Heroes of the Zeros: Pinch Hitters

by Slyde on Dec 30, 2009 8:00 AM EST in All Decade Team

We round out our All Decade team with a a couple of pinch hitters, one from the right side and one from the left side. Unlike past polls, the numbers listed below are only for that player as a pinch hitter, which is why some of them are so lousy. You can take the player's entire batting numbers into account, if you'd like, but I figured I'd only show them as pinch hitters in this instance. Lefty pinch hitters and the ballots are after the jump.

Click header to sort table by column
RH PH	PA	AB	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	wOBA
Brady Clark	100	84	20	5	1	13	12	1	10	.238	.330	.333	.663	.324
Wily Mo Pena	71	68	12	1	3	11	2	0	31	.176	.211	.324	.535	.232
Norris Hopper	51	42	15	1	0	4	5	0	7	.357	.420	.381	.801	.357
Ruben Mateo	45	39	3	0	1	2	5	0	12	.077	.200	.154	.354	.180
Alex Ochoa	44	38	7	2	0	5	4	1	8	.184	.273	.237	.510	.267
Andy Phillips	37	36	9	0	2	6	1	0	8	.250	.270	.417	.687	.345

Click header to sort table by column
LH PH	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	wOBA
Russell Branyan	49	36	4	1	0	1	5	12	0	22	.111	.347	.222	.569	.293
D.T. Cromer	64	61	18	4	0	2	9	1	0	19	.295	.297	.459	.756	.333
Jacob Cruz	154	131	34	10	0	4	19	20	2	42	.260	.364	.427	.791	.342
Wilton Guerrero	54	47	17	1	0	0	3	4	0	7	.362	.412	.383	.795	.343
Scott Hatteberg	51	42	4	0	0	0	2	8	1	9	.095	.235	.095	.331	.169
Hal Morris	44	36	12	2	0	2	6	5	2	4	.333	.419	.556	.974	.396
Laynce Nix	40	34	8	4	0	1	5	6	1	13	.235	.350	.441	.791	.330
Reggie Taylor	86	81	20	4	1	4	13	4	0	33	.247	.282	.469	.751	.315
Javier Valentin	176	161	34	6	0	6	30	14	0	37	.211	.273	.360	.633	.279
John Vander Wal	31	27	1	0	0	0	0	4	0	13	.037	.161	.037	.198	.122

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Comments

Hal Morris as a pinch hitter ?

Incompetents invariably make trouble for people other than themselves.
Larry Mcmurtry

by Madville on Dec 30, 2009 8:15 AM EST reply actions

he had 44 pinch hit plate appearances in 2000

Given that he was only with the Reds for 93 games, I’d say his primary role in 2000 was as pinch hitter.

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by Slyde on Dec 30, 2009 8:17 AM EST up reply actions

OK, for one season.

Incompetents invariably make trouble for people other than themselves.
Larry Mcmurtry

by Madville on Dec 30, 2009 1:40 PM EST up reply actions

I agree that he was not regularly a pinch hitter

but when he came back to the Reds, he basically was since Casey was at 1B at that point.

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by Slyde on Dec 30, 2009 2:08 PM EST up reply actions

WMP and LLM

Wear something sexy to my funeral.

by Pops Daniels on Dec 30, 2009 9:01 AM EST reply actions

Hopper-Cruz

by jacob brumfield on Dec 30, 2009 9:32 AM EST reply actions

Gotta go with Hal

Yeah, those guys and the Cincinnati Reds. They're a terrible football team. / Because they're a baseball team? / Exactly. You know who's the worst football team? The Philadelphia Flyers. - Best Show

by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Dec 30, 2009 9:42 AM EST reply actions

NoHo

definitely a good argument

"Nate Silver is a genius" .... BK

by obc2 on Dec 30, 2009 9:45 AM EST reply actions

I still can't get the reply button to work

but I second the Hopper-Cruz vote

by fourrunhomer on Dec 30, 2009 9:53 AM EST reply actions

Considering that LLM was once described as the best pinch hitter in the history of baseball

I voted for him

"We, as for me all seasons you are affected peculiarly in the edge of my seat and are happy concerning the fact that the Adam Dunn fan has been mixed up exactly." - Reynard-san

by BK on Dec 30, 2009 9:55 AM EST reply actions

manny mota disagrees

as does lenny harris

"Nate Silver is a genius" .... BK

by obc2 on Dec 30, 2009 10:28 AM EST up reply actions

and probably Vander Wal

Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.

by Caleb on Dec 30, 2009 10:53 AM EST up reply actions

Why no OPS+?

"Santa Claus doesn't use Craigslist." -- 'tHan

by jch24 on Dec 30, 2009 10:57 AM EST reply actions

it wasn't calculated in the report from BBRef

and OPS+ takes more inputs than I felt like trying to find to calculate.

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by Slyde on Dec 30, 2009 11:18 AM EST up reply actions

i expected much better than that

"I expected much better than that".....tHan

by obc2 on Dec 30, 2009 12:58 PM EST up reply actions

Hopper-Nix

This ones for you, Mads

If I hear the word 'perky' again, I'll puke

by nycredsfan on Dec 30, 2009 11:14 AM EST via mobile reply actions

Wow - did you copy off of my paper?

Incompetents invariably make trouble for people other than themselves.
Larry Mcmurtry

by Madville on Dec 30, 2009 1:40 PM EST up reply actions

When you have to vote for Norris Hopper for an all-decade team

It’s been a bad decade.

"If it wasn't this, it'd be something else."

by ZJiff30 on Dec 30, 2009 12:35 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

Wily Mo!

by Dave from Louisville on Dec 30, 2009 1:42 PM EST reply actions

Isn't LLM a switch hitter?

Shouldn’t he be on both lists?

Baseball worshiped here.

by Daedalus on Dec 30, 2009 2:34 PM EST reply actions

He only had 28 pinch hit plate appearances as a right-hander

and my cut off was 30 PA. FWIW, he batted .217/.357/.261 as a right-handed pinch hitter.

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by Slyde on Dec 30, 2009 2:47 PM EST up reply actions

That's some prodigious power

If I hear the word 'perky' again, I'll puke

by nycredsfan on Dec 30, 2009 3:03 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

My man crush for LLM contines on ....

went with Hopper from the other side because NOTHING was prettier than watching him drag bunt while the other team just stood there

"Some times you get lucky; some times you get Willy Taveras." - Teh Fay

by joshuar9476 on Dec 30, 2009 3:05 PM EST reply actions

nothing i a reds uniform that is ...

because most everything female that Mads posts is better

"Some times you get lucky; some times you get Willy Taveras." - Teh Fay

by joshuar9476 on Dec 30, 2009 3:07 PM EST up reply actions

that's also my ballot

We need mascots on this team. These guys fit perfectly.

by ken on Dec 30, 2009 4:00 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

plus, LLM fills the 3rd catcher position

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by Slyde on Dec 30, 2009 4:06 PM EST up reply actions

though he'll never be used that way

because we need to save his bat for a LH pinch hitter, which we can’t use him as since we may need him to catch. Therefore, he’ll make a good mascot on the bench.

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by Slyde on Dec 30, 2009 4:07 PM EST up reply actions

That's some prodigious circular logic

If I hear the word 'perky' again, I'll puke

by nycredsfan on Dec 30, 2009 4:24 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

and yet

you know it’s true

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by Slyde on Dec 30, 2009 4:28 PM EST up reply actions

Jeez this makes me rethink everything...

Incompetents invariably make trouble for people other than themselves.
Larry Mcmurtry

by Madville on Dec 30, 2009 4:35 PM EST up reply actions

I hate how right you are

"Santa Claus doesn't use Craigslist." -- 'tHan

by jch24 on Dec 30, 2009 4:57 PM EST up reply actions

Or 3B, if needed!

by Highlifeman21 on Jan 3, 2010 3:33 PM EST up reply actions

same here

and not just because these guys are good mascots, but because, if used properly (my voting in this exercise presumes Slyde is the manager of this team), these two are actually pretty well suited for these roles. Hopper is a great pinch runner and LIDR and LLM really loves fastballs. and tamales.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Dec 30, 2009 4:54 PM EST up reply actions

Sorry

the BBWA has elected Bob Boone as the manager of this team with Jerry Narron as the bench coach.

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by Slyde on Dec 30, 2009 4:59 PM EST up reply actions

Tell me that this is NOT Slyde...look closely...see...of course he's right, he's always right.

Incompetents invariably make trouble for people other than themselves.
Larry Mcmurtry

by Madville on Dec 30, 2009 5:01 PM EST up reply actions

Does your voting also presume an early season mutiny?

Hopper was actually a decent player with us for all the grief he gets. 316/371 for a guy with speed who can play some defense is a fine role player. My mascot comment was really more about LLM, though you’re right that he has legitimate uses as well.

by ken on Dec 30, 2009 5:06 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

i getcha

though LLM’s only real legitimate use is his “ability to hit fastballs”.

this conversation just got me all misty-eyed about the end of this era. LLM has been gone for a while, and now GiGi wont be around anymore to lionize him and his ilk. i know we’ll create more cultural touchstones in the coming years with tHom and crew (especially if Tim Tebow is drafted by the Cards) but it just wont be the same.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Dec 30, 2009 5:27 PM EST up reply actions

Wily Mo and Cruz

Because 40-50 PA is silly. And Cruz was better than LLM, at least offensively. After all, this is PH, right?

On the other hand, I voted Wily purely because he transmogrified himself into Bronson Arroyo and cash.

"The USA despite its flaws and corruption and overall messiness is still a great and powerful instrument of freedom and hope for the entire world." - Madville

by bbjones on Dec 31, 2009 12:29 AM EST reply actions