Baseball’s All-13 Team
Posted by: Richie Rich in Baseball Hall of Fame, Numbers, Uniforms
Baseball players are a superstitious lot. So it’s no wonder only a handful have ever donned unlucky #13 on their jersey.
In honor of this Friday the Thirteenth, Home Run Derby honors the men who haven’t been afraid to wear the “unlucky number.” Without further adieu, here’s HRD’s All-Thirteen Team … and you guessed it – there’s thirteen of them.
Lance Parrish, Catcher
Big Wheel was an eight-time All Star, a six-time Silver Slugger, and won a Gold Glove at catcher for three straight seasons. Only the second catcher to ever win a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger in the same season (1983). He played for five different teams as #13, but I’ll always remember him as a Detroit Tiger. In 1982 he threw out three runners in the All-Star game.
Alex Rodriguez, Third Base
Recent steroid revelations aside, A-Roid belongs on this list.
Rodriguez has averaged yearly totals of 40 HR and 123 RBI in the five years he’s worn #13 for the New York Yankees. Although playing out of position at Third Base (he was a shortstop before joining the Yankees) he’s logged a .962 Fielding percentage.
Dave Concepcion, Second Base
I’m gonna get a lot of nasty emails and comments for putting Concepcion at second base … but I just don’t think he’s the best Shortstop to wear #13. That being said, Concepcion was one of the best – a nine-time All Star, a two-time World Series Champ, a five-time Gold Glover and is the only player to have his #13 retired by an MLB club.
Omar Vizquel, Shortstop
Eleven Gold Gloves (an incredible nine of them were consecutive) and a MLB record .984 Fielding percentage at Shortstop. That’s why Vizquel gets named the Shortstop on this team.
Jim Leyritz, First Base/Utility
Leyritz was a utility player, but played 149 games at First Base while wearing #13 – which is the most I could find of anyone at 1B (someone will name off a Hall-of-Famer in the 1st comment). He’s probably best known for his game-tying 3-run Home Run in Game Four of the 1996 World Series, which kept the Yankees from going down 3-1 in the Series.
Oh, he’s probably also known for the 2007 drunk-driving vehicular manslaughter charge still pending agianst him.
Roberto Clemente, Right Field
Yes, I know that Clemente wore #21 for almost his entire career … but he wore #13 for a few games in 1955. And that’s good enough for me.
And besides, this team’s hurting for outfielders.
Carl Crawford, Left Field
It was kinda tough to find quality outfielders for this squad. So we had to go with a youth movement.
Nate McLouth, Center Field -
McClouth broke out last season (2008), winning a Gold Glove (2nd best OF fielding % in the NL) and an All-Star berth. He had an awesome throw to nail a runner in the All Star Game.
He’s well on his way to becoming the next good player the Pirates trade away for next-to-nothing.
Blue Moon Odom, Starting Pitcher
Three World Championships (1972-73-74) and a career 1.07 Postseason ERA (42 Innings). And an awesome delivery.
Ralph Branca, Starting Pitcher
Back in the first half of the 20th century, guys were afraid to wear 13. Branca did just fine, going 76-56 with a 3.65 ERA in 259 appearance from 1944-1951. But then he posed with a Black Cat on Friday, April 13, 1951. And then that whole “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” thing happened in October against the Giants.
Branca wore #12 in 1952 and only played seven more games wearing the number 13 in 1953.
Turk Wendell, Relief Pitcher
The All-13 team needs the all-time superstitious player, right? Wendell fits the bill. Wendell used to brush his teeth between innings, wave to the centerfielder before every inning, and crouch while his catcher was standing. And his leap over the foul line was …. unique.
Billy Wagner, Relief Pitcher
Wagner is number six on MLB’s all-time saves list with 385. He’ll be getting $10.5 million from the Mets in 2009, even though he’s expected to miss the season while recovering from a torn ligament in his elbow.
Ozzie Guillen, Manager
Not only will bleepin’ Ozzie Guillen manage this squad, but he’s also the third Venezuelan Shortstop on the squad. If Luis Aparacio had worn #13 I would have had real trouble.
Got any better #13’s? Put em in the comments.
Entries (RSS)
March 13th, 2009 at 1:29 am
dear billy wagner:
suck a fat one.
signed,
pat burrell
March 13th, 2009 at 7:54 am
Wow, I figured Philly would have forgotten all about Wagner after they won last fall.
Guess not.
March 13th, 2009 at 9:49 am
What, no love for Red Sox IF John Valentin?
You know he did pull off an unassited triple play once… 7/8/94.
(one of 14 ever to do it)
Great stuff Rich!
March 13th, 2009 at 10:16 am
The only 1B I can remember who wore #13 and played more games there than Leyritz was Dave Revering of the early 80s A’s. Leyritz was a better overall player though.
March 13th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Omar, Omar, Omar, Omar!
March 13th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Concepcion was the first (famous) venezuelan SS to wear #13 in the major leagues, Vizquel, Ozzie and many other venezuelan infielders claim that they wear #13 in honor of Dave Concepcion, a huge venezuelan idol in the 70’s and part of the 80’s…
March 13th, 2009 at 11:21 am
turns out u are way off on the number of catchers who have won a gold glove and a silver slugger award in the same season. i thought it would be a good trivia question so i looked it up.
gary carter 81,82
lance parrish 83,84
benito santiago 88,90
pudge rodriguez 94-99
jason varitek 05
russell martin 07
joe mauer 08
do some better research.
March 13th, 2009 at 11:42 am
What about Edgardo Alfonzo? Did you forget he wore #13 with the Mets from 1995-2002? He hit .292 with 120 homers and 538 rbi during his 8 years with the Mets (including another 4 homers and 17 rbi in 24 post-season games). Not bad for a guy who got jerked between 2B and 3B depending on the year.
March 13th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Luke: before you get all pissy, note that the author says:
“Only the second catcher to ever win a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger in the same season (1983).”
So when he did it, in 1983, he was only the second one to do it…as your list notes. Then 5 guys went on to do it a few more times.
March 13th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Luke: before you get all pissy, note that the author says:
“Only the second catcher to ever win a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger in the same season (1983).”
So when he did it, in 1983, he was only the second one to do it…as your list notes. Then 5 guys went on to do it a few more times.
that is not how it was worded when i commented. obviously the author of the article changed it due to my comment. when i wrote my comment the blurb read that he was one of only four catchers to win the glod glove and silver slugger awar in the same season. if you ask the author if he changed it, i guarantee he says that he did.
March 13th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
i did research to find out who the other three of the “4″ catchers were. i soon found that there was more than the “4″ that the author had said there was.
March 13th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Well, then that’s misleading on the author’s part; any changes to an article that’s published shouldn’t just magically appear. There should be some kind of “update” wording or strikethrough. Otherwise it makes your original comment look silly, and then mine, as well.
March 13th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
@Luke
Which is more likely, you misread it or the columnist really gives enough of a crap about the comments to go and secretly change his article?
i.e you did what everyone on the internet does. You misread something and went ahead with a comment and now look foolish. Just suck it up like a man.
March 13th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
What about OF Pedro Cerrano–Cleveland Indians–Major League
March 13th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
CoachK25 wins the comments
March 13th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
no shot i misread it. i wrote down the question four catchers to win silver slugger and gold glove in the same year when i read it, i even asked a coworker if he had any guesses who the others were. before i looked it up we both came up with pudge, bench(we didnt know that they didnt sart the silver slugger til 80), and mauer. where did i magically come up with the number 4? it isnt mentioned anywhere in there now.
i sent an email to the site, saying that if they are going to correct stats that they publish, they should note it on the message board.
March 13th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
I LOVE OZZIE GUILLEN
GO CWS
GO USA
GO VELENZULA
March 14th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Yo Richie,
Phillies phans never forget assholes who burned us. In 2005 Billy the chump blew two games in philly in september to Houston. Guess who beat the Phillies by one game for the wild card that year?
Wagner is a glib Diva, who will sell out all his teammates to lazy ass beat writers so they get a story they do no work on, and he is called a “good guy” by the media in every town he plays for.
Not like Wagner was saving starving kids and being like Kurt Warner. It’s because he is a ass kisser to the media. (And the media is dominated by lazy no talents who get bitchy when the players don’t come to them for their stories!)
Once some C-word of a female wrter in Philly (Dana Pennet O’Neal) bitched “Jimmy Rollins should be fined by the Phillies he and his teammates never do their job and come to the press confrence after the game. Thats what they get paid the big bucks for”
Fanny bitch, I thought they paid the players all that cash to win ball games and the paper paid you to write something.
I didn’t know Players doubled as PR directors.
And nothing BTW was sweeter in 2007 then when Pat the Bat nailed the long ball all those times off Billy The Chump Wagner!
Wagner always chokes vs his old teams and teams your playing in a playoff race! ALWAYS!
March 14th, 2009 at 9:07 am
And we still have yet to forget:
Scott Rollen
Bobby Abreu (Who got the cheers goodbye since we were glad he was leaving, a “Don’t let the door hit ya” cheer)
JD “I’ll never paly in dirty Philly” Drew
JD Drew’s brother (to pass the message to JD “You still suck!”)
these to name a few.
March 14th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Concepcion was the best defensive shortstop around and one of the best ever. While Omar may have won more gold gloves, he did it in a time where the offensive SS where emerging and defense was not as great as a whole for the position. Davey was and is an icon in Cincy and Venezuela. For longevity and production at the position, he is without the best #13 for SS.
March 17th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Luke, you are a huge douche.
October 18th, 2009 at 11:21 am
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