Right here’s a subjective rating of the highest 5 for Dec. 16.
1) Mike Flanagan (1951)A workhorse ace for the Orioles within the late Nineteen Seventies/early ’80s, Flanagan surpassed the 200-inning mark seven instances throughout his 18-year profession (15 seasons with Baltimore). He was an All-Star in 1978 and took dwelling the AL Cy Younger Award in ’79 with a career-best 190 strikeouts, 3.08 ERA, an MLB-best 23 wins and 5 shutouts. The southpaw was a World Collection champion with the 1983 Orioles, and he labored one inning of a mixed no-hitter in opposition to the A’s in 1991. He retired in ’92 with 167 profession wins and a 3.90 ERA. Enshrined within the Orioles Corridor of Fame, Flanagan later served as pitching coach, common supervisor and a broadcaster in Baltimore.
2) Alcides Escobar (1986)A gentle presence at shortstop for a lot of the 2010s, Escobar shall be remembered fondly in Kansas Metropolis because the spark plug for the 2015 champion Royals. Arriving from Milwaukee as a part of the Zack Greinke commerce in 2010, “Esky” was the leadoff hitter on the ’14 squad that captured the primary of back-to-back American League pennants. A 12 months later, he was an All-Star, a Gold Glove winner and a World Collection champ, serving to the Royals safe their first title in 30 years. Escobar was named ALCS MVP throughout that championship run, going 11-for-23 with a 1.134 OPS in six video games vs. the Blue Jays.
3) Billy Ripken (1964)”That is one of the best feeling I’ve even encountered,” Billy Ripken stated in 1987, when he teamed up with brother Cal Jr. because the Orioles’ double-play combo, with their father, Cal Sr., at supervisor. Born 4 years after baseball’s eventual Iron Man, Billy was a scrappy infielder who battled accidents over a 12-year MLB profession. A light-weight-hitting second baseman, Ripken could not match his brother’s Corridor of Fame credentials, however he nonetheless gained acclaim as a profitable broadcaster with MLB Community.
4) Sammy Strang (1876)A switch-hitting infielder/outfielder, Strang appeared in 903 video games throughout 10 seasons from 1896-1908. “The Dixie Thrush” hailed from Chattanooga, Tenn., received a championship with the 1905 New York Giants and led baseball in 1906 with a .423 on-base proportion. Like many ballplayers of his period, Strang sacrificed time within the dugout to navy responsibility, serving within the Military throughout the Spanish-American Warfare, then as an infantry captain in World Warfare I. After his enjoying days ended, Strang stayed energetic in baseball (teaching on the U.S. Army Academy and later managing the Chattanooga Lookouts).
5) Adolfo Phillips (1941)Tagged the “Panamanian Flash,” Phillips was a swift heart fielder who twice completed prime 5 in NL stolen bases with the Cubs. However he struggled to earn constant enjoying time, accumulating 13.4 WAR throughout eight seasons whereas additionally suiting up for Philadelphia, Montreal and Cleveland. His greatest 12 months may need been 1967, when he hit a career-high 17 homers (throughout the second dead-ball period) with Chicago and led all NL heart fielders with 10 whole zone runs.
Others of observe:Tyler Chatwood (1989): A uncommon pitcher whose greatest years may need are available Colorado, Chatwood had 34 wins and a 4.18 ERA in 5 seasons with the Rockies however solely 18 wins and a 4.80 ERA in 5 years elsewhere (Angels, Cubs, Blue Jays, Giants).
Héctor Santiago (1987): An All-Star for the Angels in 2015, this lefty broke into the Majors with the White Sox in 2011. Ten years later, he grew to become the primary pitcher suspended to be used of an unlawful substance in MLB’s crackdown on “sticky stuff.”
Tom Wilhelmsen (1983): Nicknamed for his former career earlier than making a baseball comeback, “The Bartender” rose from unbiased ball in 2009 to the Mariners’ nearer three years later. Wilhelmsen saved 68 video games in six seasons with Seattle, additionally pitching with the D-backs and Rangers earlier than saying his retirement in 2018.
Oscar Mercado (1994): A 15-homer, 15-steal debut marketing campaign in Cleveland earned him consideration for the 2019 AL Rookie of the Yr Award, however his numbers dipped the following two seasons. He hit .207/.242/.372 in 128 plate appearances in 2022, all however a kind of coming with the Guardians. The opposite was a strikeout in his lone at-bat with the Phillies, who claimed him off waivers on June 27. When Philadelphia then waived him, Cleveland took him again on July 4.
