseman, he hit .300 with limited power.  It was enough to get White Sox fans excited about his future.  Unfortunately, he followed it up with a .224 year in 1990 after being switched to first base. 

He was quickly dumped due to lack of performance and lack of a good attitude.  Cleveland gave him a shot.  He hit .284 for them in 1991 before struggling again.  He was released in 1994 and ended his career hitting .180 for the Angels in 1995.

You can view Carlos’ stats at www.thebaseballcube.com:

Carlos’ stats

One of the more disturbing memories I have as a young man is the image of my father prancing about at home, singing “Are we going to see Scarborough Green?.. Rocky, Sage, Rosemary and Tim..” He sang it repeatedly until my brother, Tim, told him to shut up.

We did end up seeing Scarborough play that evening for the Cardinals in 1997. It was during one of his three brief stints in the majors. He later joined the Rangers and played there in 1999 and 2000. Texas gave him a chance to play regularly in 2000, but he it only .234 with 10 SB. Ultimately, this weak hitting, speedy center fielder did not have what it took to play in the majors.

But why the goofy first name? It is actually his middle name. His real name is Bertrum. I don’t blame him for going by Scarborough instead.

You can view Scarborough’s major and minor league stats at www.thebaseballcube.com:

Scarborough’s stats

Walter Young earned a unique nickname during his short playing career - Big. He got this nickname due to his enormous size - 6′5″, 320 lbs. As you may have guessed, Big Walter was a first baseman when he was forced to play in the field. He was, however, a subpar fielder. He also was a bit slow on the basepaths. But, man, did he have power.

Big Walter spent most of his career in the minors for the Pirates and Orioles. He hit 33 home runs at AA Bowie in the Orioles system in 2004. He also managed to steal 2 bases that year. How?

Baltimore promoted him to the majors in 2005 at the age of 25. He got 33 at bats as a 1B-DH. He hit only 1 homer and had a .303 batting average. It was the last we saw of him at the major league level.

The Padres claimed him on waivers in 2006, but he never played on their big league club. He was last seen playing for an independent league team in Winnipeg.

He is still young. Maybe he will return someday. I will keep an eye out for him. He would be hard to miss.

You can view Walter’s minor and major league stats at www.thebaseballcube.com:

Walter’s Stats