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jamus23 · 09-06-2011, 09:50 PM

RF Modesto Wann:

While Modesto Wann is not one of the strongest members of the Hall of Fame, he is still a rather interesting and unique player. For starters, he spent the entirety of his career with one team, the Grand Rapids Tigers. Second, despite not making an All Star team until very late in his career, he ripped off 5 consecutive All Star appearances. Third, he was one of the better defensive right-fielders of all time, winning 5 Gold Glove Awards. Lastly, although he had significant strikeout problems early in his career, he eventually became a tremendous contact hitter(592 of his 1,217 career strikeouts came in a 4-year period; in the 12 years after that stretch, he had a combined 490 strikeouts).

After being an annual contender from 2012 to 2029(11 division titles in 18 seasons), Grand Rapids slipped into mediocrity in the early 30's. The Tigers' best record from 2030 to 2035 was 80-82, and they finished higher than 3rd place only once in that stretch. Prior to the 2036 season, they made 18-year old, switch-hitting, right-fielder Modesto Wann the 10th overall selection. Wann was young and toolsy. He showed off several of those tools in a respectable campaign in A-ball that year, with a .776 OPS, 12 homeruns, and 23 stolen bases. The following season, he split between A and AA, and had a cup of coffee in the big leagues at the end of the season. In A-ball, he tore things up with a .365 batting average and a .902 OPS in 192 at bats. His AA numbers were only a little worse: .330 average and an .858 OPS in 321 at bats. He also impressed in his September call-up, with 5 hits in 10 at bats, including a double and a homerun. Although he wasn't a part of it, Grand Rapids paced the American League with a 93-69 record that year, and reached the World Series, where it fell to Portland in 6 games. Wann spent most of the 2038 season at AA, where he hit .329 with an .899 OPS. In early July of that season, Wann received a big league promotion. The slick-fielding Wann pushed another future Hall of Famer, Billy Stoltzfus, into the DH spot. Initially, things went well, as Wann posted a 1.095 OPS in 31 at bats in July. Big league pitchers soon began taking advantage of the young hitter's weaknesses, and he suffered through a horrible August(9 for 66, 22 strikeouts, a .475 OPS). Wann adjusted, however, and finished the season strong, with an .857 OPS in 85 September at bats. Overall, though, his numbers were not great. In 182 at bats, he managed just a .247 batting average and a .732 OPS. Grand Rapids, unfortunately, collapsed from its World Series appearance to a 64-98 record. Only the expansion Denver Broncos(51-111) kept the Tigers out of last place in the Central.

For whatever reason, Grand Rapids elected to send Wann to AAA to start out the 2039 season. No matter. Within a week- after posting an .857 OPS in 24 at bats- Wann was back on the Tigers' roster. Perhaps desperate to prove he belonged, Wann quickly caught fire. In 43 April at bats, he hit .349 with a .938 OPS. That hot streak was cut short, however, when Wann suffered a broken finger getting hit by a pitch. That cost him a month of action. Upon his return in June, his bat cooled. He managed just a .767 OPS that month, followed by a .615 OPS in July, and a .715 OPS in August. It wasn't until the final month of the season that Wann got back on track at the plate, with a torrid .372 batting average and 1.026 OPS in September. 14 of his 30 extra base hits came in that stretch. For the year, he managed a very solid .807 OPS. Grand Rapids' powerful lineup(4th in runs scored) couldn't overcome a weak pitching staff(15th in runs allowed), and the Tigers muddled through a 74-88 season.

The 2040 season was Wann's first as an unquestioned starter. It had both good and bad aspects. On the good side, Wann delivered 56 extra base hits and won his first Gold Glove Award. On the other hand, he managed only a mediocre .757 OPS and whiffed 142 times. Grand Rapids went 89-73, but finished in third place, 11 games out of first. The next season was a strange one. Wann was absolutely dreadful at the plate, with just a .690 OPS and 134 strikeouts, but won his second Gold Glove in right field. Meanwhile, the Tigers finished with just a 79-83 record. However, that record was good enough to tie for first place in the Central Division with Tucson. Grand Rapids bested Tucson in a one game playoff to earn the right to face a 103-win Knoxville team in the ALCS. The Tigers were no match for the 79ers, getting outscored 29-11 in a 5 game series loss. Wann was a non-factor, going 2 for 14 with a .393 OPS. In 2042, Wann posted a .754 OPS, with a career-high 10 triples. He also struck out a career-high 159 times. Wann remained a top defensive outfielder, winning his third Gold Glove Award in right field. Grand Rapids managed a 74-88 record, and a 4th place finish.

The 2043 season was the one that saw Wann begin to put it all together. Although he whiffed another 157 times, he still batted .309 with an .869 OPS, 21 homeruns, 94 RBI, and 100 runs scored. Wann also earned his fourth Gold Glove Award. Grand Rapids slogged through an 81-81 season, and tied for third place with Tucson. Wann continued his breakthrough in 2044, as he hit .312 with a .922 OPS, 43 doubles, 19 homers, 74 RBI, and 104 runs scored. Unfortunately, his streak of consecutive Gold Gloves came to an end. Grand Rapids went 82-80 and finished in third place.

In 2045, Wann's plate discipline improved dramatically. The previous five seasons had seen him average 53 walks against 138 strikeouts, but in the '45 season, he actually drew more walks(68) than strikeouts(65). He also posted an .857 OPS- with 42 doubles, 16 homeruns, 80 RBI, and 102 runs scored- and won his fifth Gold Glove Award. Grand Rapids continued to do nothing of note, with 75 wins and a 4th place finish. The '46 season showed that Wann's improvements were not a fluke. He hit .330, with a .406 on base percentage, a .926 OPS, 46 doubles, 15 homeruns, 86 RBI, 117 runs scored, and a superb 73/31 BB/K rate. The Tigers managed a second place finish, but were just 80-82.

Grand Rapids plummeted to last place in 2047, finishing with the worst record in the American League at 64-98. You can't blame Wann for the collapse, as he produced a .901 OPS, with 21 homeruns, 101 RBI, and 101 runs scored. His remarkable improvement in plate discipline continued, as he drew 72 walks against only 23 strikeouts. The Tigers duplicated their '47 season with another last place, 64-98 performance in 2048. Wann's numbers dipped slightly, but remained above average: .851 OPS, 16 homers, 78 RBI, 96 runs scored, 71/43 BB/K rate. Grand Rapids escaped the cellar in 2049, finishing with a 75-87 record and a 4th place finish. Wann had a similar campaign to the previous year, with an .853 OPS, 41 doubles, 14 homeruns, 93 RBI, 101 runs scored, and a 68/21 BB/K rate.

Now at this point, Wann was a 32 year old right-fielder, with a solid bat and a great glove. After a couple of mediocre seasons early in his career, he had developed into a consistently above average hitter. Despite his improvement, however, he had yet to go to an All Star game. In 2050, Wann, who would turn 33 just a month into the season, had the best year of his career, with personal bests in batting average(.334), slugging percentage(.551), OPS(.953), hits(195), homeruns(24), RBI(103), and runs scored(119). He added 45 doubles and a 66/23 BB/K rate. Wann earned his first All Star nod that year. Grand Rapids also experienced a resurgence, finishing 84-78 and in 2nd place, 7 games behind Tucson. In '51, Wann made it 2 straight All Star appearances, as he produced a .920 OPS, with a .328 batting average, 15 homers, 87 RBI, 85 runs scored, and a 70/22 BB/K rate. The Tigers, on the other hand, slumped to 72-90. They tied for 2nd place with Denver, but finished 13 games behind Tucson in the Central Division. Wann made it three straight All Star appearances in 2052, with a .330 batting average, an .892 OPS, 193 hits, a career-high 49 doubles, 11 homeruns, 94 RBI, 111 runs scored, and a career high 80 walks. Grand Rapids finished in 2nd place, but had just an 81-81 record and finished 9 games behind Tucson. Wann became a free agent following the '52 season, but although he explored all of his options, he ultimately decided to resign with Grand Rapids. The 2053 season saw Wann reach his 4th straight All Star Game. He hit a career-high .351, with a .941 OPS, a career-high 202 hits, 42 doubles, 15 homeruns, 98 RBI, and 102 runs scored. Grand Rapids went 80-82, and finished in 2nd place, 6 games behind first place Kansas City. Wann made his 5th, and final, All Star appearance in 2054, as he hit .330, with an .863 OPS, 12 homers, 81 RBI, and 95 runs scored. The Tigers slipped to 73-89 and a third place finish.

Grand Rapids continued its decline in 2055, as it collapsed to a 67-95 record and a 4th place finish. Wann, who turned 38 that year, also fell apart. The consistent .300 hitter slumped to a .242 average and managed just a .621 OPS. Things got so bad for Wann that Grand Rapids actually demoted him to AAA in late July; the loyal veteran accepted the demotion without complaint, but his poor performance there(.658 OPS in 124 at bats) wasn't quite enough to convince him to retire. Wann began the 2056 season with Grand Rapids' AAA team, but despite his good start(.964 OPS in 53 at bats), the Tigers released him two weeks into the season. With no other teams showing interest, Wann retired at the end of the '56 season. It might have been for the best, as Grand Rapids hit rock bottom that year, with the worst record in baseball(57-105).

At the time of his retirement, Wann ranked in the top 25 of only one offensive category. He was tied for 18th all time in triples, with 103, and remained in the top 25 until 2068. Wann's 5 Gold Glove Awards in right field are impressive, but ultimately, not that noteworthy. A total of 11 other players have won as many Gold Gloves in right field, and four players have won more. In Wann's defense, however, 2 of the other players that have won at least 5 Gold Gloves were American League contemporaries. Fabian Rosas won 5 Gold Gloves, 3 of which came in seasons that Wann played regularly, while Tony Castro won 6 between the years 2049 and 2055.

Wann's Career Stats:

Code:

Year     G   AB    H  2B  3B  HR  RBI    R   BB    K  SB  CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS Teams 
2037     6   10    5   1   0   1    2    3    0    1   0   0 .500 .500 .900 1.400 GR 
2038    63  182   45  15   2   5   25   28   13   55   1   6 .247 .297 .434  .732 GR 
2039    92  315   98  25   0   5   53   55   29   79   7   8 .311 .369 .438  .807 GR 
2040   154  581  161  37   9  10   74   85   49  142   6   4 .277 .333 .423  .757 GR 
2041   150  503  123  31   5   8   67   84   53  134   7  11 .245 .317 .374  .690 GR 
2042   149  603  163  27  10  15   76  105   55  159  10   5 .270 .331 .423  .754 GR 
2043   154  586  181  39   7  21   94  100   49  157   3   5 .309 .362 .507  .869 GR 
2044   151  516  161  43   8  19   74  104   61   98   8   8 .312 .385 .537  .922 GR 
2045   157  575  173  42   7  16   80  102   68   65  10  15 .301 .375 .482  .857 GR 
2046   155  575  190  46   9  15   86  117   73   31  12  17 .330 .406 .520  .926 GR 
2047   154  556  172  38   6  21  101  101   72   23  11  11 .309 .389 .513  .901 GR 
2048   157  536  158  34   7  16   78   96   71   43   8  15 .295 .377 .474  .851 GR 
2049   155  550  168  41   4  14   93  101   68   21  10  11 .305 .382 .471  .853 GR 
2050   154  584  195  45   5  24  103  119   66   23   3  12 .334 .402 .551  .953 GR,AL 
2051   146  533  175  38   8  15   87   85   70   22   0   3 .328 .406 .514  .920 GR,AL 
2052   156  584  193  49   3  11   94  111   80   38   3   8 .330 .411 .481  .892 GR,AL 
2053   156  576  202  42   7  15   98  102   63   42   3   8 .351 .415 .526  .941 GR,AL 
2054   146  531  175  28   4  12   81   95   60   43   1   3 .330 .398 .465  .863 GR,AL 
2055    99  310   75  12   2   5   35   34   16   41   1   1 .242 .279 .342  .621 GR 
Total 2554 9206 2813 633 103 248 1401 1627 1016 1217 104 151 .306 .375 .478  .852   
 
Career Minor League Batting Stats
 
 
Year        G  AB   H 2B 3B HR RBI  R BB   K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS 
2036,   A 138 537 162 25  0 12  73 78 57 123 23 15 .302 .361 .415 .776 
2037,   A  51 192  70  7  0  5  21 33 23  49  9  4 .365 .423 .479 .902 
2037,  AA  83 321 106 12  2 10  48 44 34  50 11 13 .330 .385 .474 .858 
2038,  AA  81 298  98 26  1  9  32 47 32  61 10 13 .329 .386 .513 .899 
2039, AAA   6  24   8  2  1  0   4  2  2   5  1  1 .333 .357 .500 .857 
2055, AAA  32 124  35  4  0  1  17 14 10  10  0  4 .282 .319 .339 .658 
2056, AAA  12  53  20  5  0  2  15 13  2   9  0  0 .377 .379 .585 .964 
 
Career Postseason Batting Stats
 
 
Year  G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS 
2041  5 14 2  0  0  0   0 0  2 4  0  1 .143 .250 .143 .393 
Total 5 14 2  0  0  0   0 0  2 4  0  1 .143 .250 .143 .393 
 
 
Player History
 
 
Drafted in 1st round, 10th overall pick, by Grand Rapids in 2036...
Had first career hit on 9/2/2037, off Robert Mccomas (ATL)...
Hit first career homerun on 9/7/2037, off Robert Padgett (KC)...
Injured on 5/1/2039 with a Broken Finger, out for 4 weeks...
Won Gold Glove Award at Rightfield in 2040...
Had 5 hits with 5 RBI against Tucson on 8/1/2041...
Won Gold Glove Award at Rightfield in 2041...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/16/2042, hitting .556 with 1 HR, 3 RBI...
Hit for the cycle against Denver on 6/30/2042...
Won Gold Glove Award at Rightfield in 2042...
Won Gold Glove Award at Rightfield in 2043...
Won Gold Glove Award at Rightfield in 2045...
Drove in 6 runs against Atlanta on 6/7/2047...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Denver on 9/27/2047...
Had 5 hits with 1 RBI against Knoxville on 5/15/2050...
Was selected to the 2050 Allstar game...
Had 2000th career hit on 4/6/2051, off Philip Traub (MEM)...
Was selected to the 2051 Allstar game...
Injured on 8/16/2051 with a Pulled Hip Muscle, out for 1-2 weeks...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Knoxville on 9/30/2051...
Drove in 6 runs against Denver on 10/2/2051...
Was selected to the 2052 Allstar game...
Signed as a free agent by Grand Rapids on 2/22/2053 to a 3-year deal worth $6,268,500 per year...
Won Batter of the Month award on 6/1/2053, hitting .390 with 5 HR, 18 RBI...
Was selected to the 2053 Allstar game...
Was selected to the 2054 Allstar game...
Released by Grand Rapids on 4/14/2056...
Retired and inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2057.
 
 
Batting Leader Boards Appearances 
 
AVG
2050 - .334 - 6th
2053 - .351 - 6th
 
OBP
2049 - .382 - 10th
2050 - .402 - 4th
2051 - .406 - 4th
2052 - .411 - 4th
2053 - .415 - 3rd
2054 - .398 - 2nd
 
SLG
2053 - .526 - 10th
 
OPS
2050 - .953 - 9th
2051 - .920 - 9th
2053 - .941 - 5th
 
Hits
2050 - 195 - 8th
2053 - 202 - 8th
 
Doubles
2043 - 39 - 10th
2044 - 43 - 10th
2045 - 42 - 9th
2046 - 46 - 8th
2050 - 45 - 7th
2052 - 49 - 4th
2053 - 42 - 8th
 
Triples
2040 -  9 - 4th
2042 - 10 - 5th
2044 -  8 - 8th
2046 -  9 - 10th
2051 -  8 - 10th
2053 -  7 - 8th
 
Runs
2050 - 119 - 4th

After a couple of somewhat boring Hall of Famers, the next four should be quite interesting, as they include: one of the best pure hitters ever(2B Steven Piche); a key figure in the rise of the Miami Dolphins as a powerhouse and perhaps the greatest hitter to never win a Silver Slugger Award(3B Dennis Gillespie); the 2nd ever Triple Crown winner(2B Ronald Ralston); and lastly, possibly the best hitter in league history(LF Julio Casillas).

09-06-2011, 09:50 PM	#676
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 896	Remembering the Hall of Famers: RF Modesto Wann RF Modesto Wann: While Modesto Wann is not one of the strongest members of the Hall of Fame, he is still a rather interesting and unique player. For starters, he spent the entirety of his career with one team, the Grand Rapids Tigers. Second, despite not making an All Star team until very late in his career, he ripped off 5 consecutive All Star appearances. Third, he was one of the better defensive right-fielders of all time, winning 5 Gold Glove Awards. Lastly, although he had significant strikeout problems early in his career, he eventually became a tremendous contact hitter(592 of his 1,217 career strikeouts came in a 4-year period; in the 12 years after that stretch, he had a combined 490 strikeouts). After being an annual contender from 2012 to 2029(11 division titles in 18 seasons), Grand Rapids slipped into mediocrity in the early 30's. The Tigers' best record from 2030 to 2035 was 80-82, and they finished higher than 3rd place only once in that stretch. Prior to the 2036 season, they made 18-year old, switch-hitting, right-fielder Modesto Wann the 10th overall selection. Wann was young and toolsy. He showed off several of those tools in a respectable campaign in A-ball that year, with a .776 OPS, 12 homeruns, and 23 stolen bases. The following season, he split between A and AA, and had a cup of coffee in the big leagues at the end of the season. In A-ball, he tore things up with a .365 batting average and a .902 OPS in 192 at bats. His AA numbers were only a little worse: .330 average and an .858 OPS in 321 at bats. He also impressed in his September call-up, with 5 hits in 10 at bats, including a double and a homerun. Although he wasn't a part of it, Grand Rapids paced the American League with a 93-69 record that year, and reached the World Series, where it fell to Portland in 6 games. Wann spent most of the 2038 season at AA, where he hit .329 with an .899 OPS. In early July of that season, Wann received a big league promotion. The slick-fielding Wann pushed another future Hall of Famer, Billy Stoltzfus, into the DH spot. Initially, things went well, as Wann posted a 1.095 OPS in 31 at bats in July. Big league pitchers soon began taking advantage of the young hitter's weaknesses, and he suffered through a horrible August(9 for 66, 22 strikeouts, a .475 OPS). Wann adjusted, however, and finished the season strong, with an .857 OPS in 85 September at bats. Overall, though, his numbers were not great. In 182 at bats, he managed just a .247 batting average and a .732 OPS. Grand Rapids, unfortunately, collapsed from its World Series appearance to a 64-98 record. Only the expansion Denver Broncos(51-111) kept the Tigers out of last place in the Central. For whatever reason, Grand Rapids elected to send Wann to AAA to start out the 2039 season. No matter. Within a week- after posting an .857 OPS in 24 at bats- Wann was back on the Tigers' roster. Perhaps desperate to prove he belonged, Wann quickly caught fire. In 43 April at bats, he hit .349 with a .938 OPS. That hot streak was cut short, however, when Wann suffered a broken finger getting hit by a pitch. That cost him a month of action. Upon his return in June, his bat cooled. He managed just a .767 OPS that month, followed by a .615 OPS in July, and a .715 OPS in August. It wasn't until the final month of the season that Wann got back on track at the plate, with a torrid .372 batting average and 1.026 OPS in September. 14 of his 30 extra base hits came in that stretch. For the year, he managed a very solid .807 OPS. Grand Rapids' powerful lineup(4th in runs scored) couldn't overcome a weak pitching staff(15th in runs allowed), and the Tigers muddled through a 74-88 season. The 2040 season was Wann's first as an unquestioned starter. It had both good and bad aspects. On the good side, Wann delivered 56 extra base hits and won his first Gold Glove Award. On the other hand, he managed only a mediocre .757 OPS and whiffed 142 times. Grand Rapids went 89-73, but finished in third place, 11 games out of first. The next season was a strange one. Wann was absolutely dreadful at the plate, with just a .690 OPS and 134 strikeouts, but won his second Gold Glove in right field. Meanwhile, the Tigers finished with just a 79-83 record. However, that record was good enough to tie for first place in the Central Division with Tucson. Grand Rapids bested Tucson in a one game playoff to earn the right to face a 103-win Knoxville team in the ALCS. The Tigers were no match for the 79ers, getting outscored 29-11 in a 5 game series loss. Wann was a non-factor, going 2 for 14 with a .393 OPS. In 2042, Wann posted a .754 OPS, with a career-high 10 triples. He also struck out a career-high 159 times. Wann remained a top defensive outfielder, winning his third Gold Glove Award in right field. Grand Rapids managed a 74-88 record, and a 4th place finish. The 2043 season was the one that saw Wann begin to put it all together. Although he whiffed another 157 times, he still batted .309 with an .869 OPS, 21 homeruns, 94 RBI, and 100 runs scored. Wann also earned his fourth Gold Glove Award. Grand Rapids slogged through an 81-81 season, and tied for third place with Tucson. Wann continued his breakthrough in 2044, as he hit .312 with a .922 OPS, 43 doubles, 19 homers, 74 RBI, and 104 runs scored. Unfortunately, his streak of consecutive Gold Gloves came to an end. Grand Rapids went 82-80 and finished in third place. In 2045, Wann's plate discipline improved dramatically. The previous five seasons had seen him average 53 walks against 138 strikeouts, but in the '45 season, he actually drew more walks(68) than strikeouts(65). He also posted an .857 OPS- with 42 doubles, 16 homeruns, 80 RBI, and 102 runs scored- and won his fifth Gold Glove Award. Grand Rapids continued to do nothing of note, with 75 wins and a 4th place finish. The '46 season showed that Wann's improvements were not a fluke. He hit .330, with a .406 on base percentage, a .926 OPS, 46 doubles, 15 homeruns, 86 RBI, 117 runs scored, and a superb 73/31 BB/K rate. The Tigers managed a second place finish, but were just 80-82. Grand Rapids plummeted to last place in 2047, finishing with the worst record in the American League at 64-98. You can't blame Wann for the collapse, as he produced a .901 OPS, with 21 homeruns, 101 RBI, and 101 runs scored. His remarkable improvement in plate discipline continued, as he drew 72 walks against only 23 strikeouts. The Tigers duplicated their '47 season with another last place, 64-98 performance in 2048. Wann's numbers dipped slightly, but remained above average: .851 OPS, 16 homers, 78 RBI, 96 runs scored, 71/43 BB/K rate. Grand Rapids escaped the cellar in 2049, finishing with a 75-87 record and a 4th place finish. Wann had a similar campaign to the previous year, with an .853 OPS, 41 doubles, 14 homeruns, 93 RBI, 101 runs scored, and a 68/21 BB/K rate. Now at this point, Wann was a 32 year old right-fielder, with a solid bat and a great glove. After a couple of mediocre seasons early in his career, he had developed into a consistently above average hitter. Despite his improvement, however, he had yet to go to an All Star game. In 2050, Wann, who would turn 33 just a month into the season, had the best year of his career, with personal bests in batting average(.334), slugging percentage(.551), OPS(.953), hits(195), homeruns(24), RBI(103), and runs scored(119). He added 45 doubles and a 66/23 BB/K rate. Wann earned his first All Star nod that year. Grand Rapids also experienced a resurgence, finishing 84-78 and in 2nd place, 7 games behind Tucson. In '51, Wann made it 2 straight All Star appearances, as he produced a .920 OPS, with a .328 batting average, 15 homers, 87 RBI, 85 runs scored, and a 70/22 BB/K rate. The Tigers, on the other hand, slumped to 72-90. They tied for 2nd place with Denver, but finished 13 games behind Tucson in the Central Division. Wann made it three straight All Star appearances in 2052, with a .330 batting average, an .892 OPS, 193 hits, a career-high 49 doubles, 11 homeruns, 94 RBI, 111 runs scored, and a career high 80 walks. Grand Rapids finished in 2nd place, but had just an 81-81 record and finished 9 games behind Tucson. Wann became a free agent following the '52 season, but although he explored all of his options, he ultimately decided to resign with Grand Rapids. The 2053 season saw Wann reach his 4th straight All Star Game. He hit a career-high .351, with a .941 OPS, a career-high 202 hits, 42 doubles, 15 homeruns, 98 RBI, and 102 runs scored. Grand Rapids went 80-82, and finished in 2nd place, 6 games behind first place Kansas City. Wann made his 5th, and final, All Star appearance in 2054, as he hit .330, with an .863 OPS, 12 homers, 81 RBI, and 95 runs scored. The Tigers slipped to 73-89 and a third place finish. Grand Rapids continued its decline in 2055, as it collapsed to a 67-95 record and a 4th place finish. Wann, who turned 38 that year, also fell apart. The consistent .300 hitter slumped to a .242 average and managed just a .621 OPS. Things got so bad for Wann that Grand Rapids actually demoted him to AAA in late July; the loyal veteran accepted the demotion without complaint, but his poor performance there(.658 OPS in 124 at bats) wasn't quite enough to convince him to retire. Wann began the 2056 season with Grand Rapids' AAA team, but despite his good start(.964 OPS in 53 at bats), the Tigers released him two weeks into the season. With no other teams showing interest, Wann retired at the end of the '56 season. It might have been for the best, as Grand Rapids hit rock bottom that year, with the worst record in baseball(57-105). At the time of his retirement, Wann ranked in the top 25 of only one offensive category. He was tied for 18th all time in triples, with 103, and remained in the top 25 until 2068. Wann's 5 Gold Glove Awards in right field are impressive, but ultimately, not that noteworthy. A total of 11 other players have won as many Gold Gloves in right field, and four players have won more. In Wann's defense, however, 2 of the other players that have won at least 5 Gold Gloves were American League contemporaries. Fabian Rosas won 5 Gold Gloves, 3 of which came in seasons that Wann played regularly, while Tony Castro won 6 between the years 2049 and 2055. Wann's Career Stats: Code: Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams 2037 6 10 5 1 0 1 2 3 0 1 0 0 .500 .500 .900 1.400 GR 2038 63 182 45 15 2 5 25 28 13 55 1 6 .247 .297 .434 .732 GR 2039 92 315 98 25 0 5 53 55 29 79 7 8 .311 .369 .438 .807 GR 2040 154 581 161 37 9 10 74 85 49 142 6 4 .277 .333 .423 .757 GR 2041 150 503 123 31 5 8 67 84 53 134 7 11 .245 .317 .374 .690 GR 2042 149 603 163 27 10 15 76 105 55 159 10 5 .270 .331 .423 .754 GR 2043 154 586 181 39 7 21 94 100 49 157 3 5 .309 .362 .507 .869 GR 2044 151 516 161 43 8 19 74 104 61 98 8 8 .312 .385 .537 .922 GR 2045 157 575 173 42 7 16 80 102 68 65 10 15 .301 .375 .482 .857 GR 2046 155 575 190 46 9 15 86 117 73 31 12 17 .330 .406 .520 .926 GR 2047 154 556 172 38 6 21 101 101 72 23 11 11 .309 .389 .513 .901 GR 2048 157 536 158 34 7 16 78 96 71 43 8 15 .295 .377 .474 .851 GR 2049 155 550 168 41 4 14 93 101 68 21 10 11 .305 .382 .471 .853 GR 2050 154 584 195 45 5 24 103 119 66 23 3 12 .334 .402 .551 .953 GR,AL 2051 146 533 175 38 8 15 87 85 70 22 0 3 .328 .406 .514 .920 GR,AL 2052 156 584 193 49 3 11 94 111 80 38 3 8 .330 .411 .481 .892 GR,AL 2053 156 576 202 42 7 15 98 102 63 42 3 8 .351 .415 .526 .941 GR,AL 2054 146 531 175 28 4 12 81 95 60 43 1 3 .330 .398 .465 .863 GR,AL 2055 99 310 75 12 2 5 35 34 16 41 1 1 .242 .279 .342 .621 GR Total 2554 9206 2813 633 103 248 1401 1627 1016 1217 104 151 .306 .375 .478 .852 Career Minor League Batting Stats Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS 2036, A 138 537 162 25 0 12 73 78 57 123 23 15 .302 .361 .415 .776 2037, A 51 192 70 7 0 5 21 33 23 49 9 4 .365 .423 .479 .902 2037, AA 83 321 106 12 2 10 48 44 34 50 11 13 .330 .385 .474 .858 2038, AA 81 298 98 26 1 9 32 47 32 61 10 13 .329 .386 .513 .899 2039, AAA 6 24 8 2 1 0 4 2 2 5 1 1 .333 .357 .500 .857 2055, AAA 32 124 35 4 0 1 17 14 10 10 0 4 .282 .319 .339 .658 2056, AAA 12 53 20 5 0 2 15 13 2 9 0 0 .377 .379 .585 .964 Career Postseason Batting Stats Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS 2041 5 14 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 1 .143 .250 .143 .393 Total 5 14 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 1 .143 .250 .143 .393 Player History Drafted in 1st round, 10th overall pick, by Grand Rapids in 2036... Had first career hit on 9/2/2037, off Robert Mccomas (ATL)... Hit first career homerun on 9/7/2037, off Robert Padgett (KC)... Injured on 5/1/2039 with a Broken Finger, out for 4 weeks... Won Gold Glove Award at Rightfield in 2040... Had 5 hits with 5 RBI against Tucson on 8/1/2041... Won Gold Glove Award at Rightfield in 2041... Won Player of the Week award on 6/16/2042, hitting .556 with 1 HR, 3 RBI... Hit for the cycle against Denver on 6/30/2042... Won Gold Glove Award at Rightfield in 2042... Won Gold Glove Award at Rightfield in 2043... Won Gold Glove Award at Rightfield in 2045... Drove in 6 runs against Atlanta on 6/7/2047... Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Denver on 9/27/2047... Had 5 hits with 1 RBI against Knoxville on 5/15/2050... Was selected to the 2050 Allstar game... Had 2000th career hit on 4/6/2051, off Philip Traub (MEM)... Was selected to the 2051 Allstar game... Injured on 8/16/2051 with a Pulled Hip Muscle, out for 1-2 weeks... Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Knoxville on 9/30/2051... Drove in 6 runs against Denver on 10/2/2051... Was selected to the 2052 Allstar game... Signed as a free agent by Grand Rapids on 2/22/2053 to a 3-year deal worth $6,268,500 per year... Won Batter of the Month award on 6/1/2053, hitting .390 with 5 HR, 18 RBI... Was selected to the 2053 Allstar game... Was selected to the 2054 Allstar game... Released by Grand Rapids on 4/14/2056... Retired and inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2057. Batting Leader Boards Appearances AVG 2050 - .334 - 6th 2053 - .351 - 6th OBP 2049 - .382 - 10th 2050 - .402 - 4th 2051 - .406 - 4th 2052 - .411 - 4th 2053 - .415 - 3rd 2054 - .398 - 2nd SLG 2053 - .526 - 10th OPS 2050 - .953 - 9th 2051 - .920 - 9th 2053 - .941 - 5th Hits 2050 - 195 - 8th 2053 - 202 - 8th Doubles 2043 - 39 - 10th 2044 - 43 - 10th 2045 - 42 - 9th 2046 - 46 - 8th 2050 - 45 - 7th 2052 - 49 - 4th 2053 - 42 - 8th Triples 2040 - 9 - 4th 2042 - 10 - 5th 2044 - 8 - 8th 2046 - 9 - 10th 2051 - 8 - 10th 2053 - 7 - 8th Runs 2050 - 119 - 4th After a couple of somewhat boring Hall of Famers, the next four should be quite interesting, as they include: one of the best pure hitters ever(2B Steven Piche); a key figure in the rise of the Miami Dolphins as a powerhouse and perhaps the greatest hitter to never win a Silver Slugger Award(3B Dennis Gillespie); the 2nd ever Triple Crown winner(2B Ronald Ralston); and lastly, possibly the best hitter in league history(LF Julio Casillas). __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver