There are a few guys with notably interesting careers that I wanted to share. This is the first. I am happy to share the career story of any player if folks are interested.
The real life
Larry Lintz tried to be a good ballplayer, but he was like a poor man’s Billy Hamilton (the modern one). He had blazing speed, but couldn’t hit enough to make himself useful. He hit .227 for his career, and while he could take a walk, it just wasn’t enough to take full advantage of his legs. His defense in the middle infield was not great either. So, his career only lasted about 750 PA, roughly one full season. While he didn’t reach base all that much, he still stole 128 bases in that time. This is artificially inflated, since after the Expos gave up on him, the Athletics picked him up and tried him as one of their “designated pinch-runners” much like the famed Herb Washington. In 1976 he batted four times and stole 31 bases. Unlike Washington, Lintz was an actual baseball player, just not an adequate one.
The Replay League Larry Lintz was good enough to get some playing time. Also playing for the Expos, he got six seasons of starting at 2B and SS, largely due to a lack of attractive alternatives. He took full advantage of it. While his hitting and fielding were still suspect (he hit .232 for his career), he could run. He led the league in SB in his first five seasons in the majors, averaging more than 100 per season. Given that the previous record high in a season was 81 by George Burns way back in 1918, this was something to behold.
In those five seasons, Lintz successfully stole 108, 106, 89, 116, and 87 bases. Those three seasons in triple digits are still the top three SB seasons in league history. He was not efficient to start with, getting caught 45 and 52 times his first two years, but that improved quite a bit in later years. So despite his very short and rather unsuccessful career, Lintz ranks 12th all-time in SB with 585, and only 52nd in caught stealings.