The Ranger Rundown

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February 05, 2007

Unknown Pleasures -- The Hitters, #1-#2

Fifth in a series on Rangers who provided unexpected help with their bats for a season. Hitters 16-20 are here, 11-15 here, 6-10 here, 3-5 here.

2. Wayne Tolleson, infielder, 1985

Span	Plate Apps.	Average	On-Base	Slugging	Runs	Homers	RBI	Season OPS+
Season (5th)	355	.313	.353	.381	45	1	18	101
Career (10 yrs)	2613	.241	.307	.293	301	9	133	66

1985 was the nadir of Ranger history. Although Texas won fewer games in 1972 and 1973, big-league baseball in Arlington was a novelty and the team had the air of an expansion team (which they weren’t, of course) that was expected to lose.

After losing 98, 85, and 92 games during 1982-1984, Texas would lose 99 in 1985. A series of mediocre drafts and disastrous trades had gutted the team. Rotation members not named Charlie Hough combined for 683 innings and a 5.53 ERA (76 ERA+). Meanwhile, Dave Righetti, Ron Darling, John Butcher, Mike Smithson (plus reliever Tom Henke) pitched for other teams. The hitters consisted of prospects of varying quality (Steve Buechele, Oddible McDowell, Curtis Wilkerson, Tom Dunbar), good players enduring tough seasons (Larry Parrish and especially Buddy Bell), and an elderly quartet (Toby Harrah, Cliff Johnson, Bob Jones, Bill Stein).

Modern-day metrics think little of Wayne Tolleson’s defensive abilities, but he must have had a solid reputation at the time because he sure didn’t hit. Texas’s 8th-rounder from 1978 never exceeded a .274 average or .354 slugging percentage at any minor-league level. Nevertheless, he became the everyday second baseman in 1983 (moved from short in favor of Bucky Dent) and batted .260/.319/.315 in one of two seasons in which he qualified for the batting title.

By mid-1984, terrible hitting had reduced Tolleson to a utility role. He entered 1985 with a ghastly career line of .228/.289/.273 and received only three plate appearances in the season’s first 16 games. Given a rare start against Toronto at the end of April, he went three-for-three. Immediately, he found himself in a greatly expanded role, sharing shortstop with Wilkerson and spot-starting at second in addition to his pinch-runner and defensive sub duties. And, for the first time in his eight professional seasons, he hit. Tolleson produced negligible power and his usual vanilla walk rate, but he also batted .313. Other than a .250 average in September he never batted below .315 in any month. Tolleson’s one home run occurred on July 21st, a ninth-inning shot that gave Texas a 7-5 victory against defending Series champ Detroit.

Yes, Tolleson was lucky. After batting .265 on balls in play from 1981-1984, he hit .362 in his magical season. No, Tolleson’s single-heavy attack didn’t produce much. From the beginning of May until mid-June, Tolleson batted .333 with 23 singles, four doubles and four walks… and drove in not a single run. But why quibble.

Tolleson had one more acceptable offensive performance in him, splitting time between the White Sox and Yankees the next season. Afterwards, he didn’t hit much and quickly devolved into a bench role. Tolleson finished his MLB career in 1990 with 18 consecutive hitless at-bats.

1. Kurt Bevacqua, everywhere, 1977

Span	Plate Apps.	Average	On-Base	Slugging	Runs	Homers	RBI	Season OPS+
Season (7th)	104	.333	.354	.604	21	6	30	159
Career (15 yrs)	2398	.236	.305	.327	214	27	275	77

How did Kurt Bevacqua earn an MLB paycheck for fifteen years? The statistics detail his longevity but don’t explain it. He was the ultimate replacement-level player with a career WARP of just 7.4 and single-season WARPs ranging from -0.5 to a dizzying height of 1.5. True, he could play any position but catcher, but according to Baseball Prospectus he rated poorly at everywhere but first, where his weak bat least belonged.

Entering 1977, his six-year career included four trades and two contract purchases (essentially a trade for a nominal amount of cash). He had a career line of .222/.281/.291 and an sub-Neifi OPS+ of 59. In the ultimate indignity, the Seattle Mariners released him eleven days before the start of their inaugural season. At age 30, he seemed finished.

Instead, he played for one of the best teams in Ranger history. Texas signed Bevacqua after Opening Day and assigned him to AAA Tucson, where he batted .351 and slugged .531 in 94 games. Still, Texas had no reason to expect anything of him. He had batted .310 and slugged .472 in over 2,000 plate appearances in AAA, impressive results that had never translated into anything useful at the Major League level. Until July 1977.

Recalled to Texas soon after the All Star break, Bevacqua inexplicably hit as if he’d never left Tucson. In the past, he’d never hit for average or power, his offensive skill set defined solely by an acceptable walk rate. In Texas he inverted his history, batting .318/.347/.545 in eighteen starts and .366/.375/.733 as a pinch-hitter and in-game substitute. He played first, second, third, left, right, and DH for Texas. His personal best might have occurred on September 25th in a doubleheader at Oakland (attendance: 2,479). In the first game, Bevacqua singled home Jim Sundberg with two outs in the ninth to pull Texas within a run in a game Texas eventually won in 14 innings. Bevacqua started at third and batted cleanup in the second game and hit a two-run double in the third to give Texas a lead it would not relinquish.

With his help, Texas climbed into first on August 18th, ahead of three teams within 1.5 games. The Rangers finished a solid 26-18, but Kansas City concluded with a ridiculous 36-9 record to win the West.

Still with Texas in 1978, Bevacqua promptly resumed hitting like the poor man’s Neifi Perez (or the rich man’s Ray Oyler, if you prefer). After the season, Texas packaged him with Mike Hargrove and Bill Fahey to San Diego for Oscar Gamble and Dave Roberts. During the 80s, Bevacqua improved enough to offer acceptable on-base skills. Otherwise, he provided his usual sub-sub-par bat and “versatility.” In the1984 World Series, he trumped his ’77 performance with Texas and rewarded Dick Williams’s bizarre decision to start him at DH by batting .412 with two homers against Detroit.

Posted by Lucas at February 5, 2007 11:02 PM