merely players - a tribute to the role players& bench guys that we love

I did search for a thread about/like this but I didn’t find one so if there was one previously, please don’t tell me!

You know who I mean by this thread title. The guys who aren’t the stars, the specialist who hits LHP like Barry Bonds. The relievers who aren’t closers. The guy who was a career minor leaguer before touching the face of God in a callup and contributing to a title. All these and more form part of the tapestry of the game.

They’ll never go in the Hall of Fame. They’ll most likely never be All Stars or sign the big contracts. But their contributions are invaluable, both on and off the field. Fans, managers and their teammates all know their value. They may have A Story attached. (If so, please share it!)

Obviously, I haven’t got a long track record of being a fan, so sorry if you’re sick of me writing about the same teams I always do!

San Francisco Giants, 2010 - Andres Torres

Andres Torres! He bounced around from Detroit to Texas the first few years of his career as a typical bench guy. He found his way to the Giants minor league roster and got called up in 2009, where he surprisingly posted an OPS of .876 in 170 plate appearances. Naturally, the light-hitting Giants weren’t about to overlook that kind of stud offensive presence, so he ended up starting in the outfield the majority of the 2010 season, setting the basepaths alight with his speed (26 bags), hitting 16 home runs and posting the second most WAR on the team. He was ahead of Buster Posey!

He showed up in the postseason too. His bat came to life in the World Series. He scored 3/4 runs in the Giants’ 4-0 shutout of Texas (reminder that this was a team with peak Nelson Cruz, future HoF Vlad Sr, MVP Josh Hamilton and assorted other studs and the Giants couldn’t hit for shit). Also, did you know he finished 4th in the NL for doubles? 43 that season! No way the Giants overtake the Padres to win the division without those.

Anyway, point is: everyone remembers that team’s studs but I’m pretty sure I’ve only heard Giants fans mention Torres. He’s unfortunately experienced personal tragedy and doesn’t show up to reunions but he remains a Forever Giant & stud. There’s very little video out there because MLB doesn’t have much that old online for bench guys, but look at that little stud go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGFECW5QSJQ

I think Octobeard will have some things to say about Travis Ishikawa so I’ll leave that to him.

Boston Red Sox, 2023/24 - Brennan Bernardinho.

Bernie is a legit fan fave, he’s got a great story and he’s a classic DFA pickup who’s a stud. He had a terrible month just recently, but he’s picked it up again and will hopefully be the Bernie we know and love going forward. He was picked up when the Mariners DFAed him last year. He ended up doing a lot of opening games, but he’s been used in all kinds of leverage, including two stints this year where he got out of a bases loaded jam because he’s a KING.

Why, just last night, he came into the game with bases loaded and two outs and got Yordan Alvarez out on three pitches!

https://streamable.com/8bviaa

Everyone loves big balls Bernie and when he started the season in triple A for some unknown reason, that stupid decision cost at least two wins. This wasn’t even his most ice-in-his-veins moment of the year: he entered a Sox-Orioles game that was 2 on, no outs bottom of the sixth in a 4-3 game, put the first batter on and then got a NOBLETIGER.

When asked about it how he handles these situations afterwards, he said:

"Being 20 years old me and my wife having our child, trying to make ends meet and still chasing our dreams. Making the relationship work. Being a good father. That was the biggest pressure moment," he told WEEI.com.

And then there was another example, five years later. Another challenge that Tuesday night pushed aside what would have been a nerve-wracking moment for most.

"It’s awesome and a fun moment and all that stuff, but it’s tough to put food on the table and stuff like that. This situation I’m in now is way better than it was. I have been evicted and all that stuff. What is this compared to that.

"I was playing Fall League before friend came to take to the field the cops came and kicked me out (of his apartment) in 2017. Those are the bigger pressure moments."

Money was always tight. He played winter ball in Mexico during the 2017-18 offseason and sent the money home to his family.

“And my first couple of offseasons, I worked construction,” he said. “I drove Uber, Lyft. I’ve done about everything you can do to keep the dream alive, keep playing ball, keep the jersey on.”

The dream staying alive didn’t look so good though when the Reds released Bernardino on July 5, 2018, after he posted a 6.30 ERA in 20 relief outings for Double-A Pensacola. From there, he signed with the independent Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association.

Headed out for golf, but will definitely think of a few today.

I think this is going to be tough for me because--pretty clear from my posting--I'm a star groupie, always on the lookout for the next HOF'er and the next historic season. I can think of a bunch of solid career guys I liked who never won awards and may have made one or two ASG, but that's better than what you want. I used to love Ernie Whitt, but even he's better than what you want--just shy of 150 HR and 20 career WAR. Will keep thinking about it. (I wish I knew a bunch of them; I'd be killing every two-team Immaculate Grid box.)

I was always a big fan of AAAA hero Skeeter Barnes who played for the Indianapolis Indians for years. I always thought it was good he got to hang around the bugs for Sparky Anderson with the Tigers as a utility guy in his 30s.

*bigs

Staying within that glorious Giants dynastic run, I'll nominate Yusmeiro Petit. Dude retired 46 consecutive batters which was an MLB record at the time, and threw 6 innings of shutout ball in that legendary 18 inning NLDS game 2 against the Nationals the same year. One of the best relief pitching performances in post season history.

I remember watching that game at a bar and closing my tab TWICE: first time in the 9th when I thought they were going to lose, and then again in the 17th when my liver couldn't take it anymore. By the time I got home to watch the rest of it, the 18th inning began and Belt finally got it done with his career highlight home run to win it.

https://i.imgur.com/yrwa6Lt.jpeg

I actually meant to post about Rob Refsnyder in my original post but I do all my ilx posting on Zing and the more I write the more difficult it is to review what I’ve written. So given that Rob Refsnyder will clearly never have a better game than last night:

Boston Red Sox 2024 - Rob Refsnyder

“Bargain Bob” signed a $1.85 million extension last season - might be one of the best things Chaim Bloom did before he was fired. He was primarily in the lineup as a lefty masher, a rare right handed hitter in a lefty-filled lineup. But it was a role he did very well.

Career:

versus LHP: .278/.381 /419, OPS of .800
versus RHP: .231/.305 /.331, OPS of .636

Last season he was…fine to good but his second half of the season wasn’t amazing. Funnily enough, he injured or broke a toe in spring training and people were like, who cares, it’s Rob Refsnyder.

As it happens, he’s had a great year.

He’s hit lefties well but this year started hitting righties better than ever. More pop, he’s got ten home runs as a platoon guy which you take every day (I saw one in Pittsburgh and was stunned bearing in mind I think he managed one all last year). But on a team bereft of real veteran leadership he’s been A Guy.

It was rumoured a few weeks ago he was thinking of retiring.

Alex Cora is not buying the Rob Refsnyder retirement talk: "We’re joking with him that this is the last dance. He used to give me shit before I signed the contract so now it’s my turn. He used to scream, ‘Here we go, he’s done.' Well, he’s done now so... Let’s do it for Ref."

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) August 21, 2024

After a desultory 7-2 loss against the woeful White Sox on Sunday, Refsnyder was vocal in the pregame hitters meeting on Monday. He implored his teammates to adopt a better mindset with the season on the line.

“I want everyone to focus on having good at-bats and go down the line,” Refsnyder said.

He blossomed in his new environment, just as Huff had. He rediscovered his passion and energy. He radiated confidence. And the clubhouse, like the superorganism it is, absorbed that passion, energy, and confidence and became something new. Not radically so. More of a shift, the way a dinner party changes when a particularly charismatic guest arrives. Burrell would round up teammates for pregame stretching with an old-fashioned “C’mon, boys!” When the team lost, he let no one hang his head: “We’ll get ’em tomorrow.” He slung an arm around the bench players about to pinch-hit in a tight game. “You got this,” he’d say matter-of-factly, more reminder than exhortation. He pushed the players to look out for each other. After a Giants pitcher struggled through a long inning, wearing himself out throwing way too many pitches, Burrell barked at upcoming Giants hitters, “You have to take pitches! Give our guy time to catch his breath!”

i only recently found out refsnyder is an adoptee from korea - apologies for not shouting you out during AAPI heritage month!

That’s right I think his sister was also adopted by their parents! I was too tired to find the clip of it yesterday but the video of him where he’s talking about how badly dressed all his teammates are should be worth 10 WAR (of your choice) all by itself. Actually the shot of him visibly going through the roster in his head and struggling to find one player whose style he likes should put him in the Hall of Fame.

https://streamable.com/cy4i48

This is probably the perfect thread to mention Ed Kranepool's death the other day (this or the intangibles thread). 18 years, the entirety of his career with the Mets. Most seasons, 200-300-400 AB, under 4.2 bWAR for his career. I bring that up as a compliment, not to diminish him: if you last that long with one team without ever even approaching stardom, you're clearly contributing things that can't be quantified. Michael Gill pointed out how great a pinch-hitter he was, and we was also beloved by fans--an original Met, part of the '69 and '73 teams too--and I suspect he was just as popular with his teammates, too.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kraneed01.shtml

i don't love him or anything, but happy 35th to immaculate grid up-and-comer robbie grossman, who has parlayed middling talent into a 12-season career with eight different teams, one world series title, and $20m

being a switch-hitter who is willing to take a walk can still get you somewhere! and let's hope he gets an invite to spring training with cleveland next year so he can complete his AL Central bingo card