There have been 12 Carpenters who played in MLB, but none of them were both on December 25th. There have been 69 players players with other surnames who were born on this date, including 10 who played for the Indians:
- Dick Braggins (1901)
- Lloyd Brown (1934-37)
- Ben Chapman (1939-40)
- Frank Ellerbe (1924)
- Greek George (1935-36)
- Tom Gulley (1923-24)
- Jack Hamilton (1969)
- Morrie Rath (1910)
- Manny Trillo (1983)
- Quincy Trouppe (1952)
More from Let's Go Tribe
More from Let's Go Tribe
None of those guys spent much time with the Tribe, or played for them during the last 30 years. The most-impressive pitcher was Lloyd Brown, who threw 456.1 innings for the Indians, splitting time between the rotation and 'pen. He had a 4.34 ERA during the high-scoring 1930s, good for an ERA+ of 108.
The best player was Ben Chapman, who spent two seasons as an outfielder for the Indians, with a batting line of .288/.384/.408. He led the 1939 team with 101 runs scored. Chapman spent most of his 15-year career with other teams, and in total, rates as one of the...
Top five best players born on Christmas:
5) Ben Chapman (1930-1946) - .302/.383/.440, 114 OPS+, a 4-time All Star in the mid 1930s, Chapman led the American League in stolen bases 4 times, and finished his career with 287 steals, along with 1,958 hits and 407 doubles.
4) Ned Garver (1948-1961) - A right-handed starter who threw 2,477.1 innings with a 3.73 ERA (112 ERA+). His best seasons came with the St. Louis Browns, from 1948 to 1951. In 1950 his 3.39 ERA was 2nd in the AL, and his 22 complete games led the league. In 1951 he again led the league in CG, this time with 24; he won 20 games and finished 2nd in AL MVP voting.
3) Nellie Fox (1947-1965) - A slick-fielding second baseman who spent most of his career with the White Sox, Fox was a 12-time All-Star who also won the 1959 American League MVP. He led the league in hits 4 times, finishing his career with 2,663 hits. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.
2) Pud Galvin (1875-1892) - 1800s pitchers threw insane inning totals, and Galvin ended his career with 6,003.1 of them, the second-highest total in history. In 1883 alone, he threw 656.1 innings, with 72 complete games. He also had 365 career wins, with a 2.85 ERA (not as impressive as it sounds, given the era, but still good). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1965.
1) Rickey Henderson (1979-2003) - One of the 25 greatest players ever, he led the league in steals 12 times and finished his career with 1,406 SB, a record I doubt we'll ever see broken. His 2,295 runs scored are also a record, and his 2,190 walks are second only to Barry Bonds. Henderson is the easy choice as king of Christmas-born ballplayers.