Welcome to an Untypical Baseball Fan Site!

Over time, I will be writing about 500 baseball players who might have been limited in Major League Baseball ability, but contributed to the game through hustle and a general love of the game. Please note that even mediocre Major League baseball players are amongst the best baseball players in the world -- very few high school and college players even make it to the minors! Please feel free to comment on the players mentioned, or send in some of your favorite players who fit into this category! It's a different way to recognize the greatness of our National Pastime! The thoughts expressed on this blog are purely opinion and are meant as a loving, good-natured tribute to our favorite game. Thank-you to the players mentioned on this site who gave us some good baseball memories.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Now Batting: Jim Gosger, of the Oakland Athletics!

Mediocre Major League Baseball Players -- Jim Gosger
Jim Gosger busted his butt each and every second to make the most of his limited Major League Baseball ability. Sort of like a Pete Rose without the batting skills or aberrant behavior, Gosger ended up with a .226 career average playing for the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City and Oakland Athletics, New York Mets and Montreal Expos from 1963 to 1974. He was an excellent outfielder -- playing all three positions -- and occasional first baseman, making only 17 errors in 590 games. This scrappy player could have been legendary if he could only hit. Could you imagine if you combined Jim Gosger and Manny Ramirez into one player -- you'd have one of the greatest hitters with a work ethic beyond reproach! That this middling baseball player could last 11 years in the majors speaks volumes about the value of someone who works hard for the team.

2 comments:

Pat R said...

just found the blog - nice idea. would like to add Roy White, Joe Peppitone and Horace Clarke of the late 60's early 70's Yankees to the list. Back when the Yanks weren't winning anything, I followed these guys with a fervor and these three were the nucleus of a club that always hustled, but didn't win much

Unknown said...

And he is still, at age 67 in fabulous health with the same work ethics he displayed throughout his entire career. On May 20, 2010 he had knee replacement and exactly 5 weeks later had full range of motion and was basically "good as new".