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February 21, 2006

Unknown Pleasures -- The Hitters, #15-#11

Second in a series on Rangers who provided unexpected help with their bats for a season. First article here.

15. Gary Matthews Jr., OF, 2004

Span
Plate Apps.
Average
On-Base
Slugging
Runs
Homers
RBI
OPS+
Season (6th) 317 .275 .350 .461
37
11
36
101
Career (7 yrs) 2446 .249 .327 .397
325
59
236
90

From March 2000 to April 2004, Gary Matthews Jr. was waived, released, or just plain purchased seven times. The Texas Rangers became his seventh organization when he signed a minor-league contract a week into the 2004 season. Late that May Texas brought him to Arlington when outfielders Kevin Mench and Brian Jordan simultaneously hit the DL. The Ranger starting outfield on May 25th consisted of Matthews, Chad Allen and Eric Young, hardly an awe-inspiring collection. Nonetheless, Texas would contend for the division for the first time in five years, and the unheralded Matthews would play a major role. He started 76 games between late May and early September, hitting a solid .275/.350/.461 and providing worthy defense in right and center. A calf injury ended his season prematurely.

Oddly, Matthews is the only player on the list from this decade.

14. Roberto Kelly, OF, 1998

Span
Plate Apps.
Average
On-Base
Slugging
Runs
Homers
RBI
OPS+
Season (12th) 270 .323 .349 .560
48
16
46
128
Career (14 yrs) 5226 .290 .337 .430
687
124
585
106

Kelly is the first of four hitters from 1998 who propelled a good-but-not-great team to a division title.

Kelly started in center field for the Yankees from 1989 through 1992, a dreary era* when Pat Kelly and Alvaro Espinoza were supposed to return the pinstripes to glory. He declined in 1992, though he still would be the only Yankee representative on the All-Star team, and New York traded him to Cincinnati for Paul O’Neill. In 1993, Kelly resumed hitting until separating his shoulder. In May 1994, the Reds traded him to Atlanta, who in April 1995 traded him to Montreal, who the next month traded him to the Dodgers, who in October 1995 cut him loose. He spent the next two years among Minnesota and Seattle as a fourth outfielder.

After 1997, Kelly signed with Texas, who had fallen back under .500 after winning their first division title the previous season. He still had prowess with the bat, and Texas paid him $1.6 million with the expectation that he’d rank among the best backup outfielders in the league. What he provided might have surprised even him. Never the most patient player, Kelly dispensed altogether with trying to draw walks but had career highs in average (.323) and slugging (.560). In just 270 plate appearances he hit sixteen homers, second only to the twenty he belted as a regular in 1991. Kelly had another respectable season with Texas before fizzling out back in New York.

* for Yankee fans, not me.

13. Chris James, OF, 1994

Span
Plate Apps.
Average
On-Base
Slugging
Runs
Homers
RBI
OPS+
Season (9th) 159 .256 .358 .534
28
7
19
128
Career (10 yrs) 3294 .261 .307 .413
343
90
386
99

Prior to joining Texas, James gained more fame from the people around him than his own actions. As a prospect in Philadelphia, he spotted for an injured Mike Schmidt in 1988 and 1989. The Phils later traded him to San Diego for John Kruk (and Randy Ready). San Diego then traded him, Sandy Alomar and Carlos Baerga to Cleveland for Joe Carter. James hit well in 1990 for Cleveland, got his first million-dollar contract, and promptly collapsed to .238/.273/.318. He never played regularly again. Late in 1993, Texas acquired him from Houston for pitcher Dave Gandolph, a 26th-round draft pick from 1991.

James played infrequently but made the most of his time. His on-base percentage of .361 and slugging percentage of .534 were career bests, and over half of his hits were for extra bases. James didn’t play in Kenny Rogers’ no-hitter – the Ranger outfield consisted of Juan Gonzalez, Rusty Greer, and… Butch Davis? – but he did have an excellent view from the dugout. In 1995, James shuffled through even more limited roles in Kansas City and Boston. His MLB career ended just before his 33rd birthday.

12. Bill Haselman, C, 1998

Span
Plate Apps.
Average
On-Base
Slugging
Runs
Homers
RBI
OPS+
Season (8th) 110 .314 .327 .543
11
6
17
118
Career (13 yrs) 1747 .259 .311 .409
185
47
210
83

Haselman had three tours of duty in Texas. Texas drafted him in 1987 with one of their three first-round picks (the others: Brian Bohanon and Mark Petkovsek). Seattle claimed him off waivers, but he saw little Major League action until joining Boston after 1994. Haselman earned his most playing time in 1996 and 1997 while backing up Mike Stanley and Scott Hatteberg. After the 1997 season, Texas reacquired him along with pitcher Aaron Sele for Damon Buford and Jim Leyritz.

Haselman paled in comparison to Sele, of course, but he ably backed up Ivan Rodriguez and batted an unprecedented .314 and slugged .543, his career-best by eighty points. He previous bests were a .274 average and .439 slugging percentage. He joined Detroit after the season, then Texas once again procured his services as part of the notorious Juan Gonzalez trade. Indeed, Texas paid him $1.1 million in 2000, sweet money for someone backing up the never-tired Pudge. Haselman would spend three more years with Texas before moving on to Boston.

11. Luis Alicea, IF, 1998

Span
Plate Apps.
Average
On-Base
Slugging
Runs
Homers
RBI
OPS+
Season (9th) 308 .274 .372 .425
51
6
33
104
Career (13 yrs) 4613 .260 .346 .369
551
47
422
88

St. Louis made Alicea the 23rd pick of the 1986 draft. The Cardinals installed him as the everyday second baseman by 1988. Prematurely, as it turned out; he batted just .212/.276/.283 and spent most of the next three years in the minors stuck behind Jose Oquendo. He never would play a full season in St. Louis and until 2000 had qualified for the batting title only once, in 1995 with Boston. As a hitter, Alicea had a patient eye, adequate on-base skills, and little power. He joined Texas in 1998 to back up Mark McLemore’s perpetually hurting legs at second and youngster Fernando Tatis at third.

Alicea hit well, supplying a .372 OBP and tying a previous best of six homers. Still, his offensive performance doesn’t stand out dramatically from his previous efforts. Why list him here? For a while I wasn’t sure myself, but the answer lies in a comparison to his teammates. That June, McLemore missed two weeks with a pulled hamstring that hampered him the rest of the season. Alicea manned second every day in his absence and about every fifth game upon his return. In addition, super-prospect Tatis struggled in his first year as a regular, and Alicea started fifteen games at third and appeared in ten others while Tatis occupied the roster. Alicea outhit both of them:

At Third Base, 3/31 through 7/31:
Tatis: 95 games, .270/.303/.361
Alicea: 25 games, .281/.365/.469

At Second Base, 6/07 through 9/27:
McLemore: 68 games, .202/.322/.261
Alicea: 32 games, .296/.406/.435

In 2000, Alicea would replace McLemore and set career highs in games and plate appearances. Though Texas unveiled a “Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30” theme in 2001 with the additions of Randy Velarde, Andres Galarraga, Ken Caminiti, Mark Petkovsek and Jeff Brantley, they didn’t retain the 35-year-old Alicea. He spent two years in Kansas City and retired.

Posted by Lucas at February 21, 2006 07:36 PM