Position Players called in to Pitch

by 94neverout on Jul 17, 2008 8:22 AM EDT

Yeah, I know. I could look it up, but that isn't the point.

I remeber Mark Whiten being called in to pitch an inning for the Indians. I don't remember the circumstances, but I remember he pitched rather well.

Does anyone have any other memories of position players being called in to pitch?

Just for fun, who would your morbid curiosity like to see pitch from this team? And don't say Betancourt, I mean a position player.

0 recs | Comment 69 comments

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I could say Fasano, and get like 9 recs and 5 reply posts, but I’m going to say J Carroll. Let’s see just how “Utility” this dude really is.

by JulioBernazard on Jul 17, 2008 10:04 AM EDT 0 recs

Luis Isaac.

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 10:11 AM EDT 0 recs

On July 31, 1998, Whiten pitched the 8th inning against Oakland in a 12-2 win. He faced 7 batters, and gave up a run on one hit (a double to Giambi). He also walked two, hit one, and struck out three (Mike Neill, Mike Blowers and Miguel Tejada).

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 10:17 AM EDT 0 recs

I knew someone did it in the 90’s … i just couldn’t remember who.

by Toxicadam on Jul 17, 2008 10:22 AM EDT up 0 recs

Thanks. I did some checking. 7 pitchers were used the day before against Seattle. Whiten was the 4th pitcher to be used in that game, no one was left. I remember thinking they should have used him more often.

proverbial "moron in a hurry"

by 94neverout on Jul 17, 2008 11:29 AM EDT up 0 recs

If I remember correctly, the 3 K’s he did get were more of a result of “Hard Hitten’” Mark Whiten having little control but decent velocity and the batters not being comfortable in the box. It was ugly, but he got the job done.

by PatBordersHelmet on Jul 17, 2008 12:01 PM EDT up 0 recs

Wasn’t it “Hardly Hittin’” Mark Whiten?

by odradek on Jul 17, 2008 2:07 PM EDT up 0 recs

The nickname may have been a reference to this.

by PatBordersHelmet on Jul 17, 2008 2:35 PM EDT up 0 recs

I had forgotten about that. Whiten is okay by me.

by odradek on Jul 17, 2008 2:48 PM EDT up 0 recs

Whiten was a skilled player, and his best talent was his outfield arm. The tv gun clocked him ~ 86 mph off the mound that night, but he was well past his prime. I think he was holding a little back in trying to eat up some innings. Most players with good arms will sustain 85-90mph off of a mound, nearly all major leaguers can throw harder than 80mph, except for the occasional Ben Grieve who’ll throw in the mid/low 70s.

Grieve’s arm was literally about as good as any average Joe of the same age who has ever played catch.

by jhon on Jul 17, 2008 2:40 PM EDT up 0 recs

After his one inning, Mark Grace said of the guy who hit a HR off him, “I didn’t have a scouting report on him. Obviously he can hit 65 mph fastballs.”

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 2:48 PM EDT up 0 recs

In my experience the typical high school baseball player will throw about 70-75 off a mound, and the pitchers will throw anywhere between 75-85. I think by college players can at least touch the low-80s-some lower, some higher-with most pitchers knocking at the door of 90. The 26 year old dude-thick bodied and formerly athletic, flat-footed and wearing jeans-maxing out in the carnival speed pitch is throwing about 65.

I was exaggerating about Grieve a little, but towards the end of his career he wasn’t able to make OF throws that were within my reach as a highschooler. For a guy playing at the highest level of the sport, it was pretty sad. It’s funny when a star like Mark Grace plays completely out of position, and you can say, “holy [smokes], I throw as hard as Mark Grace”. And since the other sport I dig is track, I had a pretty good idea that I was once faster than a lot of major leaguers (since I’ve quit smoking I can confidently say that I can outrun Garko, at the very least, and even Joe Posnanski can outrun Molina). Sometimes I wonder if my “raw power” could rival Scott Podsednik’s (in a bad year, and only as long as Scott isn’t trying to hit HRs). Ok, maybe not, but It’s the whole combined skills requisite--bat + glove and/or superior arm—that held me and so many others back.

At any rate, there are aspects of the game (such as running and throwing—even hitting for the most awful hitting pitchers) for which some players are no more excellent than some guy (or girl) in the crowd, eating his or her nachos rancheros and drinking a beer.

by jhon on Jul 17, 2008 9:20 PM EDT up 0 recs

Shin-Soo Choo on the mound would be interesting – he was a pretty good pitcher in high school.

by Ryan on Jul 17, 2008 10:17 AM EDT 0 recs

hasn’t it been reported that he got up to 95mph in high school (part of the reason he needed to have TJ surgery)?

by APV on Jul 17, 2008 11:24 AM EDT up 0 recs

Gutierrez, for the arm.

Blake, for the beard.

by Jay on Jul 17, 2008 10:32 AM EDT 0 recs

Here’s some other Tribe position players who have pitched an inning:

Jimmy McAleer
Tex Jeanes
Tom Donovan
Bill Bradley
Gary Geiger
Rocky Colavito

Ty Cobb pitched 5 innings, Wade Boggs had a decent ERA over two appearances, and Jose Canseco pitched a memorable inning once (and has an ERA of 27).

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 10:37 AM EDT 0 recs

Did Cobb hit any batters?

by odradek on Jul 17, 2008 2:07 PM EDT up 0 recs

Surprisingly, no. He seemed to have good command, only walking 2 of 20.

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 2:24 PM EDT up 0 recs

With the ball, with his bat, or his fist?

"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.

by Harry Doyle on Jul 18, 2008 3:23 PM EDT up 0 recs

I remember the Rock pitching for the Yankees, for chrissakes in the first game of a doubleheader against his old team, Detroit. He went two and two thirds, held the Tigers scoreless and got the win. No radar gun back then, but it looked like he was bringing it and had a pretty decent curve. IIRC he struck out Gates Brown who was OPSing at a 1.17 clip at the time.

Resident LGT beer kinda sewer

by mauichuck on Jul 18, 2008 9:18 AM EDT up 0 recs

August 25, 1968. His strikeout appears to have actually been of Dick Tracewski, however. Brown didn’t come into the game until the 8th, probably afraid to face Colavito. The Rock obviously had an arm – my father still talks about a catch and throw he made at old Parkway Field in Louisville, delivering the ball home on one bounce. The CF fence at Parkway was 467 feet away, and the deepest part of the left-center alley was 512.

by FredOx on Jul 18, 2008 9:56 AM EDT up 0 recs

Brent Mayne was the first position player to be credited with a win since 1968 when he pitched a scoreless inning in 2000

by Roger Dorn on Jul 17, 2008 10:39 AM EDT 0 recs

Didn’t Boggs supposedly have a pretty good knuckler?

by ganatz on Jul 17, 2008 10:39 AM EDT 0 recs

Yes – and has two career strikeouts in 2.3 IP. I remember watching that highlight on sportscenter as a pup.

by joeee on Jul 17, 2008 10:48 AM EDT up 0 recs

We haven’t seen the last of Ankiel.

by jhon on Jul 17, 2008 10:55 AM EDT 0 recs

Marte

by Brick. on Jul 17, 2008 10:55 AM EDT 0 recs

I was gonna say this one. But only as a setup man.

by joeee on Jul 17, 2008 10:58 AM EDT up 0 recs

Only after Wedge tried Blake, Carrol and Peralta first.

proverbial "moron in a hurry"

by 94neverout on Jul 17, 2008 1:03 PM EDT up 0 recs

Well, Jose Canseco is like the worst pitcher ever.

by afh4 on Jul 17, 2008 11:16 AM EDT 0 recs

not exactly the greatest boxer either.

proverbial "moron in a hurry"

by 94neverout on Jul 17, 2008 11:31 AM EDT up 0 recs

by Brick. on Jul 17, 2008 1:25 PM EDT up 0 recs

and he blew out his arm in the process. sidelined him for quite some time if i recall correctly.

by dwight on Jul 17, 2008 4:09 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yep, although he wasn’t shelved until a month or so later.

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 4:14 PM EDT up 0 recs

Was that before or after the ball bounced off his head?

by ganatz on Jul 17, 2008 4:31 PM EDT up 0 recs

The header was three days prior to the “pitching” event. May 1993 was an interesting month for Ol’ Jose.

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 4:40 PM EDT up 0 recs

And on the Indians, Shoppach. From his knees.

by afh4 on Jul 17, 2008 11:16 AM EDT 0 recs

Carroll, but I want Shoppach to roll him the ball, so Jamey can field it, step on the rubber, spin, and release.

by fleerdon on Jul 17, 2008 3:47 PM EDT up 0 recs

I like Gutz as a starter, Choo as a closer.

And Fasano as the long man.

by jhon on Jul 17, 2008 11:34 AM EDT 1 recs

rec for filthiness

by joeee on Jul 17, 2008 12:03 PM EDT up 0 recs

Apropos of nothing in particular:

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 12:07 PM EDT up 1 recs

rec for geometry.

by jhon on Jul 17, 2008 12:09 PM EDT up 0 recs

Boo. That was too easy.

-Erik

by drerikbrady on Jul 17, 2008 3:56 PM EDT up 0 recs

You’re right. I’m inviting all kinds of trouble when I prod our pal Sal.

by jhon on Jul 17, 2008 9:47 PM EDT up 0 recs

ESPN tells me Randy Johnson once threw Sal Fasano an eephus pitch.

by Voltaire on Jul 17, 2008 9:38 PM EDT up 0 recs

Makes sense. If Randy really had a craving for the eephus, a backup catcher is the ideal “proving ground” for a nutty experiment.

by jhon on Jul 17, 2008 9:46 PM EDT up 0 recs

didn’t laker pitch an inning not too long ago?

i was at a game where wade boggs relieved. threw a knuckleball.

by emil minty on Jul 17, 2008 12:15 PM EDT 0 recs

Laker has pitched twice. On 9/2/01, he pitched the 8th inning in a 19-10 loss to Chicago, outpitching Burba, Drew and Radinsky (who gave up 7, 6 and 6 ER, respectively). He faced 5 batters, and gave up a walk and a single to Paul Konerko. He struck out Jose Valentin. On 4/20/04, he pitched the 9th in a 15-5 loss to the Royals. That time, he faced 4 batters, walking Carlos Beltran and giving up a single to Mike Sweeney before inducing a double play off the bat of Rich Thompson. So Laker has a career ERA of 0.00 in 2 IP. Think he’s available to close?

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 12:57 PM EDT up 0 recs

C’mon people. No Weglarz?

He’s 6’12”. 295 lbs with 1% body fat. He uses whole trees as bats and once threw a stone 600 ft in the air to rescue a baby that had been carried off by bird of prey. Hit the bird square on. Then lept into the air, rescued the child, and ate the bird.

Batters would strike themselves out from the sheer fear of his presence on the mound rather than face a pitch thrown by him.

OK, just kidding. Probably Gutz, yeah, Gutz.
Let the legend grow!

proverbial "moron in a hurry"

by 94neverout on Jul 17, 2008 1:02 PM EDT 0 recs

Wrong end of the battery. Weglarz catches, LaPorta pitches.

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 1:17 PM EDT up 0 recs

Mark Grace had a memorable appearance a few years ago, as I recall he impersonated Mike Fetters’ head-snap stare into homeplate. I don’t know if he got anybody out, but it was funny as hell.

by Fredward on Jul 17, 2008 1:16 PM EDT 0 recs

4 fly balls to the outfield – three were caught, one went over the fence.

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 1:20 PM EDT up 0 recs

Sounds like Betancourt.

by odradek on Jul 17, 2008 2:09 PM EDT up 1 recs

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 1:24 PM EDT up 0 recs

the immortal junior noboa pitched an inning for the expos

by dwight on Jul 17, 2008 4:26 PM EDT 0 recs

If he counts, Joba Chamberlain.

I know, I know, he’s not a position player. He’s not even on the Indians, but hear me out.

He is the true embodiment of pure talent in a baseball player. He is perfection in pinstripes. While he is a pitcher, is there any doubt that with a bat in his hands he would swing as mighty a stick as Babe Ruth?

And while he might not be on the Indians, Joba is the captain of everybody’s dream team.

LeCavs!
If you were good enough, maybe we'd name it after you.

by Matt in LA on Jul 17, 2008 8:18 PM EDT 0 recs

I thought only Jeter could be Oh Captain, My Captain

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 10:21 PM EDT up 0 recs

His. Name. Is. Justin.

by gte619n on Jul 17, 2008 11:14 PM EDT up 0 recs

Despite your joke, he was a good hitter in high school and legion baseball.

by mjschaefer on Jul 18, 2008 3:17 PM EDT up 0 recs

Most MLers were. Once again, Justin nuttin special.

Resident LGT beer kinda sewer

by mauichuck on Jul 18, 2008 3:41 PM EDT up 0 recs

I thought I remembered Einar Diaz pitching an extra inning for the tribe a few years ago.

"...leading the league in most offensive categories. Including nose hairs."

by sarcasmdave on Jul 17, 2008 10:38 PM EDT 0 recs

I don’t think so – Laker’s the sole C/P in Indians history.

Here’s a different question – what pitcher would you like to see in the field? I know of at least two in Tribe history. Sam McDowell played a game at 2B and a game at 1B in 1970 (in addition to winning 20 games). Addie Joss played 9 games in the field between 1902-06, in addition to winning 160 games in 9 seasons and posting a WHIP of .968 and ERA of 1.89.

by FredOx on Jul 17, 2008 11:58 PM EDT up 0 recs

Easy, Bob Lemon. He originally came up as a 3B/OF and could hit a little.

And how could you leave Wes Ferrell outta the conversation? In 1385 PAs he OPSed at .797. Not bad for a pitcher.

Resident LGT beer kinda sewer

by mauichuck on Jul 18, 2008 9:15 AM EDT up 0 recs

You’re right – Wes Ferrell played 13 games in the OF. Not sure how I missed that one, although 1933 was a bit before my time.

by FredOx on Jul 18, 2008 9:59 AM EDT up 0 recs

Westbrook, of course … I have little doubt that he’d make a fine 2B or 3B and probably a decent shortstop.

by Jay on Jul 18, 2008 10:33 AM EDT up 0 recs

Jake’s arm would be good at third. What about C.C. at first base? He would look like late-career Willie Stargell, and he probably wouldn’t be much of a fielder.

by odradek on Jul 18, 2008 7:25 PM EDT up 0 recs