My Team by Larry Dierker

Author:Larry Dierker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2006-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Henry Aaron had a good arm, but was not in the same class as the other candidates. I am including offensive numbers on Babe Ruth for purposes of comparison. I don’t know if he was tough to advance on or not, but I know he was a great pitcher, so I assume he had a strong arm. He may have been quick on the transfer and accurate, too, but I have no way of knowing about that. Still, his hitting was awesome.

Gary Sheffield is another guy who must be considered. His hitting numbers are better than those of most of the candidates but his defense, though not bad, is below par for My Team. I would say that he had slightly less range than Aaron and a little better arm. He couldn’t throw as well as Dawson, Winfield, Clemente, Kaline, or Larry Walker. His arm strength and accuracy are about the same as Sammy Sosa’s, but his hitting is a lot better. In fact, I was surprised to see that he was a better offensive player than both Clemente and Kaline.

Still, there is one thing that sticks in my craw. Kaline and Clemente both played their entire careers with one team. Sheffield has bounced around like a pinball. My guess is that he has been less than an inspiring teammate. I still recall reading about his first trade from the Brewers to the Padres. At the time of the deal, he said that he really hadn’t played his best in Milwaukee because he was unhappy there and wanted to be traded. I don’t know if he was unhappy in San Diego, Florida, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, but they all let him go, too. As with Robbie Alomar, I have to ask: Why would a team trade a guy who is prolific with the bat and a reasonably good fielder and base runner? Now he is in New York and he has continued to produce in Yankees pinstripes. But he is getting close to the end of his career and his production will probably decline. Still, it’s hard to ignore his OBS which, for ten years, is almost 1000. If he were a left-handed hitter, he would make it tough on me, but like all the other candidates, he swings from the right side. I’m not going to take him on My Team because I just can’t abide a player who admits to playing less than his best. Sure, he was just a kid then, and he’s an old pro now. I guess I could forgive what might have been a lack of maturity. But with so many good right fielders to choose from, I am willing to let him go to the Dogs. Gary had also played a lot in left field, and I could use him there if I didn’t already have Barry Bonds and Frank Robinson. Except for Manny Ramirez, Sheffield is probably the best hitter who didn’t make My Team.

All-around, Sammy Sosa has the most standout seasons with the bat.

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