Nashville-Born Ballplayers

Junior Gilliam has a street named after him in Nashville (90 Feet of Perfection)

While walking around Nashville last weekend during CMA Fest, I noticed there was a street running through the heart of the city named "Junior Gilliam Way," not far from Rosa Parks Boulevard. That made me wonder what other players hail/hailed from Smashville, and if Gilliam was truly the best (and thus worthy of the distinction as the city's only ballplayer with a street named in his honor). Turns out there were quite a few players born in Nashville -- 39 and counting according to Baseball-Reference. While none are Hall of Famers (yet), there were a few who came close, as well as one who will likely go into Cooperstown one day wearing the cap of my beloved Boston Red Sox.

Best Players:

Ben Chapman (41.3 bWAR)
Chapman barely edges out Gilliam in terms of career value, but he was never going to have a street named after him following his shameful treatment of Jackie Robinson while managing the Phillies in 1947. While he was clearly a despicable human being, Chapman was also a pretty good ballplayer, leading the Major Leagues in steals four times (but also caught-stealing four times) and batting .302/.383/.440 (114 OPS+) for his career. His most memorable highlight as a player, however, was being told by Ted Williams, "I'll be back, and I'll make more money in this bleeping game than all three of you (Boston's outfield) combined!" after being sent down from Spring Training in 1938. With Chapman playing for Cleveland the following year, Williams arrived for good and set about delivering on that promise.

Jim Gilliam (40.7 bWAR)
Gilliam, more popularly known as "Junior," spent his entire 14-year career with the Dodgers. Despite spending most of those seasons on the trading block, he was only Boy of Summer from the '50s who was still a meaningful contributor during the Sandy Koufax-Don Drysdale era. The speedy switch-hitter proved to be a lesser version of Robinson -- his predecessor at second base -- with his baserunning, defensive versatility, and table-setting skills. A two-time All-Star, Gilliam won NL Rookie of the Year honors in 1953 and drew MVP votes four times, finishing in the top-six twice. He also played in seven World Series, winning four. Had he not begun his career in the Negro Leagues, he might have made it to the Hall of Fame.

Roy Cullenbine (31.4 bWAR)
Cullenbine was similar to Gilliam, as both were patient switch-hitters who made two All-Star teams, received MVP consideration four times, and led their league in walks once while playing the outfield a lot. A journeyman outfielder from 1938 to 1947, Cullenbine possessed one of the sharpest batting eyes in baseball history. He posted a career 17.8 percent walk rate and set a record by drawing a walk in 22 consecutive games, finishing with a career .408 OBP. He also developed power later in his career, slugging 73 of his 110 home runs over his final four seasons. Cullenbine played for a pair of pennant winners despite switching teams seven times in his career, helping Detroit win it all in 1945. With his solid pop, strong throwing arm and elite ability to get on base, he would have had a much longer and more stable career had he been born half a century later.

Best Names:

So many good ones. Here's a smattering: Tiny Graham, Noodles Hahn (think he had a weak arm, or just really liked spaghetti?), Ray Hamrick, Foster Castleman, Mickey Kreitner, Bubber Jonnard (brother of Claude Jonnard), Ike Fisher (brother of Bob Fisher), Clyde McCullough (say that one ten times fast). There were also a pair of "Lefty"s -- Lefty Davis and Lefty Sullivan. Now I'm wondering if a team has ever had two "Lefty"s at the same time...

Greatest What-if?

Johnny Beazley (4.6 bWAR)
Beazley burned bright and fast like a comet, going 21-6 with a 2.13 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP at age 24 to help his St. Louis Cardinals upset Joe DiMaggio's New York Yankees in the 1942 Fall Classic (the only World Series that DiMaggio would ever lose). Then he went into the service, and when he returned three years later he wasn't the same. Who knows how his career would've played out had he come up after the war instead of before.

Current Stars:

Mookie Betts (21.1 bWAR)
Just four seasons into his career, Betts has already accumulated more than half the WAR of any other Nashville-born player. A tremendous defensive outfielder with elite power, speed, and contact skills, he's arguably the American League's best all-around player not named Mike Trout. And the best part is -- he's only 24.

R.A. Dickey (20.8 bWAR)
Okay, maybe not a current star given how awful he's been this year, but he enjoyed a brief run as one of the game's top pitchers. In 2012, he prevented Clayton Kershaw from joining Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson as the only hurlers to win four straight Cy Young awards (Kershaw won in 2011, then again in 2014 and '15). The Mets, knowing how fickle knuckle-ballers can be, wisely traded the then-38-year-old for a package of prospects that included Noah Syndergaard. Dickey's reverted into a Tim Wakefield-esque innings-eater since then, but 15 years and nearly 2,000 innings in the Majors are nothing to sneeze at.

Sonny Gray (10.1 bWAR)
Gray's career got off to a promising start with Oakland, as he went 33-20 with a 2.88 ERA over his first three seasons and finished third in the 2015 AL Cy Young vote. He struggled during an injury-plagued 2016 and is still trying to get back on track this year. He's only 27, though, so hope remains that he will once again be a quality starter.

While not stars, this is where I give shout-outs to Andrew Triggs and Caleb Joseph.

Not bad, Nashville. While not as prolific as pumping out ballplayers as you are at country music stars, you can still lay claim to a National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young winner, a likely future Hall of Famer, and a Hollywood villan.

Is This Boston's Year?

Boston won the World Series 100 years ago (Danish Home of Chicago)

I saw a cool post a little while ago about how the Yankees have done in seasons that end in 6, as in 1996, 2006, etc. Historically, the Red Sox have fared pretty well in such years, winning one World Series and two pennants. That doesn't mean a thing going into 2016, but when your team has finished last two years in a row you start looking for signs that things are about to turn around.

1906

The Boston Americans, as they were then called, suffered their first losing season in franchise history. In fact, it was one of Boston's worst seasons ever, as they went 49-105 and finished last in the American League. This triggered the first managerial firing in Red Sox history, as player-manager Jimmy Collins was relieved of his skippering duties and was replaced by Chick Stahl, who tragically ended his own life during the subsequent offseason. Despite having several players who'd helped them win baseball's first World Series three years prior, including a 39 year-old Cy Young, the Americans had both the worst offense and worst pitching in the league--not exactly a winning combination. It was a tough year for Boston baseball in general, as both teams (the Braves being the other) lost over 100 games and finished last in their respective leagues.

1916

In 1916 the Great War and Boston's first baseball dynasty were both in full swing, as the Red Sox won their second straight World Series and third in five years. Despite trading Tris Speaker to Cleveland in early April, Boston still retained two-thirds of its stellar outfield with Duffy Lewis and Harry Hooper. Boston's best position player was third baseman Larry Gardner, who was worth 4.7 bWAR and led the team with his .308 batting average, .372 OBP and 127 OPS+. The Sox didn't hit much, even by Deadball era standards, but their pitching was outstanding. 21 year-old Babe Ruth emerged as the best southpaw in the game, winning 23 games and the ERA title in a season worth 10.4 bWAR. He had plenty of help from rotation-mates Dutch Leonard, Carl Mays, and Ernie Shore--all 25 or younger--who combined for 52 wins and a 2.45 ERA in just under 745 innings. Rube Foster was the rotation's elder statesman at 28, but excelled in the fifth-starter role by going 14-7 with a 3.06 ERA. Together, those five completed 73 games and accounted for all but 160 of the team's innings that year.

Boston's World Series with Brooklyn was close, with three of the five games decided by one run, but the superior pitching of the Red Sox ultimately prevailed.

1926

By the Roaring Twenties, Boston's baseball dynasty had been reduced to ashes. Following Harry Frazee's infamous and ill-fated sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees, New York immediately usurped them as the nation's pre-eminent sports franchise. The Red Sox, meanwhile, traded away most of their talent and soon became cellar-dwellers. They followed up a 105-loss season in 1925--their first 100-loss season since 1906--with 107 losses in '26, the most in franchise history at that point. The hapless Sox went on to endure another 100-loss season in 1927, while the Babe was busy beating his home run record, and would not return to contention for over a decade.

1936

After a decade and a half of mediocrity, the Red Sox started showing signs of life in the mid-30s. Under new owner Tom Yawkey, the team began acquiring top-flight stars such as Lefty Grove, Joe Cronin, and Jimmie Foxx in an effort to return to contention. 1936 was Foxx's first year on the club, and he did his part with 41 home runs, 143 RBI, and a 1.071 OPS. He didn't have much help, however, and despite his monster season Boston finished second from the bottom in runs. That was the main reason why they finished six games below .500, as their pitching was actually quite good. Wes Ferrell, whose brother (and future Hall of Famer) Rick Ferrell was the team's catcher, won 20 games while Grove won 17 and led the league in ERA. All four members of the starting rotation posted an above average ERA after adjusting for league and park, giving Boston the second-best ERA in the American League that year. For once, it was the club's hitting and not their pitching that was their downfall.

1946

The most dominant Red Sox team since their early-century dynasty ran away with the pennant in baseball's first year back from war, winning 104 games and the AL flag by a dozen over Detroit. Boston had the best offense in baseball, anchored by MVP Ted Williams along with his good friends Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky. First baseman Rudy York chipped in with 17 homers and 119 RBI--second on the team only to Williams' 123. The rotation was just as outstanding, featuring four solid starters in Dave Ferriss, Tex Hughson, Mickey Harris and Joe Dobson. Hughson won 20 games with a 2.75 ERA in a team-high 278 innings while Ferris won 25 and recorded an ML-best .806 win percentage. The Red Sox even had a good bullpen--a rarity for teams during those days--headed by relief specialists Earl Johnson and Bob Klinger. It was surprising, then, when they lost the World Series to the Cardinals in seven games, victimized by Enos Slaughter's mad dash around the bases. Even more puzzling is how all that talent failed to win another pennant.

The 1946 Red Sox were one of the best teams in franchise history (Fair Trade Milwaukee)

1956

The Sox were solid in '56, going 84-70 and finishing fourth. As usual, Boston featured a fearsome lineup but came up short on pitching. This team featured one of the better-hitting outfields in club history with Williams (1.084 OPS), Jimmy Piersall (a team-high 40 doubles) and Jackie Jensen (97 RBI and a .901 OPS) leading the offense. They also squeezed a great year out of 38 year-old first baseman Mickey Vernon, who slashed .310/.403/.511. The team had two terrific starters in Tom Brewer and Frank Sullivan, who went 19-9 and 14-7 with mid-three ERAs in 240-odd innings apiece, but the rest of the staff was a nightmare. Mel Parnell pitched gallantly in his final season, contributing a 3.77 ERA and pitching a no-hitter along the way.

1966

The Impossible Dream was preceded by a recurring nightmare, as the Sox suffered their eighth straight losing season by going 72-90. There appeared to be a light at the end of the tunnel, however, as that marked a 10-game improvement over the previous year. It was also encouraging that Boston had the third-best record in the American League after July 3rd, going 44-39 to close out the season.

Though they had the youngest lineup in the MLB (only one of the team's 12 players who received 200 plate appearances, Don Demeter, was older than 29), the Red Sox featured an above average offense led by Tony Conigliaro, Joe Foy, George Scott, and Carl Yastrzemski. Their youthful rotation wasn't as effective, but several starters such as Jim Lonborg and Jose Santiago showed promise. More importantly, Boston's staff as a whole improved after the All-Star break, lowering its ERA from 4.31 to 3.44 to fuel the team's second-half surge. With their young nucleus primed for a collective breakout under new manager Dick Williams, who had managed many of them in the minors, the Red Sox had the pieces in place to make their miracle run in '67.

1976

After coming within one game of winning it all the previous October, Boston regressed into an 83-win, third place team in '76. The Sox started slow under manager Darrell Johnson, who was replaced by Don Zimmer midway through the season (much to Bill Lee's chagrin). The summer of America's bicentennial was not a happy one around Fenway, as the team's beloved owner Tom Yawkey passed away on July 9th, his dreams of bringing a World Series championship to Boston unfulfilled.

On the field, the Sox fielded a potent lineup that led the league in home runs, total bases, slugging, and OPS. Boston's Gold Dust Twins--Fred Lynn and Jim Rice--followed up their outstanding rookie seasons with strong sophomore campaigns, while a timeless Yastrzemski continued to hit pacing the team with 102 RBI. The Red Sox got next to nothing from third basemen Butch Hobson and Rico Petrocelli, however, the latter of whom retired at season's end.

Boston received great pitching from its formidable trio of Luis Tiant, Rick Wise, and Fergie Jenkins, but Lee missed nearly two months after getting hurt in a dust-up with the Yankees. They were often betrayed by their bullpen, however, which struggled at inopportune times and contributed to the team's 22-29 record in one-run games. Flip those figures and the Sox would have won 90 games which, along with their 87-75 pythagorean record, suggests this team under-performed its true talent level.

1986

The most painful season in Red Sox history, 1986 was the year that led many to believe the team was cursed. Three times the Sox were one strike away from winning their first Fall Classic in 68 years, and three times those pesky Mets staved off elimination. Then this happened.

Up until that moment, however, '86 had been a banner year for Boston. Dwight Evans slammed the first pitch of their season out of Tiger Stadium, Wade Boggs won another batting title, Jim Rice had his last great season, and Roger Clemens set a major league record by whiffing 20 Seattle Mariners in addition to copping the league's MVP and Cy Young honors. The good times continued in the playoffs, as the Sox overcame 3-1 ALCS deficit to the California Angels after being down to their last strike. Somewhere, Dave Henderson is leaping for joy.

1996

The Sox slipped a bit after winning the division in '95, dropping to 85 wins and third place in '96--the Rocket's final season in Boston and Nomah's first. Sunk by a 6-19 start, they failed to repeat as division champs despite a torrid second half. Their offense was only average even though reigning MVP Mo Vaughn had the best year of his career, mashing 44 home runs to go along with 143 RBI and a 1.003 OPS. Jose Canseco added firepower from the DH spot with 28 homers and a .989 OPS, while Mike Stanley (24 homers, .889 OPS) enjoyed a terrific season behind the plate. Clemens was once again the ace of the staff, striking out a league-high 257 batters--including 20 in a game for the second time. The rest of the rotation was a disaster, however, and the bullpen was equally atrocious. The 'pen's lone bright spot was closer Heathcliff Slocumb, who notched 31 saves and a 3.02 ERA in his Red Sox debut. General manager Dan Duquette would make a huge mistake by letting Clemens leave in free agency, but he redeemed himself the following summer by trading Slocumb to the Mariners for Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek.

2006

This was a disappointing season for Boston, who missed the playoffs after making three straight trips. The BoSox faded down the stretch after spending most of summer in first place, going 9-21 in August and getting swept by the Yankees in a five-game series at Fenway. The Red Sox ended up in third place--their worst finish since 1997. On the bright side, David Ortiz broke Jimmie Foxx's franchise home run record, slamming 54 to lead the American League. It was a big year for Big Papi, who finished third in the MVP race after topping the circuit in walks, RBI, and total bases. He and Manny Ramirez (35 homers, 102 RBI, and a league-best .439 OBP) proved to be a lethal tandem in the heart of Terry Francona's order. They had help from newcomers Mike Lowell (20 homers, 80 RBI, 47 doubles) and Kevin Youkilis, who broke out in his first full season by batting .279/.381/.429 with 42 doubles and 100 runs. Rookie closer Jonathan Papelbon was untouchable, posting a 0.92 ERA and 35 saves. The rest of Boston's pitching was a problem, though, especially since Josh Beckett struggled in his transition to the American League. Curt Schilling surprised everyone, however, by bouncing back from an injury-plagued 2005 to win 15 games and surpass 200 innings for the final time at age 39.

2016

Stay tuned...