Quote:
Originally Posted by pstrickert
Dennis Eckersley
|
Eck started his career in 1974 with the Minnesota Twins as a starter. He was a decent fixture in the rotation, but was never anything too special. In 1980, he was traded to Montreal, and won 17 games in his second season there, which just so happened to be his walk year. He signed a seven year deal with the Blue Jays that offseason, but lasted all of one season with them before he was traded to the Dodgers. After a few more average seasons as a starter, he came to life in 1986, winning 20 games, striking out 223 batters and finishing with a 1.89 ERA. He won the Satchel Paige (Cy Young) Award that year, but came crashing back down with a 10-14 record in 1987.
After that, he switched over to the bullpen as a closer, and while he wasn't as dominant as he was in real life, he finished with 242 saves from 1988-1994 with the Dodgers, Padres and Yankees. His final record was 196-209, with a 3.62 ERA. He retired after the 1994 season, despite being named to the All Star team and saving 34 games that year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AESP_pres
Scott Sanderson
Charlie Lea
Bill Gullickson
David Palmer
Steve Rogers
|
Scott Sanderson: Scott was the first ever pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1976 draft, and he debuted with them in 1978. He was less than effective there, never winning more than 13 games in a season, while losing 66 games in four seasons. After 1981, Toronto traded him to San Diego, and he won 21 games in 1982. He was not that successful during the rest of his time with the Padres, but he was a good #3 pitcher. After winning 19 games in 1988, San Diego released him for some unknown reason, and he bounced around from Oakland to St. Louis in 1989. He retired after winning 16 games with the Cardinals in 1992, pushing his career record to 172-173 with a 4.20 ERA.
Charlie Lea: Lea spent his entire eight year career with the Kansas City Royals. He made his debut in 1978, going 11-12. He went 12-13 in 1979, but was injured near the end of the season and missed almost all of the 1980 season. The injury seemed to do him some good, as he went 10-4 in 1981 and 15-8 in 1982. He would win another 31 games in the next two seasons, but he lost his control in 1985, and after going 8-14 the Royals released him. He went unsigned for two years, and retired after the 1987 season.
Bill Gullickson: Bill was drafted by the Mariners in 1976, right after Scott Sanderson. He debuted with Seattle in 1978, but was a dud, going 8-20 with a 5.97 ERA in his rookie year. After another poor showing in 1979, he rebounded to go 17-14 in 1980, but he crashed back down with records of 11-18 and 13-17 the next two seasons. After another poor season in 1983, he managed to get a three year contract with Baltimore, and made it worth their while for one season, winning 19 games for them in 1984. However, after a 15-14 season in 1985, he really hit the skids, losing 22 games in 1986 and 23 in 1987. He's the last pitcher to lose 20 games in a season, and he retired after being released by the Orioles following the 1988 season.
David Palmer: David was drafted by the White Sox, and spent the first half of his career there bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen. After his first two seasons were spent between the minor leagues and the Sox, Chicago made him a bullpen fixture in 1978 and he did well. However, Chicago saw a starter in him, and they were right, as he went 19-6 in 1979. He would win just 26 games in the next two seasons though, and after suffering a serious injury and a talent drop in 1982, the White Sox let him go. San Diego picked him up before the 1984 season and he responded with a 14 win season as he developed into a solid back of the rotation pitcher. He spent his last season in baseball between San Diego and Philadelphia, where he was traded for Tony Pena. After a 16 win 1989 season with the Padres and Phillies, Palmer retired with a career 131-102 record.
Steve Rogers: Steve was drafted by the Expos after the 1970 season and got the call up to Montreal two years later in 1972. In one of his first starts, he no hit the Mets and finished his rookie year with a 9-8 record. He was a key member of the 1973 World Series champions in Montreal, going 3-1 in four starts in the postseason after an 18 win regular season. He would not have a losing season until 1976, when he went 12-13. After that, he pitched two more solid seasons with the Expos before leaving for Cleveland's money following the 1978 season. With the Indians, he won 34 in his first two years before having the worst year of his career in 1981, when he went 8-22. He rebounded nicely, however, winning 18 games in 1982 and 16 in 1983. After an 18 loss 1984 and injury shortened 1985, Rogers retired with a career record of 190-181.